Nine teams reached the halfway point of the season with 6-0 records. That No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Oregon, No. 3 Penn State and No. 6 Miami are among them is no surprise.

But No. 9 Iowa State hadn't won six straight to open a season since 1938, No. 16 Indiana since 1967, No. 20 Pittsburgh since 1982, No. 23 Army since 1996 and No. 13 BYU since the 2020 pandemic season.

None of those five were in the preseason Associated Press Top 25, and Iowa State was the only one receiving votes. Liberty and No. 25 Navy, both 5-0, are the other two unbeatens in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Army, 6-6 each of the last two years, was 2-4 and on a three-game losing streak at this time in 2023 under Jeff Monken. The Black Knights are 6-0 for the third time in program history and on the nation's longest active win streak, at 10 games. They go into this week's home game against East Carolina ranked in the Top 25 for the first time since 2020. Annual rivals Navy and Army are in the rankings together for the first time since 1960.

The Cyclones were 3-3 at this time a year ago and at the start of a three-game win streak that would be followed by losses in three of the last five. Coach Matt Campbell brought back nine starters on each side of the ball and added transfers to shore up the offensive line. Next up is a home game against UCF.

Indiana was 2-4 through six games last year and in the stretch of seven losses in eight games that ended a 3-9 season and doomed Tom Allen. Curt Cignetti was hired away from James Madison and revamped the roster, adding a bevy of players from his previous stop and landing Mid-American Conference player of the year Kurtis Rourke from Ohio as his quarterback. The Hoosiers have played a light schedule and will get their toughest test to date at home Saturday against Nebraska.

Pitt, 3-9 last season, lost four of its first six games a year ago and then five of its last six under Pat Narduzzi. Half of the Panthers' wins this season have been by a total of seven points — 28-27 at Cincinnati, 38-34 over West Virginia and 17-15 over California. Another close game could be coming Thursday when Syracuse visits.

BYU was sitting 4-2 a year ago and was two weeks away from the start of a season-defining five-game losing streak that would leave the Cougars 5-7. The Cougars go into this week's home game with Oklahoma State tied with Iowa State and Texas Tech for first in the Big 12. Kalani Sitake's team already has three conference wins, one more than its 2023 total.