Six full weeks into the 2025 season and every team could use a little work. At least on offense.
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The Bulldogs bounced back from their loss to Alabama with a 35-14 victory over Kentucky at home, and their offense looked pretty solid against the struggling Wildcats. Quarterback Gunner Stockton threw for 196 yards with one touchdown and one interception and ran for two more scores in three quarters. The Bulldogs went 9-for-12 on third down, piled up 425 yards of offense and didn’t allow a sack. For the Bulldogs to reach their full potential, they’re going to have to get healthy on the offensive line. Georgia was already missing starting tackle Earnest Greene III, who sat out for the third straight game with a back injury. Then left tackle Monroe Freeling went down with a leg injury on the second play from scrimmage against Kentucky and didn’t return. Sophomore Bo Hughley stepped in at left tackle. Georgia used a different starting lineup on the line in each of its five games and needs to find continuity up front. Guard Dontrell Glover and tackle Juan Gaston played on the right side against Kentucky, the first time the Bulldogs started two true freshmen on the offensive line since 2008. — Schlabach
Previous ranking: 13
Although the Volunteers are off to a 4-1 start, quarterback Joey Aguilar believes they can be even more explosive going forward as he continues to master Josh Heupel’s system. On throws of 20 or more air yards this season, Aguilar is 10-of-19 for 443 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. Getting that deep shot element back in the Vols’ offense has been a big deal after Nico Iamaleava went 13-of-44 on throws of 20-plus yards this past season. The wide receiver room was a bit of a question mark entering 2025, but Chris Brazzell II has been outstanding as the fourth-leading receiver in FBS and second-year wideouts Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley have stepped up as well. They’ll try to light up an Arkansas defense led by an interim DC this week before it’s time to hit the road and take on Alabama. — Max Olson
Previous ranking: 19
An off week came at the right time for the Yellow Jackets, which Brent Key admitted went into their Week 5 matchup with Wake Forest running on fumes. Still, Georgia Tech survived that one and continues to rise in the rankings as others tumbled in Week 6. While the schedule remains manageable, and the Jackets have ample weapons, there is a push to get the passing game going with more consistent success. Eric Rivers, Malik Rutherford and Isiah Canion have all had their moments, but it has been up and down. The lack of explosiveness downfield showed early against Wake, and if Georgia Tech wants to keep Haynes King from taking 20 hits a game, distributing the ball better as a passer will be critical. — David Hale
Previous ranking: 17
Entering their bye week, Brian Kelly’s Tigers ranked 15th in points allowed per drive but ranked only 73rd on offense. This is a direct reversal of the profile LSU presented in recent years. Garrett Nussmeier has been throwing mostly short passes — it’s hard to avoid the idea that he might still be afflicted by the abdominal injury that occurred in preseason — but the major issue is that Nussmeier has to do everything because the run game stinks. LSU has averaged just 4.2 yards per carry not including sacks (116th in FBS heading into Week 6), with starting running back Caden Durham averaging just 4.1. The rebuilt offensive line hasn’t done its job well enough, and Durham’s per-carry averages, both before and after contact, aren’t acceptable. Following their loss to Ole Miss in Week 5, the Tigers will have to raise their game to get to the finish line around 10-2. Nussmeier’s health is an ongoing concern, but actually being able to run the ball would help a lot. — Connelly
Previous ranking: 16
Mizzou has a dynamite run game led by transfer star Ahmad Hardy — who’s currently on pace for 1,900 yards in 13 games — and Beau Pribula is completing 76% of his passes. There’s a lot to like about an offense that’s averaging 45.2 points per game. But sacks have been an issue: The Tigers entered their bye week ranked 97th in sack rate (6.7%) and 121st in sacks per pressure (30.0%). They aren’t making nearly enough big plays to justify that number of negative plays, either (117th in percent of completions gaining 20-plus yards). Injured star tackle Cayden Green isn’t likely to be ready for the Alabama game this coming Saturday, but one way or another, Mizzou will need to keep Pribula upright to have a shot at an upset of Alabama this coming Saturday. — Connelly
