No. 2 Ohio State continues season of chaos with 38-10 loss to Southern California

Call it the college football season of chaos.

A year of top-10 teams falling like leaves in October continued with No. 2 Ohio State's 38-10 loss to Southern California on Saturday.

Playing without injured quarterback Julian Sayin, the Buckeyes struggled to keep up with the once-ranked Trojans to become the fourth team ranked No. 2 or higher in the AP Top 25 to lose in the past four weeks. That's 11 top-10 teams to lose in the same span and three straight weeks No. 2 hast lost — Ohio State, BYU and Notre Dame.

Top-ranked Miami nearly made it losses by Nos. 1-2 for the second time this season — with Shakeup Saturday two weeks ago — before scoring two fourth-quarter touchdowns to hold off North Carolina 38-35. No. 4 Indiana also had its hands full with an unranked opponent, needing some late-game heroics to beat Minnesota in overtime.

With Sayin out, Ohio State turned to freshman Luke Fahey, who passed for 260 yards but didn't lead the Buckeyes on a scoring drive in the game's first 57 minutes.

Ohio State has two losses this early in a season for the first time since 2011, the year before Urban Meyer arrived in Columbus. The Buckeyes are 58-2 against unranked teams under coach Ryan Day, with their infamous home loss to Michigan in 2024.

The rest of the top half of the AP poll won, many by lopsided margins.

No. 2 Georgia was among them, forcing four turnovers in a 27-8 win over No. 17 Florida in Atlanta. So was No. 7 UCLA, which improved to 8-0 for the first time since 2005 with a 27-0 blowout of Nevada.

A quarterback change. Matching 60-yard field goals in the final 19 seconds of regulation. A quick touchdown and goal-line stop in overtime.

No. 4 Indiana had to pull out all the stops to keep alive its chances of repeating as national champions.

Paddy McAteer hit a 60-yard field goal at the end of regulation, Grant Wilson threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Becker on the first play of overtime and Indiana closed with a goal-line stand to beat Minnesota 23-16 on Saturday.

The Hoosiers' bid to back up the program's first national championship last season seemed to be doomed when Minnesota's Luke Drzewiecki kicked a 60-yard field goal with 19 seconds left. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti refused to call a timeout as the Golden Gophers (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) marched down the field, leaving the Hoosiers little time to get in position for a tying kick.

Becker gave the Hoosiers (8-1, 5-1) life with a sliding 33-yard catch along the sideline and McAteer, Indiana's long-kicking specialist, drilled a 60-yard field goal as time expired.

Wilson, who replaced Josh Hoover in the second half, followed with his TD pass to Becker to open overtime and the Hoosiers sacked Drake Lindsey to close out another tight win after beating Michigan 13-6 in overtime last week.

Whew!

Arizona's Noah Fifita had the bigger numbers. Texas Tech's Tommy Castellanos earned the win after getting the starting nod.

The 13th-ranked Red Raiders made a switch at quarterback after their first loss of the season and Castellanos delivered, accounting for three touchdowns in a 34-26 win over No. 22 Arizona on Saturday.

Coach Joey McGuire made the quarterback change after Will Hammond and the Red Raiders struggled in a 37-24 loss at Cincinnati, saying he was “as frustrated as I’ve ever been in 32 years of coaching.”

McGuire was much happier after Castellanos hurt the Wildcats with his arm and legs to lead Texas Tech to a school record-tying 13th straight home win. The victory also boosts the Red Raiders' Big 12 title and College Football Playoff hopes.

Castellanos threw two TD passes and ran for 113 yards and another score.

Fifita threw for 417 yards and hit Isaiah Mizell on a 94-yard TD, but overthrew Tyler Powell on fourth-and-1 from the Texas Tech 18-yard line with the Wildcats down three in the fourth quarter.

The bottom half of the AP Top 25 had a bit of chaos of its own.

Oregon started the season at No. 2 in the preseason AP Top 25 before tumbling down and out of the poll.

The Ducks (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten), who were actually favorites against a ranked team, showed they can still play with some of the nation's best teams by knocking off No. 20 Northwestern 34-26 behind Dylan Raiola's three TD passes.

Iowa extended its domination of No. 25 Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) by rolling to a 30-0 win that will likely limit the Badgers' return to the AP Top 25 to a one-week stint. The Hawkeyes (6-2, 3-2) have won five straight in the Heartland Trophy series, outscoring Wisconsin 148-26.

No. 17 SMU may also exit the AP poll after giving up a late touchdown in a 30-27 loss to Syracuse.

Trailing 27-23, the Orange (4-4, 2-4 ACC) got the ball back at their own 32 with 3:36 left. Steve Angeli led Syracuse down the field and hit little-used tight end Noah Meyers on a 2-yard TD pass with 17 seconds left to end the Mustangs' four-game winning streak.

No. 24 Oklahoma State rejoined the AP Top 25 this week, but will likely drop back out after a wild 51-49 loss that ended on Iowa State kicker Kyle Konrardy's 34-yard field goal as time expired.

Miami quarterback Darian Mensah improved his Heisman Trophy chances with a strong game against North Carolina. He threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns, including a 9-yard pass to Malachi Toney in the fourth quarter that proved to be the winning score. Toney, also among the Heisman favorites, had seven catches for 72 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith had 10 catches for 83 yards and a touchdown.

No. 12 Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss kept his name in the mix for the Heisman, throwing for 263 yards and accounting for three touchdowns in a 45-15 win over Auburn.

Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy returned to the field for the No. 23 Tigers' 34-10 win at Arkansas, nearly six months after being wounded in the leg during a shooting at an outdoor concert.

Hardy entered the game late in the first quarter to an ovation from Missouri fans and ran for 42 yards on three carries — 37 on one run.

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Ohio State running back Bo Jackson (25) is unable to score against Southern California defensive end Kameryn Crawford (1) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Lucía Pintos is training to become a teacher in Borro, a Uruguayan neighborhood hit hard by the spread of drug trafficking, where a parish that will welcome Pope Leo XIV in a few days serves as a fragile but much-needed refuge from violence.

“It’s a painful reality, because the children have to go to school to have lunch or an afternoon snack,” the 21-year-old Pintos said. “You can’t let your child go out to play or do the shopping because there’s gunfire.”

Leo will visit the neighborhood on the north side of Uruguay's capital, Montevideo, at the start of his Nov. 6-17 tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, which he confirmed despite his recent cancer diagnosis. The pontiff will visit the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, which builds homes, promotes job creation and supports addicts in their recovery.

Neighborhoods like Borro live with the sound of gunfire and territorial disputes between drug dealers. Concerns about violence have led the government to begin patrols with armored vehicles, which were originally donated by the United States for U.N. peacekeeping missions.

“Families know that at a certain time they have to go inside,” said Rev. Pablo Coimbra, the head of the Our Lady of Guadalupe parish. “When the shootings start, they throw themselves to the ground, because a stray bullet can hit anyone. It’s bursts of machine-gun fire, and the bullets land wherever they land.”

The Archbishop of Montevideo, Daniel Sturla, said that there is no other place in the South American country with such a strong Catholic presence as Borro. A day after receiving a Vatican delegation in preparation for Leo’s visit, he toured the neighborhood with The Associated Press.

According to an official count, of the 98 homicides registered up to September in Montevideo — 13.5% more than in the same period last year — more than 46% occurred in Borro and surrounding neighborhoods. