College Football

2023 college football top 10 rankings: Joel Klatt's top 10 teams after Week 6

Published Oct. 11, 2023 6:04 p.m. ET

College football Saturdays never disappoint, and that was the case once again this past weekend.

Oklahoma and Texas treated us to another classic in the Red River Showdown, with the Sooners pulling off a memorable 34-30 upset. Meanwhile, Georgia had a dominant win over Kentucky, reminding us all that when this team wants to reach that fifth gear, they've still got it.

With that said, here is a look at my top 10 rankings following Week 6 of the college football season.

1. Georgia Bulldogs (Last week: 3)
Record: 6-0
Week 6 result: Defeated Kentucky Wildcats, 51-13

I had Georgia at No. 3 last week, but I moved it back up to No. 1 after that impressive 51-13 win over Kentucky. This team still has that fifth gear. It's like watching Usain Bolt run. It wasn't a great start to the season for Kirby Smart's team, but in the middle of the race, they're just faster than everybody.

Did Georgia's win over Kentucky assert the Bulldogs as the best team in college football?

I like what I've seen from Carson Beck. He throws really accurate passes, and he's made those "have to have it" throws in one-score games in conference play already this season.

This is a team that still has it.

2. Michigan Wolverines (Last week: 1)
Record: 6-0
Week 6 result: Defeated Minnesota Golden Gophers, 52-10

Michigan and Georgia separated themselves from the rest of the pack on Saturday. Georgia went back up to No. 1, and I wouldn't say that Michigan necessarily fell to No. 2, but it settled into that spot.

This Michigan team is exactly how Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck described it after the game: It's incredibly deep, it knows what it's doing, it's very talented and, at this point in time, no other team has been as complete or as dominant. He borrowed my analogy of comparing the Wolverines to a boa constrictor, which is absolutely true. There's an inevitability to the way they win. They know it and we know it. It's going to end poorly for you, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Michigan dominates Minnesota in a 52-10 win

This is as deep of a team as there is in the country. I think they have 12 to 15 guys, if not more, that will be drafted next spring. They have NFL depth on their roster. They have veteran players and they're strong. They have a firm grasp on how they win and why. That's a dangerous thing for other teams.

My only question for Michigan: What happens if it gets knocked out of its blueprint? We don't know the answer to that yet.

3. Florida State Seminoles (Last week: 6)
Record: 5-0
Week 6 result: Defeated Virginia Tech Hokies, 39-17

Jordan Travis led the Seminoles to a 22-point win over Virginia Tech on Saturday, throwing for 170 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. He has the luxury of throwing to a pair of big-time wide receivers in Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson. However, junior running back Trey Benson reminded the college football world that Florida State can get it done in the running game as well. He ran for a career-high 200 yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Hokies.

4. Oklahoma Sooners (Last week: 10)
Record: 6-0
Week 6 result: Defeated Texas Longhorns, 34-30

What an incredible performance by Oklahoma and Dillon Gabriel on Saturday. Gabriel was a man among boys. He was the difference for Oklahoma. He had a legacy-making drive to win that game. He got his chance to shine against a top-three team and that is still a really good team, and it was incredible. They get the ball down by three points with 1:17 left and Gabriel drove the Sooners 75 yards in five plays to get the win. He was sensational.

Gabriel wasn't the only reason why Oklahoma won that game though. The Sooners' defense had five sacks and 10 tackles for loss, getting three takeaways on top of that. Those takeaways were huge in the spots they got them, creating a short field for their offense and getting another in the red zone. The important one was the goal line stand, stopping the Longhorns four times within the 2-yard line at the start of the quarter. That was really the game right there.

Oklahoma pulls off a MASSIVE upset over Texas in Red River Shootout

The College Football Playoff is right in Oklahoma's sights for this season. Not only do the Sooners control their own destiny, but I think they also bought themselves some cushion with Saturday's win. They might not need it as their schedule doesn't look all that tough.

