According to Nolan Rogalski of the Testudo Times – a Maryland student, he and deputy editor Jude Wilkenfeld were waiting outside the football facility in hopes of getting players to comment. Rogalski alleges that an athletics staffer took pictures of them and had police called on them for “suspicious activity.” He says that multiple cops pulled up on them and got their IDs before asking them to leave.

“For @testudotimes, @JudeWilkenfeld and I were outside Jones-Hill House trying to get players to comment. An athletics staffer took pictures of us, and a police dispatch was called for suspicious activity; a cop and 2 cop cars pulled up, and officers ID’d us and asked us to leave,” Rogalski wrote on X.

For @testudotimes, @JudeWilkenfeld and I were outside Jones-Hill House trying to get players to comment. An athletics staffer took pictures of us, and a police dispatch was called for suspicious activity; a cop and 2 cop cars pulled up, and officers ID’d us and asked us to leave. pic.twitter.com/QdAWU7d8PX

— Nolan Rogalski (@NolanRogalski) October 21, 2026

Backlash

As much as sports fans may dislike the media at times, nobody likes a rat and reporting some student journalists to the police is some very rat-like behavior. Complaints from fans all the way up to high-level journalists were outraged at the behavior of Maryland’s athletic department in this instance.

“Maryland’s athletic department has a drastically exaggerated view of its own importance in the world,” one user on X wrote.

“University of Maryland is a public university. There’s nothing wrong with these students standing in a public place. They were not causing any harm or trying to breach the facility. Great job in your reporting efforts Nolan & Jude,” wrote another.

“Absurd overreaction. Let the student journalists do their work,” longtime college sports writer Pat Forde declared.

“What an absolute joke. The players don’t have to talk if they don’t choose to, but calling campus police on student journalists for “suspicious activity” on a public campus? Absolutely shameful behavior @TerpsSID.”

Ultimately, Rogalski and Wilkenfeld were allowed back to the facility later in the day. While the two didn’t get any direct quotes from players, Rogalski noted that the mood among players seemed positive.

Locksley was fired after suffering its fifth straight loss of the season, this one to fellow Big Ten minnow Rutgers. In eight seasons with the team plus a prior six-game stint as interim head coach in 2015, Locksley went 39-54 overall and was just 17-52 in Big Ten games.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Locksley has been dismissed following their loss to Big Ten minnow Rutgers, which dropped them to 2-5 on the season. Aazaar Abdul-Rahim will reportedly serve as the interim head coach.

Locksley was 38-49 since becoming their full-time head coach in 2019 and 39-54 overall when factoring in his 1-5 stint as interim coach in 2016.

“Sources: Maryland coach Mike Locksley has been dismissed. Maryland dropped to 2-5 on Saturday after a last-second loss to Rutgers. Locksley is 39-54 overall at Maryland, including his interim stint in 2015. Maryland is on a bye this week,” Thamel wrote.

“Maryland has called a team meeting for 11:30, per sources, where the team will be informed of the change. Per ESPN sources, the interim coach is longtime assistant Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, who has strong ties to the area.”

Maryland has called a team meeting for 11:30, per sources, where the team will be informed of the change. Per ESPN sources, the interim coach is longtime assistant Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, who has strong ties to the area. https://t.co/OMOCgRpXMu

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 21, 2026

Bottom to Top and Back

After winning just five games in his first two seasons at the helm, Locksley successfully led the Terrapins to three straight seasons that ended in bowl wins. The team went 7-6 in 2021, 8-5 in 2022 and 8-5 in 2023, winning the Pinstripe, Duke’s Mayo and Music City Bowls in the process.

But since 2024, the team has fallen back to the bottom of the conference in the worst way. The team has a grand total of 10 wins since 2024 and only two of those wins have come in the Big Ten.

The good news for Maryland fans is that by axing Locksley before any other power conference team has, they can get a head start on finding an ideal replacement.

And with five games left in the season, Abdul-Rahim might be able to make a case for himself if he can make the team look a little more competent. Their remaining games are against Illinois, Purdue, Wisconsin, USC and Penn State – several of which should be winnable.

Who will Maryland name as their next full-time head coach? Who will be the next coach to fall?

Pavia had a terrific 2025 season at Vanderbilt, racking up 3,539 passing yards, 862 rushing yards and 39 total touchdowns. Despite his success in the SEC, the former Heisman Trophy finalist went undrafted this past April. He then signed a deal with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent.

Although there was some belief that Pavia would get a chance to compete for a spot on Baltimore’s 53-man roster, he was released right before the start of training camp in July. He hasn’t received another offer from an NFL team since then.

That being said, Pavia announced Tuesday night that he’s in negotiations with the United football League. The hope is that he’ll get to play for the UFL during the 2027 season.

“Appreciate everyone reaching out with everything on my career,” Pavia wrote on X. “My agent (Malki Kawa) and the UFL are currently in negotiations to make this happen! whatever team I end up at, I can promise you one thing- You will get everything I got.”

Not a done deal, but it seems inevitable.

Mike Repole, who joined the UFL’s ownership group in July 2025, has already responded to Pavia’s social media post.

“Diego, we would LOVE to welcome you to the UFL!!!!!” Repole said. “I promise you one thing, we will challenge you, push you to reach your highest potential, and help you chase your biggest dreams!!!!”

It sure sounds like we’ll get to see Pavia in the UFL next year.

Sayin went down with an injury to his throwing shoulder during the fourth quarter of the Ohio State-Indiana game. He was replaced by true freshman Luke Fahey, who went 0-for-2 passing in relief duty.

Of course, losing Sayin for any amount of time is devastating considering he’s the best option Ohio State has at quarterback. He was completing 68.2% of his passes this season for 2,007 yards with 19 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday night, Day provided an update on Sayin’s injury. Unfortunately, he said there’s no timetable for the star quarterback’s return.

“Based on the nature of the injury, we are putting together a plan for him not being available for the regular season, and also for him not being available for postseason,” Day told reporters.

Next man up for the Buckeyes.

With Sayin out indefinitely, Ohio State needs Fahey to step up and keep this offense afloat.

“We wish Julian a speedy recovery,” Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith said. “But next man up. Fahey did a great job today. … I think he did everything in the right way. Handled the pressure very well.

If Fahey wants to have success next Saturday against USC, he may want to target Smith as much as possible.

According to Sam Hutchens of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger, Maddox was booked into jail early Tuesday morning. Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office records claim he “attempted by physical menace to put a domestic victim in fear of imminent serious bodily harm.”

Maddox is the sixth Ole Miss football player arrested since Pete Golding replaced Lane Kiffin as head coach late last year.

More on AJ Maddox

Maddox joined Ole Miss in 2024 as a three-star recruit out of Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg. The 26th-ranked quarterback in his class, per 247Sports, flipped his commitment from Texas A&M.

After not playing as a freshman, Maddox appeared briefly in two games last year. He completed his only pass for 19 yards and added eight rushing yards in a 49-0 win over Citadel last November.

The junior is currently fourth on the Rebels’ quarterback depth chart behind Trinidad Chambliss, Deuce Knight, and Walker Howard. The program has not yet commented on his arrest.

Ole Miss ranks No. 7 after a 5-1 start to the season. The SEC squad is averaging 37.5 points per game behind 20 touchdowns (14 passing, six rushing) from Chambliss.

The Rebels can build on a massive win over Missouri when they face the Texas Longhorns in a conference matchup this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

The CFP jumped from four to 12 teams for the 2024 season and is nearing a deal to double to 24 in 2027. Many critics won’t support an even larger playoff pool, but Meyer doesn’t hate the larger CFP as much as he expected.

“At first I couldn’t stand the idea,” Meyer said on The Triple Option podcast. “I just thought you would dilute the product, but what I’m witnessing this year, and we’re all learning, is that the parity is unbelievable.”

However, Meyer hates that a 24-team CFP is poised to eliminate conference championship games. The former Florida and Ohio State head coach believes axing those games will be a huge loss to the sport.

“The only concern I have, and I’ll keep saying this as long as I’m around, those who say that conference championship games are not important, I will say never played in it, never coached in it, and never won a ring,” Meyer said. “I think conference championship games are one of the most exciting things that have ever happened in my lifetime and certainly for my players.”

More on CFP expansion

With so many teams competing in the College Football Playoff, there won’t be much time or need to hold conference championship games.

Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported that an expected deal would eliminate conference title games, moving up the Heisman Trophy ceremony and annual Army/Navy game to the first week of December. The first round would start the second week of December, with weeknight games possible.

Not that they’d need them, but the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, and SEC champions will receive automatic bids with the highest-ranked Group of Six champion. Tiebreakers may not even be necessary with 24 teams making the cut.

However, a turbulent season has Meyer hopeful that a larger CFP field won’t water down the postseason bracket too much. Only five power programs (none in the SEC) remain undefeated, setting the stage for a wide-open selection process.

After back-to-back years in which Texas has gone from No. 1 to unranked, many are wondering what the future holds for the Longhorns and their head coach if things don’t turn around quickly.

And according to Meyer, Saturday’s game against No. 7 Ole Miss will be the biggest of Sark’s career as far as legacy goes.

Urban Meyer on Week 8 game vs. Ole Miss: ‘This is [Steve Sarkisian’s] Rubicon’

Talking about what’s on the line for Sarkisian against the Rebs on “The Triple Option” podcast, Meyer told Mark Ingram and Rob Stone that there’s a lot riding on this game for Texas’ HC.

“This is the most important game of Steve Sarkisian’s coaching career,” Meyer said. “He’s had a hell of career, but this one is, this one is a Rubicon… if they lose this one, I mean you are in serious trouble. He won’t make the playoff. … I don’t think it’s his job. I think it’s just your legacy, though. You’re the guy that couldn’t get it done at Texas. Because he’s been there, he’s been there.”

After further discussion though, the three-time national champion came around to the idea that Sarkisian could get fired if the Longhorns miss the playoffs for a second straight season.

“Let’s do this. Let’s just [imagine]… if this happens at Ohio State: [You’re] gone. So maybe you’re right,” the former coach said. “Could you imagine losing like that, three games? Who’s it equal to at Texas? So if all the sudden you lose three at Ohio State, I would always say in my mind, if that ever happened… I didn’t think that way, but wow.”

Texas certainly has its back against the wall as it gets set to face arguably the best player in the nation in Rebels QB Trinidad Chambliss.

And Steve Sarkisian has made it clear that he needs to see more from Arch Manning in order for him to remain the team’s starter.

On the latest episode of The Triple Option podcast, Meyer questioned why Day would give the job over to Fahey rather than the more experienced and higher-rated Tavien St. Clair. Meyer called it “perplexing” that Fahey was put into the game rather than St. Clair.

“It’s perplexing why he’s not the quarterback, why he doesn’t jog on the field when Sayin went down,” Meyer said.

