College football scores, rankings, highlights: Clemson, USC overcome slow starts

Though Week 6 marked a rare Saturday in which no top-10 teams lost, little came easy for the nation’s best teams as upsets were thwarted by some heavy favorites around the country. Among those escaping with victories after some early trouble were No. 1 Alabama, No. 5 Clemson and No. 6 USC with all three teams remaining undefeated ahead of big conference games next week.

Clemson found itself locked in a 3-3 tie with struggling Boston College for nearly the entire second quarter before the Tigers finally scored the game’s first touchdown in the final minute of the first half en route to a 31-3 win. Though the Tigers dominated defensively, it was clear even in a 28-point victory that the offense remains a work in progress; Clemson totaled just 364 yards and punted seven times. The Tigers travel to Florida State next week.

Similarly, USC held off Washington State for a 30-14 home win largely because of its defense. The Trojans initally squandered an early 10-0 lead by allowing back-to-back touchdown drives in the second quarter. From there, they buckled down, holding Washington State scoreless on its next eight possessions to close the game. Travis Dye led the way offensively with 149 yards rushing and a touchdown on 28 carries for the Trojans, which travel to face No. 11 Utah next week. The Utes lost 42-32 at UCLA on Saturday but may still present USC with its toughest test yet.

College football scores, schedule: Week 6

No. 4 Michigan 31, Indiana 10 — Recap
No. 8 Tennessee 40, No. 25 LSU 13 — Takeaways, recap
No. 17 TCU 38, No. 19 Kansas 31 — Recap
No. 23 Mississippi State 40, Arkansas 17 — Recap
Texas 49, Oklahoma 0 — Takeaways, recap
No. 2 Georgia 42, Auburn 10  — Takeaways, recap
No. 7 Oklahoma State 41, Texas Tech 31 — Recap
No. 18 UCLA 42, No. 11 Utah  32 —  Recap
No. 3 Ohio State 49, Michigan State 20 — Takeaways, recap
No. 5 Clemson 31, Boston College 3 — Recap
No. 6 USC 30, Washington State 14  — Recap
Notre Dame 28, No. 16 BYU 20 —  Recap
No. 1 Alabama 24, Texas A&M 20 — Takeaways, recap
Check out the entire Week 6 scoreboard 

Check these out …