Sunday Snap: Miami Falls at Notre Dame, Georgia and Oregon Make Statements
Only two unbeaten teams remain in the FBS. On Saturday, Nov. 7, Miami, No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings, lost 31-24 at Notre Dame. On the same day, Oregon scored 38 straight points in Columbus to take down Ohio State, Georgia embarrassed Ole Miss on its own field and Tennessee shut down Kentucky. By the end of the night, Utah and UCLA, both 9-0, stood alone at the top. According to The Associated Press, you have to go back to 2003 to find so few unbeaten teams at this point of the season. Here is how a day that reshuffles the deck ahead of Tuesday's second committee rankings unfolded.
Notre Dame 31, Miami 24: the No. 1 team falls on a fourth down
The Hurricanes arrived in South Bend unbeaten but without Malachi Toney, their star receiver. For a half, Notre Dame (No. 11 CFP) was in control. CJ Carr found Jordan Faison and then Micah Gilbert, and the Irish defense won a key sequence: Miami had first-and-goal at the 1, ran three times for nothing and settled for a field goal. It was 17-3 at the break. A 56-yard punt return by Jaden Faison then set up Carr's third touchdown pass, again to Gilbert: 24-3.
Darian Mensah woke Miami up. Three second-half touchdown passes, one to tight end Elija Lofton (7 catches, 113 yards) and two to Cooper Barkate, pulled the Hurricanes within 31-24 with under ten minutes left. It all came down to 3:36 remaining: fourth-and-6 at the 18.
Mensah threw for Lofton in the corner of the end zone, Luke Talich got a hand on the ball and officials ruled the pass incomplete, even though Lofton's feet appeared to be in bounds. "Don't leave it in the hands of the officials," Miami coach Mario Cristobal lamented.
Carr finished 29 of 40 for 319 yards and three touchdowns, and the Irish did not turn the ball over. Notre Dame (8-1) beat a No. 1 team for the first time since Clemson in 2020, six years to the day, and avenged the 27-24 loss of 2025 that cost it a playoff spot. Miami (8-1, 6-0 ACC) still controls its own destiny in the conference but is no longer unbeaten.
Oregon 41, Ohio State 28: 38 straight points in the Horseshoe
In front of 103,551 fans, Ohio State (No. 12 CFP) got off to a perfect start. Bo Jackson finished the Buckeyes' first two drives, and it was 14-0 after one quarter. Then nothing. A Gage Hurych field goal started the Ducks' (No. 23 CFP) run before the turning point: a 30-yard fake punt on fourth-and-9, cashed in six plays later by a Dierre Hill Jr. touchdown. Just before halftime, tight end Jamari Johnson, taking a direct snap, dove in to make it 17-14.
In the second half, Hill broke through the defense for 48 yards, Dakorien Moore made a one-handed catch in the corner of the end zone and Brandon Smith pushed the score to 38-14. Dylan Raiola, starting since Dante Moore's injury, finished 25 of 40 for 257 yards and two touchdowns. Luke Fahey threw for 360 yards, but Ohio State failed on fourth down on four consecutive drives.
The Buckeyes (6-3), still without Julian Sayin, lost two straight for the first time since 2011 and saw their 12-game home winning streak end. A Big Ten title game trip now looks out of reach. Oregon (6-3) got its revenge for the January 2025 Rose Bowl but will likely need to win out, starting with Michigan next Saturday.
Georgia 42, Ole Miss 7: the Oxford fortress falls
A close game between No. 2 and No. 10 was expected after two tight meetings last season. There was no game. Georgia led 14-0 after a quarter, helped by a 58-yard touchdown from Gunner Stockton to Talyn Taylor, then 28-0 at halftime with 298 yards already on the board. The game was even briefly stopped in the second quarter after objects were thrown from the stands.
Stockton accounted for five touchdowns (9 of 15, 186 yards, four touchdown passes, plus a 15-yard run). Taylor caught three touchdown passes for 140 yards, and the ground game piled up 295 yards, 107 of them from Nate Frazier. On the other side, Trinidad Chambliss was smothered: 170 yards, an interception, a lost fumble, four sacks and the end of his 21-game streak with at least one touchdown pass. The Rebels' only touchdown came from Montreal native Shekai Mills-Knight on an 8-yard run.
Ole Miss lost at home for the first time since 2024, ending a 16-game winning streak in Oxford. Georgia (8-1, 6-1 SEC) now leads the SEC outright and could even climb to No. 1 in the AP poll.
The rest of the Top 25
Utah 28, BYU 20 – Utah (No. 3) won the Holy War and stays unbeaten (9-0). Devon Dampier ran for two touchdowns, while Bear Bachmeier threw for 272 yards for BYU (No. 9), but also four interceptions. Our Holy War recap.
Alabama 31, LSU 13 – Alabama (No. 5) won in Baton Rouge against No. 14 behind three touchdown passes from Keelon Russell. Sam Leavitt's 380 passing yards were not enough, and Lane Kiffin has still never beaten the Crimson Tide. Our Baton Rouge recap.
Tennessee 34, Kentucky 6 – Tennessee (No. 13) dominated Kentucky (No. 6) with 24 unanswered points, led by DeSean Bishop's 109 yards and two touchdowns. The Volunteers revive their playoff hopes, and Kentucky loses its share of the SEC lead.
Texas 34, Missouri 20 – In Columbia, Texas (No. 7) rallied past Missouri (No. 18) with 21 straight points after a disputed review. Arch Manning threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns. Our game recap.
UCLA 34, Minnesota 20 – UCLA (No. 8) stays unbeaten (9-0) and alone atop the Big Ten (6-0). Ty Dieffenbach completed only eight passes, but for 303 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Aidan Mizell (150 yards on two catches).
Oklahoma 23, Florida 7 – Unranked Oklahoma won in Gainesville against No. 24. John Mateer threw for 207 yards and two touchdowns.
South Carolina 17, Texas A&M 9 – South Carolina (No. 21) won its fourth straight in a tight game. LaNorris Sellers (251 yards, one touchdown) returned after an ankle scare.
Iowa 24, Northwestern 10 – Iowa (No. 19) won it on the ground behind 128 yards from L.J. Phillips Jr. and improves to 7-2.
Texas Tech 53, West Virginia 48 – Texas Tech (No. 15) survived a shootout thanks to five touchdown passes from Thomas Castellanos.
Houston 31, Cincinnati 24 – Houston (No. 17) stays unbeaten at home, powered by 126 yards from Reshaun Sanford II.
Wake Forest 77, Merrimack 0 – Wake Forest (No. 16) posted a record win; backup Steele Pizzella threw for 432 yards.
Boise State 64, Colorado State 38 – Boise State (No. 25) won its eighth straight; Max Cutforth threw four touchdowns and Dylan Riley ran for 192 yards.
What's next for the Top 25
The College Football Playoff committee releases its second rankings on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and Miami's loss opens a spot in the top four, which comes with a first-round bye. Georgia, Utah and UCLA are in strong position, and Notre Dame should climb significantly. In the SEC, Georgia now sits alone ahead of Alabama and Kentucky in the race to Atlanta.
Next Saturday, the marquee game is in Bloomington, where Indiana (No. 4, 8-1) hosts USC (No. 20, 7-2) in a pivotal Big Ten matchup. Miami hosts Duke, Notre Dame welcomes Boston College, Oregon hosts Michigan at Autzen Stadium and Ohio State tries to regroup against Northwestern. Georgia hosts Missouri, while Ole Miss travels to Oklahoma.
Rankings cited are from the College Football Playoff rankings released Nov. 3.
