CFP Wrap-Up: Takeaways from Week 6's biggest games

College Football Wrap-Up recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward.

Tennessee is a legit CFP threat

There's a No. 8 beside its name, but there's nobody in the country playing better football than Tennessee. The Volunteers turned in one of the most impressive wins of the season Saturday with a 40-13 blowout at LSU, making their record a perfect 5-0 with Alabama visiting next week.

We've highlighted the Tennessee offense in previous weeks, and that unit once again poured it on against an opponent that had no answers. Hendon Hooker threw for 239 yards and two touchdowns as the offense piled up 501 yards.

Perhaps even more impressive was the play of the SEC's seventh-ranked defensive unit. The Volunteers allowed 27 and 33 points in the other two Power 5 games they've played this season, but they held LSU to 55 yards rushing and two touchdowns total. That type of balanced play should have the rest of the SEC on notice.

The Vols face FCS program UT Martin in two weeks, but in their next three Power 5 games, they host Alabama and Kentucky before a trip to Georgia on Nov. 5. That stretch will determine if Tennessee truly deserves playoff consideration or not.

Many thought LSU's 4-1 record entering play was a bit of a mirage, and in action against elite competition Saturday, the Tigers quickly demonstrated that was the case. When the dust cleared in Tiger Stadium, Brian Kelly was walking off the field with the worst home loss of his FBS coaching career.

Kelly's track record of building a program should put LSU fans at ease about his ability to turn things around in Baton Rouge. Unfortunately for the Tigers, though, this year might get worse before it gets better.

Texas looks incredible

The jury may be out on Steve Sarkisian as a head coach, but there's no debate that the Texas frontman is one of the best play-callers in college football. Going back to his stint as Alabama's offensive coordinator, Sarkisian has thrived on creating mismatches with plenty of motion and misdirection. That was on full view again Saturday versus Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown.

Sarkisian exploited the Sooners' porous defense early and often, and Texas raced out to a 28-0 halftime lead. It wasn't just the points; it's the manner in which the Longhorns asserted their dominance. All four scoring drives were 79 yards or longer, and Oklahoma had no answer to the onslaught.

It's clear that Texas is a different team with a healthy Quinn Ewers behind center, and the talented pivot completed 21-of-31 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns in his return from a shoulder injury. Bijan Robinson ran wild for 130 yards and two touchdowns as Sarkisian's offense moved the ball at will.

The narrow loss to Alabama was a moral victory for Texas, but this actual win - now the Longhorns' largest over Oklahoma in the history of the rivalry - will certainly soften the blow of the loss to Texas Tech two weeks ago.

Oklahoma reaches new low

Brent Venables walked off the field in Nebraska on Sept. 17 with a 3-0 record as Oklahoma head coach and a whopping plus-97 point differential. Since that contest, the Sooners have gone 0-3 with a barely believable combined score of 145-58. The latest setback is the one that stings the most - the worst Oklahoma loss in Red River Showdown history.

Dillon Gabriel's absence created a huge mismatch for Venables' outfit, but not even prime Lamar Jackson could have saved the Sooners on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl.

With Gabriel unavailable, Venables opted for a mostly Wildcat approach, with various running backs and receivers getting time as the de facto quarterback alongside backup Davis Beville. That strategy failed miserably and resulted in Oklahoma throwing for only 39 yards. The Sooners failed to score an offensive touchdown for the first time in 167 games, ending the longest streak in the nation. It's also the first time the Sooners were shut out in 311 contests and the only time in program history they have sustained back-to-back losses of 30-plus points.

Venables also made some history of his own: He's now the first Oklahoma coach to lose their first three games of conference play.

The major departures in the wake of Lincoln Riley leaving for USC were always going to make this Oklahoma season difficult, but nobody could have pictured this type of situation in Norman.

Alabama survives clunker without Young

Alabama is damn lucky it played the 108th-ranked offense in the country on Saturday. Otherwise, it likely would have walked off the field with a second straight loss against Texas A&M.

The end result was a victory, but the Crimson Tide still had a stress-inducing night without Bryce Young. He dressed but didn't play due to a shoulder injury he suffered last week, leaving Alabama to lean on redshirt freshman Jalen Milroe.

It's clear to even the untrained eye that Milroe is a physical freak who possesses a ton of talent at the quarterback position. It's also fairly clear that his decision-making and execution are miles behind Young's. Milroe flashed his brilliance in numerous ways, from perfect passes for touchdowns on crossing routes to shifty moves on a 33-yard scamper. He also fumbled twice and was intercepted once. The Aggies had the potential to make at least three other interceptions, but couldn't squeeze the errant passes to secure the turnovers.

The normally reliable Will Reichard struggled as well, missing two field goals to give Texas A&M a chance at an improbable victory from the 2-yard line in the final seconds.

The Alabama defense stood tall one last time to deny the Aggies the upset win for the second year in a row and maintain its perfect record.

Young is expected to play next week at Tennessee in the biggest game of the 2022 season thus far. The Crimson Tide will need him firing on all cylinders as the Volunteers' potent offense is almost certain to move the ball on their home field.