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Fahey vs. St. Clair

Coming out of high school in 2025, St. Clair was a five-star prospect and the No. 1 recruit out of Ohio per 247Sports. At 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, he has prototypical quarterback size and graded as the No. 3 QB in the nation.

As a freshman, St. Clair was third-stringer behind Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz. When Kienholz transferred to Louisville, it was probably expected that St. Clair would be elevated to the backup.

Instead, the backup role went to Fahey, who most fans have noted is both smaller and less heralded than St. Clair was. Fahey was a three-star prospect out of California and is just 5-foot-11 and under 200 pounds.

But Meyer has experience with midseason quarterback controversies. Back in 2014, when starter J.T. Barrett suffered his season-ending injury, he gave the reins over to Cardale Jones, who was also a three-star prospect, and Jones wound up leading the Buckeyes all the way to a national title.

“We went through this obviously; it’s well-documented (with) Cardale Jones,” Meyer said. “Everyone else is kind of tired, but you have to practice your ass off. And I would talk to the team, and we did, and apologize to the players and say, ‘Listen, we got to go win these next few games, and we have got to go.'”

But unlike Jones, Fahey doesn’t have a full year of college football as a backup under his belt beforehand. While neither Fahey nor St. Clair has ever taken a snap without holding a lead in a game, St. Clair has at least watched and learned for an entire year.

Will Fahey overcome the adversity and continue leading the Buckeyes on the road to a national title?

With five of the top seven teams in last week’s AP Poll losing over the weekend, Bill Connelly was forced to make some significant updates to the latest analytical rankings — although the top two teams remain the same.

SP+ is a measure of CFB efficiency created by Football Outsiders in 2008 that’s intended to be “predictive and forward-facing,” and was created to measure the most sustainable and predictable aspects of the sport.

ESPN releases updated Week SP+ Top 25 after Week 7

ESPN actually released the SP+ rankings for all 138 FBS teams. But here’s a look at the Top 25 as the College Football Playoff field begins to take shape:

1. Ohio State (6-1) – 26.8
2. Georgia (6-1) – 26.5
3. Miami (6-0) – 25.3 (+1)
4. Notre Dame (6-1) – 24.8 (-1)
5. Indiana (6-1) – 23.6
6. LSU (5-2) – 22.6 (+3)
7. Texas Tech (6-0) – 21.9 (+3)
8. Texas (4-2) – 21.1 (-2)
9. BYU (6-0) – 20.6 (+2)
10. Utah (6-0) – 19.4 (-3)
11. Oregon (4-2) – 18.8 (+1)
12. Alabama (5-2) – 18.5 (-4)
13. Tennessee (6-1) – 17.5 (+2)
14. Ole Miss (5-1) – 17.1 (+2)
15. Arizona (5-1) – 15.7 (+4)
16. Nebraska (5-2) – 15.6 (-2)
17. USC (6-1) – 15.3 (+4)
18. Houston (5-1) – 14.3 (+2)
19. UCLA (6-0) – 14.0 (-1)
20. Wake Forest (6-1) – 13.6 (+15)
21. Missouri (5-2) – 13.6 (-8)
22. Iowa (5-1) – 13.6 (+2)
23. Michigan (4-2) – 13.0
24. Louisville (4-3) – 12.9 (+1)
25. SMU (5-1) – 12.9 (+1)

SP+ is updated! The top of the rankings didn’t change much because, well, everyone’s ratings fell!

* No. 1 and No. 10 separated by only a TD
* No. 11 and No. 29, too
* Don’t tell me a top G6 team couldn’t scare the crap out of someone this year.https://t.co/KnliMAJHei

— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) October 18, 2026

Connelly also handed out some midseason awards. Including Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith as the halfway Heisman, UCLA’s Bob Chesney as the halfway Coach of the Year and Texas‘ Colin Simmons as the halfway Defensive Heisman.

On Tuesday, the University of Tennessee announced that it recorded a record decibel level at Neyland during the win over Alabama. The stadium reached a peak of 130.3 decibels at the 3:56 mark of the third quarter after a second-down sack of Alabama QB Keelon Russell set up a big third down. The crowd noise was so loud that it contributed to an ensuing delay of game penalty.

” The previous highest scientifically verified DBA event in college football was in 2007 (Penn State vs. Ohio State) but it was only sustained for two seconds,” Tennessee proudly declared.

the Neyland Effect was in full effect 🗣️#GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/ZS6kcMwKet

— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) October 20, 2026

Proud Vols Fans

At 130 decibels, the noise at Neyland Stadium was comparable to the sound of a jet engine. Volunteers fans were pretty proud to see that they were able to get the stadium so loud for such an important game.

“Ain’t nobody does it like we do,” one fan declared on X.

“The stadium was no joke shaking, I’ve been to plenty of big games in Neyland, call it recency bias but this past Saturday was just flat out different. There is no louder venue in the sport,” wrote another.

“The debate is officially over – Neyland loud is different and can’t ever be replicated!” a third wrote.

“We carried the fight, and kept it there for 60 minutes! …and my voice is still on the mend! GBO, and onto South Carolina!“

With their win over Alabama, Tennessee has now risen to No. 11 in the country, tied for their best ranking since 2024. It’s also worth noting that at 6-1 overall, it’s also their best start since 2024.

That year, Tennessee went on to finish the regular season 10-2 and reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history.

There’s a decent chance that they win out too. Their remaining two home games are against ranked Kentucky and ranked LSU, but their three away games are all against unranked teams.

An 11-1 finish to the regular season could see them reach the SEC Championship for the first time since 2007.

The Longhorns followed a 4-0 start, including a momentous comeback win over Ohio State, with consecutive 27-24 losses to Oklahoma and Florida. A prominent title contender now needs an unblemished finish to stay in the College Football Playoff mix.

Could falling short cost Sarkisian his job? CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford predicted Texas will make a coaching change after finishing 8-4.

“Equipped with one of college football’s few rosters that exceeds $40 million, Sarkisian has to deliver down the stretch or the money in Austin will have an appetite for change,” Crawford wrote. “Texas has been ranked No. 1 in three consecutive seasons now, fans are exasperated at yet another 5-star QB and high-priced roster gone to waste, and Sarkisian’s edgy antics — screaming at Holly Rowe, making defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski last seaon’s scapegoat, refusing to pass the controller on offense — are growing old.”

Is Sarkisian on the hot seat?

Sarkisian landed an extension in January 2025 after leading the Longhorns to the CFP semifinals. They began the next season atop the AP preseason poll but missed the postseason with three losses.

Texas looked to avenge that disappointing season, but Sarkisian’s squad could now face the same outcome.

Up by 10 at halftime, Texas suffered a stunning Red River Rivalry loss to Oklahoma after the Sooners scored 17 fourth-quarter points. The Longhorns then lost at home to the Gators, who had allowed 83 points in back-to-back losses.

Arch Manning has yet to climb anywhere close to Heisman territory, and a rough patch has even raised questions about the quarterback’s job security. KJ Lacey will reportedly receive more first-team practice reps, but Sarkisian committed to Manning as his starter.

As for Sarkisian, a coaching change won’t be cheap for Texas. Sarkisian has a $50.9 million buyout, but the university may pay up if the Longhorns don’t turn the corner.

Texas will look to rebound in a pivotal SEC matchup against No. 7 Ole Miss this Saturday night.

The ESPN college football personality believes that it’s time for the University of Texas to bench junior starting quarterback Arch Manning. Texas, which rose to No. 1 overall in the country after a home win vs. Ohio State, has dropped two straight games. The Longhorns fell to Oklahoma and Florida in back-to-back weeks.

Finebaum, known to many as the voice of the SEC, is pushing Texas to bench the starting quarterback.

“Yes, it is time,” Finebaum said Monday on First Take. “It’s a painful thing to say, and we all know the backstory. But what’s the point of continuing this agony? Go ahead and try somebody else. If you’re going to give KJ the reps in practice, let him start the game. I realize it’s Ole Miss. I realize it’s one of the biggest games in the country, and you know, give him a series or two. Are you wasting it? Maybe, but maybe Arch Manning will pick something up on the sideline.”

Finebaum believes it’s mostly Steve Sarkisian’s fault.

“I still think he can be an elite quarterback, but I also believe that Steve Sarkisian has completely screwed it up,” Finebaum said. “First of all, Sarkisian shouldn’t be the offensive coordinator calling the plays. He’s also the head coach. I think I think he has put too much into Arch Manning’s head. I realize we have a quarterback on the panel and let him talk about it. But I’m just giving you the view from from the upper deck. It’s time to make a change at Texas.”

Manning has thrown for 1,295 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. He has a QBR of 59.2, which ranks 61st in the country.

Texas is disappointed

The Longhorns are admittedly disappointed, though they remain in the playoff hunt, given the expansion to 12 teams.

“Obviously we’re extremely disappointed,” Sarkisian said postgame. “We didn’t play very good football today outside of the first quarter. We kind of bled out and ended up controlling the ball in the second half.

“Our inability to be effective on first down, and our ability to convert short-down situations. Really was the snapshot of it all. Very disappointed, but we’ll work and get back. We’ve got a better team than how we’re playing right now. It’s my job to figure out how to get us to play closer to our potential.”

Texas will return to play on Saturday against No. 7 Ole Miss.

The former Ohio State and Florida head coach serves as a college football analyst for Fox Sports’ “Big Noon Kickoff” and BTN.

Meyer didn’t have to deal with Name, Image and Likeness and the NCAA’s transfer portal during his time in the sport. However, when those two things were brought into the modern college sports world, Meyer felt that the biggest programs in the country would benefit the most. He questioned if it would have a “level-the-playing-field” impact.

The former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach told Colin Cowherd that he was wrong.

Meyer opened up about how he was wrong after watching a weekend full of college football upsets.

“I misfired on the whole conversation about NIL and transfer portal,” Meyer told Cowherd on The Herd. “I thought the rich would get richer. What it’s done is make parity in college football.

“I’ve talked to many of my colleagues in the last couple weeks. You flip on UCLA and then you flip on Alabama, what’s the difference? I don’t know. One team runs the ball a little better, and that’s UCLA. It’s amazing what has really happened to the game of college football with the NIL and with the transfer portal.”

Indiana is perhaps the best example, as the Hoosiers have gone from a doormat program to arguably the country’s best over the past two-plus years.

It would be pretty fascinating to see coaches like Meyer and Nick Saban trying to operate in today’s college football world.

With the season right around the midway point, there’s been a ton of shuffling atop the 12 best teams.

But as things stand right now, here’s how Dinich and the Worldwide Leader sees the College Football Playoff bracket through seven hard-fought weeks.

