Week 6 of the 2026 college football season is in the books, so let’s take a look at some of the biggest winners and losers from the week.
Saturday was a massive day for first-year coaches trying to build once-forgotten programs back into contenders, and it was a miserable day for some big-name quarterbacks in crunch time.
Winner: Bob Chesney, head coach, UCLA
Did he and his UCLA Bruins beat a team playing with its backup quarterback? Yeah. But they still went into that game as a double-digit underdog in one of the toughest environments in college football. And his team came out with a win and a 5-0 record. Statement win at Oregon for an early signature win for Chesney in his first year with the Bruins.
Loser: Dylan Raiola, QB, Oregon
Oregon spent big money to get Raiola into the program, and there should have been an expectation that he could run the offense enough to give the Ducks a chance if they needed to call on him. He did not give them a chance on Saturday, completing just 6-of-19 passes for only 43 yards, while also throwing two interceptions. That performance earned him a seat on the bench.
Bob Chesney was not the only first-year coach to get a franchise-changing win on Saturday.
Kentucky’s Will Stein also pulled off a stunner in a 35-34 overtime win against LSU that included a gutsy two-point conversion call in overtime.
His team is now 5-1 and seems likely to be headed for the Top-25 after Saturday.
