Five of the AP Top 7 went down on the same Saturday, and the poll was blown wide open. The result was a brand-new No. 1, a reshuffled top tier, and a few heavyweight programs left to pick up the pieces after one of the wildest weekends the sport has seen in a while.
Miami came through the chaos untouched. It took double overtime and one highly controversial last play, but the Hurricanes did what so many others couldn’t: they survived Florida State. Even without facing a ranked opponent yet this season at the time of play, Miami’s spotless record and the carnage around it pushed the pollsters to give the Hurricanes 40 first-place votes and the No. 1 spot for the first time since 2002.
Right behind them, BYU delivered one of the statement wins of the year. Bear Bachmeier put together a complete night, throwing for a touchdown, running for two more, and even catching a score in No.
8 BYU’s stunning upset of No. 2 Notre Dame.
The Cougars jumped to No. 2 for the first time since the school’s 1984 national championship season, and they also gave the Big 12 a major boost. The league now has a real path to getting two teams into the College Football Playoff, with Texas Tech looking like the other candidate after a confident dismantling of Arizona State.
That sets up a very real possibility of a Big 12 title game between Texas Tech and BYU, with playoff spots more or less in hand.
In the Big Ten’s marquee matchup, Ohio State stopped Indiana’s 22-game winning streak with a 19-15 grind. The Buckeyes entered the day with one loss and badly needed to avoid another in Bloomington, and they managed that.
But the win came with a major concern: quarterback Julian Sayin left with a throwing-shoulder injury, and the timing could hardly be worse with USC and Nebraska on the road and Oregon and Michigan coming to Columbus. Jeremiah Smith can do just about everything a receiver can do, but even he needs a quarterback capable of getting him the ball.
That remains an open question now.
Tennessee also made a loud case to be taken seriously. The Vols leaned on defense, running the ball, and takeaways in a 24-point showing against Alabama that felt like a turning point.
DeSean Bishop ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns, Tennessee forced four turnovers, and the defense held Alabama to just 10 points and 2 yards per carry. The reward was a jump to No. 11, while Alabama fell seven spots to No. 13 after back-to-back losses.
With more production from the quarterback spot, Tennessee suddenly looks capable of making noise in both the SEC and the playoff race.
Florida had a completely different kind of breakthrough. Backup quarterback Tramell Jones Jr., in his first career start, threw two touchdown passes as the Gators erased a 14-point deficit and beat No.
7 Texas 27-24 in Austin. Florida’s defense was just as important.
It sacked Arch Manning five times, forced a late fumble that sealed the win, and held Texas to 173 passing yards in what was a striking turnaround for a secondary that had been the SEC’s worst coming in. The Gators snapped a two-game skid, picked up their first road win over a top-10 opponent since 2012, and returned to the AP poll at No.
- Texas slid 12 spots to No.
Then came the biggest jolt of all: Auburn took down No. 1 Georgia.
Unranked and trailing by two touchdowns early, the Tigers scored 24 straight points and finished the upset with Alex McPherson’s 34-yard field goal as time expired. Byrum Brown rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown, while Georgia coughed it up three times, including a costly late fumble by Gunner Stockton.
The win snapped Georgia’s streaks against Auburn and unranked teams and gave new coach Alex Golesh a major lift. Georgia, which had just climbed to No. 1 after an emotional win at Alabama, looked worn down.
Kirby Smart had admitted the Bulldogs might have been spent, and the performance matched that concern. Favored by more than three touchdowns at home, Georgia tied the game with under three minutes left, then fumbled near midfield and watched Auburn set up the winning kick.
The Bulldogs dropped to No. 5 after one week at the top.
And then there was Texas. The loss to Florida brought the criticism of Arch Manning right back to the surface, the same questions that followed him since he was a high school recruit and people wondered whether his ranking had more to do with the name on the back of the jersey.
Steve Sarkisian made it clear changes could be coming. “Everything is going to be evaluated,” he said.
“Everything means everything.” At this point, Manning has been evaluated.
He looks like a very average quarterback.
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Auburns Georgia Stunner Carried An Emotional Twist Tigers Fans Will Love
Auburns win over No. 1 Georgia in Athens already stood out as one of the seasons biggest shocks, but the finish made it feel even more memorable. The Tigers snapped a long drought with their first victory in Athens since 2005 and their first over Georgia since 2017, and they did it with a last-minute 34-yard field goal that sent the visiting sideline into celebration.
Alex McPherson has been through far more than a pressure kick at the end of a rivalry game. The Auburn kicker battled inflammatory bowel disease and underwent surgery before returning to the field, and head coach Alex Golesh made sure he got the game ball afterward, praising his leadership and perseverance as much as the winning kick itself. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Still Has One Big Xavier Atkins Problem Heading Forward
Xavier Atkins was nowhere to be found when Auburn knocked off No. 1 Georgia on Saturday, and his absence was one of the quieter storylines inside an upset that will be remembered for a long time. The All-SEC linebacker has been central to what Auburn wants to do defensively, so losing him for a game of that magnitude only adds to the uncertainty around a unit that managed to come through anyway.
By Monday afternoon, there still was no update on Atkins status, leaving Auburn to carry the win while also waiting on one of its most important defenders. For a team that just took a major step forward, the lingering question is whether it can keep building on that momentum without knowing when one of its top playmakers will be back in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Is Already Answering Auburn's Biggest Rivalry Win
Auburns rivalry win over Georgia on the field may have landed with extra force, but the recruiting battle is already swinging back the other way. Christian Mays, the top-ranked JUCO defensive lineman in the 2027 cycle, officially decommitted from Tennessee and announced his commitment to Georgia on his personal social media account, giving the Bulldogs another highly regarded addition to their front.
Mays currently plays at Northeast Mississippi Community College and brings the kind of profile that can shift an early recruiting board fast. For Auburn, it is another reminder that one big moment in the rivalry does not end the bigger chess match, especially when Georgia is already making its move for one of the cycles most sought-after defensive linemen. [Read more 🡒]