It was a crazy week overall, full of upsets, when no team seemed to want the number 1 spot.

#1 Georgia lost to unranked Auburn on a field goal in the final minute. Georgia blew a 14-0 lead. The Georgia QB turned it over three times on a fumble and two INTs. Georgia dropped to #5

#2 Notre Dame lost to #8 BYU, 28-24. Notre Dame had a final chance to win it. They had the ball on the BYU 9 with enough time for a final pass, but it was incomplete. That is the only time BYU has defeated he Irish in the past 20 years. The Irish fell to #4. BYU rose to #2, their highest ranking since their quarterback was the original Brigham Young. Terrific little passer was ol’ Brig. (Actually their best since 1984.)

This is the first week in which the top two teams have lost since 2017.

#3 Miami did win, but they needed double overtime, and it was ugly. They were behind in the fourth quarter and again in the first overtime, but clawed back into the game both times. In the last seconds of the second overtime, unranked Florida State had the potential tying touchdown negated by an offensive holding call. That, and another controversial call, decided the game. Despite the ugliness, Miami moved up to #1, marking the first time they have occupied that spot since 2002.

#4 and #5, Ohio State and Indiana, squared off against each other. It was an even match-up, but it was a boring game dominated by defense. The phrase of the day was, “He goes downfield – incomplete.” Good pass defense is good football, but not a good spectator sport. Ohio State’s passing was 15-for-31, and Indiana’s was 20-for-40. Each defense forced the other team into two turnovers. THE Ohio State University won 19-15, but its starting QB was injured and will miss some games.

#6 Alabama had their asses handed to them by the defense of #14 Tennessee. Alabama was able to muster a measly 201 yards of offense, leading to only ten points. Alabama fell seven places.

#7 Texas lost to unranked Florida. I said I would probably not have to write any more about Florida. I was wrong. Their weird season of stirring victories and humiliating defeats continued, as they crawled back up into the AP rankings. The Gators beat Texas with their second-string QB! They sacked Arch Manning five times and the last one forced a fumble on the Longhorn’s final possession, preserving the 27-24 victory. Texas fell 12 places to #19.

Odd notes: the SP+ system says Wisconsin has the 11th-best defense in the country – and the 94th-best offense. As a Wisconsinite, I have to say that sounds right. They have no punch. Oklahoma is even more dramatic: offense 96th, defense 6th.

It was an excellent week for the ACC and the Big 12, two conferences that have been riding in the back seat for a few years behind the Big Ten, Notre Dame and the SEC. It was especially great for the Big 12, which now has four teams in the top 14.

* Undefeated #8 BYU (Big 12) beat Notre Dame, moved up to #2.
* Undefeated #10 Texas Tech (Big 12) scored 43 in the first half before taking the foot off the accelerator, moved up to #8.
* Undefeated #11 Utah (Big 12) won, moved up to #10.
* Undefeated #3 Miami (ACC) won, moved up to #1.
* #20 Houston (Big 12) won, moved up to #14

College Pigskin — Ranking Comparison

As you can see below, the humans and the computers are far apart on some evaluations. Here are two extreme examples:

* The computers still love Oregon, ranking them in or near the top ten, but they remain outside the AP Top 25.
* The AP voters love Kentucky, placing then 12th. SP+ says they are 45th!

Through games of October 17, 2026. Click any ranking heading to
sort from best (lowest number) to worst; click again to reverse.
Empty rankings always go to the bottom.

Data note: Sagarin ranks are the supplied top
50; ESPN SP+ ranks are from the supplied Week 8 list; AP ranks are
from the October 18 poll. All 50 Sagarin teams have SP+ ranks.
Blank AP cells indicate teams with no AP votes.

AP Poll
SP+ Rankings
Sagarin Ratings