Five of the top seven teams in the Associated Press college football poll lost on Saturday, October 17, marking the first time such a sequence has occurred on a single regular-season Saturday since the rankings began in 1936. No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 5 Indiana, No. 6 Alabama, and No. 7 Texas all suffered defeats, alongside three other ranked teams. The results are expected to lead to a significant realignment of the Top 25 rankings when the new poll is released on Sunday, October 18.
This weekend was the first time since 2012 that the No. 1 and No. 2 teams both lost on the same regular-season day. Additionally, with Texas and Georgia losing to unranked opponents in back-to-back weeks, it is the first time the top-ranked team has fallen to an unranked team in consecutive weeks since 1990. Eight Top 25 teams lost in total during the day's play.
No. 3 Miami is positioned to take the No. 1 spot for the first time since 2002 after defeating Florida State 43-35 in double overtime. Other teams expected to move up following wins include No. 4 Ohio State, which defeated Indiana 19-15; No. 8 BYU, which beat Notre Dame 28-24; and No. 10 Texas Tech, which defeated Arizona State 53-25. No. 14 Tennessee is also in line for a step up after a 26-10 victory over Alabama.
The results affect the standing of 25 major college football programs. A change in the No. 1 ranking, particularly for a program like Miami that has not held the top spot since 2002, influences the path toward the postseason. For the first time in the history of the AP poll, five of the top seven teams lost on the same day.
Following the losses, programs like Georgia, Notre Dame, and Indiana face drops in the standings, while unbeaten teams like BYU, Utah, and Texas Tech have gained national visibility. Two-loss teams like Alabama and Texas now face a different postseason outlook.
The shift highlights the current standing of the Big 12 conference, which features three unbeaten teams in the top 11: BYU, Texas Tech, and Utah. The new Associated Press Top 25 poll is scheduled for release on Sunday, October 18, 2026, which will officially determine the new rankings.