Chip's got UCLA rolling

It's probably taken a few years longer than UCLA wanted, but Chip Kelly officially has the Bruins rolling in Los Angeles. The 18th-ranked program thumped No. 11 Utah on Saturday at home, running their record to 6-0 ahead of a bye week.

Kelly entered the contest with his UCLA teams 0-3 against Utah by a combined losing scoreline of 134-37, but the offense immediately asserted itself, racing to a 14-3 lead. Dorian Thompson-Robinson continued his strong senior season with four touchdown passes, setting the all-time record for a UCLA passer with the final one.

While the offense gets the accolades, the defense is the major reason the Bruins are significantly improved over last season. They've never ranked better than 73rd in the country in scoring defense under Kelly, but this year, they're 38th in the same statistic. While the Utes finished with 32 points, the final touchdown was a pick-6 in the dying seconds, leaving the defense responsible for just 25 points.

The Bruins face Oregon following the bye week in a contest that could be very important in the race for the Pac-12 title.

More records for C.J. Stroud

Opposing quarterbacks have circled the Michigan State game on the schedule the last two seasons because it almost guarantees a big day. Last year's Spartans were the worst pass defense in the nation, and this year they aren't much better, sitting 114th in the country heading into Saturday. C.J. Stroud made sure that ranking will likely fall further with a brilliant day for the Ohio State offense.

The Heisman front-runner strengthened his case with an incredible six-touchdown performance against the Spartans, and he made some Big Ten history in the process. It's the third game of Stroud's career in which he threw at least six touchdown passes, making him the first player in the storied history of the conference to do so.

His favorite target Saturday was Marvin Harrison Jr. and the electric receiver was virtually unstoppable, grabbing three scores. Stroud now leads the nation with 24 touchdown tosses on the season - an achievement that's even more impressive when you consider he's been without star wideout Jaxon Smith-Ngijba for virtually the entire campaign.

Dykes can't lose with TCU

With College GameDay on hand in Lawrence for the first time ever, the early contest between Big 12 unbeatens TCU and Kansas did not disappoint. Despite losing star quarterback Jalon Daniels to injury, the Jayhawks kept up with the Horned Frogs' offense for most of the contest before falling just short in a 38-31 loss. The win improves Sonny Dykes' record to 5-0 in his first season with TCU - and his high-powered offense yet again carried the load.

Dykes made his coaching reputation with his explosive offensive units, and he's immediately injected life into Max Duggan and the Horned Frogs' attack. TCU entered play tied with Ohio State for the nation's top offense, and the contest showed why Duggan has thrived under Dykes. The veteran quarterback finished with 308 yards passing and three scores, looking for star wideout Quentin Johnston early and often.

Duggan only threw three passes in the season opener, so he's essentially posted his totals of 1,305 passing yards and 14 touchdowns in four games this year. The senior has never topped 2,100 passing yards or 16 touchdowns in a season, but he's on pace to fly past both those marks in the near future.

Abanikanda goes off

Saturday's ACC tilt between Virginia Tech and Pitt didn't figure to make much noise on the national scene, but Israel Abanikanda had other ideas. The Panthers' star running back went absolutely bonkers against the Hokies, piling up a whopping 320 yards rushing and tying the ACC single-game record with six touchdowns. Abanikanda's total yardage broke the Pitt record set by the legendary Tony Dorsett and his six scores on the ground matched his previous output all season.

Interim coaches shine

It's one thing to lose your job during the season, but it must add insult to injury for fired coaches when the team immediately plays better following your departure. That was the case for Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, Arizona State, and Nebraska this weekend, as they all notched wins with interim coaches at the helm.

Wisconsin: 42-7 over Northwestern
Georgia Tech: 23-20 over Duke
Arizona State: 45-38 over Washington
Nebraska: 14-13 over Rutgers

Georgia Tech's performance since firing Geoff Collins is perhaps the most surprising, as Saturday's overtime win against Duke makes the Yellow Jackets 2-0 after the change. The school will likely look to hire a high-profile name, but Brent Key is doing his best to grab the permanent gig in Atlanta.

Levis' absence sinks Kentucky

With Will Levis in the lineup, No. 13 Kentucky is one of the best teams in the SEC East. Without the star quarterback, the Wildcats are a below-average squad in the country's best conference. That ugly truth was on display Saturday with Levis forced to miss the home game against South Carolina due to injury. The Wildcats turned in a dreadful performance to lose 24-14 in the Gamecocks' first SEC road win since Oct. 11, 2020.

Levis is ninth in the country in passer rating and 24th in passing yards per game. Freshman Kaiya Sheron has the potential to be a solid player for Mark Stoops, but the offense lacked the explosive potential that Levis adds. Kentucky went 3-of-12 on third down and Shayer finished with only 178 yards passing. That wasn't enough to hold off the upset-minded Gamecocks, and the loss dropped Kentucky below its opponent to fourth in the SEC East. Expect the Wildcats to take a significant tumble in Sunday's AP Top 25.