Georgia Claims No. 1 Ranking After Alabama Upset as Texas Falls, Shaking Up CFP Title Odds

Georgia is the new No. 1 team in college football. The Bulldogs climbed to the top of the AP Top 25 for the first time since September 2024 after knocking off then-No. 6 Alabama 20-17 on the road Saturday night, while Texas — the team Georgia replaced at No. 1 — was stunned by unranked Oklahoma 27-24 in the Red River Rivalry on a game-ending 47-yard field goal.

The two results landed within hours of each other and reshaped the top of the sport in a single Saturday. Georgia’s win was its first regular-season victory in Tuscaloosa since 2007 and the first win of Kirby Smart’s head coaching career at Alabama’s place, improving him to 3-10 all-time against his alma mater. Texas, meanwhile, had its seven-game winning streak snapped, four of those wins coming against ranked opponents, and dropped from No. 1 to No. 7 in the new poll.

How Georgia Took Down Alabama in Tuscaloosa

Gunner Stockton threw for 249 yards and accounted for two touchdowns to lead Georgia’s offense, while Dwight Phillips Jr. carried the load on the ground with 120 rushing yards and Bo Walker chipped in 69 more. Alabama led 14-0 after the first quarter before Georgia clawed back, and the decisive points came on a Peyton Woodring 23-yard field goal with 5:25 remaining, the result of a 10-play, 84-yard drive that nearly ended before it started when Georgia nearly fumbled away a punt return. Alabama’s offense went scoreless in the second half, and the Crimson Tide’s final possession ended with coach Kalen DeBoer visibly furious on the sideline after a non-call on a potential pass interference and a personal foul penalty on his own player helped close the door on any late comeback. It was Georgia’s third win over Alabama in its last 13 meetings in the series.

Down in Dallas, the Red River Rivalry delivered its own chaos. Oklahoma entered unranked and limped into the game off losses to Michigan and Georgia earlier this season, while Texas arrived undefeated with marquee wins already banked. Quarterback John Mateer connected with Isaiah Sategna III on a 13-yard completion with 15 seconds left and a 20-yard throw with nine seconds remaining, both plays reviewed before standing, to set up kicker Tate Sandell. Sandell, who had already made a 53-yard field goal and missed one from the same distance earlier in the game, drilled the 47-yarder as time expired to give Oklahoma the 27-24 win and send the Golden Hat trophy back to Norman. It was Oklahoma’s first win over a No. 1 Texas team in the 122-year history of the rivalry.

What the Results Mean for the College Football Playoff Picture

The new AP Top 25 has Georgia at No. 1 for the first time in just over two years, with Ohio State, Notre Dame, Miami, Indiana, Alabama and Texas rounding out the next several spots. LSU, which lost earlier in the day to Kentucky in overtime, tumbled further down the board, and Oregon dropped out of the poll entirely after its own setback. Georgia now projects as a likely No. 1 overall seed in early College Football Playoff bracket forecasts, while Texas, despite the loss, is still projected by several outlets to make the field, landing around the No. 4 seed line in many of the latest projections. Oklahoma’s win vaults the Sooners back into the national conversation after an uneven start to the season, and the program that looked like it might be on the outside looking in is suddenly relevant again in the SEC race.

The national championship futures market moved quickly to reflect the new hierarchy. Ohio State remains the overall favorite after its own blowout win over Maryland, sitting at the top of the board. Georgia held firm as the second choice, its price essentially unchanged from the prior week even as the Bulldogs took over the No. 1 ranking, a sign the market already had Georgia pegged as a top contender heading into the Alabama trip. Texas, by contrast, drifted noticeably in the other direction, sliding from a shorter number the week before to a lengthened price now shared with Alabama — a notable shift given Texas was the previous No. 1 overall team. Alabama’s number actually tightened week over week, suggesting bettors still view the Crimson Tide as playoff-relevant despite Saturday’s loss, likely a reflection of the SEC’s overall strength and Alabama’s resume against Georgia itself. Oklahoma remains a distant long shot in the title market, but the win over Texas figures to move that number as sportsbooks digest Saturday’s results.

With Georgia now sitting at No. 1, Ohio State still favored in the futures market, and Texas facing questions about its margin for error the rest of the way, the next several weeks of results figure to keep shifting both the rankings and the odds board. LSU’s fall and Oklahoma’s rise only add to a playoff picture that looks far less settled than it did a week ago.