Weekend Chaos: College Football’s Top Teams Take a Tumble
In a stunning turn of events, the college football landscape was turned upside down as five of the nation’s top 11 teams suffered defeats, with four of those losses coming at the hands of unranked opponents.
The biggest shock of the weekend came when Alabama, fresh off its ascension to the top spot in the AP poll, was stunned by Vanderbilt. While the new 12-team playoff format keeps the Crimson Tide in contention for a spot, their hopes for a top-four seed and opening-round bye took a significant hit.
But Alabama wasn’t the only powerhouse to fall. Tennessee was upset by Arkansas, 19-14, while Michigan and USC traveled across the country only to suffer defeats at the hands of Washington and Minnesota, respectively. In a thrilling late-night matchup, Cal nearly pulled off a massive upset over No. 8 Miami before the Hurricanes rallied in the fourth quarter.
On the flip side, Ohio State’s freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith led the Buckeyes to a convincing win over Iowa, while Georgia bounced back from its loss to Alabama by downing Auburn. Penn State cruised past UCLA, and Texas A&M demolished then-No. 9 Missouri, 41-10, in one of the most impressive performances of the day.
Friday night’s overtime thriller between Syracuse and UNLV had significant implications for the rankings, as the Rebels’ loss handed the title of highest-ranked Group of 5 champion to Boise State.
Our experts weigh in with their top 12 College Football Playoff picks:
* Andrea Adelson: Texas, Ohio State, Miami, BYU, Oregon, Penn State, Georgia, Iowa State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Clemson, Boise State
* Kyle Bonagura: Texas, Ohio State, Miami, BYU, Oregon, Penn State, Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Iowa State, Boise State, Notre Dame
* Bill Connelly: Texas, Ohio State, Miami, Iowa State, Penn State, Oregon, Georgia, Indiana, Alabama, Clemson, Pittsburgh, Army
* David Hale: Texas, Ohio State, Miami, Iowa State, Oregon, Alabama, Georgia, Penn State, Clemson or BYU, Boise State, Tennessee, Notre Dame
* Eli Lederman: Texas, Ohio State, Utah, Miami, Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, Penn State, Clemson, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Boise State
* Chris Low: Texas, Ohio State, Clemson, BYU, Oregon, Penn State, Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Army
* Harry Lyles Jr.: Texas, Ohio State, Miami, Iowa State, Oregon, Georgia, Penn State, Indiana, Alabama, Clemson, Tennessee, Army
* Adam Rittenberg: Texas, Ohio State, Miami, Iowa State, Oregon, Georgia, Penn State, Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Boise State
* Mark Schlabach: Texas, Ohio State, Miami, Iowa State, Oregon, Georgia, Penn State, Alabama, Clemson, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Boise State
* Jake Trotter: Texas, Ohio State, Miami, BYU, Oregon, Penn State, Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Tennessee, Iowa State, Navy
* Paolo Uggetti: Texas, Ohio State, Miami, Iowa State, Oregon, Georgia, Alabama, Clemson, Penn State, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Boise State
* Dave Wilson: Texas, Ohio State, Miami, Iowa State, Oregon, Georgia, Alabama, Clemson, Penn State, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Boise State
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