College football experienced a historic level of chaos on Saturday as five of the top seven teams in the AP Top 25 suffered regular-season losses. This unprecedented event marks the first time in history that this many top-ranked teams have fallen on a single day during the regular season, according to Sportradar.
How did the upsets unfold?
The wave of losses was largely driven by the Southeastern Conference. Several high-ranking programs fell despite being heavy favorites:
- No. 1 Georgia lost to Auburn 27-24 after a late fumble by Gunner Stockton.
- No. 7 Texas fell to Florida 27-24 in the first career start for quarterback Tramell Jones Jr.
- No. 6 Alabama also suffered a loss during the day.
- No. 2 Notre Dame was defeated by No. 8 BYU 28-24.
- No. 5 Indiana lost to No. 4 Ohio State.
These results cleared a path for No. 3 Miami to ascend to the top of the national polls.
Key moments from the upsets
In Athens, Auburn secured a victory over Georgia when Alex McPherson converted a 34-yard field goal as time expired. The Bulldogs' late comeback attempt was thwarted when Stockton fumbled on a run from the Auburn 46-yard line, which was recovered by Sylvester Smith-Reed.
In Provo, BYU managed to preserve a 28-24 win over Notre Dame after stopping the Irish at the goal line. Earlier in the day, Florida's defense effectively shut down Texas quarterback Arch Manning to help the Gators secure their win. This marked the first time since 2021 that Texas has lost two consecutive regular-season games.
FAQ
When was the last time such upsets occurred?
According to Sportradar, the last time anything remotely close to this level of chaos happened was on Jan. 2, 1989.
Which team moved into the No. 1 ranking?
Following the widespread losses among the top-ranked programs, No. 3 Miami took over the top spot in the poll.
