Week 12 Chaos: Upsets Ignite a Full-Blown CFP Shakeup
Week 12’s upsets reshaped college football, causing a major shakeup in the AP Top 25 rankings and clarifying the playoff picture. The defeats of six ranked teams, including two in the top 10, highlighted who the real championship contenders are and revived some dark-horse hopes. Significant changes are expected in the next College Football Playoff rankings as a result.
Major Rankings Shakeup After Week 12 Upsets
Chaos finally caught up to the contenders in Week 12, and the new AP Top 25 reflects it. Six teams from last week’s poll took losses, headlined by Alabama’s 23–21 home defeat to Oklahoma and Texas’ 35–10 humbling at Georgia in a pair of SEC showdowns that reshaped the top 10. Oklahoma’s road statement in Tuscaloosa pushed the Sooners to eighth ranked in the latest poll, while Alabama tumbled six spots, ranked 10th after falling to 8–2 despite 326 passing yards from Ty Simpson. Georgia’s physical finish against Texas vaulted the Bulldogs to their fourth ranking, squarely back in the national title conversation at 9–1, while the Longhorns slid to 17th out of 25, with their CFP margin for error gone. The other big casualty was Cincinnati, which dropped out of the rankings entirely after Arizona’s 30–24 road upset behind Noah Fifita’s 294 passing yards.
New AP Top 25: Old Powers Rise, New Blood Emerges
At the top, Ohio State and Indiana did exactly what the top-ranked first and second teams are supposed to do in November: survive without drama. The Buckeyes rolled over UCLA 48–10 behind a balanced effort from Julian Sayin, 23-of-31 for 184 yards and a TD, and a 112-yard, one-score day from running back Bo Jackson, staying perfect at 10–0. Indiana quietly kept its dream season alive at 11–0 with a 31–7 win over Wisconsin, as Fernando Mendoza carved up the Badgers by completing 22 of 24 passes for 299 yards and four touchdowns. Texas A&M, now 10–0 and still ranked 3rd, provided the commotion, storming back from a 30–3 first-half hole to stun South Carolina 31–30 in the largest comeback in school history behind Mason Reed’s 439 passing yards and three scores. Ole Miss and Texas Tech kept stacking style points as well, with the Rebels riding Kewan Lacy’s 224 rushing yards and three touchdowns past Florida and the Red Raiders cruising 48–9 over UCF. Down the poll, Notre Dame, BYU, Utah, and Miami all posted double-digit wins to entrench themselves in the teens, while North Texas rejoined the AP Top 25 for its first appearance in decades.
CFP Picture: Committee Pressure Mounts Before Next Reveal
Officially, the latest College Football Playoff rankings still list Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M, and Alabama in the top four, followed by Georgia, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Oregon, Notre Dame, Texas, Oklahoma, and BYU in the crucial top 12. After Week 12, that pecking order is guaranteed to come under heavy review when the committee meets again. Alabama’s loss at home to a now–8–2 Oklahoma team that also owns a prominent SEC win demands a reevaluation of the Sooners’ current CFP slot and the Tide’s place in the top line of the bracket. Georgia’s domination of Texas gives the Bulldogs perhaps the nation’s strongest one-loss profile, putting them in prime position to climb from the fifth slot into the top four, while the Longhorns’ second loss likely pushes them toward the back end of the top 12. Meanwhile, surging brands like BYU, Utah, and Miami strengthened their resumes with blowout wins, positioning themselves as dangerous first-round matchups in the new 12-team format. Rivalry week and conference title games on deck turned Week 12 into more than a simple poll reshuffle; it ignited a full-blown College Football Playoff free-for-all, leaving the field wide open behind the two unbeaten Big Ten giants leading the charge.
