CFI Week 6

Week 6 // 2023

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Credit to the guys up front doing their job and doing a great job blocking downfield for me. I don’t know if the punt was supposed to be in that location, but when I looked up, there was a lot of green in front of me.”

-- Iowa’s Cooper DeJean on his 70-yard punt return TD to break a 16-16 tie against Michigan State

TEAM OF THE WEEK

OLE MISS

What a weekend in Oxford! Ole Miss outscored the Tigers 21-7 in the fourth quarter to claim the 55-49 upset in an SEC battle. The Rebels advanced four spots, from No. 20 to No. 16, in this week’s AP Top 25. Meanwhile, the Tigers dropped 10 places, from No. 13 to No. 23.

TEAM TO WATCH OREGON STATE

The No. 15 Beavers rose four spots after their first conference win against then-No. 10 Utah in a 21-7 upset at Reser Stadium.

Oregon State’s defense held strong against Utah, holding the Utes to just 198 yards of offense, well short of their 322.5 season average. Leading the unit were Beaver linebackers Easton MascarenasArnold, who boasted nine total tackles, one sack and an interception, and Andrew Chatfield Jr. (six tackles and a sack).

Oregon State’s offense found its groove after an opening drive touchdown from Damien Martinez followed by a pair of touchdowns in the second half by wide receiver Silas Bolden.

Next up for Oregon State is a road game at California on Saturday, October 7, at 7 p.m. PHX on Pac-12 Network.

Jaxson Dart, who had five total touchdowns (four passing, one rushing), connected with Tre Harris for a 13-yard touchdown with just 39 seconds left to play to complete the comeback. Dart finished the game 26-of-39 for 389 passing yards and added 50 rushing yards. Ole Miss set a school record against an SEC opponent with 711 yards of total offense.

The Rebels (4-1, 1-1 SEC) host Arkansas on Saturday, October 7, at 4:30 p.m. PHX on SEC Network.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

#12 OKLAHOMA AT

#3 TEXAS

10.7 // 9 AM // ABC

MARYLAND AT #4 OHIO STATE

10.7 // 9 AM // FOX

SYRACUSE AT

#14 NORTH CAROLINA

10.7 // 12:30 PM // ESPN

#20 KENTUCKY AT #1 GEORGIA

10.7 // 4 PM // ESPN

#10 NOTRE DAME AT

#25 LOUISVILLE

10.7 // 4:30 PM // ABC

For a full schedule of Week 6 games, click here. (All times in PHX)

2023 BOWL PREDICTIONS

Vrbo

ESPN Bonagura – USC vs. Penn State

ESPN Schlabach – Oregon vs. Fresno State

USA Today – Washington vs. Notre Dame

AP WEEK 6 RANKINGS

For a full AP Top 25 Rankings, click here.

GAME OF THE WEEK

#2 MICHIGAN AT MINNESOTA

In its debut College Football Game of the Week viewing party, the Fiesta Bowl is highlighting a Big Ten matchup between the Wolverines and the Golden Gophers on Saturday, October 7, at 4:30 p.m. PHX on NBC.

With the Little Brown Jug – the oldest trophy game in the FBS – up for grabs between Michigan (5-0, 2-0) and Minnesota (3-2, 1-1), the Wolverines have been ranked No. 2 in the country all season thus far and lead the alltime series against the Golden Gophers 76-25-3.

Join the Fiesta Bowl this Saturday, and every other Saturday through November 18, for its College Football Game of the Week viewing party at BetMGM Sportsbook at State Farm Stadium in Glendale or Putting World in North Scottsdale. Exclusive drink and food specials will be offered, as well as weekly giveaways including Vrbo Fiesta Bowl tickets, VIP Experience, and Guaranteed Rate Bowl dugout suite tickets.

GUARANTEED RATE BOWL

ESPN Bonagura – TCU vs. Purdue

ESPN Schlabach – TCU vs. Minnesota

USA Today – BYU vs. Minnesota

CBS – USC vs. Fresno State College Football News - Ohio State vs. North Carolina College Football Network – Ohio State vs. USC

Athlon Sports – BYU vs. Illinois College Football News – TCU vs. Nebraska College Football Network – BYU vs. Purdue

1. Georgia

2. Michigan

3. Texas

4. Ohio State

5. Florida State

6. Penn State

7. Washington

8. Oregon

9. USC

10. Notre Dame

FIESTA BOWL

MICAH HYDE

Buffalo safety Micah Hyde was part of a big Bills defensive effort in a 48-20 win against the Dolphins, totaling five total tackles and recording an interception for the second straight week. The Bills handed the Dolphins their first loss of the season and maintained an undefeated record at home.

