CFN Week 6 Rankings: Kentucky Heads Deep Group Just Outside Top 25

College Football News ranks teams 26-138 for Week 6, backing Kentucky and a deep group of Top 25 contenders while Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan climb.

College Football News has released its Week 6 rankings covering every team from No. 26 through No. 138, and the guiding theme is depth beyond the Top 25. Kentucky, Arizona, Wake Forest, Duke, Pitt, Boise State and New Mexico were each cited as programs with a case to be ranked higher.

Kentucky received the strongest endorsement. The Wildcats' only defeat came against Alabama, and their resume includes a road win at Texas A&M in College Station and a victory at South Carolina. CFN concluded that placing Kentucky in the Top 25 would be easy to justify.

More broadly, the outlet views 2026 as an unusually strong season for quality teams, arguing that the NIL era has spread talent across more rosters and forced heavy reshuffling from week to week. Its practical reading of the poll: the teams from roughly No. 26 through No. 40 can all be treated as good.

The bottom of the table tells a different story. Charlotte sits last at No. 138 with an 0-5 record after Memphis rolled to a 59-8 win, and the 49ers travel to North Texas next. ULM is also winless at 0-5 following a 52-35 loss to South Alabama and has an open date, while 0-4 Northern Illinois returns from its bye to face Air Force.

Lopsided Week 5 results drove several slides. New Mexico routed UTEP 61-7, dropping the Miners from No. 124 to No. 129 ahead of a meeting with Nevada. Kansas shut out Middle Tennessee 55-0, sending the Blue Raiders from No. 117 to No. 120 into an open week, and Indiana's 47-15 win over Rutgers pushed the Scarlet Knights from No. 96 all the way down to No. 110.

The biggest climbs belonged to the winners. Bowling Green jumped 30 places, from No. 134 to No. 104, on a 24-20 victory over Miami (Ohio) and faces Sacramento State next. Eastern Michigan rose from No. 129 to No. 107 after beating UMass 38-14 and visits Akron, Liberty moved from No. 119 to No. 103 by downing Delaware 30-14, and Central Michigan went from No. 108 to No. 101 with a 41-17 win over Akron.

UMass took the sharpest fall, tumbling from No. 93 to No. 109 after Eastern Michigan handed the Minutemen their first loss, 38-14, leaving them 4-1 with Miami (Ohio) up next. UConn slipped one spot to No. 106 after a 42-41 overtime defeat against Syracuse on Oct. 3 in East Hartford, Connecticut, and the Huskies visit Temple next. Hawaii also dropped, from No. 102 to No. 111, after a 20-16 loss to San Jose State, with a trip to Arizona State ahead.

Elsewhere, Georgia Southern improved to No. 119 with a 31-24 win over Coastal Carolina, which fell to No. 125 and visits Marshall next. New Mexico State edged up to No. 117 after beating Western Kentucky 34-13, leaving the Hilltoppers at No. 130 ahead of a game against Missouri State.

In the 96-100 range, South Alabama checks in at No. 100 following its win over ULM and visits Arkansas State, which slid to No. 115 after a 23-20 loss to Louisiana. Ohio edged Kent State 13-10 to sit No. 99 and hosts Central Michigan, Temple reached No. 98 on a 17-13 win over USF and will host UConn, and Wyoming fell to No. 97 after North Dakota State blanked the Cowboys 28-0, with a game at San Jose State next.