ESPN predicts 12-team playoff field through 7 weeks

With only two Saturdays remaining until the selection committee officially reveals its first CFP rankings, here’s a look at what Dinich predicts based on the past criteria and protocol of the powers that be:

1. Miami (ACC champ)
2. Ohio State (B1G champ)
3. BYU (Big 12 champ)
4. Notre Dame
5. Indiana
6. Georgia (SEC champ)
7. Ole Miss
8. UCLA
9. Kentucky
10. Tennessee
11. Utah
12. Boise State (Last team in)

Aaaand … here you go, Utah … and a new No. 1 (again)

https://t.co/V638ATRAoR

— Heather Dinich (@CFBHeather) October 18, 2026

That would mean the 2026 playoff bracket would look something like this:

First-Round Byes

• No. 1 Miami (ACC champ)
• No. 2 Ohio State (Big Ten champ)
• No. 3 BYU (Big 12 champ)
• No. 4 Notre Dame

First-Round Games

• No. 12 Boise State (highest G6) at No. 5 Indiana
• No. 11 Utah at No. 6 Georgia (SEC champ)
• No. 10 Tennessee at No. 7 Ole Miss
• No. 9 Kentucky at No. 8 UCLA

Quarterfinal Games

• No. 12 Boise State/No. 5 Indiana winner vs. No. 4 Notre Dame
• No. 11 Utah/No. 6 Georgia winner vs. No. 3 BYU
• No. 10 Tennessee/No. 7 Ole Miss winner vs. No. 2 Ohio State
• No. 9 Kentucky/No. 8 UCLA winner vs. No. 1 Miami

Dinich actually had the Texas Tech Red Raiders as the No. 12 team in the country. But due to a Group of 6 team needing to be represented in the current format, Tech projects as the first team out of the bracket.

Following back-to-back losses to unranked Oklahoma and Florida, the Longhorns’ struggles may be nearing a breaking point.

Texas entered the 2026 season with massive expectations. And if things don’t turn around quickly, the program could be forced to make a change at quarterback (and potentially head coach) down the line.

Texas to give backup QB KJ Lacey Jr. increase in QB1 reps

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Manning is already seeing a dip in first-team reps going into Saturday’s game vs. No. 7 Ole Miss.

“Texas is expected to give an up-tick in first-team quarterback reps to redshirt freshman KJ Lacey Jr. this week in practice,” Thamel reported. “Arch Manning still projects as the Texas starter. The uptick in Lacey’s reps is a signal that Texas could replace Manning if he continues to struggle.”

Sarkisian mentioned after the Florida loss that the team would evaluate “everything” this week, including the QB position.

Sources: Texas is expected to give an up-tick in first-team quarterback reps to redshirt freshman KJ Lacey Jr. this week in practice. Arch Manning still projects as the Texas starter. The uptick in Lacey’s reps is a signal that Texas could replace Manning if he continues to… pic.twitter.com/OPOQQy0dcE

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 19, 2026

Arch finished 14-of-20 with 173 yards and a touchdown in the Horns’ 27-24 defeat at the hands of the Gators.

Lacey Jr. has completed eight of his nine career passes for 70 yards in extremely limited action of the last two years but was a four-star recruit coming out of Saraland, AL in 2025.

Steve Sarkisian’s team suffered its second straight loss this weekend, falling to Florida, one week after losing to Oklahoma. The Longhorns are now 4-2 on the season, after previously rising to No. 1 in the country following a home win against Ohio State.

But as fans and media members call for Manning to be benched, the team’s head coach says it’s not happening.

“Arch can play better for us. He’s our starter. But I need to see a better version of Arch Manning,” Sarkisian said on Monday.

Arch Manning has thrown for 1,295 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. His 59.2 QBR ranks No. 61 in the country.

The former consensus five-star recruit completed 14 of 20 passes for 173 yards and one touchdown in a 27-24 loss to Florida. He had thrown for 260 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in a 27-24 loss to Oklahoma.

But while Sarkisian is sticking with Manning, Paul Finebaum thinks it’s the wrong move.

Finebaum is calling for Manning to be benched

The ESPN college football personality thinks that it’s time.

“Yes, it is time,” Finebaum said on First Take on Monday. “It’s a painful thing to say, and we all know the backstory. But what’s the point of continuing this agony? Go ahead and try somebody else. If you’re going to give KJ the reps in practice, let him start the game. I realize it’s Ole Miss. I realize it’s one of the biggest games in the country, and you know, give him a series or two. Are you wasting it? Maybe, but maybe Arch Manning will pick something up on the sideline.”

Finebaum is still of the belief that Manning can become a good quarterback, but he needs more from Sarkisian.

“I still think he can be an elite quarterback, but I also believe that Steve Sarkisian has completely screwed it up,” Finebaum said. “First of all, Sarkisian shouldn’t be the offensive coordinator calling the plays. He’s also the head coach. I think I think he has put too much into Arch Manning’s head. I realize we have a quarterback on the panel and let him talk about it. But I’m just giving you the view from from the upper deck. It’s time to make a change at Texas.”

Amato, the former N.C. State head coach, was 80 years old. He previously battled throat cancer and passed away after being in hospice care for several months.

The former college football head coach led N.C. State’s program for seven seasons. He spent four seasons coaching Wolfpack legend Philip Rivers. Amato led N.C. State to five bowl games in seven seasons and finished with a 49-37 (25-31 ACC) overall record. In 2002, he led the program to an 11-3 record and Gator Bowl victory against Notre Dame.

Amato played collegiately at N.C. State and went into coaching. He served as an assistant coach at N.C. State, Arizona and Florida State, before taking the Wolfpack’s head coaching job. He finished his career as an assistant coach at Akron.

“College football in North Carolina lost a good one. My earliest fan memories was Chuck Amato and the ‘Pack at Carter-Finley in the early 2000s and of course the 3OT loss at Ohio State on 4th-and-Goal. The man with the raspy voice, shades & sideline personality will be missed,” CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford shared.

College football in North Carolina lost a good one.

My earliest fan memories was Chuck Amato and the ‘Pack at Carter-Finley in the early 2000s and of course the 3OT loss at Ohio State on 4th-and-Goal.

The man with the raspy voice, shades & sideline personality will be missed. pic.twitter.com/P2Jhwx62fC

— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) October 19, 2026

College football fans pay tribute on Monday

College football fans are paying tribute to the legendary head coach on Monday afternoon, following his passing.

“Crossed paths many times and he taught me some critical lessons in recruiting. Was a wonderful man – we are fewer,” one fan wrote on X.

“Former NC State Football Head Coach Chuck Amato has sadly passed away at the age of 80 🕊️ Amato played LB at NCSU from 1965-67, & held various positions on Staff 1971-79. Most notably, Head Coach from 2000-06. The only HC to win 10+ games at NCSU. Wolfpacker for Life. RIP!” one fan added.

“Very disappointed to see this. Chuck was a lot of fun to cover. He was an original and was a great defensive coach,” one fan added.

“This makes me tremendously sad. Coach Amato’s tenure was an amazing stretch as a Wolfpack fan and he was a genuinely remarkable and warm personality,” another fan added on X.

RIP to a legend. Iconic NC State head coach Chuck Amato has passed away at 80 years old.

Chuck and Bobby Bowden are sharing another hug right now.https://t.co/YhR8WOeEf8 pic.twitter.com/1OthQKjSXr

— Cory Smith (@RCorySmith) October 19, 2026

May he rest in peace.

Luke Bryan’s son, Bo Bryan, suffered a “gruesome” injury on Friday night. The high school quarterback was sacked to the ground and he crushed his shoulder in the process. Bo Bryan, 18, was diagnosed with a broken collarbone.

It’s a crushing injury for Bryan, who had been playing well to start the 2026 season.

The son of the country music legend plays for Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, Tennessee.

Bo Bryan shared news of his injury on Instagram Saturday and thanked everyone for their “thoughts and prayers.”

View this post on Instagram

Bo Bryan had led his school to an impressive 6-1 record in his first full season as starting quarterback, before his injury.

At first, he thought he might have avoided a serious injury. He told the Tennessean that he thought he had a simple “stinger” injury at first. However, once he got off the field, he knew that “something was wrong.”

Luke Bryan is crushed for his son

The country music legend is crushed by his son’s injury news, as it had been such a joy to watch him play this year.

“I’m super impressed,” Luke, 50, told USA TODAY Sports in September. “This being against a big rival during his senior year, he’s learning as he goes.”

“Everything that happens to him this year is the first time he’s had all these pressure situations, all the ups and downs. He came out, we got behind and he threw a pick that turned into points for them,” he continued about his son.”

‘Bo is really young in his development as a quarterback because he’s been a two- or three-sport athlete his whole life,” he said. “The fact that he’s been able to really turn the corner as a quarterback has been amazing to see.”

Hopefully, we’ll get to see Bo Bryan back on the field at some point.

The Notre Dame vs. BYU finish was bad on Saturday night. The officials didn’t realize that there should have been 0:01 remaining on the clock after Notre Dame’s final play. The game ended, with Notre Dame losing, but the Big 12 admitted that the officials got it wrong on Sunday morning.

“Following the Big 12’s review of the final play of Saturday’s Notre Dame-BYU game, it was determined that time remained on the clock when the ball hit the ground and the play was incorrectly cleared by the replay officiating crew. The Conference will conduct a complete review of its end-of-game officiating process in advance of next week’s games,” the Big 12 admitted.

Notre Dame also should’ve had 1 second left for one final play.

Watch the clock here: pic.twitter.com/UEqaEU6txd https://t.co/b5XATjMDaQ

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 18, 2026

Longtime officiating analyst Mike Pereira has sounded off on the officiating mistakes in college football.

Earlier this season, we had a similar clock controversy, when Michigan came from behind to take down Western Michigan.

Pereira sounds off on officiating mistakes

Pereira admitted that the officials really messed up.

“You have to review it,” Fox rules analyst Mike Pereira told The Athletic. “That had to be reviewed immediately.

“It is embarrassing for all officiating, quite frankly. Everybody gets brought into this, even the NFL and high school officiating, because it is such a ridiculous miss that has nothing to do with judgment. Nothing. I understand missing pass interference. This, especially after what happened six weeks ago (Western Michigan vs. Michigan), it’s embarrassing. They get one more play.”

It’s crushing when mistakes like this happen, because they clearly impact the outcome of the game.

Hopefully, college football’s officials will be much better moving forward, avoiding serious mistakes.

Robinson was seen swatting away a Blue Devils trainer while one of his teammates was down on the field injured in the third quarter of Saturday night’s loss to North Carolina. A female trainer rushed onto the field to help her coworkers as a player was down on the field injured. She tried to push Robinson out of the way, so she could do her job, but the Blue Devils football player reacted by swatting her away.

The moment quickly went viral on social media, with fans and media urging Duke to punish the defensive back.

