WEB EXCLUSIVE

Since the start of the 2021 college football season, fans have been on a rollercoaster full of curveballs, upsets, and hopping on bandwagons. From a notoriously undefeated #1 team being taken down by an unranked school to the number of unexpected undefeated teams in the 10th week, it’s safe to say this season has defied fan expectations.

During the first seven weeks of the season, the Alabama Crimson Tide was the #1 ranked college football team. Having won five national championships in the last 10 years, Alabama has a reputation for being one of the best teams in the country. Despite the team’s streak of 19 straight wins and its number 1 ranking, the Crimson Tide fell to the formerly unranked Texas A&M Aggies. 

In the last 3 minutes of the game, the score was evened at 38-38 with a touchdown scored by Texas A&M wide receiver Ainias Smith. As time ran out, the game was won by a 28-yard field goal from Texas A&M kicker Seth Small for a final score of 41-38. This game was Alabama’s first loss to an unranked team since 2007, around the time Oviedo High School’s freshman class was born.

As of week 10, the Aggies are now #13 and the Crimson Tide has been knocked down to #3. This Alabama upset bumped the undefeated Georgia Bulldogs into the #1 ranking, a spot they haven’t held since 1982. 

Several surprising teams remain unbeaten, including Michigan State, Wake Forest, Cincinnati, and UT San Antonio. For example, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (#10) have never been ranked in the top 10 of any large-scale poll in the history of their football program. In addition, #16 UTSA (8-0) has never won 8 games in a row until this season. Cincinnati is also 8-0 with their best victory over #8 Notre Dame. Michigan State (8-0) is also particularly surprising for most fans since last season they had a record of 2-5 and were last place in the East division. 

As the end of the season nears in the next few weeks, the race to the playoff games will be exciting for all college football fans. With Alabama’s slip up to Texas A&M, there’s a new hope for other teams to steal a spot in the playoffs this season.