The new AP Top 25 is about to look nothing like it did a week ago.
Saturday’s chaos hit the rankings hard, with a pileup of ranked-on-ranked matchups and several heavy favorites going down across the country. The biggest headline is simple: there will be a new No. 1 in college football after another top team fell to an unranked opponent.
Georgia was the latest giant to stumble. Auburn didn’t just steal that game with a last-second field goal - it controlled big stretches of it.
The Bulldogs grabbed a quick 14-0 lead, then watched Auburn respond with ruthless efficiency, piling up three touchdowns and a field goal to move ahead by 10 before Georgia tied it late. Gunner Stockton had a chance to win it, but his fumble - his third turnover of the day - opened the door for Auburn to finish the job as time expired.
That kind of loss is going to cost Georgia in the AP poll, especially against an unranked team with two losses. Still, given the strength of the Bulldogs’ overall resume, they should remain inside the top 10.
Tennessee, meanwhile, delivered one of the weekend’s cleanest statements. Jim Knowles’ defense smothered Alabama in a 26-10 win, holding the Crimson Tide backs to 2.5 yards per carry and 54 rushing yards total while keeping Keelon Russell out of the end zone through the air.
Big Orange is now sitting near the top of the SEC race at 6-1 overall and 3-1 in league play. DeSean Bishop kept rolling, topping 100 rushing yards for the third straight time in SEC games and continuing to drive the offense.
For Alabama, the performance was the kind that sends AP voters hunting for the next team on the ballot. Scoring only 10 points on the road is not what anyone expected from a Kalen DeBoer team. Russell turned it over twice on Alabama’s first three possessions, and the only touchdown drive he produced came after a giveaway gave the Tide a short field.
The bigger issue showed up again in the trenches. The rushing attack never established itself, a problem from last season that was supposed to be fixed in 2026, and the offense went just 3 of 16 on third down while the protection unit absorbed 10 tackles for loss and five sacks.
That’s now two straight losses for Alabama after what happened against Georgia last week, and it will cost them in the AP poll. Even so, the playoff path is not shut. Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Chattanooga, and Auburn are still on the schedule, with a trip to LSU also ahead.
Ohio State escaped Bloomington with a 19-15 win against champion Indiana, but the victory came with a major asterisk. Julian Sayin will miss “several weeks” after injuring his throwing shoulder, and the Buckeyes are heading into matchups with USC and Oregon with their playoff future hanging in the balance.
Even before the injury, the offense wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire. The lack of a reliable deep threat has been a talking point again without Jeremiah Smith’s supernatural playmaking, and now Ohio State has to figure out a Plan B. Still, the Buckeyes could climb one spot to No. 3 over Miami after a road win against the ranked national champion.
Texas, by contrast, is spiraling. Arch Manning’s rough stretch continued in a second straight loss, this time to unranked Florida. Last week it was two interceptions against Oklahoma; this week, more mistakes, missed chances, and a late fumble finished off the Longhorns.
Just two weeks ago, Texas was the AP No. 1 team and the consensus projected top playoff seed. Now the margin for error is almost gone. Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, and LSU are waiting over the next month, and the Longhorns will need near-perfect football to stay in the hunt.
BYU made sure the Big 12 had its own massive moment. The Cougars knocked off second-ranked Notre Dame in an instant classic, and that result could send BYU soaring into the top five.
Bear Bachmeier delivered the go-ahead touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter to reclaim a four-point lead, and BYU’s defense closed it out with a crucial stop as regulation expired. With losses piling up around the country - Texas, Alabama, Indiana, Georgia, and Notre Dame among them - BYU has a path to serious movement in the rankings.
That loss also shakes up the playoff picture for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish were one win away from becoming the No. 1 team in college football, but BYU had other plans. Notre Dame takes its first loss of the season, and its margin for error is now much thinner with Miami coming to town in two weeks.
LSU also did its part to steady the ship. After losses at Ole Miss and Kentucky complicated Lane Kiffin’s debut season, the Tigers answered with a 31-0 win over Mississippi State to improve to 5-2 and get back to .500 in SEC play.
Kamario Taylor not playing quarterback for the Bulldogs helped, but LSU also benefited from Sam Leavitt’s turnover-free outing and four touchdown passes. The Tigers’ defense forced five turnovers on downs, and now a difficult stretch is coming fast: at Auburn, Alabama and Texas at home, and at Tennessee.
In Other News...
Ohio States Playoff Push Just Got A Tough Julian Sayin Twist
Ohio State kept its playoff push moving with a win over Indiana, but the Buckeyes left that game with a concern much bigger than the final score. Quarterback Julian Sayin exited with an arm injury, and Ryan Day said he is expected to be out for several weeks, a development that lands at an uneasy moment for a team trying to hold its footing in a crowded stretch of the schedule.
Luke Fahey, a freshman, is next in line to back up the offense while Sayin is sidelined, and the Buckeyes will have to navigate some tough upcoming games without their starting quarterback. At 6-1, Ohio State is still in solid position, but the margin for error gets a lot thinner now, especially with the kind of tests still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Suddenly Has A Running Back Problem To Solve
Ohio States backfield is suddenly thinner heading into the matchup with Indiana, with JaKobi Jackson confirmed out and his absence looking like it could linger beyond what the Buckeyes first hoped. The injury appears to be a foot issue based on what was seen during the game, and Jacksons message on Instagram suggested the recovery process may not be a quick one.
For now, Ohio State will need more from Bo Jackson and Legend Bey to help carry the load at running back. The timing matters because the Buckeyes were already counting on depth in that spot, and losing another piece forces the staff to adjust quickly as the game plan shifts toward the next man up. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State's Big Win Just Created A Julian Sayin Problem
Julian Sayins afternoon against Indiana ended with an unsettling sight, as the Ohio State quarterback was forced out of the game and later left the locker room with his right throwing arm in a sling. The Buckeyes still found a way to hang on for a 19-15 win, a result that kept them from absorbing a second loss and dealt Indiana its first defeat since the end of the 2024 season.
For Ohio State, the victory was significant, but the bigger question now is what comes next at quarterback. Sayins status remains unknown after the injury, and the Buckeyes suddenly have to balance the value of a marquee win with the uncertainty surrounding the most important position on the field. [Read more 🡒]