National Championship Contenders Shrinking After Week 6

The college football season kicks off, and every program is rife with optimism. Then, week after week, one by one, teams fall off until a National Championship is crowned in January. 

More teams than not are left licking their wounds after an eventful Week 6. Several high-ranking teams fell over the weekend, leaving just a few teams with genuine Championship aspirations.

Fighting Irish KO’ed

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish were one of the most prominent teams to suffer defeat, essentially knocking them out of playoff contention with their second loss.

Notre Dame was outclassed by the Louisville Cardinals, getting bested in every facet of the game. The Fighting Irish mustered a forgettable 298 yards while dropping a 33-20 decision as -5.5 chalk. 

The rest of their season is nothing more than a formality. At this point, the best the Irish could hope for is a noteworthy bowl game. 

Tough Losses

A pair of top-25 contenders lost to conference opponents, stacking the playoff cards against them. 

The 13th-ranked Washington State Cougars’ perfect season ended after a 25-17 loss to the UCLA Bruins. Later this season, the Cougars travel for matchups with the Oregon Ducks and Washington Huskies, leaving little hope they climb back into playoff contention.

Similarly, the Kentucky Wildcats were humbled by the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. The 20th-ranked Wildcats didn’t even come close to covering the +14.5 spread against the two-time defending Champions. Kentucky is left to play out the schedule against the rest of the SEC without any hope of making the conference Championship game. 

No Repeat of 2017

There will be no disputing the National Championship this year. Back in 2017, the UCF Knights ran the gauntlet with a perfect season while being left out of the college football playoff. This year, there will be no such controversy after the Fresno State Bulldogs failed to get past the Wyoming Cowboys. 

Wyoming jumped out to an early lead, holding on for a 24-19 victory as +6 home underdogs. Fresno State could still earn a noteworthy bowl bid but have no chance of wowing the committee and playing in the national semi-final.

The seemingly unbeatable USC Trojans needed overtime to get past the lowly Arizona Wildcats. If not for the usual Caleb Williams heroics, USC would have been left wondering what went wrong again this year. 

Likewise, there is no room for error for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Already with one loss on the season, Bama needs to run the table and likely win the SEC Championship Game if they hope to be invited to the CFP. The Crimson Tide erased a second-half deficit to escape College Station with a six-point win. 

Neither USC nor Alabama can afford a loss. Week 6’s outcomes highlight the perils of potentially looking past an opponent, serving as wake-up calls for both programs. 

True Contenders

With that, only a few genuine contenders are left vying for the 2023-24 National Champions title. 

It is going to take a monumental effort to knock the Bulldogs off the pedestal they’ve built, but a pair of Big Ten teams will try. 

The Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes have cemented themselves as juggernauts. At +350 and +900, respectively, Michigan and Ohio State are among the betting favorites. Additionally, the Penn State Nittany Lions, Florida State Seminoles, and Washington Huskies are the only teams priced at +1200 or better. 

Week 6 revealed a lot, but we’ll continue to learn more each week as the season progresses.

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