College Football Top 10 turmoil
by Matthew Alvarez
College football's biggest names learned a harsh lesson on Saturday: Rankings do not guarantee victories. In historic fashion, five of the seven top teams in the AP Poll, including No. 1 ranked Georgia and No. 2 ranked Notre Dame, lost to their opponents. This feat has never been accomplished in the history of college football. This past weekend, the underdog story was evident, and the chaos demonstrated that numerous teams are in contention for the national championship.
Florida vs. (7)Texas-
The No. 7 ranked Texas Longhorns were upset by the unranked Florida Gators. Texas, which was previously ranked No. 1 from Weeks 3 to 5, has now moved down to No. 19, while the Gators have managed to secure the No. 20 spot. Trailing by a 14-point deficit, Florida surged in the second half to secure the victory in Austin.
When asked about the plan for the rest of the season, Longhorns’ coach Steve Sarkisian said, “We're going to evalute everything.”
(2)Notre Dame vs. (8)BYU-
In a controversial finish, No. 8 BYU defeated No. 2 Notre Dame, 28-24. With a chance for Notre Dame to win the game with one second left on the clock, officials blew the whistle, leaving the team frustrated. As a result, BYU has moved up to No. 2, while Notre Dame has fallen to No. 4.
(1)Georgia vs. Auburn-
On Saturday in Athens, Georgia, unranked Auburn shocked No. 1 ranked Georgia in a nail-biting 27-24 finish. As time expired, Auburn kicker Alex McPherson made a game-winning field goal to secure the rivalry victory.
“Honestly, I was like, ‘Did that just happen?’” McPherson said postgame. “It’s the moments you dream of since you were a little kid.”
(6)Alabama vs. (14)Tennessee-
In the infamous rivalry game, also known as the "Third Saturday in October," the No. 14 Volunteers defeated the No. 6 Crimson Tide with a score of 26-10. Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop excelled, recording 159 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
What does this mean?
Despite the Miami Hurricanes nearly facing an upset against the rival Florida State Seminoles and almost being added to this list, they secured a victory on Saturday night, which maintained their position at No. 1 and shook up the rankings.
“Hard-fought game,” Miami’s Coach Cristobal said after the game, “Always is against our rival, but really proud of our guys.”
Games will continue to intensify as recurring conference matchups take place in the upcoming weeks.
This Saturday, No. 7 Ole Miss and No. 19 Texas will face off in an SEC matchup that could determine their chances of making the playoffs. Throughout the second half of the season, these teams will be competing for one of the 12 coveted playoff berths, and this past weekend demonstrated that no spot is guaranteed.
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