College football spent the weekend turning the rankings upside down, and the biggest shift came at the very top. Texas took the hit that reshaped the picture after Arch Manning threw two late interceptions in a rivalry loss to Oklahoma, a result that knocked the Longhorns off the perch and opened the door for a new No. 1.
That new No. 1, on this ballot, is Georgia. The Bulldogs went into Tuscaloosa and handled Alabama, which was enough to make them the clear choice at the top. That win also gave Georgia a commanding lead in the SEC and pushed Texas out of the spot after the Longhorns’ rough afternoon.
Miami stays right behind Georgia at No. 2 despite being on a bye, while Notre Dame checks in at No. 3 after a 58-7 win over Stanford. The Irish have not been seriously tested yet, but the ballot treats them like a real contender, with a top-10 matchup against BYU on deck Saturday that should tell a lot more.
Ohio State lands at No. 4. The Buckeyes are in the mix to climb higher, but the Texas loss still lingers, even if the bigger point is that the momentum is moving in the right direction.
Indiana comes in at No. 5 after another win, though the note here is that the Hoosiers look more vulnerable than they did last season. Nebraska is described as a much-improved opponent, but Indiana is still being viewed as a very good team with Big Ten title hopes.
Alabama falls to No. 6 after that three-point loss to Georgia. The Crimson Tide stay relatively high because the showing was still strong in an SEC game, even with quarterback Keelon Russell having more to prove.
BYU is No. 7 after Bear Bachmeier bounced back from a mediocre outing a week earlier and helped the Cougars beat Iowa State on Friday night. The schedule stiffens now, and Saturday brings a high-stakes test.
UCLA makes the biggest leap on the ballot, all the way up to No. 8, after upsetting Oregon on the road with a backup quarterback. The Bruins got some help from Oregon’s five turnovers, but the unbeaten start has them looking like one of the nation’s best teams, even if there’s room for skepticism.
Utah sits at No. 9 and keeps rolling. The Utes have won 11 straight dating back to last season and have scored at least 30 points in every game this year. The win over Kansas on Saturday was not always tidy, but Utah kept finding ways through adversity and, according to the ballot, has covered every spread as well.
Ole Miss rounds out the top 10 after a 52-17 win over Vanderbilt. The Rebels are still being taken seriously because of their earlier top-25 win over LSU, but that momentum has faded some, especially with the blowout loss to Florida still hanging around.
In Other News...
BYU's Biggest Offensive Concern Didn't Go Away In The Iowa State Win
BYU got a much-needed Big 12 win over Iowa State, and Bear Bachmeier was a big reason why. The quarterback accounted for 329 passing yards and two touchdowns while adding 109 yards on the ground, helping carry an offense that played without injured running back LJ Martin and had to lean more heavily on its quarterback than it likely wanted to.
Kalani Sitake had plenty to like about the result, but the broader issue did not disappear just because the Cougars handled Iowa State 24-10. The running game beyond Martin still needs help, and the way BYU had to patch together production in his absence only sharpened the concern about whether enough other backs are ready to take pressure off Bachmeier as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Got The Breakout It Needed Before Notre Dame
BYU got the kind of win that can steady a season and sharpen the conversation around what comes next, beating Iowa State 21-10 while playing without its top offensive player, LJ Martin. The Cougars still found enough balance to control the game, leaning on a productive day from sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier and a passing attack that featured tight ends Walker Lyons and Roger Saleapaga II.
Bachmeier finished with 329 passing yards, a touchdown and a career-high 109 rushing yards, the sort of dual-threat effort that can change how opponents prepare for BYU in the weeks ahead. With Notre Dame still looming, the timing of the breakout matters just as much as the result, because the Cougars needed proof they could generate offense even when the game plan loses a centerpiece. [Read more 🡒]
BYU's Win Exposed Two Risky Problems Kalani Sitake Can't Ignore
BYUs 24-10 win over Iowa State came with the kind of mixed signals coaches usually spend the next week sorting through. Kalani Sitake got the result he wanted, but the game also put a spotlight on some choices and tendencies that deserve a hard look, from the aggressiveness of the fourth-down calls to how the offense functioned without LJ Martin. Bear Bachmeier still gave the Cougars enough at quarterback to control the game, but the win also made clear that the margin for error can shrink quickly when the run game isnt fully intact.
Tiger Bachmeiers work on punt returns added another layer to the discussion, giving BYU useful field position and a spark in a game that was often defined by possession and patience. The bigger question now is how Sitake wants to balance all of that moving forward, especially if he continues to lean into high-leverage decisions while trying to stabilize an offense that looked better in some areas than others. The win counted in the standings, but it also left behind a few coaching puzzles that wont go away on their own. [Read more 🡒]