BYU defeats Notre Dame as top-ranked teams stumble in Week 7
BYU beat No. 2 Notre Dame 28-24, while No. 1 Georgia lost to Auburn, leaving six undefeated FBS teams after a weekend of upsets.
BYU secured a 28-24 victory over No. 2 Notre Dame on Saturday, handing the Irish their ninth straight road loss to a top-10 opponent. The Cougars built a 21-10 halftime lead, and quarterback Bear Bachmeier capped the win with a six-yard touchdown pass with 1:47 remaining. BYU’s defense then held a goal-line stand to preserve the result, keeping the program among six unbeaten teams in the nation.
In the same round of games, No. 1 Georgia fell 27-24 to unranked Auburn after a 34-yard field goal by Auburn kicker Alex McPherson in the final minutes. The loss marked the first time since October 1990 that the top-ranked team has lost in consecutive weeks.
Other top-10 defeats included No. 5 Indiana (19-15) to No. 4 Ohio State, No. 6 Alabama (26-10) to No. 14 Tennessee, No. 7 Texas (27-24) to No. 2 Florida, and No. 9 Ole Miss (31-3) over No. 13 Missouri. Across the FCS, nine ranked programs also suffered losses, highlighted by No. 1 South Dakota State falling to No. 11 North Dakota.
The AP poll race now features three contenders for the No. 1 spot on Sunday: No. 3 Miami (FL), No. 4 Ohio State and No. 8 BYU. Miami remains unbeaten at 6-0 after a 43-35 double-overtime win over Florida State, while Ohio State added a road victory over Indiana. BYU’s win over Notre Dame is its signature result among the three.
At halftime, several games remained in progress, including Utah leading Colorado 13-0 and Texas Tech maintaining its unbeaten record. The weekend’s outcomes reshaped the rankings and set the stage for the upcoming AP poll.