Previous ranking: 20
The offense is undeniably better under first-year coordinator Chip Lindsey, although the bar wasn’t exactly high from 2024. Michigan has been exceptional with its run game, reaching the end zone 17 times in five games, including twice from Justice Haynes in Saturday’s 24-10 home win against Wisconsin. The passing game also showed a bit of life in the Wisconsin win, as freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood passed for 27 yards and a touchdown. But there’s certainly another gear for the passing game, especially if Michigan wants to reestablish itself as a CFP contender. Indiana transfer Donaven McCulley has been as advertised, and Semaj Morgan has delivered some solid performances, but Michigan still needs others to emerge for an offense with only three passing touchdowns and tied for 61st in completions of 20 yards or longer. Finding that next level will be critical this week at USC. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 22
The Cougars, 5-0 after a 38-24 win over West Virginia on Friday, are a physical team with a clear identity between their top-10 scoring defense and top-15 rushing offense. True freshman QB Bear Bachmeier had been turnover-free through his first four starts before an interception and a fumble against the Mountaineers, but he’s showing growth every week and produced a season-high 351 passing yards on Friday with 100-yard performances from receivers Chase Roberts and Parker Kingston. This is the slowest offense in the Big 12 from a tempo standpoint, so it’ll be interesting to see how Bachmeier operates when he gets into more two-minute situations in tight Big 12 games and needs to go fast. The pressure is about to crank up considerably with a challenging four-game stretch ahead against Arizona, Utah, Iowa State and Texas Tech. — Olson
Previous ranking: 21
CJ Carr continues to make his case to be in the Heisman race. Carr threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday’s win over Boise State, and in his past three games, he has thrown for eight scores without a pick (and notably been sacked just twice). The performance against a strong Boise State defense was encouraging, too, after some early struggles on the O-line, particularly in an opening-week loss to Miami. Notre Dame’s next four games — NC State, USC, Boston College and Navy — won’t see particularly ferocious pass rushes either, so the opportunity for the Irish O-line to gel ahead of a showdown with Pitt in November is there. — Hale
Previous ranking: 23
This spring, Illini offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. outlined how explosive plays were the next step for the unit.
“We’re going to have a little bit more vertical speed in what we’re doing to stretch the defense than what we did [in 2024],” Lunney told ESPN. “We might have a little more down-the-field, stretch-the-defense threat.”
Illinois has shown a significantly better downfield passing game this fall, and again in Saturday’s win at Purdue, as Hank Beatty‘s 62-yard touchdown catch put the Illini on the board, and quarterback Luke Altmyer averaged 20.5 yards per completion. But Illinois’ running game hasn’t had the same big-play success. The Illini entered Saturday having only one game with a run of more than 26 yards. Although they had three rushing touchdowns against Purdue, including a 25-yarder from Ca’Lil Valentine, the team finished with just 117 yards on 41 carries (4.9 yards per carry). Illinois hasn’t averaged more than five yards per carry against an FBS opponent, and likely will need to hit big run plays this week against Ohio State to have a chance for the upset. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: NR
For the first time all season, Virginia could not establish its ground game in a 30-27 overtime win over Louisville. The Cards held Virginia to a season-low 88 yards on the ground. So, instead, Virginia relied on its defense and timely plays from quarterback Chandler Morris to win. Despite the low rushing total, Virginia remains one of the best rushing teams in the country, averaging over 200 yards per game on the ground. And the Cavaliers have done it despite losing multiple starters and reserves to injury. Still, they have been able to find players to step up and a running back rotation that includes J’Mari Taylor, Xavier Brown and Harrison Waylee. Morris has made some plays, but he also takes some gambles that have led to turnovers and mistakes in the first six games. However, his leadership is undeniable, and he has lifted the Virginia offense to its best production under Tony Elliott. — Adelson
