Five of AP top seven lose in historic Week 7 upset wave
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The gist
Five of the AP Top 25's top seven teams — Georgia, Notre Dame, Indiana, Alabama and Texas — all lost in Week 7.
Week 8's 111 games now carry playoff weight, with Texas already near the brink.
Background
The AP Top 25 is the long-running media poll that ranks college football teams each week. Week 7 delivered a historic flurry of upsets, with five of the top seven — Georgia, Notre Dame, Indiana, Alabama and Texas — all losing, shaking up national championship odds and the poll. The latest poll has No. 1 Miami, No. 2 BYU and No. 3 Ohio State, one each from the ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten. The season now rolls into Week 8 with 111 matchups across the FBS and FCS (the top and second tiers of college football).
How it unfolded
- Oct 18, 2026Week 7 closes with five of the top seven teams — Georgia, Notre Dame, Indiana, Alabama and Texas — all losing, the first time that many of the top seven fell in one week.
- Oct 18, 2026Opening odds are released for every top-25 game in Week 8, including Texas favored over Ole Miss and Utah favored against Houston.
- Oct 20, 2026 -24, 2026Week 8 spans Tuesday through Saturday with 111 matchups across the FBS and FCS.
- Oct 22, 2026The Week 8 schedule is published, with Thursday games James Madison at Appalachian State, Liberty at Kennesaw State and East Carolina at Memphis.
- Oct 23, 2026Saturday's slate opens at 12pm ET with 17 games, headlined by Pitt at No. 1 Miami, No. 18 LSU at Auburn, No. 6 Indiana at Michigan and No. 8 Texas Tech at Cincinnati.
- Nov 3, 2026The College Football Playoff selection committee is scheduled to reveal its first ranking.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- SI Betting's Peter Dewey says another Texas loss would completely doom its College Football Playoff chances, with the team already in danger after the Week 7 loss to Florida.
- Analysts
- CBS Sports' Brad Crawford notes Indiana hasn't won at Michigan Stadium since 1967, which may be why the opening line looks a bit low.
Still unverified
The odds that ESPN and the College Football Playoff will follow the proposed 24-team playoff schedule are not very likely, per the source.