Miami, Florida – Only three weeks remain in the regular season as the Lemon City Live Watchlist narrows down to a handful of contenders vying for the trophy. Chaos once again reigns at the top, with the No. 1 Miami Hurricanes falling to No. 11 Notre Dame 31-24. This marks only the second time in AP Poll history—dating back to 1936—that a team ranked No. 1 or No. 2 has lost in five consecutive weeks. No. 2 Georgia guaranteed itself the top spot with a 42-7 demolition of No. 10 Ole Miss. Third-ranked Utah, meanwhile, held on against No. 9 BYU 28-20. No. 5 Alabama dominated No. 14 LSU 31-13, and No. 6 Kentucky was trounced by No. 13 Tennessee 34-6.
THE RECORD-BREAKER (AND HEISMAN POSE) FOR JEREMIAH SMITH. pic.twitter.com/axl4odkRRI
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 3, 2026
No. 12 Ohio State’s downward trend continued despite Jeremiah Smith’s best efforts, as it fell to No. 23 Oregon 41-28. The humiliating defeat prompted the firing of special teams coordinator Robby Discher. On the tail end of the AP Top 25, the No. 24 Florida Gators lost to unranked Oklahoma. The Gators have been thrown out again. Two players are no longer on the list given the latest slate. One because of poor performance, the other due to injury. Trinidad Chambliss struggled under pressure, completing only two of eight passes, getting picked off, and being sacked four times. On top of never scoring, he also fumbled the ball. For Miami’s Malachi Toney, we bid a painful farewell and wish him a speedy recovery from the high ankle sprain. The departures opened the door for two new faces in the Heisman race.
Jeremiah Smith
Luke Fahey to Jeremiah Smith Touchdown pic.twitter.com/GhXIJRUy8q
— wok (@wokdior) November 8, 2026
Previous Ranking: 3
Although Ohio State’s season is descending into a disastrous tailspin, Jeremiah Smith is doing everything he can to keep his team competitive. Smith made seven catches for 133 yards and a touchdown. Now that Toney is out for the season, he’s the undisputed top wide receiver in the country with 69 receptions for 1,200 yards and 14 TDs. Even with those numbers, Smith’s frustrations are mounting, as evidenced this past weekend when he yelled towards the sideline. He faces Northwestern next.
Darian Mensah
DARIAN MENSAH TO ELIJAH LOFTON pic.twitter.com/NzgwDTwj63
— wok (@wokdior) November 8, 2026
Previous Ranking: 1
Speaking of frustration, UM’s loss to Notre Dame hurt just as much as losing Toney. Down 24-3, Darian Mensah rallied the Hurricanes, throwing for 276 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. It was not enough. With the comeback coming short, the Hurricanes are no longer unbeaten and are no longer number one. Totaling 2,694 passing yards, 28 TDs, and two picks, Mensah and the Canes will seek to bounce back in a spicy homecoming game versus his former team, Duke.
Drew Mestemaker
Drew Mestemaker has now thrown for 300+ yards in EIGHT straight games, breaking Oklahoma State's school record.
22/28, 313 PASS YDS, 4 PASS TD, 1 INT, 1 RUSH TD, 1 REC TD vs Kansas State
The former high school punter is now a favorite to go No. 1 in the 2027 NFL Draft. https://t.co/RRxBUwh5yF pic.twitter.com/lTKhUAB3Sn
— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) November 7, 2026
Previous Ranking: 4
He’s thrown several interceptions, but Drew Mestemaker sure scores a lot. The Oklahoma State quarterback manhandled Kansas State with 313 passing yards and four touchdowns, adding another TD on the ground. The 66-28 victory was against a weaker opponent, but Mestemaker is thriving at OSU, recording 2,962 passing yards, 29 TDs, and eight interceptions. He can certainly strengthen his case as the Cowboys host No. 15 Texas Tech.
CJ Carr
CJ Carr just handed undefeated No. 1 Miami its FIRST loss of the season.
27/37, 304 PASS YDS, 3 TD, 0 INT in a 31-24 win.
Carr just made a MASSIVE statement in the Heisman race. https://t.co/TtVSZ1D9Xw pic.twitter.com/iQqZiPTI7m
— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) November 8, 2026
Previous Ranking: NA
I told you that it was going to launch him into the Heisman conversation. CJ Carr burned Miami’s secondary for 319 yards and three touchdowns, helping to knock off the former No. 1 team in the country. Carr is now considered one of the top performers, tallying 2,168 passing yards, 21 TDs, and one INT. Notre Dame’s signal caller can pad his numbers with Boston College. You can bet he’ll churn out similar numbers from Week 10.
Nate Shepard
NATE SHEPPARD. HEISMAN. pic.twitter.com/ULsghZcHap
— JMann_ (@JMannsTakes) November 7, 2026
Previous Ranking: NA
Similar to Carr, this running back has been trying to crack the list for some time. Nate Shepard ran over NC State with an eye-popping 217 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Duke’s leading rusher has 191 carries for 1,189 rushing yards and 17 TDs. Out of nine games, Shepard has hit the century mark in five of those, racking up over 200 yards twice. He almost hit 100 yards in two other contests (Georgia Tech and Boston College), making him an explosive runner. Let’s see how he does against Miami, which is stingy against the run.
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