Oct. 17, 2026 will go down as one of those college football Saturdays that just keeps getting stranger the longer it goes. By the time the dust settled, the sport had been turned upside down: five of the AP Top 25’s top seven teams had taken losses, chaos had reached every corner of the country, and even the nation’s No. 1 FCS team wasn’t spared.
The headliner results alone were staggering. Georgia fell 27-24 to Auburn.
Notre Dame dropped a 28-24 decision to BYU. Alabama was blown out 26-10 by No.
14 Tennessee. Texas lost 27-24 to Florida after Steve Sarkisian said his team “bled out.”
And Indiana’s defeat to Ohio State snapped a 22-game win streak.
Meanwhile, Miami needed overtime to escape Florida State, 43-35, and Ohio State held off Indiana, 19-15. That made it the first time in AP Top 25 history that five of the seven top teams lost in the same week.
South Dakota State, the No. 1 team in the FCS, also went down in a shocking loss to No. 15 North Dakota.
The injuries piled on top of the upsets. College football sack leader Colin Simmons was carted off after suffering a leg injury.
Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin left with an arm injury, was seen in a sling, and is expected to miss multiple weeks. Florida State running back Ousmane Kromah exited the Miami game early on a cart.
The quarterback decisions were almost as dramatic as the scoreboard. High-profile former five-stars Bryce Underwood at Michigan and Dylan Raiola at Oregon both came in late and helped swing their games, after having been benched. The gamble from coaches Kyle Whittingham and Josh Heupel paid off.
Then there was the mess in the final minutes of BYU’s game against Notre Dame. The Big 12 admitted its officials got it wrong, saying there should have been a second left for another Irish play. Miami, too, benefited from two favorable calls late: a holding penalty wiped out a Florida State touchdown on fourth down, and the next play a 50-50 Hail Mary was ruled an interception instead of a touchdown.
The fallout extended beyond individual teams. Alabama’s back-to-back regular season losses marked the first such stretch for the program since 2007.
Texas, once ranked No. 1, suffered its second loss. And for the SEC, there is now no unbeaten team through Week 7 for the first time since 2007.
It was a day that started in chaos and never let up. By night’s end, the playoff picture looked very different, and a long list of contenders was left picking through the wreckage.
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Miami Survived FSU But The Ending Will Fuel Rivalry Debate
Miamis win over Florida State had all the ingredients of a classic rivalry game, from the points to the tension to the kind of late drama that gets replayed for years. The Hurricanes came away with a 43-35 victory, but the closing minutes became the main talking point after a holding penalty on Florida States Xavier Chaplin wiped out what would have been a game-tying touchdown catch by Micahi Danzy.
What followed only added to the frustration in Tallahassee, as the Seminoles Hail Mary on the next play was ruled an interception after review. ESPN rules analyst Steve Shaw backed the decision, but that is unlikely to quiet the debate anytime soon, especially in a rivalry where every close call tends to linger long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Escaped Florida State But One Problem Should Worry Hurricanes Fans
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Still, the bigger takeaway for Hurricanes fans might be on the other side of the ball. A defense that had carried a top-ranked reputation gave up 35 points and 443 yards, including a late 75-yard touchdown that forced overtime in the first place. Miami eventually finished the job on a two-point conversion in the second overtime, but after a night like this, the standard on defense suddenly feels a little less secure. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Beat FSU But One Trouble Spot Just Got Harder To Ignore
The comeback win over Florida State gave Miami plenty to feel good about, especially after a double-overtime battle that ended 43-35 and showcased just how dangerous the offense can be when it finds rhythm. Malachi Toney was a constant problem for the Seminoles with 11 catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns, while Javian Mallory added 108 rushing yards and two more scores to help carry the Hurricanes through a game that demanded every bit of their depth and composure.
Still, the victory came with another concern that has been building in plain sight: the secondary. Miami dealt with multiple injuries in the defensive backfield, including Bryce Fitzgerald and Zechariah Poyser, and that kind of attrition makes an already important part of the defense even more fragile. The Hurricanes escaped with one of their biggest wins of the season, but the health of that group is shaping up as a storyline worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]