Georgia Takes the Top Spot, Texas Gets Kicked in Dallas and Kentucky Crashes the Party
The second Saturday of October usually sorts a few things out. This one rearranged the furniture. The No. 1 team lost on the last play in the Cotton Bowl, Georgia won in Tuscaloosa for the first time since 2007, and Kentucky and South Carolina took turns embarrassing ranked SEC teams. By Sunday afternoon the AP voters had a new No. 1, three new teams, and plenty of explaining to do. Here is the weekend, the new poll, and my own ballot, which I promise is more opinionated than theirs.
Georgia Finally Wins in Tuscaloosa
No. 2 Georgia 20, No. 6 Alabama 17. These two came in as the top two scoring offenses in the country, Georgia at 51.4 points per game and Alabama at 49.6, so naturally the game turned into a field-position argument settled by a 23-yard field goal. Peyton Woodring, who had hooked a 39-yarder on the previous drive, hit the short one with 5:25 left to break a 17-17 tie.
Gunner Stockton was close to flawless, completing 18 of 22 passes for 249 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and he added a 14-yard touchdown run. With Nate Frazier out with a rib injury, Dwight Phillips Jr. carried 17 times for a career-best 120 yards. Georgia outgained Alabama 455 to 346.
The finish will be replayed in Alabama living rooms for a while. Keelon Russell went deep to Rico Scott in the end zone, KJ Bolden broke it up, and the Tide crowd wanted a pass interference flag that never came. On the next snap Bolden and Valdin Sone sacked Russell, Alabama punted, and Georgia closed it out with a 17-yard third-down throw to tight end Elyiss Williams and a little help from a 15-yard Alabama personal foul.
"At the end of the day, our quarterback played well enough for us to win," Kirby Smart said afterward, which is about as close to gushing as Kirby gets. Georgia is 6-0 and has outscored opponents 277-84. Alabama's 17 points were its fewest at home since 2011.
Red River Goes Sideways
Oklahoma 27, No. 1 Texas 24. The Sooners couldn't move the ball for long stretches, so they scored in the other two phases. Dakoda Fields recovered a blocked punt in the end zone, and Peyton Bowen took an overthrown Arch Manning pass back 42 yards for a touchdown that put Oklahoma ahead 24-17 early in the fourth quarter.
Manning answered with his third touchdown pass, a 15-yarder to Jermaine Bishop Jr. with 6:32 left, and finished 19 of 31 for 260 yards. The two interceptions cost him. Courtland Guillory grabbed the second one with 19 seconds to go, John Mateer hit Isaiah Sategna III for 13 and 20 yards, and Tate Sandell drilled a 47-yarder as time expired. Sandell had already made a 53-yarder and missed another from the same distance, so he picked the right one to make.
It was Oklahoma's first win over a No. 1 team since beating Missouri in 2007. The Sooners had been 0-4-1 against top-ranked Texas teams. Before Saturday, Texas had won 38 straight games when leading entering the fourth quarter. Streaks are fun until somebody blocks a punt.
Kentucky Does It Again, Same Score and All
Kentucky 35, No. 10 LSU 34 (OT). If you missed the Wildcats' overtime win over South Carolina, don't worry, they ran it back. Same 35-34 score, same first-overtime finish, same touchdown-plus-two-point ending. According to Kentucky, it's the first time the program has won consecutive games by the same score since 1911.
C.J. Baxter set the tone with a 77-yard run on Kentucky's first snap and finished with 123 yards and two touchdowns. Kenny Minchey threw for 246 yards, 206 of them after halftime, and then ran a quarterback draw untouched for the winning two-point conversion. Freshman receiver Kenny Darby, a former LSU commit, caught four passes for 79 yards, including a 22-yard grab in overtime that set up Baxter's 1-yard score.
LSU had its moments. Sam Leavitt threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns, and receiver Jackson Harris threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Roman Mothershed for a 27-24 lead in the fourth. But Adam Zouagui, after missing from 42 and 26 yards late, made a 33-yarder with 12 seconds left to force overtime. Kicking is a cruel profession with an occasional happy ending. LSU has now lost six straight road games.
