This year, it seems like college football is a whole new sport. This is the first time since covid started that games and schedules have been relatively normal, yet the teams have changed exponentially. Ever since week one, there have been multiple upsets, starting with Clemson. Fans predicted that Alabama and Clemson would be at the top, with Oklahoma and Georgia not far behind. Last official year without Covid, LSU won the National Championship, with Alabama taking the title for the previous unofficial season. Starting new, the predicted rankings for this season started to change drastically after the very first game.
Recently, there have been many upsets throughout the conferences, beginning with Clemson losing to Georgia and North Carolina State at the beginning of their season. They quickly dropped to number 25, losing their streak of 97 straight weeks in the top 10. Asking a current Wheeler student about their losses, he had a lot to say, “Yea, I feel like they’re trying to just build back up their offense. Debo recruited a lot of good recruits. I say the problem is there’s no chemistry among them…it’s just like it’s a first for all of them…” – Amblessed Nzenwata (12th grade). In the following weeks, Stanford beat Oregon, 31 to 24, dropping Oregon down to number 9 in the rankings. Then, Kentucky beat Florida 20 to 13, lowering Florida to number 20 and raising Kentucky to number 11. Boise State trumped BYU, 26-17, causing BYU to drop to number 19. In a more shocking upset, Ole Miss won over Arkansas by one point – 52 to 51. The Hogs dropped four spots, moving to number 17. Ole Miss, switching with Arkansas, is now number 13. Maybe the most shocking upset yet, Alabama lost to Texas A&M, 38-41. According to CJ Brennan (11th grade), “The best team in the nation (Alabama), lost to an unranked team (Texas A&M) …nobody was expecting it.” The Aggies pulled through with a last chance field goal, moving up to number 25 after being unranked. Alabama fell to number 5, no longer being in the top 4 for playoffs (rankings changed once more later on). The weekend of October 16th, there were a few more upsets to add to our list. Purdue beat Iowa 24-7, dropping Iowa down nine spots to number 11. Next, Auburn beat Arkansas, 38 to 23, Utah beat Arizona State, 35-21, LSU beat Florida, 49-42, and Baylor beat BYU, 38-24, causing Arizona State, Arkansas, Florida, and BYU to all drop from the top 25. So far, Georgia has avoided any recent upsets; however, with this many shocks still coming in the 7th week, who knows how long they can make it.

Because of these upsets, both the rankings and predictions for playoffs have been altered. In the top 10, it is now Georgia, Cincinnati, Oklahoma, Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Oklahoma State, Michigan State, and Oregon. According to Amblessed Nzenwata (12th grade), “Playoffs are going to be really, really interesting…it’s going to be a good game….” Many people also believe that Georgia will take it all of the way because of how they have been playing all season. Freddy Hartzell (12th grade) states, “…right now, it’s looking like Georgia has the best shot, but you never know. They could be upset this week….” If Georgia doesn’t have any losses the rest of the season, they have a secure spot in the playoffs and a good chance in the National Championship as well.
In a brighter view, some teams still have a chance to improve throughout the season and climb up the rankings. Alabama still has a chance of making the playoffs if Brice Young, a sophomore, can improve throughout the following games. Furthermore, Texas, Oklahoma, and Ohio State need to improve their defense by the end of the season to increase their ranking and wins. Even though there have been a variety of upsets this past season, many teams have still recruited excellent new prospects and have a chance to grow for the following seasons. Whatever happens with these next games is up in the air, but without a doubt, the playoffs and championship game will be one to remember.