The top two teams in the AP Top 25 lost their second straight game on Saturday.
A week ago, No. 4 Alabama defeated No. 2 Georgia 41-34 in a thrilling rout. On Saturday, the No. 1 Crimson Tide lost 40-35 to Vanderbilt, and the team that was upset was Alabama. It was the first time in 40 years that the Commodores beat Alabama, and the school’s first win against a team ranked in the top five, let alone a No. 1 ranked team.
It goes without saying that there will be a new No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 on Sunday. it’s clear. These two candidates are also obvious after No. 4 Tennessee lost at Arkansas. It would be surprising if either Texas or Ohio State don’t take the No. 1 spot on Sunday.
And guess what? There’s a good chance either of these two teams will lose in Week 7, as Alabama and Tennessee did on Saturday.
Texas, currently the No. 2 team, did not play Saturday in preparation for a Red River Rivalry showdown with No. 19 Oklahoma. Texas would be favored in that game, but the matchup between neutrals could be weird. Just ask the Longhorns. No. 12 Oklahoma State defeated No. 3 Texas on a late touchdown a season ago. In 2022, Texas defeated Oklahoma 49-0 in a matchup of unranked teams. Four of the last five games in the Cotton Bowl series have been won by one possession.
Texas could simply move up in the standings without playing. However, Ohio State was able to jump on the Longhorns thanks to an easy 35-7 win over Iowa State. The Hawkeyes presented Ohio State’s biggest test yet. And, well, it was a quick test. Due to Ohio State’s dominant defense, Iowa was unable to score until the fourth quarter, but Ohio State increased its offensive momentum in the third quarter. OSU quarterback Will Howard threw four touchdowns. Three were made by Emeka Egbuka and the other was a one-handed catch by freshman Jeremiah Smith.
Ohio State has been very good so far this season, even though fans have expectations for more. The Buckeyes’ 28-point margin of victory on Saturday was the smallest of the season. Indeed, the schedule features Akron, Western Michigan, Marshall and Michigan State in addition to Iowa State. But it’s still pretty impressive.
It’s hard to imagine Ohio State winning its next game by four points. The Buckeyes travel to Eugene in Week 7 to take on No. 6 Oregon State in the weekend’s biggest game. On Friday, the Ducks improved to 5-0 against Michigan State and could even have an advantage going into the game.
This could be a preview of the Big Ten title game and will go a long way in determining who will play in that game. Ohio State still has Penn State and Michigan on its schedule, and the Ducks will play the Wolverines in November.
No matter who takes first place on Sunday, their stay at the top may not last very long. Texas will play Georgia in Week 8, and the Buckeyes will face Penn State on Nov. 2. Given how the 2024 season has played out so far, the top five will likely change quite frequently going forward.
Here are the rest of this week’s winners and losers.
winner
Army and Navy: Military academies are progressing well. Both the Army and Navy are 5-0 for the first time since 1945. On Saturday, Navy defeated Air Force, 34-7, and Army defeated Tulsa by 42 points, winning 49-7. It’s not out of the realm of possibility for both Navy and Army to qualify for the AAC title game and meet for the conference title a week before they meet in a traditional rivalry game. That would be awkward. But it’s a lot of fun.
Pitt: The Panthers beat North Carolina 34-24 to improve to 5-0 for the first time since 1991. Eli Holstein, a transfer from the University of Alabama, was 25-of-42 for 381 yards and three touchdowns and led the Panthers with 10 carries for 76 yards and one score. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi has always been a run-first type of guy, but his offense is at its best with Holstein unleashing it. Pitt hosts Cal in Week 7 and faces Syracuse in Week 9. A bowl berth isn’t far away.
Syracuse: Speaking of the Orange, they won 44-41 Friday night against No. 25 UNLV after getting a TD pass from Kyle McCord to Jackson Meeks with 23 seconds left to force overtime. The Rebels kicked a field goal to start overtime, and LeQuint Allen scored the winning 1-yard TD run. McCord threw the ball 63 times and completed 40 of them for 355 yards and three TDs. The Orange are currently 4-1 and UNLV’s time in the top 25 will be very short. For now.
Sam Houston: The Bearcats are rolling. Sam Houston improved to 5-1 with a 41-21 win against UTEP on Thursday night. The former FCS powerhouse is just one win away from reaching its first FBS bowl game. The Bearkats currently have in-state wins over Rice, Texas State and the Miners, with DJ McKinney rushing 14 times for 138 yards and two scores. Sam Houston is a contender for the Conference USA title game.
Virginia: The Cavaliers defeated Boston College 24-14 at home and are now 4-1, 2-0 in the ACC. Virginia scored 18 straight points in the fourth quarter, turning a 14-6 lead against Boston College into a 10-point lead in eight minutes. Virginia turned a three-point lead into a two-possession game on Jonas Sanker’s 40-yard fumble return.
SMU: The Mustangs have a great acquittal in the ACC. Thanks to a controversial replay call, SMU improved to 5-1 with a 34-27 win over No. 22 Louisville. The QB change to Kevin Jennings paid off, with Jennings completing 21 of 27 for 281 yards and 10 rushes for 113 yards in the victory. SMU has no ranked teams left on its schedule and is more than a sleeper candidate to play in the ACC title game.
Louisiana-Monroe: The Warhawks defeated the Dukes 21-19, ending James Madison’s undefeated season. ULM overcame a 10-0 deficit before halftime and got the game-winning score in the fourth quarter when Aidan Armenta hit Jake Godfrey for a 12-yard TD. ULM is currently 4-1 and two wins away from a bowl game. He has made a remarkable turnaround under former UAB interim coach Bryant Vincent.
loser
Oklahoma State: What’s going on in Stillwater? The Cowboys came into the game with a 2-2 record, but were defeated 38-14 by a West Virginia team. The Mountaineers had a clear game plan Saturday: Run the ball. And it worked. WVU rushed 65 times for 389 yards and four scores. Last year’s All-American Ollie Gordon gained 50 yards on 13 carries, while Oklahoma State gained 36 yards on 21 carries. OSU, which advanced to the Big 12 title game in 2023, is currently 0-3 in the conference and has little hope of returning to the title game.
Auburn coach Hugh Freeze: The Tigers lost to No. 5 Georgia on Saturday. That wasn’t surprising. It also came as no surprise that Freeze once again blamed his quarterback for key failures.
Freezes a 4-and-1 play to start the fourth quarter: “He (Payton) never did what we asked him to do.”
โ Brian Schultz (@brianjsultz) October 5, 2024
Freese can be outspoken, but he has also put a lot of the blame on his players through Auburn’s 2-4 start. Are Auburn’s players not living up to their potential? There’s a good chance they are. However, it’s unlikely that it’s all a player issue, and it seems to have a bit to do with coaching as well.
South Carolina: The Shamcocks laid an egg on Saturday with a chance to hit a reeling Ole Miss. The No. 12 Rebels had no problems in a 27-3 victory over the Gamecocks. JJ Peggs had two rushing scores for the Rebels while South Carolina averaged less than five yards per pass and committed two turnovers. USC travels to Alabama in Week 7, then visits Oklahoma State in Week 8 before playing at home against Texas A&M in early November. Can the Siamcocks steal a game to avoid a 1-5 start in SEC play?
UAB: The Blazers are in the loser’s column for the second straight week. We normally like to avoid burdening teams with back-to-back weeks, but a 71-20 loss at home is hard to ignore. Yes, Tulane is a very good football team, but UAB was also a very good football team at one time. The Blazers aren’t very good under Trent Dilfer right now, and it’s still hard to see how hiring him was anything but a mistake.