The Gamecocks Wake Up in the Swamp
South Carolina 38, No. 16 Florida 19. South Carolina came into Gainesville on an eight-game SEC losing streak and left with its best quarterback performance in nearly two years. LaNorris Sellers completed 23 of 35 passes for 279 yards and accounted for five touchdowns, throwing to Nyck Harbor, Mazeo Bennett Jr., Donovan Murph and Lex Cyrus and plunging in for another.
The Gamecocks converted 10 of 16 third downs and forced three turnovers, with interceptions by Vicari Swain and Justin Okoronkwo and two forced fumbles from Dylan Stewart. Florida (4-2) managed one touchdown before the final minute, and it was a homecoming crowd of more than 90,000 that watched it happen. Not the reunion they planned.
Around the Southeast
No. 14 Missouri beat Texas A&M 27-6, and the Tigers have now won 28 straight against unranked teams. No. 15 Tennessee won 24-17 at Arkansas for its fourth straight road win, the Vols' longest such streak since 2005-06. No. 9 Ole Miss handled Vanderbilt 52-17, its sixth straight win in that series. Over in the ACC, Wake Forest beat NC State 38-14 and is ranked for the first time since October 2022. Miami and Mississippi State were off.
Elsewhere Among the Contenders
No. 3 Notre Dame beat Stanford 58-7, the largest margin in series history, which is a decent way to warm up for a trip to BYU. No. 5 Ohio State beat Maryland 45-16. No. 7 Indiana squeezed past Nebraska 20-17 and has won 22 straight, the longest streak in school history. BYU beat Iowa State 24-10, Utah beat Kansas 41-24, and Northwestern beat Ball State 45-14 to earn its first ranking under David Braun.
The best non-SEC result came in Eugene, where No. 21 UCLA beat No. 13 Oregon 17-15. Wayne Knight scored twice, the Bruins forced seven turnovers, and they stopped two Oregon two-point tries after a late touchdown. UCLA is 5-0 for the first time since 2022, and Oregon fell out of the poll for the first time in four years.
The AP Top 25
1. Georgia (66 first-place votes), 6-0
2. Notre Dame (1), 6-0
3. Miami (2), 5-0
4. Ohio State, 5-1
5. Indiana (1), 6-0
6. Alabama, 5-1
7. Texas, 4-1
8. BYU, 5-0
9. Ole Miss, 4-1
10. Texas Tech, 5-0
11. Utah, 5-0
12. UCLA, 5-0
13. Missouri, 5-1
14. Tennessee, 5-1
15. Kentucky, 5-1
16. Mississippi State, 4-1
17. Iowa, 5-1
18. Oklahoma State, 4-1
19. USC, 6-1
20. Houston, 5-1
21. Wake Forest, 5-1
22. LSU, 4-2
23. Boise State, 5-1
24. SMU, 4-1
25. Northwestern, 4-1
Dropped out: Oregon, Florida and Pittsburgh. The SEC has nine ranked teams, the Big Ten six, the Big 12 five and the ACC three.
Scotty's Top 25
1. Georgia. Won the toughest road game anyone has played this year without its top two running backs. No argument here.
2. Notre Dame. Six wins, and the Irish are making people look silly. BYU on Saturday tells us whether they are a real No. 2.
3. Indiana. Twenty-two straight wins deserves more respect than a narrow escape at Nebraska costs. The Hoosiers host Ohio State next.
4. Miami. Unbeaten and rested, though a bye is the one game nobody can lose. Florida State comes to town.
5. Ohio State. The only loss is forgivable and the Maryland win was business as usual. Saturday in Bloomington is the real exam.
6. Alabama. Lost by three to the best team in the country and arguably got robbed of a flag. Still a top-six team.
7. Ole Miss. Fifty-two points on Vanderbilt and a big home date with Missouri. I like this team more than the polls do.
8. Texas. Two interceptions and a blocked punt beat them, not Oklahoma's offense. I'm not dropping a team that far for a three-point rivalry loss, but I'm not keeping them in the top five either.
9. BYU. Third straight 5-0 start, which is a first for the program. Notre Dame will show us whether it's a habit or a mirage.
10. Texas Tech. Unbeaten, rested, and hosting Arizona State. Quietly dangerous.
11. Missouri. A 27-6 win over Texas A&M is no fluke. The trip to Oxford decides whether the Tigers are a contender or a nice story.
