Shakeup Saturday: 5 of the top 7 teams in the Top 25 lost in the regular season for the first time
College football has never experienced a Saturday like this. Five of the top seven teams in the AP Top 25 lost on the same day in the regular season for the first time in history. The last time anything even remotely close happened was on Jan. 2, 1989, according to Sportradar. Shakeup Saturday was driven by the Southeastern Conference, with No. 1 Georgia, No. 6 Alabama and No. 7 Texas going down as touchdown or more favorites. No. 2 Notre Dame (at No. 8 BYU) and fifth-ranked Indiana (against No. 4 Ohio State) also lost. The chaos cleared a path for No. 3 Miami to take over the top poll spot.
Alex McPherson kicks 34-yard field goal as time expires to lift Auburn over No. 1 Georgia 27-24
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Alex McPherson kicked a game-winning 34-yard field goal as time expired and Auburn, led by quarterback Byrum Brown’s dominant running game, upset No. 1 Georgia 27-24. Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton led a long game-tying touchdown drive in the fourth quarter but lost a fumble with 58 seconds remaining and the Bulldogs driving for a potential go-ahead field goal. Stockton, who also threw two interceptions, fumbled on a run from the Auburn 46. Safety Sylvester Smith-Reed recovered for the Tigers at the Auburn 44. A roughing-the-passer penalty on Georgia’s Gabe Harris Jr. helped set up McPherson’s game-winning kick.
Tramell Jones Jr. leads Florida to 27-24 upset win over No. 7 Texas in first career start
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Florida quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. threw two touchdowns to Lacota Dippre in his first career start, Jadan Baugh scored a fourth quarter touchdown and the Gators rallied to beat No. 7 Texas 27-24 and hand the Longhorns their second consecutive loss. Florida had risen as high as No. 8 after a 4-0 start under first-year coach Jon Sumrall before consecutive blowout losses, but delivered what could be a season-saving victory. Texas rose to No. 1 after a 4-0 start but has now lost consecutive regular-season games for the first time since 2021. The Gators defense shut down Texas quarterback Arch Manning and the Longhorns offense.
Bachmeier leads winning drive, No. 8 BYU outlasts No. 2 Notre Dame 28-24
PROVO, Utah (AP) — Bear Bachmeier threw a go-ahead touchdown pass with 1:47 left and then No. 8 BYU stopped No. 2 Notre Dame at the goal line to preserve a riveting 28-24 victory. The thriller capped a wild Saturday in which five of the top 8 teams in the AP Top 25 lost on the same regular-season day for the first time, per Sportradar. Paired with No. 1 Georgia’s 27-24 loss to Auburn, the top two teams in the country lost on the same day for the first time in the regular season since Nov. 17, 2012. Bachmeier ran for two TDs, caught another and had 224 yards passing to help the Cougars beat the Irish for the first time since 2004. Preston Rex added 66 yards on 10 carries to help BYU start 6-0 for the third consecutive season.
No. 3 Miami hangs on to beat Florida State, 43-35 in a double-overtime thriller
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Darian Mensah threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns, the last of them a 3-yarder to Malachi Toney in the second overtime and No. 3 Miami held on to beat archrival Florida State 43-35. Toney had 11 catches for 154 yards and two scores, plus threw a 2-point conversion pass to Cooper Barkate after his OT score for Miami. Ashton Daniels passed for 298 yards and four touchdowns for Florida State. Bryce Fitzgerald sealed the win with an interception for the Hurricanes on the final play. The Seminoles have now lost 14 consecutive games away from Tallahassee.
No. 4 Ohio State holds off No. 5 Indiana for 19-15 victory but loses QB Julian Sayin to injury
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Julian Sayin threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Smith on fourth down early in the fourth quarter, and No. 4 Ohio State survived what appeared to be the go-ahead score when Nick Marsh’s left foot was ruled to be out of bounds as the Buckeyes beat No. 5 Indiana 19-15. The victory ended Indiana’s winning streak at 22 and home winning streak at 19. They were the two longest active streaks in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sayin finished the game with a sling over his injured right arm. Ohio State coach Ryan Day says Sayin is expected to miss several weeks.
Gabby Williams scores 26 points, sends Valkyries to 68-64 Game 1 win in defensive WNBA Finals opener
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Gabby Williams converted two free throws with 1:18 left to put Golden State ahead, two more with 4.1 seconds to go and finished with 26 points facing constant pressure from Atlanta’s stingy defense, and the Valkyries held off the Dream 68-64 in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. Williams scored 16 of her points in the second quarter and no other Valkyries reached double figures as they shot 32.1% and 7 of 33 from 3-point range. Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Monday night back at Chase Center, where the ear-piercing noise from a raucous sellout “Ballhalla” crowd made for the exact hostile environment coach Natalie Nakase requested.
Going bananas: Haaland keeps on scoring as scandal-hit Man City wins again in Premier League
The ongoing financial scandal enveloping Manchester City isn’t affecting the team’s results in the Premier League or Erling Haaland’s appetite for scoring goals. City secured a seventh straight win to open the league by beating Ipswich 3-2 at home in front of fans waving inflatable bananas, a throwback to an item that fans brought to games in the 1980s for fun amid tough times for the team. Haaland netted twice to move to a competition-high eight goals for the campaign. It made it back-to-back victories in the league for City since being found guilty of large-scale financial wrongdoing in the Premier League. City leads by six points. Liverpool rallied to win 2-1 at Brentford. Chelsea beat Everton 2-0 in a match marred by a serious-looking head injury to Emi Martinez.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts placed on injured reserve with blood clot in his calf
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Quarterback Jalen Hurts was placed on injured reserve Saturday, two days after the Philadelphia Eagles revealed he has a blood clot in his calf. Hurts was initially ruled out Thursday for the Eagles' upcoming game against Carolina. The Eagles said then that Hurts was injured when he took a cleat to his calf area on Oct. 4 against the Los Angeles Rams. Hurts informed the medical staff of the injury after practice on Oct. 8. The Super Bowl 59 MVP was back at practice the next day before the team left for London to play Jacksonville.
No. 14 Tennessee hands No. 6 Alabama second straight loss, 26-10
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — DeSean Bishop rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns, lifting No. 14 Tennessee over No. 6 Alabama 26-10. The Crimson Tide have lost consecutive regular-season games for the first time since 2007 after also losing to No. 1 Georgia last week. The Volunteers relied on a stout defense and the steady play of quarterback George MacIntyre to win their third straight game. Alabama had just 201 yards of total offense, including 54 rushing, and turned the ball over four times. Tennessee has won three of its last five games against Alabama following a run of 15 consecutive defeats. All three of those wins game at home.
