South Carolina held on. The Gamecocks upset #1 Alabama 35-21, scoring the most points Alabama has allowed since a 41-34 defeat to LSU in 2007. This would be why you don’t pencil a team in the national title game the first week of October. The SEC and national title picture look wide open.

Assuming Oregon holds on, they and Ohio State move ahead to the 1-2 spots. Neither has looked invincible. If either or both fall, does Boise State or TCU move into the title game? Do they stay ahead of a potentially undefeated Nebraska/Oklahoma or Auburn?  What about a one-loss SEC champion? Michigan State also could be in that mix, with only a tough away match at Iowa remaining.

It should be interesting to see how far Alabama drops. They can’t go lower than Arkansas, so they stay in the top ten. They still have the wins over Florida and Arkansas. Even with the loss, you could argue that’s more impressive of a resume than many, if not every team in the top ten.