‘Bama Stays on Top
In a game with massive national title implications, No. 1 Alabama slowed down then-No. 6 Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel just enough to beat the Aggies in College Station, 49-42, avenging their loss from last year. Despite allowing Texas A&M to score 42 points, the most allowed at Alabama under head coach Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide’s offensive performance—in addition to a few key defensive plays—was enough to seal the victory. The reigning national champions gained two more first-place votes in this week’s AP Poll, receiving 59 of the 60 total votes. Texas A&M dropped to 10th in the poll with the loss at home.
UCLA Roars Back Against Nebraska
After racing out to a 21-3 lead in the second quarter against then-No. 16 UCLA, then-No. 23 Nebraska allowed the Bruins to score 38 straight unanswered points in a 41-21 loss at home. UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley threw for 294 yards and 3 touchdowns and added 61 yards on the ground to lead the Bruins. Nebraska’s loss knocked the Cornhuskers out the AP poll, while the Bruins moved up to No. 13.
TCU and Wisconsin Also Fall
Texas Tech beat then-No. 24 TCU 20-10 in a game full of penalties and turnovers to hand the Horned Frogs their second loss of the season and knock them out of the Top 25. Texas Tech backup quarterback Davis Webb came on to throw a crucial touchdown pass to make it 17-10 after starting quarterback Baker Mayfield left the game in the fourth quarter due to injury.
In a strange finish, then-No. 20 Wisconsin lost in their trip to Tempe, Arizona, falling 32-30 to Arizona State. Despite having the ball at Arizona State’s 13-yard line with 18 seconds remaining, Wisconsin was stunningly unable to finish off the comeback, with the clock running out on their quest for victory. The Badgers fell to 24th in the rankings, while the Sun Devils climbed to claim the 23rd spot.
Final Thoughts
There were some losses by teams in the top-25, but the AP poll really did not change too much. TCU and Nebraska were the only teams to drop from the rankings, with no team in the top-20 changing more than four spots from the week before. The top five—Alabama, Oregon, Clemson, Ohio State and Stanford—also remained completely unchanged from the previous week. There is, however, potential for a shake-up in the poll next week as No. 23 Arizona State travels to Palo Alto to take on No. 5 Stanford.
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