Saturday was an absolute bloodbath for highly ranked college teams. A whomping seven top-25 teams lost. This is the first time that five of the AP Poll’s top-7 teams have lost on the same day. It will be remembered for a long time, undercut only by the 12-team playoff. There was a time when a day like today would have marked the end of many teams’ runs, but these days it is just a bump in the road.
No. 1 Georgia Lost 27-24 to Auburn
For the second week in a row, the nation’s top-ranked team has lost to an unranked opponent. Last week, Texas lost to Oklahoma; this week, Auburn upset Georgia. Georgia rallied from 24-14 down to tie it 24-24, but quarterback Gunner Stockton fumbled while trying to lead a game-winning drive. Auburn took over, and after a roughing-the-passer penalty gave them a short field, kicker Alex McPherson hit the game-winning 34-yard field goal.
No. 2 Notre Dame Lost 28-24 to No. 8 BYU
This one featured two top-ten teams, so one had to lose, but I don’t think many expected Notre Dame to go down. BYU led 21-10 at halftime, but the Fighting Irish came back in the second half and led 24-21 when BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier led the Cougars downfield for a touchdown to make it 28-24. Notre Dame fought back and got the ball down to the 9-yard line with four seconds left. Ultimately, the final pass fell incomplete, though there was some controversy as it looked like the receiver was interfered with, but no call came down. The Big 12 also admitted there should have been one second left on the clock.
“Following the Big 12’s review of the final play of Saturday’s Notre Dame-BYU game, it was determined that time remained on the clock when the ball hit the ground, and the play was incorrectly cleared by the replay officiating crew,” the Big 12 said in a statement. “The Conference will conduct a complete review of its end-of-game officiating process in advance of next week’s games.”
No. 5 Indiana Lost 19-15 to No. 4 Ohio State
This one isn’t surprising; if either Indiana or Ohio State had lost, I don’t think fans would have been too shocked. Though this was notable, as it snapped Indiana’s 22-game winning streak. Fortunately for Indiana, they lost on a weekend when so many other ranked teams lost.
No. 6 Alabama Lost 26-10 to No. 14 Tennessee
Tennessee delivered a fairly dominant win. After leading 12-10 at halftime, the Volunteers shut out the Crimson Tide in the second half. Running back DeSean Bishop carried the ball 32 times for 159 yards and two scores.
No. 7 Texas Lost 27-24 to Florida
Texas is very lucky that this was a crazy week that saw the top two teams lose; otherwise, they would be the only team talked about this morning. For the second straight week, Texas lost to an unranked opponent. Florida quarterback Tramell Jones led the Gators to a win with 155 yards and 2 touchdowns. Arch Manning took the brunt of the criticism; his numbers aren’t bad: 14 of 20 for 173 yards and a touchdown, but he’s shown he is very limited as a passer, which could cause him to slip down draft boards come April.
No. 13 Missouri Lost 31-3 to No. 9 Ole Miss
Another great win for the Rebels as they dominated Missouri. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss had 241 yards and 3 touchdowns, while running back Kewan Lacy rushed for 122 yards. With so many higher-ranked teams losing this week, Ole Miss should move up a few spots.
No. 16 Mississippi State Lost 31-0 to No. 22 LSU
The Tigers blew out the Bulldogs in what, on paper, should have been an entertaining game. Mississippi State had no answer for LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt, who went 31 of 38 for 289 yards and 4 touchdowns.
No. 18 Oklahoma State Lost 35-32 to No. 20 Houston
Oklahoma State lost a shootout to Houston despite a last-minute comeback attempt. OSU quarterback Drew Mestemaker went 22 of 34 for 364 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception, while Houston quarterback Conner Weigman went 24 of 33 for 343 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 1 pick. The Cowboys fall to 4-2 while the Cougars improve to 6-1.
