Which college football contenders are in trouble and who's on the rise after chaotic Week 7?

Week 7 was one of the most chaotic weekends of college football in recent memory. 

The No. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 teams in last week’s AP poll all lost, shaking up the College Football Playoff picture in a major way. We have a new No. 1 – a team that hasn’t held that distinction since 2002 – as well as a surprising No. 2 team that hasn’t been that high in the rankings since 1984. 

Week 7 continued a pretty wild 2026 season. Did you know just six – yes, six – FBS teams are undefeated right now?

So what in the world happened? And what does that mean going forward? Let’s break it down, shall we? 

College football Week 7 takeaways: Biggest upsets, CFP shakeup and teams to watch

Let’s look at where many notable teams stand after Saturday, including a few that suddenly have a lot more to worry about.

Down go the powers

If you’re a fan of a college football powerhouse, there’s a good chance you went to bed angry Saturday night. No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 5 Indiana, No. 6 Alabama and No. 7 Texas all lost. 

Talk about carnage. 

Notre Dame had a tough task by visiting the BYU Cougars in Provo, Utah. It was one of the biggest regular-season games in BYU history – at least this century – and the team showed out in a massive 28-24 victory. This was Notre Dame’s first loss of the year, and the Irish have two tough tests remaining after a weaker start to the year before facing the Cougars. Notre Dame clashes with Miami (Nov. 7 in South Bend) and SMU (Nov. 21 in South Bend). The Irish fell from No. 2 to No. 4. 

The reigning champs also fell over the weekend. Indiana had won 22 straight games and were undefeated at home under Curt Cignetti. Both streaks fell as the Hoosiers lost to Ohio State 19-15 in a game where Indiana was this close from securing a last-minute touchdown for a likely win. The Hoosiers only slid one spot to No. 6, and outside of a home matchup with USC on Nov. 14, they should win out and make the CFP pretty easily. 

The SEC’s top squads did not have a good week. Georgia was stunned 27-24 by Auburn, and perhaps more alarming, the Bulldogs lost at home – something the team really doesn’t do under Kirby Smart. Gunner Stockton tossed two interceptions in the loss, which knocked Georgia down to No. 5. The Bulldogs have three straight games against ranked foes in Florida (Oct. 31 in Atlanta), Ole Miss (Nov. 7 in Oxford) and Missouri (Nov. 14 in Athens). That’s a brutal stretch coming off a shocking loss, putting the Dogs’ CFP hopes in serious question, though I expect they’ll ultimately be OK. 

Alabama lost to a ranked Tennessee team 26-10 in a shockingly tough loss. The Crimson Tide held tough with Georgia last week but had a major letdown in Knoxville. Keelon Russell tossed two interceptions and lost a fumble, and the Vols’ suffocating defense picked up five sacks. It was the first time since 2007 that the Tide have lost consecutive regular-season games, and it’s the fourth time Alabama has scored 10 or fewer points since Kalen DeBoer took over in 2024. Alabama’s most notable games left are LSU on Nov. 7 in Baton Rouge and the Iron Bowl with Auburn on Nov. 28 in Tuscaloosa. The Tide have two losses, and with Georgia losing, that loss doesn’t look quite as good as it did a week ago. A three-loss Alabama team could get into the CFP (it did last year, though the third loss was in the SEC title game), but the Tide would also need some help. They fell from No. 6 to 13 in the latest AP poll. 

And then there’s Texas. The Longhorns were flying high just a few weeks ago. They were No. 1 in the nation after knocking off Ohio State in Week 2 heading into the Red River Rivalry on Oct. 10. But Texas got upset by Oklahoma 27-24, shaking up the polls. While few thought Oklahoma was a better overall team than Texas even after the loss, you could at least chalk it up to the rivalry aspect of the game. But losing to Florida 27-24 in Austin last weekend? The Gators are ranked, mind you, but they also have two losses. Arch Manning has looked lost far more often than not of late, and it’s reaching a point where his status as QB1 has to at least come into question. At 5-2, Texas is now in danger of missing the CFP once again, especially with matchups against Ole Miss (Oct. 24 in Austin), Missouri (Nov. 7 in Columbia) and LSU (Nov. 14 in Baton Rouge) on tap. 

Now, multiple of these teams will likely make the CFP still, and heck, if we fast forward to December and all of them are in, it wouldn’t be that surprising. But each team has made their path a lot harder after the weekend, though Notre Dame and Indiana in particular figure to be fine. 

Party like it’s … a long time ago

The two biggest winners of the Week 7 chaos were Miami and BYU. The Hurricanes are No. 1 in the nation thanks to Georgia and Notre Dame losing, moving up from No. 3 in last week’s rankings. The Cougars had a massive win over Notre Dame and took the Irish’s No. 2 ranking, moving up from No. 8. As noted, Miami, which lost the CFP title game to Indiana last season, hadn’t been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll since 2002. BYU hadn’t been ranked in the top two since 1984. Yeah, it’s been a while. 