Welp. That’s not how you respond to medical staff. pic.twitter.com/pes6SOxSFt

— Polymarket Football (@PolymarketBlitz) October 17, 2026

Robinson has owned up to his behavior. The Duke Blue Devils football player said that he was simply too focused and worried about his teammate, one of his closest friends on the team, and he acted wrong in the moment.

The Duke Blue Devils cornerback issued a full apology and admitted that he was completely in the wrong and will do better moving forward.

Duke cornerback issues a public apology

The Blue Devils cornerback issued a public apology on X, formerly known as Twitter, early on Monday morning, October 19.

“I want to publicly apologize to the member of our training staff for how I acted toward her during Saturday’s game. I was completely wrong, and she did not deserve that,” he wrote.

“Immediately after the game, I apologized to her personally and checked to make sure she was okay. The injured player on the ground, DaShawn Stone, is like family to me, and I was scared he might be seriously hurt. But being worried about him does not excuse how I treated her. I should have controlled my emotions, and I didn’t.

“I’m truly sorry for my actions and for letting her, myself and our program down. I have to be better than that.”

pic.twitter.com/wHbfy4zhKP

— Kimari Robinson (@krobinson7__) October 19, 2026

It’s a strong apology from the Duke football player and it’s good to know that he understands he was wrong.

The Ducks topped Nebraska in comeback fashion on Saturday night. Oregon defeated Nebraska, 17-14, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. The Ducks improved to 4-2 on the year with the victory, while Nebraska dropped to 5-2.

Stewart did not play in the game. He was listed as “doubtful” on the injury report before kickoff. He had previously caught 27 passes for 352 yards and four touchdowns through five games this season. In a loss against UCLA last week, he caught five passes for 74 yards and the score. He had scored a touchdown in four straight games.

According to a report from KATU2 in Oregon, he was arrested on Sunday morning.

Details emerge from Evan Stewart’s arrest

Stewart was reportedly booked into jail around 7 a.m. Sunday, October 18, on a charge of driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII).

“According to the information provided, Stewart was released approximately one hour later, at 8 a.m., to a third party whose name matches that of another Oregon Ducks wide receiver,” KATU reported.

“KATU reached out to the University of Oregon football program seeking confirmation and a statement regarding the reported booking but had not received a response at the time of publication.”

KATU’s report comes after multiple social media posts indicated that one or more Oregon Ducks football players had been arrested over the weekend. The university has yet to officially comment.

The 57-year-old analyst has been a part of ESPN’s “College GameDay” since August of 1996. He’s been with the program for more than 30 years at this point. Herbstreit has since expanded his roles at ESPN, calling the ABC Game of the Week alongside Chris Fowler, while also working as an NFL announcer at Amazon Prime.

In recent years, though, criticism has been mounting for Herbstreit. He’s grown close to Pat McAfee, who is quite the polarizing figure himself. And he’s faced some backlash for his NFL commentary.

Many have also taken issue with his constant promoting of his golden retriever, Peter, as he even launched a dog-themed business.

Fans of Herbstreit appear to be saddened by what he’s like on TV in 2026.

“What happened to Herbstreit, man? In the 2000s he had the guys want to be him, girls want to be with him vibe, and he was great with Corso post-stroke. Seemed truly genuine. Don’t know if CAA got to him or what. Strange and sad,” longtime college football writer Matt Smith shared on X.

College football fans debating what Herbstreit is like on TV in 2026

College football fans are debating what they think the problem is with Herbstreit in 2026.

“He’s turned into the perfect mainstream robot for the big media outlets. Spending decades among those companies would do that to anyone,” one fan argued.

“He’s always been kind of a punk. Had a radio show in Columbus where he’d talk (expletive) about OSU all the time. Then he made a big deal about moving because people in Columbus were so mean. Kind of a drama queen,” one fan added.

“I guess being named the premier analyst for NFL and CFB will mess with your ego,” one fan added.

“Not having Corso has hurt him. He seems to play off someone, as he did in a great way with Corso. Now it’s with Mcafee, and it doesn’t work at all,” another fan wrote on X.

Herbstreit won’t apologize for his love of McAfee, though

Herbstreit has said that if McAfee wasn’t brought onto “College GameDay” in 2022, he probably wouldn’t still be on the show today.

“You can find people to talk football. But it’s hard to find people who can give you some juice. And I just recognized, before Pat became Pat, I just recognized his talent,” Herbstreit said on Bussin’ With The Boys this year.

“I was basically begging him to be on the show. Whether it’s Barkley or Lee Corso or now Pat, you have to have a guy that is incredibly entertaining and natural and authentically funny.”

Herbstreit is proud of what “GameDay” has become in 2026.

“He finally just kept coming around more and more, then he came on the show, and then Saban came on the show, then you had [Nick] Saban and Pat together, and it’s like, ‘Man, think about what we were for 20 years,’ and now we’ve almost reinvented the brand with some big personalities,” Herbstreit said.

College football fans, though, appear to disagree.

Appearing on The Matt Barrie Show this morning, Finebaum declared that Sarkisian is to blame for Manning’s struggles this season, particularly amid their two-game losing streak.

“What a disaster. The absolute arrogance of [Steve] Sarkisian to crack back at people like me and others with the idiotic take of the year that if his [Manning’s] name was Joe Smith, you would be praising him,” Finebaum said. “I’m beginning to wonder if Arch Manning should even start. I know he will, and he’s capable of leading them to a win, but I blame Sarkisian for every aspect of this.”

Finebaum asserted that Sarkisian can no longer be seen as “an elite play caller” and has ruined the entire team, which he dubbed “the most talented team in the country.”

“We both have been incredibly high on (Florida coach Jon) Sumrall, and all the haters out there came after us when they fell apart,” Finebaum continued. “But I think he showed yesterday what he is capable of. I wish I could say the same thing about Steve Sarkisian, someone I’ve always liked and respected. And until last week called an elite play caller. He’s not. I have no earthly idea what Steve Sarkisian is doing. I think we all agree he shouldn’t be calling the plays. There’s too many other things going on in that sideline that are distracting, and he has made an absolute mess out of the most talented team in the country.”

Texas is not back right now.

In the span of just eight days, Texas has gone from the No. 1 team in the nation to No. 19. The cause of the losses has pretty much been the same in their losses to Oklahoma and Florida: A fourth quarter collapse where Manning committed back-breaking turnovers.

Manning has gotten so bad that many fans and analysts believe that he needs another year in college before even considering a move to the NFL.

But Sarkisian needs to be held accountable as well. The defense which has been touted as having the best accumulation of talent in the country has been above average at best and the run game has been contributing very little.

Texas might be stuck between a rock and a hard place though. If they bench Manning, he may not play another down for them and transfer to another team next year. If they fire Sarkisian, Manning may transfer regardless.

All Texas can really do is try to salvage the season.

On Sunday, Tankathon’s official X account announced a new mock draft ahead of Week 6 of the NFL season. In a caption to the post, Tankathon announced that it would be removing Texas quarterback Arch Manning and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin from future mock drafts, projecting that both quarterbacks will return to school for the 2027 college season rather than declare for the 2027 NFL Draft.

“New NFL Mock with serious QB changes,” the outlet wrote on X. “Manning and Sayin return to school for now.”

New NFL Mock with serious QB changes

Manning and Sayin return to school for nowhttps://t.co/XM7TejpE0h pic.twitter.com/ES6Js6Ia93

— Tankathon.com (@tankathon) October 18, 2026

Little Surprise There

Sayin suffered an arm injury against Indiana yesterday that will knock him out of action for several weeks or more. It would probably behoove him to go to one more year of college football to try and get an injury-free year of football so he’ll have more film for scouts.

As for Manning, that’s a much trickier situation. He’s coming off back-to-back underwhelming performances for the Longhorns that have seen the team fall from No. 1 in the nation all the way to No. 19 in the span of 8 days. Those lackluster results have an increasing number of fans and analysts now expecting that he’ll return to college and possibly even transfer out of Texas entirely.

The new projections seem to have Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker emerging as the frontrunner to be the top quarterback in the draft. Mestemaker is having a breakout season with the Cowboys and has turned them into a force to be reckoned with offensively.

The other quarterback getting tons of attention is Miami’s Darian Mensah, who has been putting up a historically accurate season with the No. 1-ranked Hurricanes.

Will Manning and Sayin both announce that they’re returning to college for the 2027 season?

Taking to X on Saturday, Governor Cox apologized for “the insufferable BYU fans” along with himself and asked that Notre Dame fans take it as “the greatest sign of respect how much this win meant to all of us.” He called Notre Dame “the big brother and the gold standard” and declared that “we will be cheering for you.”

Governor Cox also took a dig at the controversial ending to Notre Dame’s loss to BYU, referencing the incompletion with one second on the clock that wasn’t recognized by the officials.

“To my Notre Dame friends and fans—thank you for putting up with all the insufferable BYU fans today (me included). Please take it as the greatest sign of respect how much this win meant to all of us. You are the big brother and the gold standard. Visiting South Bend last year was a dream come true—a true football cathedral. Football fans everywhere aspire to earn the arrogance that you have earned (and I mean that with admiration and respect). You have an incredible coach and team, so please win out. We will be cheering for you the rest of the way,” Governor Cox wrote.

“Oh, and sorry about not getting one last play. I would have enjoyed watching Carr sail another pass over his receiver…(am I doing it right?😂)”

To my Notre Dame friends and fans—thank you for putting up with all the insufferable BYU fans today (me included). Please take it as the greatest sign of respect how much this win meant to all of us. You are the big brother and the gold standard. Visiting South Bend last year was… pic.twitter.com/hqySAIdh1V

— Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) October 18, 2026

History for the Cougars

BYU’s game against Notre Dame marked the first top-10 meeting in the history of LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. The game was nationally televised in primetime after ESPN’s College GameDay made its first trip to the school in years.

It was a tough game from start to finish and saw BYU take the lead on a Bear Bachmeier pass to Walker Lyons for a six-yard TD with less than two minutes remaining.

Notre Dame QB CJ Carr was able to lead the Fighting Irish on a 15-play, 67-yard drive but the final play of the game was an incomplete pass to Jaden Greathouse that has been deemed pretty controversial.

It looked as though Greathouse was held on the play and that there was one second left on the clock when the ball went incomplete.

Nevertheless, the referees didn’t notice either of those things and BYU ended the day as the winners.

They will wake up on Monday as the No. 2 team in the nation.

Manning, a junior quarterback at Texas, is not playing very well. He’s thrown for 1,295 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. The Longhorns dropped to 4-2 on the year with a loss to Florida on Saturday.

Coming out of high school, Manning was considered a can’t-miss prospect.

“Displays excellent arm talent, showing the ability to make every throw on the field within the pocket. Shows the ability to drive the ball down the field and play with velocity. Excels as an intermediate passer, displaying the ability to consistently deliver the ball accurately and on time while playing with anticipation. Throws an exceptional deep ball, flashing outstanding touch and ball placement allowing him to throw his receivers open,” 247Sports’ Cooper Petagna shared.

