Top-10 teams have lost 11 times in three weeks, a staggering figure tied for the most in any three-week stretch during a regular season since the AP poll began in 1936. The college football landscape is absolutely reeling from a historic run of upsets, leaving us with just three unbeatens as we head into Week 9. Talk about a shakeup, right?
The Chaos Continues to Reign Supreme
Remember how we were all buzzing about BYU just a week ago? Their perfect season just evaporated in Orlando, of all places. They didn’t hit Disney World for a celebration, they lost in double overtime to an unranked, three-loss UCF squad. Shocked? We probably shouldn’t be. BYU is now the fifth AP top-two team to fall this season, the most we have seen before November since 1990. Four of those five have gone down in the last three weeks alone. It is bonkers.
The carnage wasn’t just limited to the top-two. Outside the top five, we saw Texas Tech get tripped up at Cincinnati. James Madison lost on a walk-off field goal at Appalachian State, a brutal way to go. Tennessee just couldn’t get it done against South Carolina, with quarterback LaNorris Sellers leading the charge. And USC’s road woes are officially a full-blown crisis after they dropped another one at Wisconsin. This level of upset has made the CBS Sports Power Rankings totally fluid, which is exactly what you get when nearly a dozen top teams can’t hold their ground.
Who is Still Standing (And Who is Next)?
Amidst all this madness, Ohio State still holds the No. 1 spot in the CBS Sports Power Rankings. They were on a bye week, using that time to figure out who steps in for injured quarterback Julian Sayin. Coach Ryan Day is weighing options like Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair. They will get their answer Saturday when they face USC, who, remember, is coming off that three-score loss at Wisconsin.
Miami, meanwhile, is still hanging tough at No. 2. The model keeps them there, and honestly, don’t the Hurricanes deserve more love? Malachi Toney went absolutely off, catching 16 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-23 rout of Pitt. That is a school record for catches in a game! Miami is sitting pretty at 25-0 at home as the AP’s No. 1, so the question is, can anyone in the ACC even touch these guys?
The three remaining undefeated teams are Miami, UCLA, and Utah. Two of those teams are even coached by first-year head coaches, which is wild to think about. But not all unbeaten records are created equal, folks. There are five one-loss teams ranked above Utah, and even a couple of two-loss teams are ahead of UCLA.
Indiana made a jump up to No. 3 after snagging their first win in Ann Arbor since 1967. It was a messy 13-6 overtime win, with Josh Hoover, who coach Curt Cignetti said is injured, sealing it on a 4-yard run. Hoover threw for 81 yards and his first interception of the season, so it wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win. They host Minnesota this Saturday on CBS. And then there’s Georgia at No. 4, who got a much-needed breather after Auburn snapped their ridiculous 53-game win streak against unranked teams. Next up for them is Florida.
This Week 9 is going to be another wild one. With so much instability at the top, every game feels like it has the potential to shake up the entire sport again.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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