College Football’s 9 Undefeated Teams Ranked: Georgia Makes Statement After Week 6

Georgia’s 20-17 win at Alabama lifted the Bulldogs to the top of college football’s nine remaining undefeated teams after Week 6, edging a Notre Dame team that has dominated a softer schedule.

Six teams fell from last week’s list of 15 unbeatens: Texas, Alabama, Nebraska, Pitt, Duke and North Dakota State. Notre Dame visits BYU on Oct. 17, so at least one more perfect record ends next weekend.

9. James Madison Dukes (6-0)

James Madison trailed Georgia Southern 10-6 at halftime before scoring 17 straight points in a 27-24 win, the program’s first victory in Statesboro. Running back George Pettaway ran for 151 yards, his third straight 100-yard game, and backup quarterback JC Evans threw two touchdown passes in his first action since Week 1.

The Eagles missed a 52-yard field goal that would have tied it late. The Dukes, the only unbeaten team outside the Power Four and Notre Dame, host Georgia State at noon ET on Oct. 17.

8. Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-0)

Texas Tech spent Week 6 on a bye after its 29-7 win at Colorado, so its two-spot climb came from losses by Nebraska and Pitt. The Red Raiders’ 28-26 win over Houston, now 5-1, remains their best result.

Quarterback Will Hammond threw for 134 yards in Boulder, and the defense has carried more of the load than the offense. Head coach Joey McGuire’s team hosts Arizona State for homecoming at 3:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 17 on FOX.

7. BYU Cougars (5-0)

Quarterback Bear Bachmeier threw for a season-high 329 yards and ran for a career-best 109 in Friday’s 24-10 win over Iowa State, which managed 200 total yards. BYU played without running back LJ Martin.

“We know Bear can throw the ball, so I feel good about Bear throwing the ball,” head coach Kalani Sitake said. The Cougars went 0-for-3 on fourth down, and a home win over a 3-3 team doesn’t match UCLA’s result in Eugene. Notre Dame visits LaVell Edwards Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 17 on ABC, its first trip to Provo since 2004.

6. UCLA Bruins (5-0)

UCLA forced seven turnovers in a 17-15 win at Oregon, the Bruins’ first win in Eugene since 2004. The defense held a Ducks offense averaging 505.5 yards to 272, then stuffed a game-tying two-point try twice after a facemask penalty gave Oregon a second attempt.

“We just played physical, we played tough,” head coach Bob Chesney said. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava didn’t return after halftime because of an injury, and backup Ty Dieffenbach threw the go-ahead touchdown pass to running back Wayne Knight. Wisconsin visits UCLA on Oct. 17.

5. Utah Utes (5-0)

Utah beat Kansas 41-24 after the Jayhawks pulled within 27-24 entering the fourth quarter. Quarterback Devon Dampier accounted for four touchdowns, and running back Wayshawn Parker finished with 171 yards, including a 90-yard touchdown run that put the game away.

The Utes have scored 30-plus points in 11 straight games, the longest active streak in the country, and they’ve won all five games by at least 14 points. Utah still lacks a win as strong as UCLA’s in Eugene, but it hasn’t played a one-score game. The Utes visit Colorado at 10:15 p.m. ET on Oct. 17.

4. Indiana Hoosiers (6-0)

Indiana trailed Nebraska 17-6 early in the fourth quarter before quarterback Josh Hoover hit wide receiver Nick Marsh for touchdowns of 75 and 44 yards, the second on fourth-and-1, in a 20-17 win that extended the Hoosiers’ winning streak to 22 games. Marsh finished with six catches for 187 yards.

“You got to have an indomitable will, a will that cannot be defeated, and you have to be resilient,” head coach Curt Cignetti said. Indiana managed six points through three quarters in Lincoln, which keeps the defending national champions behind Miami. Ohio State visits Bloomington at noon ET on Oct. 17 on FOX.

3. Miami Hurricanes (5-0)

Miami was idle in Week 6 after its 41-13 win at Clemson, the Hurricanes’ first victory there since 2010. Head coach Mario Cristobal’s team moved up one spot because Alabama lost.

Miami rates ahead of Indiana in ESPN’s Football Power Index, and quarterback Darian Mensah leads an offense that has outscored Indiana’s in conference play. Florida State visits at 7 p.m. ET on Oct. 17 on ESPN, and the Seminoles enter 3-3 after a 44-20 loss at Louisville on Friday.

2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-0)

Notre Dame beat Stanford 58-7 for its 16th straight win, holding the Cardinal to 202 total yards and 58 rushing yards. Freshman running back Jonaz Walton ran for 181 yards on 13 carries, a school record for a true freshman, including a 97-yard touchdown.

Boubacar Traore strip-sacked Stanford’s quarterback on the game’s first snap and later intercepted a pass. ESPN ranks the Irish’s schedule 63rd compared with Georgia’s 34th, and nothing on Notre Dame’s resume matches a road win at Alabama. Head coach Marcus Freeman’s team visits BYU at 7:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 17.

1. Georgia Bulldogs (6-0)

Georgia won in Tuscaloosa for the first time since 2007, giving head coach Kirby Smart his first win at Bryant-Denny Stadium with the Bulldogs. Quarterback Gunner Stockton completed 18 of 22 passes for 249 yards and a touchdown and added a 14-yard touchdown run, while running back Dwight Phillips Jr. carried a career-high 17 times for 120 yards.

Georgia gained 455 yards and held Alabama to three second-half points. “We’ve got a really good offensive coordinator (Mike Bobo) that y’all like to criticize, he called those plays, he designed them, him and his staff put them together,” Smart said. The Bulldogs face Auburn next.