Chaos nearly ensued at the top of The Associated Press poll on Saturday. No. 3 Texas A&M didn't let it happen after making its biggest comeback in program history to beat South Carolina.
As for No. 25 South Florida, the Bulls couldn't complete their comeback attempt against Navy and now the race for the Group of Five's automatic bid in the College Football Playoff playoff is wide open again.
The No. 3 Aggies were the story of the day. They overcame
a 27-point halftime deficit and stayed unbeaten with their 31-30 win over the Gamecocks and remain on track to reach the Southeastern Conference title game.
No. 2 Indiana defeated Wisconsin 31-7 and should keep its spot behind Ohio State when the new AP poll is released Sunday and when the CFP rankings come out Tuesday. Ohio State was playing UCLA at home on Saturday.
Not to be overlooked is the situation in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The big change in this week's CFP rankings was the selection committee's decision to move Miami ahead of Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets are No. 14 in this week's AP poll and the Hurricanes are No. 16.
Miami is 15th and Georgia Tech is 16th in the CFP rankings, with the committee giving the nod to Miami because of its season-opening win over Notre Dame.
The gap between Georgia Tech and Miami in the AP poll is 105 points. It will be interesting to see if AP voters follow the selection committee's lead and re-evaluate those two teams, contingent on Saturday's results. The Yellow Jackets were 16.5-point road favorites against the ACC's last-place team, Boston College, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Miami was a 15.5-point home favorite against N.C. State.
— No. 7 Oregon had no problem against Minnesota on Friday in a 42-13 win and the Ducks will merit a promotion if someone ahead of them slips up.
— No. 9 Notre Dame posted a solid 37-15 win at Pittsburgh, and the Fighting Irish, like Oregon, could move up.
— No. 19 Louisville probably will drop out of the Top 25 after losing 20-19 to Clemson. It was the Cardinals' second straight loss at home. They lost to California last week.
— No. 23 Pittsburgh probably will fall out after losing by 22 to the Irish, but the Panthers still have a path to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.
— No. 25 South Florida had been in the driver's seat for the G5 bid in the CFP after bouncing back from its loss to Memphis with a convincing win over UTSA last week. It's wide open now after its 41-38 loss to Navy.
— No. 18 Michigan had a close call against Northwestern, winning 24-22 on a field goal as time expired. It will be interesting to see how voters view it.
No. 10 Texas (7-2, 4-1 SEC, No. 10 CFP) at No. 5 Georgia (8-1, 6-1, No. 5)
Georgia swept the Longhorns in the regular season and SEC title game last year, and another win here would effectively end Texas’ slim hopes of returning to the title game and CFP. The Bulldogs have won five in a row since their three-point home loss to Alabama, and even if they lose to Texas, they can still make the CFP. BetMGM Sportsbook: Georgia by 6 1/2.
No. 11 Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2 SEC, No. 11 CFP) at No. 4 Alabama (8-1, 6-0, No. 4)
This is a grudge match for the Crimson Tide, whose playoff hopes ended last year with a November loss in Norman. If the Tide gets past the Sooners and takes care of business against Eastern Illinois of the FCS and Auburn in the Iron Bowl, they will have run the table since that season-opening loss to Florida State. BetMGM Sportsbook: Alabama by 6.
No. 20 Virginia (8-2, 5-1) at Duke (5-4, 4-1)
The Cavaliers slipped up against Wake Forest last week and must win out and get help from other teams to reach the ACC title game. Duke, if it wins out, is well-positioned for a spot in the game based on tiebreakers. Virginia QB Chandler Morris, who was in concussion protocol after getting knocked out of last week's game, started against the Blue Devils. BetMGM Sportsbook: Duke by 4 1/2.
Florida Atlantic (4-5, 3-3) at Tulane (7-2, 4-1)
Tulane is still alive in the American Conference thanks to its win at Memphis last week. Jake Retzlaff threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns against the Tigers and could do as much, or more, damage against the Owls' soft defense. BetMGM Sportsbook: Tulane by 17 1/2.
Iowa (6-3, 4-2) at No. 17 Southern California (7-2, 5-1, No. 17 CFP)
The Hawkeyes almost certainly will be in the Top 25 for the first time since early last season if they bounce back from their narrow loss to Oregon to beat the Trojans. USC is churning out 500 yards per game, but Iowa has one of the nation's top defenses. BetMGM Sportsbook: USC by 6 1/2.
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