College football has never seen a Saturday like this.
Five of the top seven teams in the AP Top 25 lost on the same day in the regular season for the first time in history. The last time anything close to this happened was Jan. 2, 1989, according to Sportradar, when five of the top eight teams lost.
Saturday’s shakeup was led by the Southeastern Conference, with No. 1 Georgia, No. 6 Alabama and No. 7 Texas as touchdown or plus favorites.
No. 2 Notre Dame (to No. 8 BYU) and fifth-ranked Indiana (to No. 4 Ohio State) also lost, although those were less shocking.
This is the first time that Nos. 1 and 2 have lost on the same day in the regular season since Oregon (against Stanford) and Kansas State (against Baylor) in 2012.
The chaos, sure to shake up the College Football Playoff poll and seeding predictions, paved the way for No. 3 Miami to take the top spot in the poll after beating rival Florida State 43-35 in a double-overtime classic that ended in controversy.
The Hurricanes can only hope to do better than the No. 1 team over the last two weeks; Texas and Georgia lost to unranked teams, the first time that has happened in consecutive weeks since Notre Dame (to Stanford) and Michigan (to Michigan State) in 1990.
The last time five of the top eight teams in the AP poll lost on the same day was when No. 3 West Virginia, No. 5 USC, No. 6 Nebraska, No. 7 Auburn and No. 8 Arkansas stumbled in bowl games. This had never happened in the regular season — until Saturday,
It was almost as rare for heavyweights from Georgia, Alabama and Texas to lose on the same Saturday, something that hadn’t happened since Oct. 26, 1996, according to the SEC.
It showed why SEC coaches were so hesitant to give in to a nine-game championship slate. And it might be fitting that this Bloody Saturday comes the same week the SEC capitulated to the Big Ten to move closer to finalizing the 24-team playoff.
The Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1 SEC) were the league’s last undefeated team, but Gunner Stockton threw two interceptions and fumbled with less than a minute to play in a 27-24 stunner of unranked Auburn (4-2, 2-2). Georgia, which had won 53 straight against unranked teams, was a 20 1/2-point favorite in the game known as “the oldest rivalry in the Deep South.”
Alex McPherson’s 34-yard field goal on the final play sent the visitors’ sideline into a frenzy. It was Auburn’s first win in Athens since 2005 and the program’s first road victory against the nation’s No. 1 team since winning at Florida in 1994.
“We just keep plugging away,” said Auburn coach Alex Golesh, whose team scored on a tricky play and an incredible one-catch. “We’re going to rebuild Auburn to where everyone wants it to be, one game at a time. Stay with us.”
Auburn’s win means the No. 1-ranked team in the AP Top 25 has lost consecutive weeks to unranked teams for the first time since Notre Dame and Michigan in October 1990, according to Sportradar. So-No. 1 Texas lost to Oklahoma last week in the Red River Rivalry.
This setback seemed to have a carryover effect for the Longhorns.
Arch Manning experienced more misfortune late in the game against Florida. He fumbled with less than two minutes to play — a week after throwing an interception that helped Oklahoma win a week ago — and the Longhorns (4-2, 1-2) lost 27-24 at home to the Gators (5-2, 3-2). Texas was a 10 1/2 point favorite.
Manning completed 14 of 20 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked five times as Texas lost consecutive regular season games for the first time since 2021.
Like Auburn and Florida, No. 14 Tennessee delivered a defensive gem in the rivalry known as “The Third Saturday in October.” The Volunteers (6-1, 3-1) held Alabama to 201 yards in a 26-10 victory in Knoxville, stopping dynamic quarterback Keelon Russell and popping cigars for the third straight year.
The Vols finished with five sacks and four takeaways.
“Phenomenal performance,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said.
Alabama (5-2, 3-2) was a 7 1/2-point favorite and played without senior receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams. Fans then rushed the field and the Vols will gladly pay the SEC fine.
Tennessee won despite missing quarterback Faizon Brandon (shoulder). George MacIntyre replaced him and got a lot of help from DeSean Bishop, who ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
It was Alabama’s second straight loss.
In other ranked SEC action, Lane Kiffin’s former and current teams rolled. Kiffin and No. 22 LSU beat 16th-ranked Mississippi State 31-3. And No. 9 Ole Miss beat 13th-ranked Missouri 31-3.
And No. 15 Kentucky beat Oklahoma 21-13 on the road, making first-year coach Will Stein the first Wildcats coach to win six of his first seven games in more than a century.
Indiana’s 22-game winning streak ended in heartbreaking fashion against No. 4 Ohio State.
The defending national champion and fifth-ranked Hoosiers looked poised to rally to beat the Buckeyes, but standout receiver Nick Marsh ran out of bounds in the end zone and broke up what would have been a 27-yard touchdown reception on a fourth-and-4 play in the final minute.
Ohio State (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten) ran out of time from there, escaping with a 19-15 victory despite losing quarterback Julian Sayin to a right shoulder injury. Sayin, who left in the fourth quarter, returned with his throwing arm in a sling. Coach Ryan Day said Sayin would miss “several weeks.”
It was Indiana’s first loss since falling to Notre Dame in the 2024 College Football Playoff and ended a 19-game home winning streak.
The Hoosiers (6-1, 3-1) turned the ball over twice and missed two field goals, the first after quarterback Josh Hoover missed seeing a wide-open receiver heading toward the end zone.
Jeremiah Smith made another scoring catch, this one resulting in a 38-yard touchdown on a fourth down against Indiana. Smith tracked Julian Sayin’s pass and outran two defenders into the end zone for his 12th touchdown catch of the season and 39th of his three-year college career.
Smith’s latest tied former Michigan star Braylon Edwards for the Big Ten record for most receiving touchdowns in a career. Smith accomplished the feat in nine fewer games than Edwards.
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