5. Penn State Nittany Lions (Last week: 5)
Record: 5-0
Week 6 result: Idle

Manny Diaz's defense has been stifling this season, surrendering the fewest yards in the country (211 per game), while ranking second in the nation in points allowed (9.6 per game). On the offensive side of the ball, QB Drew Allar isn't lighting up the stat sheet, but he is doing what is needed for this team to succeed. The talented sophomore signal-caller is completing 64.6% of his passes this season for 1,092 yards. Most importantly, he has thrown nine touchdowns through five games, and has yet to throw an interception this year. Allar has now thrown more than 200 passes in his collegiate career without throwing a pick.

6. Ohio State Buckeyes (Last week: 4)
Record: 5-0
Week 6 result: Defeated Maryland Terrapins, 37-17

You could look at Saturday's win in two different ways if you're an Ohio State fan. If you have a glass-half-full mentality, you'll say, "Hey, we just beat the fourth-best team in the Big Ten by 20." If you have a glass-half-empty mentality, you'll say, "That score was not anywhere close to indicative of how that game went."

I fall into the second camp. When you watch that game, it just didn't have the feel of a 20-point blowout.

The Buckeyes’ offensive line has to play better going forward. That unit allowed three sacks and couldn’t get much going in the run game. Ohio State had 62 rushing yards, its fewest in a win since 2003. If the offensive line plays that way against Penn State or Michigan later in the year, there’s a good chance they’ll get beat in one of those games.

Should Ohio State be concerned about their 37-17 win over Maryland?

On the flip side, I'm a big believer in Ohio State's defense. Its philosophical change has paid dividends. Kyle McCord also played really well on Saturday after those first few drives, and he found Marvin Harrison Jr. to get things going.

7. Washington Huskies (Last week: 7)
Record: 5-0
Week 6 result: Idle

I can't wait to see Michael Penix Jr. take on Bo Nix and the Oregon Ducks on Saturday. Penix ranks in the top five in the nation in completion percentage (74.7%), passing yards (1,999) and passing touchdowns (16). He is the leader on Washington's top-ranked offense, which is putting up 569 yards per contest. Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan are a great 1-2 punch on the outside. McMillan, who has missed the past two games with an injury, is expected to return for the Huskies' top-10 showdown against Oregon.

8. Oregon Ducks (Last week: 8)
Record: 5-0
Week 6 result: Idle

This team is physical and can beat you on the ground or through the air. The offensive line has played well, while Nix continues to impress with 1,459 passing yards and 16 total touchdowns through five games. The Ducks have a ton of speed on the defense side of the ball as well. This is a unit that has allowed a total of 12 points in the team's first two conference games. They will face a big test this week against Penix and the Washington Huskies.

9. USC Trojans (Last week: 9)
Record: 6-0
Week 6 result: Defeated Arizona Wildcats, 43-41 (3 OT)

I have the Trojans at No. 9, which might even be a little bit high for the way that they played late on Saturday night against Arizona. The Trojans surrendered 506 yards to offense at home to an Arizona team that was playing with its backup quarterback. USC's defense has now allowed 28-or-more points to four of its six opponents, including 40-plus the past two weeks.

However, in the end, the Trojans did get the win, they did stay undefeated, and they do still have Caleb Williams.

10. North Carolina Tar Heels (Last week: Unranked)
Record: 5-0
Week 6 result: Defeated Syracuse Orange, 40-7

Drake Maye is a heck of a football player. He had nearly 500 total yards and four touchdowns in UNC's 40-7 win over Syracuse on Saturday. After getting off to a bit of a slow start this season, Maye is now averaging 326 yards per game through the air, which ranks fourth in the country. He has also been a threat with his legs, totaling 174 yards and four scores on the ground. Now sitting at 5-0 on this year, Maye and the Tar Heels get set to battle Miami this weekend.

Joel Klatt is FOX Sports' lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast "The Joel Klatt Show." Follow him on Twitter at @joelklatt and subscribe to the "Joel Klatt Show" on YouTube.