Rankings have shifted after another week of college football, with multiple upsets that completely upended expectations and shuffled teams dramatically.
Texas toppled last year’s National Champions, the Michigan Wolverines, 31-12, which launched the team to the number two spot this week. Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers threw 246 yards for three touchdowns. The Wolverines offense struggled to keep the ball and turned it over three times.
“Super proud of our team you know, this is a tough place to come and win you know they obviously had won 23 in a row here and this is obviously a quality opponent and so for our players to come in and play with the poise and composure that they played with […] I thought they just did a really nice job,” Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian said in a post game press conference.
Stunningly, Notre Dame fell out of the top five rankings after a loss against Northern Illinois 16-14 on Saturday. The Huskies only allowed the Fighting Irish to score two touchdowns. Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard threw two interceptions, which allowed the Huskies to kick and score two field goals to put them ahead. The Fighting Irish paid Northern Illinois $1.4 million dollars to travel to South Bend, Indiana and play them, which ultimately led to their demise.
A star player for the Huskies was running back Antario Brown, who had a stellar day against the Fighting Irish and scored an 83-yard reception.
“This one’s really special to me, you know all week coach (inaudible) was like how legendary do you want to be you know and us having a new offense and everything […] showing that I’m not one dimensional like with my style of how I play so this win, it means a lot, it’s probably the most special one…” Brown said in a postgame conference.
Head coach Matt Rhule, true freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola and the Nebraska Cornhuskers stunned the nation after a triumph against Colorado 28-10 late on Saturday. Colorado quarterback Shadeur Sanders was sacked 6 times by the Blackshirt defense, which led to his exit in the fourth quarter. This victory led the Huskers to be ranked No. 23, the first time they’ve been ranked since 2019 and the highest they’ve been ranked since 2016.
Penn State remains at the No. 8 spot on the chart as they barely sneak a win against Bowling Green. The Nittany Lions scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter to solidify their 34-27 victory.
“They’re a really good team, they’re really talented, they got a couple good defensive backs. I know number one like going into the game, I had a lot of respect for him, I was just watching throughout the week on film you know they had a good group of linebackers and their D-line was pretty good too…” Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar said in a postgame interview with local media.
The Kansas Jayhawks fell out of the top 25 after a loss to Illinois 17-23. The upset at a sold out Memorial Stadium displayed a strong Illinois defense that forced four turnovers. Defensive back Xavier Scott scored a 30 yard pick six in the second quarter, which further boosted the Illini defense.
No. 4 Alabama defeated South Florida 42-16, which cemented their top five spot for this week. The offense put up 28 points in the fourth quarter alone. Quarterback Jalen Milroe strolled into the endzone that night with two touchdowns.
Tennessee had a stellar performance against NC State and put up 51 points, which only allowed NC State 10. Walk-on defensive end Will Brooks caught an interception in the second quarter and ran 85-yards for a pick six. The night only got better for the Volunteers, as they put up 31 points in the second half to seal the deal.
Iowa and Iowa St. had a close game, but the Cyclones ultimately kicked a triumphant field goal at the last second, which led them to steal the No. 21 spot from the Hawkeyes, who have been dropped out of the Top 25.
“It’s just really the same thing in my mind, I just got to go out there and perform,” Iowa St. kicker Kyle Konrardy said in a post-game press conference.
As for upcoming matchups, No. 20 Arizona will take on No. 14 Kansas State for their first road game of the season.
The Boston College Eagles will be greatly challenged as they take on the No. 6 Missouri Tigers on the SEC network at 12:45 p.m. Both teams look to remain undefeated.
Finally, the No. 9 Oregon Ducks look to create a two year win streak against the Oregon State Beavers as they make their Big 10 debut this year.
