Five of the top seven college football teams in the AP Poll got absolutely rocked on Saturday. That is the most losses among that elite group since the poll was created back in 1936, a truly historic beatdown that nobody saw coming. We’re talking about No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 5 Indiana, No. 6 Alabama, and No. 7 Texas all taking L’s. What a day, seriously.
The Big Money Went DOWN
These teams aren’t just any squads, either. That group, all but Indiana, were favored to win by at least a touchdown, and they represent some of the most expensive rosters in college football, landing in the top 20 nationally for spending, according to estimates from The Athletic. Talk about a brutal return on investment for one Saturday. It was total mayhem across the board, with nine top 25 matchups decided by just one possession. Can you believe it?
Auburn pulled off the shocker against No. 1 Georgia, which is insane given that Oklahoma just beat No. 1 Texas a week prior. That makes it the first time the AP No. 1 team has lost to unranked opponents in back-to-back weeks in 36 years. Georgia is the third No. 1 ranked team to lose this season after Ohio State and Texas already got knocked off. This was a massive, marquee win for Auburn coach Alex Golesh, no doubt about it.
A New Order at the Top
With all that chaos, Sunday’s new poll is a complete flip. Miami is now your new No. 1 team at 6-0, the first time they’ve hit that spot since December 8, 2002. They earned it, too, after a hard-fought 43-35 win over Florida State in double overtime. Miami is another one of those big-money rosters, estimated to be among the top ten most expensive in the country.
Right behind them, BYU shot up from No. 8 to No. 2, also sitting at a perfect 6-0. They hosted College GameDay on Saturday and then went out and defeated Notre Dame in a 28-24 upset. This marks only the second time BYU has ever beaten a team ranked first or second by the AP, and it comes right after they received their school’s largest athletic financial commitment ever. Head coach Sitake is feeling the vibe, saying after the game, “I know a lot of people are questioning if we belong and whether we can compete in the top 10. I’m not trying to convince them, I just know that our guys are confident in how we play the game.” You gotta respect that confidence.
The Fallout is Real
The rest of the top seven teams are feeling the pain. No. 1 Georgia tumbled to No. 5 after their 27-24 loss to Auburn. Indiana, who lost to Ohio State at home as an underdog, only moved back slightly from fifth to sixth, which feels lucky considering the upsets around them. Notre Dame fell to No. 4 after losing on the final play, but get this, the Big 12 Conference actually released a statement afterward, claiming officials ended the game prematurely and there should have been more time on the clock! Can you imagine?
Alabama and Texas, both teams that have now lost back-to-back games, took the biggest dives. Alabama fell all the way to 13th, and Texas plunged to 19th. The Longhorns’ drop is especially brutal because both their recent losses came against unranked opponents. The play of quarterback Arch Manning has been a hot topic all season, and it definitely continued on Saturday with a costly turnover on the final possession that sealed the upset for Florida. Speaking of Florida, they jumped into the poll at No. 20 after that win. Ole Miss moved up to No. 7 after a solid 31-3 win over No. 22 Missouri. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian isn’t sugarcoating it. “We’re not playing very good football right now,” he said. “I have to evaluate everything. It’s gonna be a long night.” It sure sounds like it.
Looking ahead, Texas hosts Ole Miss on Saturday. That’s a huge game for the Longhorns, who desperately need to find some answers and turn things around before this back-to-back losing streak becomes a full-blown crisis. You know Sarkisian will be burning the midnight oil to get his team ready.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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