“In addition to possessing all the physical tools desired at the quarterback position, Manning plays the game with exceptional intuition and awareness, showing the ability to command and navigate the game at a very high level. Entering his fourth season as a starter as a senior at Newman, Manning figures to be prepared to make an immediate impact at the next level. Projects as an all-american prospect at the next level with the potential to have his name be one of the first called in the NFL Draft.”

But has Manning been overhyped from the start?

One longtime recruiting expert says that Manning has been overhyped due to his name

Longtime recruiting expert Mike Farrell says that Manning would’ve been a three-star prospect is his name was different.

“If his name was Arch Smith, I think he’d probably be a high three-star quarterback,” Farrell said on the Daily Wistreaming show Crain and Company in 2022.

“When he has had to step up against other competition, especially in the playoff game where he looked awful, it just hasn’t translated,” Farrell said. “Every time I watch other quarterbacks in this class, it knocks Arch down in my head.”

Was he right?

2022 https://t.co/mhtiaIL8jr

— Mike Farrell (@mfarrellsports) October 18, 2026

Arch Manning still has time to prove himself, but it has not been a great start to the year for him.

Week 7 of the 2026 college football regular season was a wild one. Texas fell to Florida, Georgia fell to Auburn, Ohio State took down Indiana and BYU took down Notre Dame, late on Saturday evening.

Following the conclusion of the Week 7 games, the Coaches’ Poll has been updated on Sunday morning, with a brand-new Top 25.

Week 8 Coaches’ Poll top 25

1. Miami
2. Ohio State
3. BYU
4. Georgia
5. Texas Tech
6. Indiana
7. Ole Miss
8. Notre Dame
9. Utah
10. UCLA
11. Tennessee
12. Kentucky
13. Alabama
14. Iowa
15. USC
16. Houston
17. LSU
18. Texas
19. Wake Forest
20. SMU
21. Missouri
22. Boise State
23. Northwestern
24. Florida
25. Oregon

Other schools receiving votes: Arizona 141; Oklahoma State 87; James Madison 80; Auburn 55; Mississippi State 32; Nebraska 19; Oregon State 17; New Mexico 16; UTSA 13; Michigan 10; North Dakota State 8; Wisconsin 7; Duke 7; North Carolina 5; Pittsburgh 4; Air Force 3; North Texas 1.

Fans accuse Top 25 of ‘SEC bias’

College football fans are noting that Georgia only fell a few spots after losing to unranked Auburn, while Notre Dame dropped several spots after losing on the road to BYU.

“The Coaches Poll Top 25. It’s so fascinating to me that Georgia loses to an unranked team and drops 3 spots. Then you have Notre Dame lose to a Top 10 team and drops 6 spots,” Will Compton shared.

The Coaches Poll Top 25

It’s so fascinating to me that Georgia loses to an unranked team and drops 3 spots

Then you have Notre Dame lose to a Top 10 team and drops 6 spots pic.twitter.com/McFGQ1xON1

— Will Compton (@_willcompton) October 18, 2026

College football fans seem to agree.

“UCLA the only unbeaten team in Big 10/SEC and they’re at 10. Just fascinating,” one fan wrote.

“Opposing coaches will do everything they can to give the bird to notre dame for not being in a conference,” one fan added.

“SEC bias,” one fan added.

Others, meanwhile, are defending the Top 25.

“Every week adds color to a team’s entire resume. It’s not just adding a single data point. Georgia has proven they’re a top 5 team before today. Notre Dame hadn’t. They were handed their ranking with no real evidence. Last night was their first test and they lost,” one fan added on X.

What do you make of the latest AP Poll?

Duke cornerback Kimari Robinson was seen swatting Blue Devils trainer Grace Dietrich away from an injury moment on the field. Robinson was standing over one of his injured teammates when Dietrich rushed onto the field to help. Dietrich could be seen pushing Robinson away, so she could attend to the injured player. Robinson, though, did not take kindly to the shoving, swatting at the trainer’s hands.

The moment quickly went viral on X, sparking a lot of debate.

“This cannot happen,” Kevin Kelley wrote on X. “He needs to listen to her and know where he should be. If not where is the line?”

This, @DukeFOOTBALL can’t happen. Check out the 7-9 second mark where the female athletic trainer tries to get the player hovering to move so she can help and he swings his arm at her. He needs to listen to her and know where he should be. If not where is the line? pic.twitter.com/o7VAg4fxlm

— Kevin Kelley (@coachkelley1) October 17, 2026

Others, though, are defending the player.

“What do we think here? I have mixed feelings. He’s in a football game, concerned about a teammate and he gets pushed out of the way when he’s doing nothing wrong. She’s doing too much. She tried to manhandle him, he manhandled back. Ask him to back away, don’t push him,” Jason Whitlock wrote on X.

Attorney Coby DuBose added: “Maybe, and hear me out here, this is an emotional response from a player in a difficult moment who is really concerned his very close friend is seriously injured and perhaps not a referendum on his character.”

Doctors are quickly defending the female trainer’s behavior

Some on X are arguing that the female trainer was just bringing Gatorade onto the field, which wasn’t necessary in that moment.

“She brought a Gatorade bottle for a potential spinal injury, let’s stop pretending she was about to do anything important,” one critic wrote.

Doctors, though, are saying that’s not true.

“Athletic trainers are first responders on the field. They stabilize spines, manage concussions, and literally keep players alive. They’re still among the least respected and lowest-paid people in the building, and they shouldn’t have to deal with players swinging on them for clearing space so medical staff can actually treat an injured teammate. That kind of reaction is just disrespect, and it’s one of the reasons so many ATs burn out and leave the profession. They don’t get paid enough for this,” one doctor shared on X.

“A big reason why I left athletic training was because of male college athletes. The entitlement and lack of respect was appalling. I was called “baby”, “boo”, “mama” daily and coaches didn’t care. I was the assistant athletic trainer, not their peer,” one former trainer shared to X.

“The trainer did the right thing, she pretty much ignored him and went to the injured player, totally professional. The important story here is the injured player, hopeful he makes a full recovery asap,” another doctor shared.

Duke has yet to officially comment.

The rankings are controversial, to be sure.

ESPN’s computer model, which is a projections-based model, is not meant to be a resume-based rankings system.

“The Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily. FPI data from seasons prior to 2019 may not be complete,” ESPN states.

Still, a lot of fans will have problems with this Top 25.

ESPN’s computer’s new Top 25 rankings Sunday

1. Ohio State
2. Notre Dame
3. Georgia
4. Miami
5. Indiana
6. Alabama
7. Texas
8. LSU
9. Texas Tech
10. Oregon
11. Ole Miss
12. Tennessee
13. BYU
14. Utah
15. Nebraska
16. Wake Forest
17. USC
18. Houston
19. Florida
20. Texas A&M
21. Auburn
22. Oklahoma
23. Louisville
24. Northwestern
25. Iowa

College football fans are ripping the rankings on Sunday morning

College football fans are ripping the computer-based rankings on Sunday morning.

“This ain’t real 😂,” Dave Portnoy shared on X.

“FPI to BYU: “Congratulations on your victory over our #1 team! For your reward, we won’t move you down from your #14 ranking at ALL! Really impressed!”🤷‍♂️ FPI is going from “broke” to “joke” mighty quickly🤦‍♂️,” one fan added.

“What a joke!” another fan wrote.

“This is how the SEC will argue that all their 9-3 and 8-4 teams deserve a playoff bid. ESPN isn’t slick,” one fan added.

“Kentucky is 3-1 against the FPI top 25 and isn’t ranked in the top 25. Incredible model!” one fan added.

Ultimately, the FPI doesn’t mean anything, but that’s not going to stop fans from debating and arguing.

Duke cornerback Kimari Robinson was seen swatting Blue Devils trainer Grace Dietrich away from an injury. Dietrich was making her way onto the field and was trying to get Robinson out of the way so she could attend to his injured teammate.

Former ESPN star Jason Whitlock is among those defending the player.

“What do we think here? I have mixed feelings. He’s in a football game, concerned about a teammate and he gets pushed out of the way when he’s doing nothing wrong. She’s doing too much. She tried to manhandle him, he manhandled back. Ask him to back away, don’t push him,” Whitlock wrote on X.

What do we think here? I have mixed feelings. He’s in a football game, concerned about a teammate and he gets pushed out of the way when he’s doing nothing wrong. She’s doing too much. She tried to manhandle him, he manhandled back. Ask him to back away, don’t push him. https://t.co/UHFqyFMhLv

— Jason Whitlock (@jasonwhitlock) October 18, 2026

Others, meanwhile, are ripping the player.

“She’s attempting to do her job…he’s doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to help his teammate. Now she’s in fear to assist the player,” one critic wrote on X.

Lawyer defends the Duke football player

A lawyer took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to defend the Duke football player’s actions and mindset on Sunday morning.

“Maybe, and hear me out here, this is an emotional response from a player in a difficult moment who is really concerned his very close friend is seriously injured and perhaps not a referendum on his character,” defense lawyer Coby DuBose shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday.

Maybe, and hear me out here, this is an emotional response from a player in a difficult moment who is really concerned his very close friend is seriously injured and perhaps not a referendum on his character. https://t.co/go2WnuROtz

— Coby DuBose | DuBose Defense (@DuBoseDefense) October 18, 2026

Duke had yet to officially comment on the actions of the Blue Devils football player as of Sunday morning.

It was a heat of the moment thing, and hopefully not an indication of anyone’s true character, but it’s understandable why the moment went incredibly viral on social media this weekend.

Notre Dame had a shot to win the game late, but the Fighting Irish came up short, as their final pass for a game-winning touchdown was knocked to the ground as the clock expired in Provo.

However, the Big 12 has since announced that there should have been 0:01 remaining on the clock, giving Notre Dame another opportunity.

“Following the Big 12’s review of the final play of Saturday’s Notre Dame-BYU game, it was determined that time remained on the clock when the ball hit the ground and the play was incorrectly cleared by the replay officiating crew. The Conference will conduct a complete review of its end-of-game officiating process in advance of next week’s games,” the league announced.

Mike Pereira agreed, too.

“I talked to the Big 12 center, they said replay did clear it, but it’s pretty obvious here there is a second left on the clock and there should’ve been another play for Notre Dame,” he said on Saturday night.

It was a tough final 30 seconds for Herbstreit

Awful Announcing said that Herbstreit “bungled” the final 30 seconds.

“The Cougars held a 28–24 lead in the final minute, with the Irish driving for a potential game-winning touchdown while racing against the clock. At least, that’s what most football fans believed the Irish were doing,” they wrote.

“But in the broadcast booth, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit had a different read on the situation. As Notre Dame got set for the snap on third-and-3 from the 30-yard line, Herbstreit expressed a bit of surprise that the Irish were playing so aggressively.”

