Saturday rundown: Takeaways from Week 6's biggest games

theScore runs down the top storylines and developments from Saturday's college football games and what they might mean moving forward.

Ryan Day's Ohio State remains impenetrable

Ohio State doesn't lose many games. The Buckeyes haven't dropped more than two contests in seven consecutive seasons, while also notching 11-plus victories in each campaign over that stretch.

But they did lose a game in the middle of the Big Ten schedule in recent years, a loss that, for the past two seasons, kept them out of the College Football Playoff.

So far, the Ryan Day- and Justin Fields-led Buckeyes aren't showing signs of vulnerability this year.

They rolled over Michigan State 34-10 in Columbus on Saturday, and now Ohio State has outscored its first six opponents 296-53. Fields threw his first interception this season against the Spartans, giving him just one in 141 pass attempts. But it didn't matter with J.K. Dobbins running behind an offensive line that creates holes like this:

Welcome (back) to the national spotlight, Florida

The 2019 version of Auburn was developing a tendency to hang in games just long enough to steal a victory. The Tigers did that to open the season against Oregon. And despite recording only six first downs over the first three quarters, they did it again on Saturday, trailing Florida by just four points with 15 minutes to play.

The scene felt ripe for another comeback that true freshman quarterback Bo Nix could orchestrate. Instead, through Lamical Perine's 88-yard scamper, Florida became one of the SEC's top dogs again after beating No. 7 Auburn 24-13.

The No. 10 Gators entered the year as the alternative to Georgia in the SEC East. But we knocked them down a peg following an ugly display (albeit in a win) against Miami (Fla.). When quarterback Feleipe Franks suffered a season-ending injury three weeks ago, Florida's hopes of competing with Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Auburn looked bleak.

At quarterback, UF turned to Kyle Trask, who hadn't started a game since his freshman year of high school. Yet Florida is still 6-0 in the first week of October.

The team's defense is also legitimate and showed that while intercepting Nix three times, and holding Auburn to 4.4 yards per play. Trask played well after returning from what looked like a gruesome injury on Saturday.

Dan Mullen's team now owns a win over a top-10 opponent, and the Gators can make another statement next week on the road against No. 5 LSU.

Virginia Tech survives weirdest game of week

It looked like a redemption week for head coach Justin Fuente and Virginia Tech. Then it didn't. Then it did.

The pressure to win ramped up in Blacksburg following a slow start to the season. Virginia Tech's only wins entering Saturday's clash with Miami (Fla.) came against Old Dominion and Furman, and Fuente made the switch at quarterback this week to Hendon Hooker.

What happened on Saturday didn't clarify the trajectory of Fuente's program. But the team won nonetheless.

Virginia Tech led 28-0, allowed the Hurricanes to come back and tie the game, then scored a late game-winning touchdown to survive 42-35. Hooker threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth, and the Hokies intercepted Miami quarterbacks four times. However, they also allowed Hurricanes pivot N'Kosi Perry to throw for 422 yards.

The win was pivotal for Virginia Tech's hopes of reaching a bowl game for the 27th consecutive season.

Because the Hokies play two FCS opponents (Furman and Rhode Island), they must go 7-5 to reach a bowl. That means winning three games against these final six opponents: North Carolina, at No. 9 Notre Dame, No. 22 Wake Forest, at Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, and at No. 23 Virginia.

Texas, OU avoid letdowns

First, let's congratulate Texas offensive lineman Samuel Cosmi for his Piesman Trophy moment (given to a lineman who makes the best play with the football).

With that out of the way, it's officially Red River Showdown week in Austin and Norman.

Neither No. 11 Texas nor No. 6 Oklahoma were caught looking ahead on Saturday. Though both teams started slow, West Virginia and Kansas on the road, respectively, were handled.

The Longhorns showed offensive balance (211 passing yards, and 216 rushing yards), and they intercepted Austin Kendall four times during a 42-31 win. The Sooners couldn't have lost to Kansas if they tried, cruising to a 45-20 victory with Jalen Hurts passing for "only" 228 yards.

Even in down years, the Texas-OU showdown rarely disappoints. A touchdown or less has decided the last five meetings between the two teams in the Cotton Bowl, including Texas' 48-45 upset win last season.

