There are beloved annual rivalries like Ohio State-Michigan and Auburn-Alabama that are baked into the November college football calendar like a side course for Thanksgiving. And then there are October showdowns that can be just as much fun, a welcome set of appetizers after a lot of lopsided forgettables during the first month of the season (84-0, 77-7 and 73-0, anyone?).
Week 6 brings us No. 1 Texas against Oklahoma in their annual Red River Rivalry game in Dallas. But our game of the week – No. 2 Georgia at No. 6 Alabama – is another kind of rivalry and maybe the best kind.
These two juggernauts have played 76 times since 1895 but they don’t play every year, not anymore. That raises the anticipation level for the games and, certainly lately, Alabama-Georgia has delivered the goods on the biggest of stages. It is a must-watch game. The president certainly thinks so. Let’s dive in! |
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WHY DO TOP 25 VOTERS DO WHAT THEY DO? |
Missouri and Florida line up during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) |
Admit it: Complaining about the AP Top 25 poll is a Sunday tradition.
Puzzling over the rankings and thinking a team is ranked too high, too low or shouldn’t be ranked at all because someone else sure looks more deserving has been part of the poll since it launched in 1936. Just last week, what to do with Florida and Missouri after their head-to-head game was a headache for the voting panel. We asked some of them about it and they explained their thinking. You can ask them too: AP gives fans a chance to ask voters about the poll, balloting and college football in general each Sunday on our Top 25 live blog (find it here that morning) and we will again this week. |
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HAS COACH PRIME PUT COLORADO BACK ON THE MAP? |
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders walks on the field before an NCAA college football game between Georgia Tech and Colorado, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) |
The impact coach Deion Sanders has had at Colorado is undeniable. The retired NFL great known as Prime Time put the spotlight back on a once-proud program when he arrived in 2023 with a lot of hype, a lot of promise and a lot of good players.
His quarterback son looked good enough at CU to land in the NFL. His defensive back protégé, Travis Hunter, won the Heisman Trophy. There have been fun games, celebrity sightings and Sanders is at the least an honest, entertaining fixture in Boulder.
Thing is, the wins haven’t followed. A stirring 9-4 season in 2024 was sandwiched by a 4-8 debut and a 3-9 finish last year, with the Buffaloes' 2-0 start this season followed by three straight losses. There are multiple culprits for why this hasn't really come together. |
We asked in last week's newsletter which college football coach you would crown Greatest Of All Time. We heard the usual big names – Nick Saban, Bear Bryant, Vince Dooley, on and on. Some readers were especially passionate in their coach odes: -
"My favorite college football coach of all-time is Dan Devine, the legendary coach at Missouri and Notre Dame. He led the Mizzou teams of the 1960s to national prominence and won a national championship with the Irish." - Phil Y.
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"All Gators coaches, including Urban Meyer, are measured against The Old Ball Coach, Steve Spurrier. He revived and then grew the sleeping giant of the Gators." - David S.
- "Bobby Bowden. Fine man and a GREAT coach. Taught his players how to win at LIFE, not just football." - Parks
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I'm Dave Zelio, college sports editor for the AP and the only person to settle the debate over New York and Chicago pizza (I simply eat both). Sign up for AP News Alerts to not miss any breaking college football news in between sends.
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