Week 7 tore through the AP top 25 like a wrecking ball. By the time Saturday was over, the rankings had been battered in ways college football rarely sees, with nearly half of the top 10 taking losses and several of the sport’s biggest names falling in the same chaotic stretch.
What made the day stand out was not just the volume of upsets, but the sheer level of the teams involved. This was the first time in the AP poll era since 1936 that five teams in the top eight lost their games.
It was also the first time since at least 2000 that five teams ranked in the top 7 went down on the same day. Only twice before since at least 2000 had five teams in the top 10 lost together, and Saturday joined that tiny list.
The SEC took a brutal hit. Georgia, Alabama and Texas - the conference’s three highest-ranked teams - all lost on the same day, something that had not happened since 1996.
Georgia’s defeat also extended a stunning trend for No. 1 teams against unranked opponents. Since Sept. 26, 2008, top-ranked teams had been 149-2 in those matchups.
Over the last two weeks, they are now 0-2, with Texas falling last week and Georgia going down Saturday. It’s the first time since 1990 that the AP’s top-ranked team has lost in consecutive weeks to an unranked foe.
Indiana’s loss to Ohio State delivered another jolt. The Hoosiers’ defeat ended a streak of 93 straight home wins by No. 1-ranked teams against unranked opponents, a run that dated back to LSU’s double-overtime loss to Arkansas on Nov.
23, 2007. It also snapped Indiana’s perfect start, leaving the defending national champion at 6-1.
In the BCS/CFP era since 1998, only a small group of undefeated defending national champions had ever reached 7-0 or better, including 2019 Clemson, 2014 Florida State, 2023 Georgia, 2005 USC, 2002 Miami and 2001 Oklahoma.
Texas also landed in an especially rare category. The Longhorns became only the ninth team since the AP Poll expanded to 25 teams in 1989 to lose back-to-back games as a top-10 team against unranked opponents. The previous examples listed were Florida State in 2024, Oklahoma in 2023, Iowa in 2021, Texas A&M in 2016, and several teams from 2007.
Mississippi State was another major casualty. The Bulldogs entered the week ranked No. 16, then were blanked 31-0 at LSU.
That made them one of only three SEC teams ranked that high to be shut out in the last 10 seasons, joining No. 8 Arkansas in 2021 and No.
4 LSU in 2018.
Saturday also brought one more remarkable AP Poll first: combined with last week’s result, it marked the first time in the poll’s history since 1936 that the No. 1 team has lost on the final play of the game in consecutive weeks.
In Other News...
Texas May Have A Colin Simmons Problem They Can't Afford
Colin Simmons left Texas with an apparent leg injury in the fourth quarter against Florida, and the scene was enough to quiet a sideline that has come to lean heavily on its best pass rusher. He had to be helped off the field before being taken for further evaluation, a troubling development for a defense that has built so much of its edge around his ability to get after the quarterback.
Simmons has been the centerpiece of Texas pass rush and leads the nation in sacks, which is exactly why any concern around his health carries so much weight for the Longhorns. If the injury lingers, Texas may have to confront a depth issue in a hurry, because replacing a player who changes protection plans and wrecks drives is easier said than done. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Just Got A Colin Simmons Problem It Couldnt Afford
Texas had already been leaning on Colin Simmons as one of the most disruptive defenders in the country, and now it may have to find out what life looks like without him, at least for a while. The sophomore edge rusher was helped off the field after an apparent lower-body injury against Florida and later carted to the locker room, a troubling sight for a defense that has counted on his burst off the edge all season.
What happens next is the real concern for Texas, because Simmons has been one of the few players capable of changing a game by himself. He entered the matchup with 10.5 sacks and a rising profile that extends well beyond Austin, so any missed time would affect both the Longhorns push this season and a draft stock that was only getting stronger. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Suddenly Has A Colin Simmons Problem Fans Will Fear
Colin Simmons gave Texas everything it could ask for before the game turned in the fourth quarter against Florida. The star edge rusher had already piled up eight tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack when he went down with a lower-body injury, a moment that immediately changed the feel of the Longhorns defense and left the sideline waiting to see what came next.
Simmons absence was felt right away, with Florida taking the lead on a field goal while he was off the field for further examination. For a Texas defense built around his disruption off the edge, the concern is obvious: even a brief loss of Simmons changes how opponents can attack, and the Longhorns now have to hope the issue is not something that lingers beyond one tense night. [Read more 🡒]