It seemed like Herbstreit forgot the score. Notre Dame was down by four points, not three. The Fighting Irish had to go for a TD.

“They’re still thinking of trying to win this thing in regulation.”

Kirk Herbstreit as Notre Dame trailed BYU by 4 with 34 seconds remaining. pic.twitter.com/tUiHXthzge

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 18, 2026

Fans were quick to notice.

“When you have the ball, trailing by 4 points, with 34 seconds left in the game, that’s just enough time for your defense to get 2 safeties and take the game into overtime,” one fan joked.

“Kirk has no idea how the sport works when SEC teams aren’t involved,” one fan added on X.

“Take it easy on him. hard to think about the score when you are obsessed with a dog,” another fan wrote.

The Big 12, meanwhile, has said that it will be having a full review of its officiating process, following the controversial finish.

The college football postseason, which started with four teams, before moving to 12 teams three years ago, is now going to head to a 24-team setup, starting with the 2027 college football season.

Conference championship games are expected to go away as a result. The Big Ten Championship Game, SEC Championship Game, etc. are massive events, but with a 24-team playoff, they’re no longer needed, or viable.

Many disagree with the move.

“College athletics is terrible at seeing problems around the corner. The 24-team playoff is the latest example,” Dan Wetzel wrote on X. “A lot of schools that supported this will regret it because in the end it won’t be about the playoff or even the now diminished regular season.”

Ultimately, if there are no conference championship games, and the playoff is taking 24 teams, why even have conferences?

Shouldn’t schools like Ohio State and Michigan consider pulling a Notre Dame and going fully independent?

“College athletics is terrible at seeing problems around the corner. The 24-team playoff is the latest example,” Wetzel wrote on X. “A lot of schools that supported this will regret it because in the end it won’t be about the playoff or even the now diminished regular season.”

Ohio State, Michigan could leave the Big Ten

Why wouldn’t schools like Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, etc. follow?

“To use the Big Ten as an example, why wouldn’t Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State follow? If you can, be independent. That’s the future,” Wetzel continued. “The 18-team Big Ten is bloated, distant, and winning it carries little intrinsic or competitive value for the biggest brands.”

“Staying in the Big Ten now makes little and perhaps no economic sense,” he added.

Ohio State, Michigan, etc. have been loyal to the Big Ten, but moving forward, do they really need to be?

The former No. 1 overall quarterback recruit has struggled during the 2026 college football season. Texas has now lost back-to-back games, falling to Oklahoma and Florida after reaching a No. 1 overall ranking. The Longhorns now have a tough road ahead, when it comes to reaching the College Football Playoff.

Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, was once viewed as a surefire first round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. However, his stock is falling – fast – and some aren’t even sure if he should leave school.

Longtime NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay thinks that Manning should return to school and consider a transfer.

“Return,” McShay said.

“Explore a transfer? — There’s still time to turn this season around. I’m more bullish on his NFL future than the social media doom suggests, but another college season currently looks like his best path.”

If Manning were to return to school for the 2027 season and consider a transfer, which schools would even make sense for him?

One emerging contender could be Indiana, thanks to head coach Curt Cignetti.

“Arch wins the Heisman Trophy if transfers to Indiana in 2027,” Fox Sports’ RJ Young wrote.

Gene Wojciechowski seemed to agree, also suggesting Indiana as a potential option for the five-star quarterback.

Four other schools that could make sense for Arch Manning

If Arch Manning decides to transfer, four other schools could make sense for the nephew of the legendary NFL quarterbacks:

• Oregon
• Ole Miss
• LSU
• Miami

Oregon seemed to have its quarterback of the future in Dylan Raiola – and while Raiola led the Ducks to a comeback win on Saturday night, his spot is hardly secure – but the program has done a good job of rehabbing former top quarterbacks before. Perhaps Arch Manning could be next.

Ole Miss, meanwhile, is where his uncle and his grandpa played, and the Rebels will have to replace the talented Trinidad Chambliss.

LSU is probably a longshot, but you never know with Lane Kiffin, who tried desperately to land Arch Manning out of high school.

Miami is always seemingly in contention for top transfer quarterbacks, so you can’t rule out the Hurricanes.

Where do you see Arch Manning playing in 2027?

The country music legend attended the Tennessee vs. Alabama game in Knoxville on Saturday afternoon. Tennessee took down Alabama, 26-10, to improve to 6-1 on the season and win a huge rivalry game.

Ballerini, a Tennessee Vols fan, attended the game in a white tanktop, jeans and orange sunglasses.

Country superstar @KelseaBallerini in the house cheering on #Tennessee as the Vols win big over #Alabama pic.twitter.com/hqiNzk70jV

— Florence Carmela (@FlorenceCarmela) October 18, 2026

College football fans loved to see her in attendance.

Knoxville native Kelsea Ballerini is inside Neyland Stadium for the Third Saturday in October. #Vols pic.twitter.com/HI10ZpLvN2

— Rylee Robinson (@ryleerobinsontv) October 17, 2026

College football fans loved to see her in attendance

College football fans loved to see her.

“All class, no pretentiousness. Refreshingly genuine,” one fan wrote.

“One of the nicest genuine people ever to fly in my first class. We talked about cold football the entire flight,” one fan added.

“Stunning!” one fan added.

View this post on Instagram

The country music star knows how to have a good time, that’s for sure.

Bad calls have always existed in this sport. Referees have a really, really hard job. But, this season, it feels like more bad calls than ever have been impacting the end of big games, and it’s a serious problem.

We had the Michigan clock controversy to start the year. Now, weeks later, we have another clock controversy.

Notre Dame fell to BYU in Provo on Saturday night, but the Fighting Irish should have had 0:01 to run another play. However, the game ended in spite of the clock error.

“There was indeed :01 on the bug clock when the pass hit the ground. Replay should have reviewed to determine if the in-stadium clock was at :01 at that point and if so, ND would have had one more play,” NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay said on X.

Notre Dame also should’ve had 1 second left for one final play.

Watch the clock here: pic.twitter.com/UEqaEU6txd https://t.co/b5XATjMDaQ

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 18, 2026

The Big 12 has admitted it made a mistake, too.

“Following the Big 12’s review of the final play of Saturday’s Notre Dame-BYU game, it was determined that time remained on the clock when the ball hit the ground and the play was incorrectly cleared by the replay officiating crew. The Conference will conduct a complete review of its end-of-game officiating process in advance of next week’s games,” the league announced in a statement.

It was not the only officiating controversy of the day.

There was a huge mistake in Ohio State’s win over Indiana, too

Ohio State was nearly screwed out of a big win at Indiana, thanks to a terrible roughing the passer penalty.

In no world should this be called:

I’m all for protecting the QB, but this is ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/JElifMsWtA

— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) October 17, 2026

That penalty extended an Indiana drive and nearly led to a game-winning touchdown by the Hoosiers.

Thankfully for Ohio State, the Buckeyes were able to hold on in a big way.

Still, it’s becoming clear that college football has an officiating problem and it’s something that needs to be figured out, quickly.

The conference’s top teams continue to beat up on one another. Georgia fell to Auburn on Saturday, while Texas also fell to Florida. One week after the Bulldogs took down the Crimson Tide to take over the No. 1 ranking in the country, Kirby Smart’s team was upset by a conference rival.

While some might suggest that no one in the SEC is truly that great this season, a college football writer is defending the conference, suggesting that the league is simply too tough and too physical.

“Look, I know this makes a lot of people mad, but the SEC is too big and too tough right now. It’s a war of attrition in these big games and people can’t physically reproduce it the next week,” Yahoo! Sports’ Dan Wolken shared to X.

The SEC is certainly a tough league, with a lot of physicality each and every Saturday, but not everyone is buying this.

College football fans react to the explanation

College football fans are weighing in.

“If the SEC is too big and tough, how come they’ve been getting destroyed by other conferences in the playoffs the last few years? Maybe they aren’t as big and bad as they used to be now that everyone can pay players and it’s not just the SEC doing it under the table,” one fan wrote on X.

“Can’t expect #1 to beat unranked teams in back to back weeks, that’s just wayyyyy too hard,” one fan added.

“Exactly. Every other conference has absolute doormats, but this year the SEC only has Vanderbilt and Arkansas, maybe A&M. Even South Carolina can’t be taken for granted,” another fan wrote, agreeing.

“Good. It makes the conference championship mean something,” one fan added.

Where do you stand on the SEC this year?

The seventh weekend of games in the college football world was a wild one, with several notable results taking place across the sport. You had Notre Dame falling to BYU, Ohio State taking down Indiana, Florida upsetting Texas, No. 1 Georgia falling to Auburn and much more.

The Top 25 polls will be released later on Sunday afternoon, but ESPN’s computer model, the Football Power Index, has updated this morning, shaking up its rankings.

ESPN’s computer model, the Football Power Index, has a new Top 25 rankings on Sunday morning:

1. Ohio State
2. Notre Dame
3. Georgia
4. Miami
5. Indiana
6. Alabama
7. Texas
8. LSU
9. Texas Tech
10. Oregon
11. Ole Miss
12. Tennessee
13. BYU
14. Utah
15. Nebraska
16. Wake Forest
17. USC
18. Houston
19. Florida
20. Texas A&M
21. Auburn
22. Oklahoma
23. Louisville
24. Northwestern
25. Iowa

How does ESPN’s FPI work?

ESPN’s Football Power Index is a projection-based model. It’s not meant to be a rankings of accomplishments.

“The Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily. FPI data from seasons prior to 2019 may not be complete,” ESPN states.

On the CBS Postgame Show following the Longhorns’ loss to the Florida Gators, Harris declared that he’s no longer going to refer to Arch Manning as “Manning” and will instead only call him “Arch.” He reasoned that the Texas QB “isn’t playing like a Manning” and that he’s getting too much special treatment due to his famous last name.

“Until further notice, I’m just gonna call him Arch. Because if you take away the last name, you have a below-average quarterback. That’s what he is, and that’s how we need to evaluate him moving forward. He does not see the football field well. He does not deliver a pretty football. He is not clean in his [operation]… Mechanics don’t look good. Game management doesn’t look good. Nothing about Arch Manning’s game looks good,” Harris said.

“Arch Manning isn’t playing like a Manning. He’s playing like Arch. So until further notice, he’s known as Arch. We need to stop holding on to his last name saying, ‘We’re expecting more. We want to see more. There’s potential out there.’ No. Arch is a bad quarterback right now. And until he becomes a good or a better quarterback, Arch. That’s all you’re going to get out of me. Arch.”

“I’m just gonna call him Arch, because if you take away the last name you have a below average quarterback… Arch Manning isn’t playing like a Manning.” 😬@DHx34 #CFBPostgame pic.twitter.com/wLTRMpUaeT

— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) October 17, 2026

The Last Name

A number of college football fans agreed that Manning’s family name is likely keeping him from getting benched when many other quarterbacks without a famous surname would probably already be on the pine:

“Facts. He would be on the bench if he didn’t have that last name,” one user replied.

