Alabama rises to No.1 spot after upsetting No. 2 Georgia, Auburn loses heartbreaker in Jordan-Hare

(WHNT) — Week 5 was not short on movie-worthy moments, plenty of upsets to go around and several heart-stopping close calls.

“Yeah, when you face a really good football team, you know there’s going to be a strong push,” said Alabama Head Coach Kalen DeBoer in a post-game interview. “We pushed each other to the very end.”

First, let’s start with the most anticipated game of the day, and some say, the year: No. 4 Alabama versus No. 2 Georgia. The Crimson Tide played the Bulldogs in the regular season for the first time since 2020 and this game was not short of excitement and heartbreak/.

Starting off, the Crimson Tide managed to score 21 points in the first quarter holding Georgia scoreless. They didn’t stop there because, in the second quarter, Quarterback Jalen Milroe ran for 36 yards for a touchdown. The Bulldogs finally scored their first touchdown of the game with 6:43 left in the half.

The half ended with Georgia Quarterback Carson Beck being called for intentional grounding in the endzone, leading to a safety for the Crimson Tide. At the half, the Crimson Tide left the Bulldogs stunned, 30-7.

The game was far from over because the Bulldogs came back after halftime with a vengeance and scored four touchdowns and one two-point conversion to bring the score to 33-34. Star Receiver True Freshman Ryan “Hollywood” Williams completed a 75-yard pass from Milroe to score one last time with two minutes left on the clock.

Georgia regained momentum and drove the ball down the field. Beck threw the ball to a Bulldog in the endzone, but it was picked off by Cornerback Zabien Brown with 43 seconds left on the clock. This interception sealed the deal for the Crimson Tide, ending Georgia’s 42 straight regular-season game-winning streak.

Williams had another memorable moment when he bobbled Milroe’s 54-yard throw and ultimately held onto the ball for the Crimson Tide. The drive led to a field goal in the third quarter.

The Crimson Tide walked out of the game victorious, winning 41-34. This was DeBoer’s first SEC win as the head coach.

Next up, the attention shifts to Auburn. The Auburn Tigers played the No. 21 Oklahoma Sooners at home. The Tigers seemed to gain momentum going into the half after scoring two touchdowns in the second quarter, ending the half up 14-7.

Things seemed to take a turn for the better and then the worse when the Tigers scored another touchdown to start the fourth quarter. However, Quarterback Payton Thorne threw a pick-6, leading the Sooners to win the game, 27-21. The Tigers head into week 6 with a record of 2-3 as they travel to Athens, Georgia, to play the Bulldogs.

Head Coach Hugh Freeze said this loss against Oklahoma stung.

“Unfortunately, we just didn’t execute well enough and gave them the points on the turnover. I shouldn’t have put (Thorne) in that position and have him have that option. So, it’s one that stings, for sure. I’ve got to help our team get over the edge when you have a chance to win a game like that. Proud of those young kids. I thought they played really well and are starting to mature some. But, gosh, this one stings, for sure.”

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The other SEC upset came when Kentucky pulled out a win over No. 6 Ole Miss in Oxford for the first time since 1978. The Wildcats maintained a steady lead the entire game, only wavering in the third quarter when Ole Miss scored a touchdown bringing the score to 17-13.

However, in the last three minutes of the game, the Wildcats were able to score the final touchdown bringing the final score to 20-17.

Bringing the attention to the Big 12, Arizona upset No. 10 Utah 23-10. The Wildcats beat the Utah Utes handily throughout the entire game. The Utes scored twice in the entire game: a field goal in the second quarter and a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Also for the Big 12, No. 23 Kansas State upset No. 20 Oklahoma State, 42-20. The Wildcats were steady throughout the game, constantly in the lead. Cowboys Quarterback Alan Bowman completed 26-50 throws for 364 yards and one touchdown but threw two interceptions.

Kansas State Quarterback threw for almost 100 yards less than Bowman completing 12-31 passes for 259 yards but also had three touchdowns and one interception. The Wildcats were able to hold the Cowboys offense only allowing two touchdowns and two field goals.

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The final upset for the Top 25 came from the No. 16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish clinching a win over the No. 15 Louisville Cardinals. The Fighting Irish came out of the gate strong scoring 21 points in the first quarter. Their lead was shortened when the Cardinals scored at the end of the game, but it wasn’t enough to clinch the lead.

The Fighting Irish pulled out the win 31-24.

After a memorable week in college football, there were some shifts in the rankings:

• The top 5 shifted as Alabama climbed to No. 1, and Georgia fell to No. 5, thereby shifting Texas to No. 2 and Ohio State to No. 3.
• Ole Miss dropped to No. 12 after their loss to Kentucky
• Tennessee rose into the top 4
• Texas A&M & Oklahoma State dropped out of the rankings

You can see the full AP Top 25 week 6 rankings below.

1. Alabama
2. Texas
3. Ohio State
4. Tennessee
5. Georgia
6. Oregon
7. Penn State
8. Miami
9. Missouri
10. Michigan
11. USC
12. Ole Miss
13. LSU
14. Notre Dame
15. Clemson
16. Iowa State
17. BYU
18. Utah
19. Oklahoma
20. Kansas State
21. Boise State
22. Louisville
23. Indiana
24. Illinois
25. UNLV

Arizona received 106 votes to be ranked in the top 25.

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