This past weekend just erased a near century record in the NCAA when five of the top seven teams in the country lost on the same day. If that were not crazy enough, the way it happened was simply unprecedented.
No. 1 Georgia was a 20-point favorite at home and lost to unranked Auburn on a last second field goal. This snapped a 54-game winning streak against unranked opponents and handed Georgia their first-ever home loss as an AP No. 1 team in school history. They were previously 18-0. For Auburn, the win ended their nine-game losing streak in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. The Bulldogs were also the final unbeaten SEC program, leaving the championship game spots back up for the taking.
No. 2 Notre Dame lost to No. 6 BYU after getting to the 7-yard line and running out of time. The win snapped Notre Dame’s 16-game winning streak. The Cougars were a double-digit home underdog but outlasted the Irish to secure the nation’s second-best winning percentage since the start of the 2024 season. BYU rose to No. 2 in this week’s AP poll, matching the program’s best ranking since winning the national championship in 1984.
No. 3 Miami nearly joined the list of upsets this weekend, holding off Florida St. 43-35 in double overtime. Miami’s quarterback, Darian Mensah, threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns, giving the Hurricanes the top ranking for the first time since 2002. It was the first time since 2012 that both of the top two teams fell in the same week.
No. 4 Ohio State defeated No. 5 Indiana on the road, snapping the Hoosiers’ 22-game total 19-home game winning streak. It came down to the wire on a potential game winning touchdown that was caught out of bounds and ruled incomplete. The Buckeyes rose to No. 3 following their redemption win against the defending Big Ten champions. The win came with a cost, though, as Ohio State lost quarterback Julian Sayin to an arm injury that will have him sitting out for several weeks, according to ESPN.
No. 6 Alabama was routed by No. 14 Tennessee after not scoring a point for the whole second half. This marked the Tide’s second straight regular-season loss; The last time this happened wasin Nick Saban’s first season as a head coach in 2007. That same year was coincidently the last time Alabama was held scoreless in the second half after a 21-14 loss to Louisiana-Monroe back in 2007. The Volunteers secured a historic win at home; They rise to No. 11 and face South Carolina next weekend.
No. 7 Texas blew a 17-3 lead over unranked Florida. The Longhorns were nearly two touchdown favorites over the Gators but first-time starting quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. still carried Florida to victory. The last time a No. 1 team lost two consecutive games against unranked opponents goes back to 1961, when No. 1 Michigan State fell to unranked Minnesota followed by unranked Purdue. The Longhorns fell to No. 19 following these consecutive losses. Florida re-entered the top 25, landing at No. 20.
No. 9 Ole Miss dominated No. 13 Missouri, 31-3. The Tigers scored first before 31 unanswered from quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and the Rebels. Chambliss contributed with four touchdowns helping solidify his case as a Heisman favorite.
The SEC has an 11-team circle of chaos in which every team has beaten the next. On top of that, the only unbeaten team in the SEC or Big Ten is UCLA, standing at 6-0 following their win against Wisconsin. The Bruins have a chance at an undefeated season as No. 16 USC remains their only ranked opponent for the rest of the year.
Moving into Week 8 gives us another opportunity for upsets and chaos. Only two top 25 matchups are on display, but as we learned from the previous week, anything can happen.
No. 7 Ole Miss takes on No. 17 Texas, which is looking to avoid a three-game skid. The Longhorns host the matchup and open as the slight favorites. It will be a face-off between two of the most talked about quarterbacks in college football between Arch Manning and Trinidad Chambliss.
Later in the night, unbeaten No. 10 Utah hosts No. 14 Houston in a Big 12 battle. This is Utah’s first test of the season before facing BYU and Arizona later. The Utes are coming off their closest win of the season, defeating Colorado 27-24. Quarterback Devon Dampier has been on point this season, throwing for over 200 yards in every game except the first. The senior also accumulated 15 touchdowns for the Utes and only four interceptions with two coming in last week’s game. As for the Cougars, they are coming off a 35-32 win against No. 18 Oklahoma State where quarterback Conner Weigman threw for 343 yards and five touchdowns. These two quarterbacks battle it out this Saturday night under the big lights in Salt Lake City.
If there is anything we have learned through the past week, it is to expect the unexpected. For the first time in 90 years, we saw five of the top seven teams fall, along with countless records that had not occurred in decades. This year’s college football season is proving to be one of the most unpredictable, and we just hit the halfway point.
Sit back, relax and try not to lose your mind as another week of college football approaches us.