ATHENS — Bedlam reigned in the SEC on Saturday, with the league’s top-three ranked teams suffering upset losses, none bigger than No. 1-ranked Georgia suffering a shocking home defeat to 20.5-point underdog Auburn.
The Bulldogs streak of 53 consecutive wins against unranked teams came to an end with a 27-24 loss keyed by three Gunner Stockton turnovers, untimely penalties and a fresh Tigers team coming off a bye week that won at the line of scrimmage.
Miami should take over the No. 1 spot after coming from 21-14 down in the fourth quarter to beat Florida State at Hard Rock Stadium, 43-35 in overtime.
BYU, with its last-second defensive stand to beat Notre Dame, 28-24, should skyrocket in the Top 10 and as a Power 4 conference (Big 12) unbeaten deserves to replace the Irish at No. 2.
Beyond the top two, it will be a matter of style points as chaos reigned in the SEC and voters weigh how to rank Ohio State with its starting quarterback expected to be out for several weeks.
The man-bites-dog story of the day was indeed in the SEC, as Georgia and Texas matched the dubious distinction of being the first No. 1-ranked teams to lose in consecutive weeks in 36 years (October, 1990).
The Longhorns, who preceded the Bulldogs in the No. 1 spot, lost to Oklahoma, 27-24, on Oct. 10 in the Red River Rivalry.
“It is a war in this league, week in and week out,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said after his first loss to Auburn since 2017, the upset loss ending a streak of nine-straight UGA wins in the rivalry.
“Everybody can beat everybody.”
The SEC’s cannibalism started early on Saturday when Florida rallied from a 17-3 first-half deficit to score a 27-24 road upset against Texas.
The Gators’ (5-2, 3-2) win ended the Longhorns’ 12-game home win streak in the process of handing the No. 7 Longhorns their second-consecutive loss.
Florida, ranked No. 8 two weeks ago before back-to-back losses to Missouri and South Carolina —should take a healthy jump back into the AP Top 25.
Later, No. 14 Tennessee owned the “Third Saturday in October” rivalry, beating No. 6 Alabama 26-10. The Vols, who have won the last three meetings against the Tide in Knoxville, should jump into the Top 10 of the rankings.
Big Ten supremacy was seemingly settled earlier in the day in Bloomington, Indiana, as Ohio State (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten) scored a 19-15 win over the Hoosiers.
It ended the defending national champion’s nation-high 22-game win streak.
Indiana (6-1, 3-1) nearly pulled off the win, but when Josh Hoover hit an open Nick Marsh in the end zone on a fourth-and-4 from the Ohio State with 1:02 left, Marsh had a foot out of bounds.
The No. 4-ranked Buckeyes ran out the clock on the No. 5-ranked Hoosiers after the turnover on downs to stay atop the Big Ten standings, albeit without starting quarterback Julian Sayin, who’s expected to be out several weeks after injuring his throwing shoulder.
UCLA, which began the season unranked and without so much as one preseason vote in the AP Top 25 poll, remained unbeaten in conference play and overall this season, scoring a 17-7 home win over Wisconsin.
The Bruins, under first-year coach Bob Chesney, are the Cinderella Story among Top 10 teams.
UCLA is set up for a fairytale trip to the College Football Playoff, as it doesn’t play Big Ten heavyweights Ohio State or Indiana, and faces only one currently ranked Top 26 team, USC, in its final game of the regular season.
The Big 12 flexed some muscle beyond BYU’s win, as Texas Tech should be in the Top 10 with its 6-0 record after beating Arizona State, 53-25.
Here’s how Mike Griffith plans to cast his Top 25 ballot, presuming ranked teams Utah and Wake Forest win their late-night games:
1. Miami (6-0)
Beat Florida State, 43-35
2. BYU (6-0)
Beat No. 2 Notre Dame, 28-24
3. Ohio State (6-1)
Won at No. 5 Indiana, 19-15
4. Notre Dame (6-1)
Lost at No. 8 BYU, 28-24
5. Georgia (6-1)
Lost to Auburn, 27-24
6. Indiana (6-1)
Lost to No. 4 Ohio State, 19-15
7. Ole Miss (5-1)
Beat No. 13 Missouri, 31-3
8. Tennessee (6-1)
Beat No. 6 Alabama, 26-10
9. UCLA (6-0)
Beat Wisconsin, 17-7
10. Texas Tech (6-0)
Beat Arizona State, 53-25
11. Utah (5-0)
At Colorado, Late
12. Alabama (5-2)
Lost at No. 14 Tennessee, 26-10
13. Kentucky (5-1)
Won at Oklahoma, 21-13
14. LSU (4-2)
Beat No. 16 Mississippi State, 31-0
15. USC (6-1)
Did not play
16. Iowa (5-1)
Did not play
17. Florida (4-2)
Beat No. 7 Texas, 27-24
18. Texas (4-2)
Lost to Florida, 27-24
19. Houston (6-1)
Beat No. 18 Oklahoma State, 35-32
20. SMU (5-1)
Beat Virginia, 23-13
21. Arizona (5-1)
Did not play
22. Wake Forest (5-1)
At Cal, Late
23. Boise State (5-1)
Did not play
24. Northwestern (5-1)
Won at Michigan State, 24-21
25. Missouri (5-2)
Lost at No. 9 Ole Miss, 31-3