Saturday’s latest chaos left the AP Top 25 in flux again, and USC is right in the middle of it after a 24-7 road loss to Wisconsin.
The No. 16 Trojans were stunned by the Badgers, and the result came with a brutal statistical note: seven points is the lowest total ever for Lincoln Riley in his head coaching career. USC had been hanging around the College Football Playoff bubble before the trip to Wisconsin, but that position now looks shaky, with the Trojans expected to slide in the rankings and sit outside most postseason projections.
USC was far from the only ranked team to get tripped up by an unranked opponent. No.
2 BYU, No. 8 Texas Tech, No.
11 Tennessee and No. 15 Iowa all lost in upset fashion as the weekend kept reshaping the poll.
BYU’s defeat was the most eye-catching of the group on paper after the Cougars jumped to No. 2 following a win over No. 4 Notre Dame.
But Kalani Sitake’s team walked into an emotional trap and lost at UCF in overtime. Because the margin was tight and the Notre Dame win still sits on the résumé, BYU’s placement in the next AP Poll will draw plenty of attention.
Texas Tech’s loss only adds to the confusion at the top of the Big 12 picture, especially with BYU also taking a loss. That leaves No. 10 Utah in position to emerge as the league’s highest-ranked team when the new poll drops.
Tennessee’s slide will be another one to watch. The Volunteers were part of a crowded group of two-loss SEC teams, and the question now is where they land among them.
No. 13 Alabama survived a scare against Texas A&M to move to 6-2, matching Tennessee’s record.
No. 19 Texas beat No.
7 Ole Miss in prime time, leaving both at 5-2. No.
18 LSU also improved to 6-2 with a win over Auburn.
At the bottom of the rankings, there was little movement pressure from the teams that did handle business. No.
21 Boise State, No. 23 SMU and No.
24 Northwestern all won, while No. 22 Missouri and No.
20 Florida had byes. That means there may not be much room to absorb more fallers if Iowa and USC slide hard enough to get pushed out of the top 20.
The AP Poll listed Miami at No. 1, followed by Ohio State, Georgia, Notre Dame and Indiana. UCLA checked in at No. 6, with Utah at No.
7, BYU at No. 8, Kentucky at No. 9 and Alabama at No.
- Ole Miss, Texas, Texas Tech, Wake Forest, LSU, Florida, Tennessee, Boise State, Houston, Iowa, Missouri, USC, SMU, Northwestern and Arizona rounded out the rest of the top 25.
For USC, the ranking drop may not even be the main concern. With the Wisconsin loss, the Trojans now have two defeats and still have No.
3 Ohio State, No. 6 Indiana and No.
9 UCLA left on the schedule.
Three losses would likely end any CFP hopes for Riley and USC, meaning there may be no margin left for error if the program wants to reach its first College Football Playoff berth.
The White Out win over Penn State had quieted some doubts about USC’s road form, but the Trojans will get tested again with a trip to Indiana still ahead. Then comes Ohio State in Los Angeles on Halloween, a matchup that could end up defining the season.
In Other News...
BYU Has A Bigger Problem Than The UCF Loss
BYUs wild 39-31 double-overtime loss to UCF left plenty to sort through, but the biggest concern may have come after the final whistle. Cornerback Evan Johnson was hurt on the field and had to be carried off by trainers, turning a painful defeat into something potentially more significant for a defense already dealing with pressure points.
Kalani Sitake confirmed the injury and said the Cougars are still evaluating Johnsons status, leaving an already thin margin for error even tighter as the season moves forward. The loss also featured a costly roughing-the-kicker penalty and other injuries that affected BYUs performance, a reminder that the Cougars are not just trying to clean up one result but manage the fallout from a game that took a physical toll. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs First Loss Came Down To A Brutal Late Mistake
BYUs first loss of the season came in a game that swung on one costly late sequence, as the Cougars fell to UCF 39-31 in double overtime. The offense had chances, but the night also reflected the challenge of playing without star running back LJ Martin, leaving Bear Bachmeier to shoulder more of the load through the air and on the ground.
After Bachmeier finished with 257 passing yards and one interception, BYU was still within reach in the extra sessions before a roughing-the-kicker penalty on defensive end Kendal Wall extended UCFs drive. The Knights cashed in with a touchdown to end it, turning a hard-fought road result into a frustrating reminder of how quickly one late mistake can decide a conference game. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Stunning Collapse At UCF Demands One Painful Explanation
BYUs trip to the Bounce House turned into one of the most jolting results in the country, as No. 2 BYU fell 39-31 in overtime to UCF after a game packed with swing moments and frustration. The Knights found enough offense behind Keyone Jenkins, who threw for 293 yards and accounted for four total touchdowns, all while UCF was working without its starting quarterback.
The Cougars had chances to steady the night, but the game kept tilting the wrong way with a fumble overturn, costly penalties, a blocked field goal and, finally, a goal-line stand in overtime that sealed it for UCF. For BYU, the loss leaves behind a simple but painful question: how did a top-ranked team let so many breaks slip away in one of the most chaotic games of its season? [Read more 🡒]