Despite lack of offense, Wolverines are 4-1

Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley backpedaled 25 yards behind the line of scrimmage before shoveling a pass with his off-hand on fourth-and-10, putting a bow on an odd, low-scoring affair with Michigan.

Hawkeyes running back Tyler Goodson gained about 20 yards after the catch, but he still finished one yard shy of the line of scrimmage.

There was offensive ineptitude on both sides during No. 19 Michigan's 10-3 win on Saturday. The Wolverines finished scoring for the day at the 8:33 mark of the first quarter. Meanwhile, No. 14 Iowa entered Michigan's territory seven times and scored three points.

Credit the Wolverines' dominant defense. Michigan forced four turnovers, including Stanley's first three interceptions of the season. The defense recorded eight sacks too, with Kwity Paye's 2.5 highlighting the afternoon. Two weeks after Michigan left Wisconsin embarrassed, it saved some face by rendering Iowa's offense completely ineffective. It's easy to forget the Wolverines are still 4-1 with plenty to play for in the coming weeks.

There's still the problem of the Wolverines' offense. Michigan scored plenty last week against Rutgers, but that isn't saying much. Shea Patterson (14-of-26 passing, 147 yards, and an interception) put up a pedestrian performance against Iowa. Michigan averaged 3.6 yards per carry, and the team's offense doesn't appear to feature a reliable, consistent running back. The defense, which held Iowa to one rushing yard, saved Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Josh Gattis from facing harsher criticism on Saturday.

In two weeks, Michigan travels to Penn State, and 10 points likely won't cut it in Happy Valley.

Baffling loss for Oklahoma State, and a signature win for Matt Wells

Oklahoma State continued one of the oddest trends in college football.

The Cowboys lost to Texas Tech 45-35, falling to 4-6 against unranked teams since the start of last season. In that same span, Oklahoma State is 5-2 against ranked opponents, as Stadium's Brett McMurphy notes.

Last year, teams like Texas Tech and Kansas State blew out Oklahoma State, but the Cowboys defeated Texas and West Virginia. This year, OSU followed up a win over a then-ranked Kansas State team with Saturday's disappointing performance in Lubbock.

On Saturday, redshirt freshman quarterback Spencer Sanders endured some major growing pains while committing five turnovers. Oklahoma State's defense struggled to tackle, allowing Texas Tech's offense to rack up nearly 600 yards. Chuba Hubbard still gained 156 yards on the ground, but that production came on 34 carries. This game was a reminder that there isn't much of a gap between the Big 12 teams beyond Oklahoma and Texas.

For Texas Tech, which improved to 3-2, the win could mark a major moment in first-year head coach Matt Wells' tenure.

The Red Raiders entered Saturday in a rut after losing starting quarterback Alan Bowman to injury. But backup Jett Duffey threw for a career-high 424 yards and four touchdowns. The team's defense, meanwhile, came close to a first-half shutout, allowing Oklahoma State's first points with 30 seconds left in the second quarter.

The team that deserves more attention is …

Penn State.

The Nittany Lions are quietly 5-0 after a 35-7 win over Purdue. Penn State isn't a top-10 ranked team yet, in part because it hasn't played top-level competition, with PSU beating Pittsburgh and Maryland. But it's time to start talking about Penn State a little more.

After throwing for 398 yards in last week's 59-0 rout of the Terrapins, Nittany Lions pivot Sean Clifford tossed three touchdown passes against the Boilermakers. Penn State has now scored 35-plus points in four of its five games.

The team's defense, though, has been even more impressive. Penn State has allowed 37 points this season, and Purdue finished Saturday's game with minus-19 rushing yards. Overall this campaign, Penn State has allowed 253 rushing yards on 173 attempts.

James Franklin's squad plays Iowa and Michigan over the next two weeks, which means we'll learn plenty about his team soon.

Jonathan Taylor's casual 5-TD day

Jonathan Taylor doesn't stop.

An early-October game against a middling MAC opponent was just another opportunity for Taylor to remind everyone he's the best running back in the country. The junior ran for 186 yards and four touchdowns, and he caught three passes for 29 yards and a fifth score during Wisconsin's 48-0 win over Kent State.

While he still trails Oklahoma State's Hubbard, Taylor is averaging 149 yards per game on the ground. He's also recorded 16 touchdowns (12 rushing and four receiving) in five games this season.