The number of unbeaten teams in college football has shrunk down to 21.
Last week, 26 teams remained undefeated, and after another host of ballgames last weekend, five suffered their first losses of the season.
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There are 14 teams that are 5-0 and can clinch bowl eligibility with their next win. Air Force, Liberty and Marshall are all programs unbeaten but unranked.
Among the next battles of the unbeatens will take place in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday when the No. 4 Buckeyes take on a 5-0 Maryland team hot off a 44-17 win over Indiana.
Here are some noteworthy quotes as focus turns from Week 5 to Week 6.
Tom Allen, Indiana
Allen and Indiana are reeling.
The Hoosiers have lost two of their past three games, and they’re in the bottom-three of the Big Ten Conference in scoring and total offense.
Allen announced Sunday that quality control coach Rod Carey will take over offensive coordinator duties after Walt Bell. That was one of a number of steps Allen and Indiana will seemingly take during their bye week this week.
“We obviously will use this bye week to make a lot of valuations on things and find ways to get better without question,” Allen said. “So every position has got to be evaluated. We got to be productive. We got to look at the guys that are making plays and those that are not in every single position, and we got to do a great job getting our guys refreshed and ready from these last few weeks and get ready for a final push. So obviously not devaluate everything and find a way to score points but we also got to play better defense. That was started with the game defensively was very poor and very frustrating, so, giving up too many explosive plays.”
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During the Maryland game last weekend, Allen lifted starting quarterback Tayven Jackson for Brendan Sorsby and Broc Lowry. Jackson had gone 17-for-29 for 113 yards and an interception while Sorsby and Lowry combined to go 8-for-12 for 92 yards and two touchdowns.
Indiana went 5-of-17 on third down against the Terrapins and 3-for-6 on fourth down. The Hoosiers even ran a fake punt attempt that went unsuccessful early in the third quarter, and all Allen and Indiana are seeking is a spark.
“I think the fourth downs where they occur, you’re just trying to find a way to stay on the field,” Allen said. “The fake punt, obviously, we knew we needed to score touchdowns. We’re not going to beat them kicking field goals. We only scored three points up to that time so it felt like the call was there. Obviously didn’t. It came up short so not a good decision, but at the same time we need to find a way to get some momentum going for our football team. So just trying to be aggressive with that, and obviously it’s a very aggressive call in that situation. It didn’t work out. But yeah, I mean, that game when we were down the way we were, we need to get something going right away to give us a chance to win the game. So that was the objective there and try and be aggressive.”
Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
No. 16 Ole Miss picked up a quality win in a shootout with No. 22 LSU.
The Rebels outlasted the Tigers while Jaxson Dart was responsible for two touchdowns in the final five minutes. Ole Miss claimed the 55-49 win, though head coach Lane Kiffin wasn’t particularly impressed and wants to see continued improvement.
“I think talking about like everything happens for a reason,” Kiffin said. “I think that we didn’t play well in a lot of areas — special teams, penalties, defensive disaster — allows us to really make sure that, ‘Hey, we got a lot of work to do.’ And offensive penalties in the game and some missed reads and some runs that would have even been bigger. So the good part is that we didn’t play great as a team so sometimes you play a great game, and then it’s kind of hard to get their attention. So I think we got a lot of attention this morning on the tape.”
Deion Sanders, Colorado
Colorado is on a bit of a slide.
But head coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes don’t appear too shaken. They understand the game of football and the goal to win, and Sanders wants to reenforce the belief that powered Colorado to a 3-0 start.
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Sanders also wanted to reemphasize belief in quarterback and son Shedeur Sanders. Shedeur Sanders is second in the NCAA in passing yards per game, averaging 356.2.
“It’s tremendous belief-wise, but we got to believe no matter what,” Sanders said. “It can’t be just because it’s a quarter or the second half. We do believe in (Shedeur Sanders), like, we do. I don’t give a darn what down it is or what quarter it is, what time of day it is. We do truly believe in what he’s capable of doing with this offense. We just got to make sure we keep him in the right situations and protect him because, shoot, he’s a baller. He’s a now player. He’s a today player that young men want to play with. Receivers are calling from all around the country wanting to play with him as well. So they’re encouraging him not to look down the street too far.”
Sanders also offered strong encouragement for the direction of the Colorado program.
“We all are encouraging him because we understand what’s coming,” Sanders said. “If you can’t see what’s coming with CU football you’ve lost your mind. You’re just a flat-out hater if you can’t see what’s going on and what’s going to transpire over the next several months. Something’s wrong with you.”