“Finally honest evaluation I don’t think ESPN is capable of doing it because they’re scared of the last name,” another wrote.

“This right here! Too much hype but the eye test never lies,” a third declared.

Right now, Manning doesn’t have the raw numbers that would even justify making him a first-round draft pick, let alone the consensus No. 1 pick that people expected him to be when he first committed to Texas several years ago.

At this point, an increasing number of analysts and fans are starting to believe he might be better off skipping the 2027 NFL Draft and getting one more year of college football after this just to see if he can finally break through.

But if the bad results keep on coming, a very unpredictable future could await him instead.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning, whose draft stock is rapidly falling, lost his second straight game in a brutal finish against Florida today. Despite completing 14 of 20 passes, he took multiple unnecessary sacks throughout the game, the last of which led to a forced fumble that the Gators recovered to seal a 27-24 win.

At around the same time, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin was getting hammered by the Indiana Hoosiers and ultimately got knocked out of the day with an arm injury that will sideline him for several weeks.

Ohio State QB Julian Sayin will be out for several weeks, Ryan Day announced after the Buckeyes’ win over Indiana.

Sayin was a Heisman finalist last season. pic.twitter.com/ZRf3Rb6zR0

— ESPN (@espn) October 17, 2026

The Stars Are Not Shining

Miami QB Darian Mensah, who has been having an historically accurate season for the Hurricanes, threw his first interception of the season against FSU and is finally looking mortal in a surprisingly tight game.

Notre Dame QB CJ Carr, who has emerged as a superstar for the Fighting Irish and is also renowned for his accuracy, has been overthrowing receivers against No. 8 BYU and completed just 14 of his first 23 passes for 123 yards.

Drew Mestemaker, who has come seemingly out of nowhere and given Oklahoma State new life this season, started his game just 9-of-18 for 143 yards and an interception.

The only quarterback who seems to have come out of this week smelling like a rose is Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss. He three for three touchdowns and ran in a fourth in a 31-3 blowout win over No. 13 Missouri. He’ll have the Rebels moving all the way into the top-six by the end of the weekend.

But even Chambliss isn’t a consensus top quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft. Some see him as a late-first rounder or even a Day Two pick.

Manning, Mensah, Carr and Mestemaker have all put their teams in precarious positions today and by the end of the day it’s very likely that most of them will have fans questioning their viability as franchise QB options in the 2027 NFL Draft.

In the middle of the third quarter, a Duke player got injured and was on his back being tended to by trainers and medical staff. Duke cornerback Kimari Robinson went over him to express concern and looked over his teammate.

But as another trainer moved in to help, she pushed Robinson out of the way to attend to him. Robinson didn’t appreciate the woman trying to push him and swatted her arm away in a very awkward exchange.

The trainer seemed shocked at first but quickly went back to work helping his teammate.

sports medicine girl nudged bro over, but you don’t swat at a small girl like that. punk. pic.twitter.com/humgucVexc

— Jonathan  (@magicwhiptx) October 17, 2026

Fan outrage was swift.

As brief as the incident may have been, a number of football fans watching at home were mortified that Robinson would put his hands on a trainer, let alone a woman who was significantly smaller than him. Robinson has been criticized heavily for his actions and some are calling for him to be disciplined or even kicked off the team for it:

“Honestly unless #5 is getting a medical degree at Duke then he doesn’t need to be there…that trainer should file a complaint to the school. If that player is on a scholarship, then take it away. He looked at her then swiped her arm… (expletive) move,” one user wrote on X.

“Anyone who defending the Duke player Kimari Robinson for putting his hands on a female athletic trainer is a coward,” another declared.

“Horrible reaction from the Duke player. Shes quite literally attempting to do her job to keep his teammate safe. He should be running lines for a week,” a third wrote.

“This is an absolute horrible look by Kimari Robinson. I understand that he is looking out for his teammate but this woman is simply doing her job. Not good.”

“Kimari Robinson needs to be expelled from the team starting tomorrow, no need for that unnecessary nonsense in college football.”

We know that emotions can get high when friends and teammates are involved, but there is a level of awareness that needs to be in place at all times.

Will Robinson face discipline from the school for this incident?

The Nittany Lions went into Ann Arbor hoping that a win over the struggling Wolverines would get their “get-right” game after losses to Wisconsin, Northwestern and USC. Early on it looked like it might be. The defense was so good that Michigan was forced to pull starting QB Bryce Underwood and replace him with Tommy Carr.

Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, Carr was more than ready to pick up the slack and led the team on back-to-back scoring drives in the third quarter to take a 14-3 lead that the Wolverines would hold for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, Penn State QB Rocco Becht struggled, throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble in the second half of a 21-18 loss.

Final: Michigan 21, Penn State 18

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) October 17, 2026

Fans were devastated.

The transition away from James Franklin has been a rough one for Penn State to say the least. They’ve gone from a preseason top-25 team to unranked and are one of only three Big Ten teams that has yet to win an in-conference game.

For many, this brutal start to the Matt Campbell era of Penn State football has them thinking that the program is simply dead and buried.

“Ballgame. This program is dead,” Barstool Penn State wrote on X.

“Penn State’s program is dead. They fired a coach who got them to the semi’s for this,” another user lamented,” wrote another.

“This is embarrassing. In today’s era of college football, with the salaries these coaches command, the money invested in NIL rosters, and the resources available, there is simply no excuse for looking this uncompetitive and unprepared,” a third wrote.

Fans hoping for any sort of reprieve in the form of a shakeup at QB are in for disappointment too. After the game, Campbell made it clear that Becht is going to remain the starter moving forward.

“He’s got to be better and he will continue to grow and be better. But there was never a consideration (to benching him),” Campbell said after the game.

Up next: a bye week, followed by a home game against Purdue.

The Crimson Tide entered today’s game against the Volunteers as 7.5-point road favorites, suggesting that they would have been favored by two scores on neutral ground. Instead, Alabama could only score twice amid brutal offensive struggles.

Five turnovers – two interceptions, two lost fumbles and a turnover on downs – wrecked virtually any momentum they could get the entire game. Their only touchdown came after their defense secured an interception that set them up at Tennessee’s 14-yard line. Aside from that, they mustered just one field goal in the second quarter before being shut out in the second half.

It was their worst offensive performance since last season’s Rose Bowl loss to Indiana, and the fourth-fewest points that the Crimson Tide have scored since DeBoer took over in 2024.

As some fans noted, Nick Saban only had three games where the Tide scored 10 points or less in his entire 17-year tenure with the team.

Games where Alabama scores 10 pts or less…

4 — last 2 yrs under Kalen DeBoer
3 — 17 yrs under Nick Saban https://t.co/nzq6NOHjJe

— Evan Abrams (@EvanHAbrams) October 17, 2026

Fans Demand Change

DeBoer’s leadership will probably be in question in the days and weeks to come, but he still has some support even after this loss. The same cannot be said of offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who fans have taken issue with for a while and believe is the main culprit in their team’s recent ugly performances.

“I think DeBoer is a top 10 coach. But his coordinators are going to be his downfall. Especially Grubb. Wommack is mid too though,” one user on X remarked.

“This DeBoer/Grubb scheme is great when it works but when it doesn’t, it’s downright ugly, no matter who’s at QB, they just can’t adjust when it’s not working,” another wrote.

“I will not contribute another cent to the university of Alabama until Ryan Grubb is off this staff or in Federal Prison @Greg_Byrne Preferably the latter, thanks,” a third declared.

“There’s nothing ‘offensive-minded‘ about Ryan Grubb. He’s a horrendous OC who has lost us a multitude of games at this point. He shouldn’t be on the return bus to Tuscaloosa.”

The fans have spoken.

Will DeBoer or the Alabama athletic department listen?

After last week’s win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa combined with the Texas Longhorns’ loss to unranked Oklahoma, Georgia found itself on top of the college football mountain for the first time since September 2024. Returning to Athens, they likely thought that 3-2 Auburn would be an easy win that would send them into their bye week on a high note.

The Tigers, who entered the game as 19.5-point underdogs, had other plans.

With nearly 200 rushing yards from quarterback Byrum Brown and running back Jeremiah Cobb, the Tigers were able to wear down Georgia’s defense with multiple sustained drives. On defense, they forced multiple turnovers and held them scoreless in the second and third quarters.

At the end of the game, a roughing the passer penalty at midfield turned what would have been a near-certain trip to overtime into a chip-shot field goal that Alex McPherson buried to secure the 27-24 win.

Unfortunate history for the Bulldogs

With their loss to the Tigers combined with Texas’ loss to Oklahoma last week, the No. 1 team in the nation has now lost to unranked teams in back-to-back weeks for the first time since 1990.

For the first time since 1990, the No. 1 ranked team lost to an unranked team in back-to-back weeks. pic.twitter.com/jtyNEL17SQ

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 17, 2026

More importantly, Georgia’s loss has sent the entire SEC title picture into chaos.

There isn’t a single unbeaten team remaining in the conference and the only one-loss teams remaining are Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ole Miss. Texas and Alabama, who were ranked first and sixth last week respectively, have both lost back-to-back games.

We’ve barely reached mid-October and we already have more chaos in the SEC just in terms of on-field results than we’ve had in a long time.

Which teams from the SEC do you think will wind up reaching the College Football Playoff now?

Late in today’s game against the Hoosiers, Buckeyes QB Julian Sayin suffered an arm injury that head coach Ryan Day has already announced will sideline him for several weeks. Ohio State have a bye next week and return to action against USC on October 31.

The starting quarterback for the Buckeyes in that game is in all likelihood going to be freshman Luke Fahey, who went 0-2 passing the ball and took a sack in his limited time on the field. If it weren’t for Ohio State’s defense keeping Indiana’s offense from scoring on the final few drives, he might have had to play with a deficit for the first time in his young career.

Ryan Day just announced that Julian Sayin will likely be out “several weeks” due to his injury suffered in the 4th quarter.

Buckeyes have a bye then go to Los Angeles to play USC.

Luke Fahey will have a homecoming for his first career start.

— The Silver Bulletin (@tSilverBulletin) October 17, 2026

Impact on Smith?

College football fans and analysts believe that the injury to Sayin may very well have ended Smith’s chances of winning the Heisman Trophy if Fahey doesn’t play at Sayin’s level moving forward.

“Assuming Ohio State’s quarterback situation is what it appears to be moving forward, it’s going to be devastating if this costs Jeremiah Smith the Heisman,” Ben Axelrod wrote on X.

“Jeremiah Smith Heisman campaign, took a serious hit today. Nothing to do with stats,” another user lamented.

