Ten ranked teams have lost over the last three weeks, according to AP’s Week 9 preview. That includes two No. 1 teams and a No. 2 that went down to unranked opponents. Halloween Saturday could bring more scares.
Two ranked-vs-ranked games and an unbeaten club or two could reshape the top of the poll by Sunday.
Why the college football upsets 2026 keep piling up
One recent week was the clearest example. A week that sent five of the top seven teams to defeat reshuffled the top of the poll and handed Miami the No. 1 spot. Our look at how Miami climbed to No. 1 has the full picture. Georgia was No. 1 on Oct. 11, but it has since slipped to No. 3 after an upset home loss to Auburn.
Nobody at the top feels safe. Only three FBS teams are still unbeaten: No. 1 Miami, No. 6 Utah and No. 7 UCLA.
Two ranked teams losing is guaranteed: the Saturday showdowns
Saturday has two matchups between ranked teams, so at least two ranked teams losing is built into the schedule. The first is No. 22 Arizona at No. 13 Texas Tech. Both teams are 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12, and Texas Tech is favored by 3.5.
Arizona arrives on a five-game winning streak. Quarterback Noah Fifita is throwing for 295 yards a game, and only Miami’s Darian Mensah has been more accurate.
Texas Tech, meanwhile, is coming off a road loss to Cincinnati. Coach Joey McGuire was livid about three turnovers and the team’s trouble stopping the run. A spread that small tells you the oddsmakers see a coin flip with a slight home edge.
The second is No. 17 Florida against No. 3 Georgia in Atlanta, a Cocktail Party matchup. Florida is 5-2 and a 12.5-point underdog. Georgia is 6-1 and has won eight of the last 10 in the series, including the last five.
Georgia also had a week off to think about that Auburn loss. If you’re hoping the next poll makes sense, a rested, annoyed favorite is exactly what an underdog does not want to see. Florida’s best chance is that Georgia’s slump is real.
Streaks and stories beyond the big games
Elsewhere, this season’s strangest stretch of upsets in college football has also produced some remarkable streaks. No. 6 Utah is 7-0 for the first time since 2010. The Utes have won 13 straight, the longest active streak in the FBS, and nine straight Big 12 games, per AP’s preview.
No. 25 Wisconsin (5-2) visits Iowa (5-2). The Badgers are in the Top 25 for the first time since September 2023. Arkansas hosts No. 23 Missouri, and Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy is expected back nearly six months after he was shot during an incident in Mississippi.
What happens next after the Top 25 upsets
Saturday’s results feed the next AP poll, which usually comes out Sunday. A Georgia win would likely steady the top three. A Georgia slip, however, would raise a bigger question: is any team in the Top 25 safe?
The same goes for the Big 12. Arizona and Texas Tech both carry plenty of pressure, so the winner stays in the race while the loser loses ground.
So go ahead and make your picks, then hide them somewhere safe. The favorites have been getting spooked all month, and it’s still Halloween.