The Hurricanes just knocked off rival Florida State 43-35 in double overtime in their closest game of 2026. Miami doesn’t have a very difficult schedule this season, but the team does have a road clash with Notre Dame on Nov. 7 in what figures to be one of the top games of the year. No one is doubting Miami’s offense at this stage, but the defense giving 35 to the Seminoles does have me at least a bit concerned with a clash with the Irish fast approaching. 

BYU has been a very good program under Kalani Sitake. The Cougars have won 10 or more games four times since 2020 and figure to be in good position to do so once again this year. They went 12-2 last season but missed out on the CFP due to two losses to Texas Tech, which went undefeated in the regular season and won the Big 12 title game. The Cougars have a veteran roster that got BYU one of its biggest wins this century by taking down Notre Dame. The Cougars avoid Texas Tech in the regular season, and all eyes now turn to Nov. 7 when they head to Salt Lake City for a clash with undefeated Utah in what should be a massive game for the Big 12. These are two of six unbeaten teams left. Whether BYU wins that game or not, the team is in much better shape to make the CFP this year than it was in 2025. 

Ohio State wins, but at great cost to offense

Ohio State had a great win on Saturday, handing Indiana its first loss since the 2024 season in a 19-15 thriller in Bloomington. The Buckeyes are now the nation’s highest-ranked one-loss squad at No. 3 overall, ahead of the likes of fellow one-loss teams Notre Dame, Indiana and Georgia as well as unbeaten squads like Utah, Texas Tech and UCLA, the last of which is the lone undefeated team in the Big Ten, if you can believe it. 

The Buckeyes got the win over the Hoosiers, but it came at a cost. Star quarterback Julian Sayin, a second-year starter who led Ohio State to the CFP last year and was fourth in Heisman voting, got knocked out of the game, pushing Luke Fahey into relief duty. 

Sayin was seen with his right throwing arm in a sling after returning from the locker room, and head coach Ryan Day told reporters his quarterback will “probably be out for several weeks.” 

So, what’s next? 

The Buckeyes are 6-1, so they have five regular-season games remaining. OSU’s schedule is no cakewalk, either. Next up is a Halloween date with USC in Los Angeles. After that is a clash with a talented but disappointing Oregon team on Nov. 7 in Columbus. The Buckeyes also face a rejuvenated and ranked Northwestern squad in Columbus on Nov. 14 before visiting Nebraska on Nov. 21. And, of course, there’s The Game against Michigan, which is in Columbus on Nov. 28. 

Even if Sayin was healthy, that’s a tough stretch. But with Fahey, a freshman, set to start multiple weeks, the Buckeyes are even more of a must-follow team than usual when it comes to the greater CFP picture and conversation. 

Let’s talk UCLA

If you want to win in the Big Ten, just hire the head coach from James Madison to run your program. It worked for Indiana and Curt Cignetti, and it’s working with his JMU successor, Bob Chesney, at UCLA. 

Chesney took over what had been a dormant Bruins program and has them off to a 6-0 start and No. 9 ranking in the polls. UCLA had some solid wins over California, San Diego State and Purdue to kick off the year before blowing out Maryland. The Bruins then made noise with a 17-15 win in Eugene over Oregon and followed that up with a 17-7 win over Wisconsin. 

The Bruins are unbeaten, and outside of a finale with USC at home on Nov. 28, the schedule is very, very manageable. UCLA faces Michigan State (Oct. 24 in Los Angeles), Nevada (Oct. 31 in Los Angeles), Minnesota (Nov. 7 in Saint Paul), Illinois (Nov. 13 in Los Angeles) and Michigan (Nov. 21 in Ann Arbor) ahead of that matchup with the Trojans. A 5-1 record to close the season certainly is on the table. 

The issue is quarterback. Nico Iamaleava, a second-year starter for the Bruins, tore his ACL in the win over Oregon. Ty Dieffenbach is the new starter. While Dieffenbach starting wasn’t the plan for UCLA, the good news is he’s experienced. Dieffenbach is a senior who started his career at Pittsburgh (didn’t play in two years) before transferring to Cal Poly, where he started nine games last year. 

Whether it’s Dieffenbach or Iamaleava or someone else under center, though, the Bruins’ offense is a bruising rushing attack. UCLA has a three-headed monster in Wayne Knight (571 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns), Anthony Woods (347 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns) and Jaivian Thomas (200 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns). That should help the Bruins go at least 10-2. 

I have doubts about UCLA’s ability to win a game in the CFP, but just reaching the playoff after so many poor years and in Chesney’s first year in L.A. would be quite the accomplishment.