“I hope OSU fans know that Jeremiah Smith isn’t winning the Heisman without Julian Sayin,” a third pointed out.

Smith entered today with a Big Ten-leading 48 receptions for 916 yards and 11 touchdowns in just six games. He added to that total with four more receptions and 68 yards plus a game-sealing touchdown to give him 12 through seven games.

If he continues at this pace, he’ll finish with numbers comparable to DeVonta Smith’s incredible Heisman Trophy season in 2020.

But Smith didn’t have to deal with a midseason injury to Mac Jones that year. And when Colorado’s dual-threat WR/CB won the Heisman two years ago, he didn’t catch a single pass on offense from anyone other than Shedeur Sanders (though he caught four passes from opposing QBs).

If Fahey doesn’t have the skills to pay the bills, it’s very likely that Smith’s Heisman campaign will suffer even if the Buckeyes keep on winning.

Underwood, the No. 1 recruit from the 2025 class, came to Ann Arbor with massive expectations. He didn’t live up to the hype as a freshman, throwing for 2,428 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Some fans were hoping he’d show massive improvement under a new staff though.

Unfortunately for the Wolverines, they’re still waiting for Underwood to reach his ceiling. He came into this Saturday’s game against Penn State with just 881 passing yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions. His recent performance against Minnesota was pretty rough, and yet, he was even worse this afternoon.

Whittingham benched Underwood at the start of the second half this Saturday, much to the delight of fans attending the game at Michigan Stadium. Underwood was struggling against Penn State’s defense, completing just 5 of 11 pass attempts for 43 yards with two interceptions.

With that being said, Michigan will now rely on Tommy Carr at quarterback for at least the remainder of this game. The former four-star recruit from Saline will certainly have plenty of fan support for the next few weeks.

What does this mean for Bryce?

Although nothing is set in stone at this time, it’s hard to envision a scenario where Underwood turns things around at Michigan. In fact, most media members and fans are convinced his time with the Wolverines is done.

“Hard to imagine Bryce Underwood era isn’t done. Whittingham and Beck tying their own future to Carr here as well,” Trevor McCue of Blue By 90 said.

“The Bryce Underwood era may officially be over in Ann Arbor,” OutKick wrote on X.

It’ll be interesting to hear what Whittingham has to say postgame, especially if Carr leads Michigan to a win.

The injury to Sayin occurred in the fourth quarter. He took a sack and landed awkwardly in a way that bent his throwing arm wrong. Sayin was able to leave the game of his own power but returned later wearing a sling.

Ohio State then sent freshman Luke Fahey into the game. He had two incompletions in his only drives on offense. Fortunately, the defense was able to keep the Hoosiers out of the endzone, so they didn’t need Fahey to play hero in any sort of way.

That won’t be the case when they take on USC in two weeks.

Ryan Day just announced that Julian Sayin will likely be out “several weeks” due to his injury suffered in the 4th quarter.

Buckeyes have a bye then go to Los Angeles to play USC.

Luke Fahey will have a homecoming for his first career start.

— The Silver Bulletin (@tSilverBulletin) October 17, 2026

Who is Luke Fahey?

Born in the Southern California suburb of Mission Viejo, Fahey was a three-sport star at Mission Viejo High School, leading the team to a state championship as a sophomore and finishing his high school career with 7,021 yards, 68 touchdowns and nine interceptions along with another 19 rushing touchdowns.

Fahey was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2026 and committed to the Buckeyes. 247Sports rates him as the No. 586 recruit in the nation, the No. 35 quarterback in the class, and the No. 47 prospect from California.

Despite the high praise he receives for his accuracy, Fahey has received negative marks for his size. He’s listed at only 5-foot-11 and 206 pounds on the Buckeyes’ official website.

Prior to today’s game against Indiana, Fahey had been limited to spot duty in games that were already well in hand. He has completed nine of 13 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.

Ohio State fans will undoubtedly be watching plenty of Mission Viejo tape over the next few days to see if they can expect a lot of production against the Trojans on Halloween.

The injury occurred in the second half when Sayin took a nasty sack from an Indiana defender and got driven into the ground. Unfortunately, his throwing arm got held at a very awkward angle and he visibly winced while struggling to get up.

Sayin was ultimately ruled out of the game with an arm injury and was later seen on the sideline wearing a sling. Backup QB Luke Fahey came in and threw two incomplete passes, but the Buckeyes’ defense held firm and delivered a 19-15 win over the Hoosiers.

Julian Sayin wincing on his way to the ground. pic.twitter.com/mrbd0V1hA1

— Chad Fisher DNP (@ChadFisher) October 17, 2026

Following the game, fans and analysts began to wonder what the short-term future holds for Sayin and the Buckeyes if the injury is serious.

“Significant for Ohio State,” ESPN’s Pete Thamel noted after seeing Sayin on the sideline.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day just told reporters that Sayin is expected to miss several weeks, but he couldn’t provide a clear timeline for his return.

Significant for Ohio State. https://t.co/MWK9xzJCLs

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 17, 2026

The Outlook for the Buckeyes

Until we get a clear idea of how bad the injury is, it’s too early to say whether this is going to wreck Sayin’s career, season or even his next month. But it’s not exactly common for a quarterback to be starting under center within a few days of getting his arm placed in a sling.

The good news for Ohio State is that they have a bye next week and the defense showed today that it can keep all but the most high-octane offenses in the country in check and still have a chance to win if they just chuck the ball to Heisman front-runner Jeremiah Smith.

That also means that Fahey will get some extra time to get starter reps in practice in the event that Sayin’s injury is as bad as it looked.

In the days and weeks to come, it’ll likely be Fahey that gets placed under a microscope as people try to figure out just how far the Buckeyes can go with the true freshman.

The game started off well-enough with Manning leading the Longhorns on two long scoring drives to take a 10-0 lead after the first quarter. A punt return touchdown in the second quarter gave the Longhorns a 17-3 lead and total control early in the second quarter.

Then things unraveled. Florida’s offense started getting hot while Manning and the Longhorns struggled to even stay on the field. By midway through the fourth quarter, Florida led 27-17. Manning was able to get the game close with a six-play, 75-yard drive culminating in a TD pass to Cam Coleman with 4:25 to play and the defense did its job with a forced three-and-out on Florida to make the game 27-24 for the Gators.

But on the second play of Texas’ final drive, Manning fumbled the ball and Florida’s Kanye Clark grabbed it to secure the win.

Arch Manning fumbles as Florida tries to upset No. 7 Texas!

Joe Tessitore with the call for ABC. 🏈🎙️ pic.twitter.com/amyqQBlXLN

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 17, 2026

The backlash was swift and fierce.

After the way Manning blew the fourth quarter of last week’s loss to Oklahoma, blowing a comeback against another unranked team was infuriating to some fans and the final straw for others.

For the most part, fans and analysts simply believe that he needs another year in college before he’s NFL-ready (if he’s ever NFL-ready).

“So… can the whole media machine propping up Arch Manning stop now? It’s very clear he needs another year in college. Where he stands in his development right now, an NFL GM would get himself fired within four years for making that decision in this year’s draft,” one user on X wrote.

“I’m one of the biggest Arch Manning fans on this app, but the lowlights are starting to outweigh the highlights. Last two games, he’s been a deer in headlights when it has mattered,” another remarked.

“Arch Manning is borderline undraftable honestly,” a third wrote.

It really is becoming almost indefensible at this point. We’ve seen college QBs demonstrate way more poise and better production on the field than Arch that have gone on to be late-round picks or undrafted altogether.

At this point, Manning may not have a choice but to spend another year in college if he hopes to even be an NFL player, let alone one that teams place on top of their draft boards.

Indiana was trailing 19-15 to Ohio State when Jermaine Matthews Jr. was called for targeting on quarterback Josh Hoover. It was a brutal penalty since it was 2nd-and-15 for the Hoosiers and Hoover’s pass sailed incomplete.

After reviewing this hard hit on Hoover, the refs decided to overturn the targeting call but still penalize Matthews for roughing the passer. That decision didn’t sit well with FOX broadcaster Joel Klatt. He ripped Saturday’s officiating crew several times during the fourth quarter.

Ohio State fans, meanwhile, accsued the refs of “rigging” the game for Indiana.

“Thats intentional grounding!!! Refs giving Indiana the game,” a fan wrote on X.

“Roughing the passer against Ohio State, terrible call. Just awful. Refs having too big of influence yet again,” a second fan declared.

“Refs cheating Ohio state sheesh,” a third fan said.

“These refs are trying so hard to give Indiana the game,” another fan commented.

Was this the correct call? pic.twitter.com/a8QO37sr6L

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 17, 2026

The football gods were on Ohio State’s side.

With the game on the line, Hoover delivered what should’ve been a go-ahead touchdown pass to Nick Marsh on fourth down. However, Marsh stepped out of bounds before hauling in the pass.

That miscue from Marsh allowed Ohio State to take over on downs and kneel out the clock.

This win not only improves Ohio State’s record to 6-1, it puts Ryan Day’s squad in the driver’s seat to win the Big Ten.

A week ago, Texas was ranked No. 1 heading into its rivalry game against Oklahoma. Sarkisian’s squad blew a 17-7 lead in large part because Arch Manning couldn’t take care of the football. He let Oklahoma back in the game with a pick-six in the fourth quarter and then set up their game-winning drive with another interception.

Texas was on its way to a bounce-back win this Saturday over Florida, jumping out to a 17-3 lead in the first half. However, everything fell apart for the Longhorns in the second half.

Not only did Texas struggle to move the chains, its defense had no answer for Tramell Jones Jr. this afternoon. Despite making his first start on the road, Jones had 155 passing yards, 41 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Manning had a chance to orchestrate either a game-tying or game-winning drive, but he fumbled the football with 1:58 remaining in the fourth quarter. Florida would put the game on ice with a third-down run from Jones.

Immediately after this game went final, Texas fans started speculating about Sarkisian’s future in Austin.

Well, according to On3, Texas would need to cough up $36.5 million in order to get rid of Sarkisian.

Under his current contract, Sarkisian’s buyout drops to $27.5 million in 2027.

NEW: Steve Sarkisian’s contract buyout numbers with Texas💰

2024 – $54.4M
2025 – $45.4M
2026 – $36.5M
2027 – $27.5M
2028 – $18.4M
2029 – $9.2M

(via @InsideTexas) https://t.co/7bZmpih8XM pic.twitter.com/KQgEKe5knP

— On3 (@On3) March 7, 2024

This season won’t get any easier for the Longhorns.

The Longhorns’ chances of making the College Football Playoff dropped to 48% due to this Saturday’s loss. To make matters worse, the remaining schedule is incredibly brutal.

Texas has games coming up against Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri and LSU.

While we don’t expect Texas to move on from Sarkisian in the coming days, a coaching change could be inevitable if he’s unable to get this season back on track.