#2 Georgia Shuts Out #8 Arkansas; #3 Oregon Falls to Stanford in College Football

Top ranked Alabama remained that way with a 41-21 win over #12 Mississippi on October 2nd. There’s a long way to go in the college football season, but #2 Georgia made a resounding statement that it will be the Crimson Tides’ opponent in the SEC Championship in December. The Bulldogs thrashed #8 Arkansas 37-0 in Athens, Georgia to also remain unbeaten at 5-0.

The Bulldogs have scored 205 points while allowing just 20, with their last two games being shutouts. Arkansas had just 162 total yards. Zamir White scored three touchdowns for Georgia.

Georgia and Alabama aren’t scheduled during the regular SEC season, but are at the top of their respective divisions. The Bulldogs are in a difficult part of the schedule, playing at #18 Auburn on October 9th, hosting #16 Kentucky on October 16th, and hosting #20 Florida on October 30th following a bye week.

Elsewhere, #3 Oregon fell from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 31-24 overtime loss at Stanford. #20 UCLA lost to Arizona State, meaning that the Pac-12 has no unbeaten teams. Oregon dropped to #8 in the AP Poll, while Arizona State (4-1) made it in at #22. Those are the only two teams from the Pac-12 in the Top 25.

Meanwhile, the Big Ten has been fairing well in the Top 25. Iowa moved up to #3 after trouncing Maryland 51-14, Penn State stayed at #4 with a 24-0 shutout of Indiana, Ohio State moved up to #7 with a 52-13 victory over Rutgers, Michigan took over the #9 slot with a 38-17 win at Wisconsin, and Michigan State moved up from 17th to 11th with a 48-31 win over Western Kentucky. All those teams are 5-0 except Ohio State; the Buckeyes are 4-1 with a loss to Oregon earlier this season.

Oklahoma remained unbeaten after holding off Kansas State 37-31. The Sooners had lost their last two matchups with the Wildcats, and remain at #6 in the poll. BYU moved into the Top 10 at #10 with a win over Utah State.

Finally, #7 Cincinnati went into South Bend, Indiana, for a clash with #9 Notre Dame in a matchup of two more unbeatens. The Bearcats were 9-0 during the regular season in 2020, only losing to Georgia in the Peach Bowl. Teams in non Power Five conferences always have to prove themselves for the better post season bowl games—and especially if they have any designs on the College Football Playoff for the National Championship. Cincinnati took a step in the right direction by beating the Fighting Irish 24-13. The Bearcats moved up to fifth in the rankings, while Notre Dame dropped to #14.