It was an ugly weekend for some of the top teams in the country. With Alabama, Texas and others all taking losses, the number of undefeated teams is whittled down to just nine — and the likelihood of a one-loss national champion gets higher and higher
The names are clear and obvious. Their chances of being the last team left standing at the end of the year are not. So, which one-loss programs can still win it all — and which have a fatal flaw?
Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama is coming off their first loss of the season, a 20-17 slugfest against Georgia in which Ryan Coleman-Williams was injured, every call which could go against them did and both teams looked like national championship contenders.
Besides the pass interference call and the interception that wasn’t, Alabama also forced Georgia into four fumbles but wer somehowe not able to produce turnovers from any of them. No wonder Kalen DeBoer was losing his mind on the sidelines.
Despite the loss, though, Alabama was still able to run the ball for 5.6 yards per carry and Keelon Russell continued to show that the biggest moments are not going to be too big for him. (Not to mention the maturity he showed by waiting on the field after the game to make sure he was able to shake the hand of his counterpart, Gunner Stockton.) Saturday’s game has a chance to be the first of two or even three matchups between the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs this season. If it is, expect another classic.
Alabama still needs to be considered a real threat to win the national championship. They finally have a running game; they have a dynamic quarterback in Russell and the defense is rounding into shape. Just maybe fall on a loose ball or two next time.
Iowa Hawkeyes
Let’s get it out of the way early: No, the Hawkeyes are not going to win the national championship. If they do, I will personally fly to Iowa City and congratulate Kirk Ferentz in person.
Iowa can still be a stick in the mud for someone, though — whether they make the Big Ten title game and knock a title contender down to a lower Playoff seed, or whether they make the Playoff themselves and give a favored opponent a physical game from which they cannot recover.Â
Quarterback Hank Brown was unable to play on Friday against Washington. In his absence, Jeremy Hecklinski came in and led the Hawkeyes to 41 points and a big road win. If Ferentz was correct in his assessment that Brown and Hecklinski were neck and neck during fall camp, then this performance should allow Hecklinski to garner another start to see what he can do.
There are still difficult games left on the Iowa schedule, including Wisconsin, Minnesota and Nebraska. But with this team playing the way they are, and with the Phil Parker-led defense still confusing opponents, the Hawkeyes are going to do damage to someone down the stretch.Â
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Like Iowa, this Nebraska team does not look quite ready to compete at the higihest level. But they are far better this season without Dylan Raiola at quarterback, and the overall talent level has clearly increased.
Matt Rhule had the Cornhuskers believing that anything was possible against Indiana on Saturday. For three quarters of the game, they were the better team. Had the fourth quarter not fallen apart, the Hoosiers would be the team on this list and Nebraska would be undefeated and inside the top 15 of the next AP poll. Unfortunately, Nick Marsh had a monster final quarter with two touchdowns, including a 75-yard bomb just one play after Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea scampered for a 39-yard score of his own.
After being second-guessed for the Rhule extension following overtures from Penn State, Nebraska looks like they might finally have the head coach in place to get the Cornhuskers back to 10-win seasons and Playoff berths.
Ole Miss Rebels
If star running back Kewan Lacy can get and remain healthy, the Rebels will have a chance to go far in the Playoff once again. Unfortunately, Lacy once again left the win over Vanderbilt due to injury, and with a difficult schedule upcoming — which surprisingly now includes Kamario Taylor and Mississippi State — it feels like Ole Miss is walking a tightrope.
The only reason Ole Miss has a chance to shock people is due to Trinidad Chambliss. The quarterback who has been able to pull his team out of the fire so many times already will be forced to do so again if Pete Golding wants to get his team back to the postseason.
Ole Miss is good; they are not great. The defense has taken a step back and the offense without Lacy is not the same. Another loss or two looks lie ahead, and that makes a trip to the Playoff unlikely.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Despite already having a loss to Texas, Ohio State might just be the best team in the country.
Not only has Julian Sayin been playing well, but he gets to throw the ball to the best player in the country in Jeremiah Smith. Smith, who had two more touchdowns Saturday on his first two catches against Maryland, is the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. He is also the reason the Buckeyes cannot be slept on; no matter how many players cover him, he is always open.
Illinois tried to play him man-to-man, and he went for 12 catches for 217 yards and four touchdowns. The following week, Iowa decided to put double and triple coverage on Smith to limit his production. He still finished with 11 catches for 206 yards and two scores.
The only way someone will beat the Buckeyes is to slow down Smith. But, to paraphrase the epic movie A Knights Tale, on a football field? That man is unbeatable.
With Indiana looking vulnerable and Oregon now basically out of the mix, Ohio State has an inside track to the Big Ten title. This will give them one of the top two seeds in the Playoff and a great chance to win the national championship for the second time in three seasons.Â
Texas Longhorns
Texas has a Manning problem. It's not necessarily an Arch Manning problem, though. We have all seen that Arch is not either of his uncles. Unfortunately, fans in Austin all think that he is, and therein lies the problem.
With all these expectations placed on his shoulders, Manning cannot do anything to satisfy Texas fans or draft analysts who think he must perfect all the time. Manning is still a good college quarterback; he has a good arm and the ability to get out of the pocket to scramble, something neither of his uncles were capable of. But the pressure on him has also led to mistakes such as the interception returned for a touchdown on Saturday in the rivalry game against Oklahoma. He followed this by leading the Longhorns to a score on the next drive. Even so, the Longhorns lost to a Sooners team which has not looked good for the past month, and it might ruin Texas’ chances at a national championship.
Collin Simmons is the best defensive player in the country in 2026. The Texas defense an elite unit overall. But with the inconsistency of Manning and the rest of the offense under Steve Sarkisian, the Horns risk another letdown game against a team like Georgia or Alabama moving forward.
The next two games for Texas are at home against Florida and Ole Miss. Although the Gators have started to fade, they can still be dangerous. We also know what Chambliss is capable of. Even a game against a better Mississippi State team than the one which took the Longhorns to overtime in 2025 is going to be a challenge.
Still talented, still with a great defense and still with a great chance to make the Playoff, Texas can win the national championship. But it will all depend on Manning growing into a first-round draft pick in the way the prophecies have foretold.Â
USC Trojans
While Jayden Maiava has been good this season, the defense of the Trojans is still unable to stop teams from scoring. With games left against the likes of Indiana and Ohio State, this will become a major issue as they look to avoid another loss and sneak into the Playoff.
USC finally got a solid win in the Eastern time zone with their win against Penn State on Saturday. But the Nittany Lions have been on a slide in recent weeks with three straight losses, and their offense is not comparable to either the Hoosiers or the Buckeyes.
If USC is somehow able to beat Ohio State in Los Angeles, a cold, November trip to Bloomington may just be the game which finally does them in. The Trojans might make the Playoff, but they are not a true contender for the title.
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