The door just swung wide open for No. 2 Notre Dame to claim the top spot in college football, all thanks to a stunning collapse by the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs. After Georgia suffered a brutal 27-24 loss to unranked Auburn, the Fighting Irish have a golden opportunity to reach the top of the college football rankings for the first time in the College Football Playoff era. The only catch: they need a tough road win over No. 8 BYU.
The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs Just Choked Away Everything
You absolutely can’t make this stuff up. The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs were tied 24-24 with unranked Auburn, driving for what looked like a game-winning score with about a minute left on the clock. You know what happened next, right? Turnover. Just handed it right back to Auburn. The Tigers then marched down the field, and Alex McPherson drilled a walk-off, 34-yard field goal as time expired to seal a shocking 27-24 victory. Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown had a dominant running game that helped upset Georgia. This loss? It was brutal. Georgia had control of its own destiny, only to give the game away in the final moments. This is the second straight week a top team has fallen to an unranked foe, with then-No. 1 Texas losing to Oklahoma last Saturday. The Bulldogs now have to live with the consequences, and Notre Dame is staring down a massive opportunity.
Notre Dame Can Finally Claim What Was Lost
This is it for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish have not held the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll since way back in November 2012, when Brian Kelly led them through an undefeated regular season. They also hit No. 1 in the BCS standings that November, only to eventually fall to Alabama in the national championship game. Now, 14 years later, Georgia opened the door. It is right there for the Irish to walk through. They just have to prove they deserve it.
This Sunday, the Fighting Irish hit the road to face No. 8 BYU. The stakes could not be higher. Win that game, and Notre Dame is back at the top of the college football world for the first time in over a decade. Lose, and they’ll be left wondering what could have been. You know they want this.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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