Week 8 didn’t just shake up the AP Top 25 - it rattled it from top to bottom. Seven ranked teams lost, and that kind of mess always sends pollsters back to the drawing board with a pile of tough calls.
Texas gave them one of the biggest ones to sort through. The Longhorns were staring at a third straight loss and another collapse after Ole Miss ripped off 21 unanswered points to wipe out an early 24-3 Texas lead.
Arch Manning had been a problem for the Rebels early, but then came a rough stretch that included a fumble that helped spark the comeback. Still, Texas found enough answers to hang on.
Manning put together a defining 80-yard touchdown drive, finished it with a rushing score, and a late field goal gave the Longhorns some needed breathing room in the win over Ole Miss.
For all the criticism Steve Sarkisian gets, his teams keep showing up in big games. Since last season, Texas is 5-2 in the regular season against AP top-ten opponents, the most wins of any FBS team in that span.
Ole Miss, meanwhile, had chances and didn’t cash them in. Trinidad Chambliss never found a rhythm, the run game never got going, and early on the defense couldn’t contain Arch Manning, which helped Texas build that three-touchdown cushion.
Even after the Rebels climbed back and tied the game in the second half, they couldn’t turn a late takeaway into points and couldn’t really slow the run when it mattered most. The fight was there.
The finishing touch wasn’t. At 3-2 in SEC play, their playoff picture is suddenly a lot shakier.
The same kind of slide is coming for BYU after the Cougars walked into a trap and lost at UCF. Coming off an emotional win over Notre Dame, they had a chance to strengthen their grip near the top of the rankings. Instead, the cross-country trip produced a marquee upset and left AP voters with another mess to clean up.
That leaves a tricky question: what do you do with BYU after Notre Dame was only dropped to No. 4 last week? Miami should stay at No. 1, while idle Ohio State is set to rise to No.
- Notre Dame, also idle, could help cushion BYU’s fall, with the Cougars sliding just one spot to No. 3 despite the loss to unranked UCF.
The Big 12 wasn’t done causing headaches there, either. Texas Tech, which had picked up one first-place vote in last week’s poll, lost on the road at Cincinnati and is headed out of the top ten.
The Red Raiders were beaten up badly, especially on the ground, by a Bearcats team that punched through the nation’s fifth-ranked run defense. Texas Tech hadn’t allowed a rushing touchdown all season before giving up a 58-yarder that sealed the upset and added even more chaos to the conference race.
South Carolina also got into the act, delivering another “Cocktober” twist by edging Tennessee on a last-second field goal. The Vols actually rallied after falling behind by two touchdowns early, leaning on defense and the ground game to fight back on the road. But the Gamecocks’ pass rush finally broke through, forcing and recovering a George MacIntyre fumble that set up the winning kick.
Tennessee may not tumble too hard because the loss came by a razor-thin margin away from home, and that kind of result tends to be easier on SEC teams in pollsters’ eyes. Still, it’s another setback for a playoff hopeful already under pressure, and the Vols will need better showings against Kentucky and LSU to recover.
Meanwhile, LSU kept its own momentum going with a 38-17 win at Auburn, powered by a huge night from Sam Leavitt, who threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns. After taking next Saturday off, the Tigers head into a brutal stretch with Alabama, Texas and Tennessee on deck.
In Other News...
BYUs Stunning Collapse At UCF Demands One Painful Explanation
BYUs trip to the Bounce House turned into one of those nights that can unravel in a hurry, with No. 2 BYU falling 39-31 in overtime to UCF after a game full of momentum swings and missed chances. The Knights found a way to stay composed even without their starting quarterback, and Keyone Jenkins was the difference-maker, throwing for 293 yards and accounting for four total touchdowns while UCF kept the pressure on from start to finish.
The Cougars had opportunities to steady things, but the game kept tilting on high-leverage moments, from a fumble overturn to penalties and a blocked field goal. When it reached overtime, UCF delivered the kind of goal-line stand that can define an upset, leaving BYU with a loss that demands a hard look at how a game like this got away. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs First Loss Came Down To A Brutal Late Mistake
BYUs first loss of the season arrived in a game that had already taken plenty out of both teams before it reached double overtime. The Cougars fell 39-31 at UCF after a night that featured a sputtering rushing attack without star back LJ Martin and a passing game from Bear Bachmeier that produced 257 yards but also an interception, leaving BYU to lean on an offense that never quite found enough consistency to pull away.
The deciding stretch turned on a special teams mistake that was as costly as it was avoidable. A roughing-the-kicker penalty against defensive end Kendal Wall kept UCFs drive alive in the second overtime, and the Knights used the extra life to punch in the winning touchdown and hand BYU its first defeat. For a team that had battled back into a tight road fight, the ending was a brutal reminder of how little margin exists in conference play. [Read more 🡒]
GameDay Backed BYU But One Warning Still Looms At UCF
ESPNs College GameDay made its choice for BYUs trip to UCF, and the message from the panel was pretty clear: the Cougars drew plenty of support from the shows regulars. Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, Desmond Howard and Kirk Herbstreit all picked No. 2 BYU to win, framing the matchup as another chance for a team that has spent the season earning national respect and handling pressure with a veteran edge.
Still, one voice on the set pointed to the kind of trap that can follow a big-stage win and a long road trip. Guest picker Dalton Kincaid went the other way, backing UCF and raising the idea that BYU could be due for an emotional letdown, especially with the Knights getting the boost of a homecoming atmosphere. GameDays discussion around the matchup circled back to maturity and key players, but the warning hung over the pick segment as the Cougars headed into one more road test. [Read more 🡒]