Georgia’s win in Tuscaloosa should send the Bulldogs back to the top of the AP Top 25 on Sunday, and it comes with a little symmetry attached.
Kirby Smart’s team is positioned to reclaim the No. 1 ranking for the first time since Week 2 of the 2024 season, when Georgia slipped from the top spot after a 13-12 road win at Kentucky. The team that passed the Bulldogs then was Texas, and the Longhorns look ready to give it back this week after falling 27-24 to unranked Oklahoma on a last-second field goal in the Red River Rivalry Game at the Cotton Bowl.
Saturday turned into a chaos-heavy day across college football, with the SEC taking a few of the hardest hits. Kentucky, which had already fallen out of the AP Top 25 last week despite beating South Carolina, followed that up with a 35-34 overtime upset of LSU.
South Carolina also delivered one of the day’s biggest jolts, as Shane Beamer’s team rolled to a 38-19 win over then-No. 16 Florida at The Swamp.
That result snapped South Carolina’s eight-game SEC losing streak, a run that dated back to a 2024 season in which the Gamecocks just missed the 12-team College Football Playoff. For Florida, it marked a second straight defeat in Jon Sumrall’s first season after the Gators had beaten an unbeaten, top-five Ole Miss team three weeks ago. Since then, Florida has been outscored 83-36, including last Saturday’s 45-17 loss at Missouri.
Ole Miss, meanwhile, looks as if it’s climbing right back into the national conversation. The Rebels hammered Vanderbilt 52-17 and are back in the top 10 with preseason All-American tailback Kewan Lacy back from a shoulder injury and in the lineup.
Out west, UCLA is set up for the week’s biggest rise after stunning No. 13 Oregon in Eugene as a double-digit underdog, 17-15. Bob Chesney’s Bruins are 5-0 for the first time since 2022, when Chip Kelly was coaching them.
Indiana, the defending national champion, also made noise by rallying from 10 down to beat Nebraska, and that sets up a top-10 meeting with Ohio State next Saturday.
Here’s how Mike Griffith plans to vote, with late games pending, and how he thinks the AP Top 25 should look:
- Georgia (6-0) - Won at Alabama, 20-17
- Miami (5-0) - Was idle
- Notre Dame (6-0) - Beat Stanford, 58-7
- Alabama (5-1) - Lost to Georgia, 20-17
- Ohio State (5-1) - Beat Maryland, 45-16
- Indiana (6-0) - Won at Nebraska, 20-17
- Texas (4-1) - Lost to Oklahoma, 27-24
- UCLA (5-0) - Won at Oregon, 17-15
- Ole Miss (4-1) - Won at Vanderbilt, 52-17
- Utah (5-0) - Beat Kansas, 41-24
- Texas Tech (5-0) - Was idle
- Missouri (5-1) - Beat Texas A&M, 27-6
- BYU (5-0) - Beat Iowa State, 24-10
- Tennessee (5-1) - Won at Arkansas, 24-17
- USC (6-1) - Won at Penn State, 31-23
- Kentucky (4-1) - Beat LSU, 35-34 (OT)
- Boise State (4-1) - At Fresno State (late)
- Mississippi State (4-1) - Was idle
- Iowa (5-1) - Won at Washington, 41-24
- Houston (5-1) - Won at Kansas State, 35-16
- SMU (4-1) - Was idle
- Wake Forest (5-1) - Beat NC State, 38-14
- Wisconsin (4-1) - Was idle
- LSU (4-2) - Lost at Kentucky, 35-24 (OT)
- Nebraska (5-1) - Lost to Indiana, 20-17
In Other News...
Georgias Win Was Just Overshadowed By An Ugly Alabama Tunnel Incident
Georgias 20-17 win over Alabama had plenty of football to unpack, from a strong rushing performance led by Dwight Phillips Jr. and Bo Walker to Gunner Stocktons work through the air. But the scene that lingered after the final whistle had nothing to do with the scoreboard. Near the stadium tunnel, Georgia linebacker Raylen Wilson was confronted by an Alabama fan in an ugly postgame incident that quickly drew attention beyond the usual chaos of a big SEC night.
Reporter Reggie Chatman Jr. captured the exchange on video, calling it an unusual moment as the fan physically attacked Wilson by slapping and shoving his helmet. Witnesses said the fan also used a racially degrading term during the encounter, turning what should have been a hard-fought rivalry win into a jarring flashpoint. For Georgia, the victory still counts, but the aftermath was a reminder that the line between passion and misconduct can disappear in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Smart Leak Puts Georgia's Biggest Win In A Different Light
The win over Alabama already had the feel of one of Georgias defining moments of the season, but the aftermath turned a private football setting into a public talking point. Two videos that reportedly show Kirby Smart speaking to the team before and after the game began circulating on social media, and both clips appear to have been recorded without anyones knowledge. Their authenticity has not been confirmed, but the release itself was a surprise given the private nature of the messages.
For Georgia, the larger issue is not what was said so much as how it became public in the first place. Coaches guard those pregame and postgame moments closely because they are meant for the locker room, not the timeline, and the appearance of secret recordings adds an uncomfortable layer to a victory that should have been remembered for the result on the field. The Bulldogs are left with a big win still fresh in the record book, even as the focus shifts to how and why those videos surfaced at all. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Had To Leave Tuscaloosa Like No Winning Team Should
Georgias trip out of Tuscaloosa came with an ugly scene after the win over Alabama, one that had little to do with football and everything to do with the emotions that can spill over when a big game turns. As the Bulldogs were leaving the field, some Alabama fans threw bottles and cans toward Georgia players and staff, forcing the visiting sideline to think about safety on the way off rather than the celebration in front of them.
Georgia coaches responded by telling players to keep their helmets on as they exited, a reminder of how quickly a postgame moment can turn tense after a heavyweight matchup. No injuries were reported, but the episode added a sour edge to an otherwise significant road victory, and it left Georgia heading home with one more thing to remember from Tuscaloosa beyond the result itself. [Read more 🡒]