12. Tennessee. Four straight road wins and Alabama coming to Knoxville. Neyland will be loud.
13. Kentucky. Two straight overtime wins by the same score feels like luck until you remember it scored 35 on an LSU defense allowing 15.2 a game.
14. UCLA. Seven forced turnovers in Autzen is no accident. Wisconsin is a tricky road trip.
15. Utah. First 5-0 start since 2015. A late kick at Colorado is next.
16. Mississippi State. Off this week, then a trip to a wounded LSU team. I'd take that matchup.
17. Iowa. Fourteen straight wins over unranked teams. That's both a compliment and a caveat.
18. USC. Beat Penn State and sits at 6-1, the Trojans' best start since joining the Big Ten.
19. Oklahoma State. Forty-plus points in three straight games. A trip to Houston settles some things.
20. Houston. Back-to-back 5-1 starts and a home game against the Cowboys on Saturday night.
21. Oklahoma. Unranked in the AP poll and ranked in mine. Beating the No. 1 team in the country should count for something, even if the offense needs work.
22. Wake Forest. A 38-14 win over NC State gets the Demon Deacons back in. Welcome back.
23. Boise State. Dylan Riley leads the FBS with 835 rushing yards. Nobody wants to tackle him.
24. SMU. Rested and favored to stay that way against Virginia.
25. Northwestern. First ranking under David Braun. I'll let them enjoy it.
Overrated
Texas at No. 7. I get the logic: one loss, three points, rivalry game. But Texas has lost the one game everyone circled, and it lost it with its quarterback throwing two picks. Ole Miss and BYU have done nothing to deserve sitting behind them.
LSU at No. 22. The Tigers lost to an unranked team, have dropped six straight on the road, and still kept a spot. Mississippi State visits Baton Rouge on Saturday, and I wouldn't be shocked if this ranking lasts one week.
Underrated
Kentucky at No. 15. The Wildcats beat South Carolina and LSU in back-to-back overtime games and put 401 yards on a defense that had been allowing about 221 per game. They went from unranked to 15, which is fair, but I'd put them a little higher.
Oklahoma, unranked. The Sooners got 44 points in the voting and beat the No. 1 team. I understand the 3-2 record. I just think beating Texas should be worth more than 44 points.
Biggest Movers
UCLA climbed nine spots, from 21 to 12, after winning in Eugene. Kentucky jumped in at 15 from unranked. Indiana moved up two to No. 5. Going the other direction, Texas fell six spots from No. 1 to No. 7, and LSU tumbled 12 spots from 10 to 22. Oregon and Florida fell out entirely.
The Southeast Angle
Georgia owns the No. 1 spot for the first time since Sept. 8, 2024, and the SEC has nine teams in the poll. The interesting part is lower down. Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi State and Ole Miss are all ranked between 9 and 16, which means the middle of the league is crowded and someone is about to get bumped out. Saturday's schedule pretty much guarantees it.
On the ACC side, Miami is unbeaten at No. 3 and Wake Forest is back in the rankings. Florida State gets its shot at the Canes on Saturday night, and you can bet both fan bases have been counting down to it since August.
Florida and LSU are the cautionary tales. Both lost at home or on the road to unranked SEC teams, and both now face must-win weeks. Florida has to go to Texas, which is not the place you'd pick to regroup.
Next Week's Big Games
Ohio State at No. 5 Indiana, noon, Fox. Twenty-two straight wins on the line for the Hoosiers against the Buckeyes. Best game on the board.
No. 6 Alabama at No. 14 Tennessee, 3:30 p.m., ABC. The Tide need it, the Vols want it, and Knoxville will be loud.
No. 13 Missouri at No. 9 Ole Miss, 3:30 p.m., SEC Network. A real test for both, and a chance for the winner to claim a top-10 spot.
No. 2 Notre Dame at No. 8 BYU, 7:30 p.m., ABC. The top-10 matchup Notre Dame tuned up for by beating Stanford 58-7.
Florida State at No. 3 Miami, 7 p.m., ESPN. A rivalry game that matters again.
No. 15 Kentucky at Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network. The Wildcats will try to close out a win without needing overtime this time, while the Sooners try to prove last week wasn't a one-off.
Also worth a look: Mississippi State at LSU at noon, Florida at Texas at noon, Auburn at No. 1 Georgia at 3:30, and Oklahoma State at Houston at 7:30. If this week taught us anything, it's that you should keep the late games on.