Hyde is in his 11th professional season and was initially drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. A University of Iowa alum, Hyde’s iconic 72-yard interception touchdown return sealed the Hawkeyes’ 27-24 victory over No. 12 Missouri in the 2010 Insight Bowl – now known as the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. Hyde’s snatch edged the Hawkeyes past the Tigers with less than six minutes to play and earned him Defensive Player of the Game. He recorded four tackles in Iowa’s return trip to the bowl in 2011, a 31-14 loss against Oklahoma.

The Bills will go for their fourth straight win this year against the Jaguars in London on Sunday, October 8, at 6:30 a.m. PHX on NFL Network.

BIG NEWS

The Guaranteed Rate Bowl will once again feature Bowl Season’s only Big 12 vs. Big Ten matchup. As we eagerly await the Dec. 26 kickoff, we’re bringing you weekly game highlights, player reports and other updates from the two conferences. Here’s the BIG news from Week 6:

BIG TEN BIG 12

• One of the Big Ten East’s four unbeaten teams will have its first loss this week when Maryland visits Ohio State with FOX Sports Big Noon Kickoff in Columbus.

• In its five wins this season, Michigan has an average scoring margin of +28.4 which is the best in the Big Ten and the fourth-highest in the country.

• Penn State and Maryland are nationally ranked in the top 20 for scoring offense and scoring defense. The Nittany Lions are No. 3 in scoring defense (9.6 points per game) and No. 12 in scoring offense (40.6). In scoring offense, the Terrapins are No. 15 (38.6) and No. 16 in scoring defense (13.2).

• Big Ten released its Weekly Player of the Week Football Honors: Terrapins QB Taulia Tagovailoa (offensive), Wolverines edge Josaiah Stewart (co-defensive), Golden Gophers RB Zach Evans (newcomer) and Hawkeyes LB Nick Jackson (co-defensive) and DB Cooper DeJean (special teams).

• In the AP Top 25, Texas is staying steady in its third week at No. 3 followed by No. 12 Oklahoma who improved two spots. Both teams are 5-0 and among 22 undefeated teams leading into this weekend’s Red River Rivalry.

• The annual Red River Rivalry between the Sooners and the Longhorns is one of four ranked contests this week and will be spotlighted with ESPN’s College GameDay on-site.

• Six Big 12 teams rank in the nation’s top 17 for total offense: No. 5 UCF (545.8), No. 9 Oklahoma (510.0), No. 12 Cincinnati (490.0), No. 14 TCU (487.4), No. 15 K-State (482.2) and No. 17 Texas (478.4).

• Big 12 Players of the Week include Baylor’s CB Caden Jenkins (defensive), Red Raiders WR Loic Founji (special teams) and for the Longhorns, RB Jonathon Brooks (offensive) and WR Adonai Mitchell (newcomer).

MORE THAN A GAME

CHARITY SPOTLIGHT

FIESTA BOWL TO HOST COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME OF THE WEEK WATCH PARTIES IN SCOTTSDALE AND GLENDALE

Come join the Fiesta Bowl every other Saturday beginning October 7 for the Fiesta Bowl College Football Game of the Week viewing party!

FIESTA BOWL ORGANIZATION PARTNERS WITH WOMEN LEADERS IN SPORTS TO PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS

The Fiesta Bowl Organization has partnered with Women Leaders in Sports to provide 20 scholarships to women working in the sports industry. The scholarships will fund the recipients’ attendance to the Women Leaders in Sports convention from October 8-10 in New Orleans.

The three-day event features empowering programming, connection and inspiration with a powerful network of women in sports. Emerging leaders will learn from some of the most accomplished executives in athletics, including conference commissioners, directors of athletics, professional sports owners, NCAA President Charlie Baker and more.

Scholarship recipients who will attend the convention include women who participated in the Fiesta Bowl Path to the Summit presented by AECOM Hunt last May and athletics department staff members at Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the New Orleans area.

Providing fans with two locations to enjoy exciting college football competition, exclusive food and drink specials and fun giveaways, the Fiesta Bowl College Football Game of the Week watch parties will be hosted at BetMGM Sportsbook at State Farm Stadium in Glendale and the new Putting World in North Scottsdale, college football fans won’t have to travel far to enjoy the Fiesta Bowl on-site. Exclusive drink and food specials will be offered at both locations. Weekly giveaways include Vrbo Fiesta Bowl tickets and Guaranteed Rate Bowl dugout tickets and fans will have a chance to win the season-long giveaway of a Vrbo Fiesta Bowl VIP Experience, so sport your favorite team colors and join us in the exciting countdown to Bowl Season.

Action kicks off with No. 2 Michigan visiting Minnesota in a Big Ten Conference showdown at 4:30 p.m. PHX.

For future Game of the Week dates, click here.