Previous ranking: 18
The Commodores had too many self-inflicted wounds in their 30-14 loss at Alabama on Saturday. Quarterback Diego Pavia has been great for most of the past two seasons, but he admitted he tried to do too much in the red zone against the Crimson Tide. Pavia had a costly fumble and an interception on a pass he tried to force to tight end Eli Stowers. Vanderbilt also had five penalties for 52 yards. As much as Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea has upgraded his team’s roster, the Commodores can’t afford to make that many mistakes and beat the upper-echelon teams in the SEC. It won’t get any easier for the Commodores in an upcoming three-game stretch against LSU (home), Missouri (home) and Texas (road). Vanderbilt also faces Tennessee on the road at the end of the regular season. The Commodores can clean up some of those mistakes in their upcoming open date. — Schlabach
Previous ranking: 24
There are only so many holes to poke in a Tigers offense that entered Week 6 ranked 15th nationally and second among FBS offenses in points per game (38.6). Behind 266 yards and three touchdowns from Nevada transfer quarterback Brendon Lewis, Memphis rolled past AAC rivals Tulsa 45-7 to improve to 6-0 Saturday night. It was easily the most productive passing performance of Lewis’ debut season with the Tigers, but there still hasn’t been a vintage Ryan Silverfield aerial attack so far in 2025. Memphis began Saturday ranked 97th nationally in passing offense (200.6 yards per game). By comparison, the Tigers have never finished lower than 21st in the category across Silverfield’s initial five seasons in charge of the program. At the same time, Memphis is running the football better than at any other point of Silverfield’s tenure, and there’s nothing wrong with a more balanced attack. But if the Tigers are going to vie for a conference title and remain in the playoff conversation come late fall, they’ll likely need some more firepower through the air over the back half of the season. — Lederman
Previous ranking: NR
Since his poor performance against Mississippi State on Sept. 6, quarterback Sam Leavitt has inched back toward the player who earned some preseason Heisman buzz. But if the Sun Devils are going to be a serious player in the Big 12, those inches need to turn into full strides. Cam Skattebo isn’t walking through that door and the next games — Utah and Texas Tech — might be the toughest left on the schedule. — Kyle Bonagura
Previous ranking: 15
The offense wasn’t the issue in the Cyclones’ 38-30 loss to Cincinnati. They moved the ball well enough through the air (314 yards) and on the ground (151) yards to win most games. But they were simply gashed up front, surrendering 7.6 yards per carry for a total of 260 rushing yards. That’s a tough formula to win with. Coming into the season, Iowa State’s defensive line was a concern and at the midway point of the regular season, that has not changed. — Bonagura
Previous ranking: NR
For the second straight week, Cincinnati was hitting on all cylinders on offense, showcasing a balanced attack that could turn the team into a real threat in the Big 12. In its 38-30 win against Iowa State, three players — Evan Pryor, Tawee Walker and Brendan Sorsby — combined for 264 yards on 33 carries, while Sorsby added 214 through the air. In a pair of Big 12 games, the Bearcats — one of four unbeaten teams in conference play — have amassed 1,082 yards of total offense. — Bonagura
Previous ranking: 12
The sirens are blaring in Austin now, as the preseason No. 1 team fell from the AP poll completely after a 29-21 loss to unranked Florida, which had scored 33 points total in its previous three games. Arch Manning threw two interceptions to total five for the season, the most by a Texas QB in the first five games of a season since Sam Ehlinger in 2020. And the Longhorns’ offensive line didn’t provide much help, giving up six sacks and forcing Manning to adjust to pressure all day and serve as the Longhorns’ leading rusher with 37 yards on 15 carries. The Longhorns’ other three ballcarriers, Quintrevion Wisner, Ryan Niblett and Christian Clark, combined for 15 yards on 11 carries. — Wilson
