This college football season seems to be full of surprises! This past Saturday, several games left fans either shocked or optimistic for the rest of the season. For the first time in the AP Top 25 poll, five out of the top seven teams lost on the same day. Week 7 showed how unpredictable this season can be and. Preseason expectations don’t always follow through.
Looking at the preseason rankings, it’s interesting to see BYU at No. 6 and Notre Dame at No. 3. After BYU beat Notre Dame 28-24, they became No. 2 in the latest AP poll. That unpredictability makes football season much more exciting and shows how quickly rankings can turn around. The same goes for the unranked Auburn Tigers. Georgia started the season ranked No. 2 and remained undefeated before losing 27-24 to Auburn. The unranked Auburn Tigers kicked the game-winning field goal, shocking not just everyone but the entire SEC.
There are now no undefeated teams in the SEC. Alabama also suffered a tough 26-10 loss to Tennessee in Knoxville, bringing their season to two conference losses. In addition, Texas continues to struggle after losing to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry, then falling 27-24 to Florida at home. Texas began the season ranked No. 5 and dropped to No. 19 after the loss. The Longhorns will play the Ole Miss Rebels in Week 8, giving them a chance to turn their season around.
It was also interesting to see Indiana’s loss after winning the national championship last season. Can they make a run at another title this season? I guess we will see it play out. Losing to Ohio State 19-15 this past weekend ended the Hoosiers’ 22-game winning streak. Both Ohio State and Indiana are now 6-1. It doesn’t make Indiana any less successful, but it shows how much one week can change things.
Photo Cred: The Columbus Dispatch
These results challenge preseason predictions and create opportunities for unexpected teams to be playoff contenders. Teams like BYU moving up to the top two and Kentucky climbing to No. 12 after beating Oklahoma show teams trying to prove themselves. If so many highly ranked teams can lose in just one weekend, it makes us wonder how well we can predict a national champion.
These upsets make every Saturday more interesting. They create opportunities for teams that might not have been talked about weeks ago. NIL has changed the game. As college football enters Week 8 and the second half of the season, fans should expect more surprises before the season ends!
