And this time, it was No. 1 ranked LSU:
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -Kentucky topped them all by toppling No. 1 LSU.
Andre Woodson and the Wildcats became the latest team to shake up the national title race, and the first in nearly four years to take down the top-ranked team in the regular season, beating the Tigers 43-37 in triple overtime Saturday.
Woodson found Steve Johnson wide open in the end zone for a 7-yard score in the third extra period. The 2-point conversion, required after two overtimes, failed but it didn’t matter.
With a chance to win it, LSU (6-1, 3-1 SEC) couldn’t get a first down on four straight running plays. Charles Scott was stopped a yard short on fourth-and-2 and No. 17 Kentucky (6-1, 2-1) had it’s first victory over a No. 1 team since 1964, when it beat Mississippi.
”It proved we’re a team that obviously earns a lot more respect now,” Woodson said in the middle of the on-field celebration. ”We’ve come a long way from being a doormat in the SEC to competing with the best teams in the SEC and getting some wins.”
No highly ranked team seems safe in a season of surprises. It started with Appalachian State knocking off then-No. 5 Michigan in Week 1. In the past two weeks, nine teams ranked in the top 10 have lost, including No. 2 USC falling 24-23 to Stanford last week.
No. 1 had been safe though, until now.
The last time a No. 1 team was beaten during the regular season was Dec. 6, 2003, when Kansas State beat Oklahoma 35-7 for the Big 12 title.
The last No. 1 team to lose in overtime was Miami, beaten by Ohio State in the 2003 Fiesta Bow
All of this should make Sunday’s release of the first BCS rankings of the season all the more interesting.
Update: Not only did # 1 LSU go down, so did # 2 California:
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) -In the split-second Kevin Riley took to decide to run with the football instead of throw it away, California’s dreams of a No. 1 ranking and undefeated season slipped away.
Riley’s mistake on the final play of the game spoiled what almost was a spectacular comeback in his first career start as the clock ran out before the second-ranked Golden Bears had a chance to try a game-tying field goal in a 31-28 loss to Oregon State on Saturday.
”It’s not his fault whatsoever,” coach Jeff Tedford said. ”He played his heart out down the stretch to get us in that situation. We didn’t lose the game because of that play.”
Oregon State (4-3, 2-2 Pac-10) delivered the latest shocker in an upset-filled season and denied Cal (5-1, 2-1) a chance to seize the top ranking for the first time in 56 years. No. 1 LSU lost in triple overtime at Kentucky earlier in the day, but the Bears were unable to handle their own business, becoming the 10th team ranked in the top 10 to lose to an unranked team already this season.
This marked the first time the top two teams lost on the same day since Sept. 21, 1996, when No. 1 Nebraska was beaten 19-0 by Arizona State and No. 2 Tennessee fell 35-29 to Florida.
Look for Ohio State to be back in the # 1 spot Sunday evening.
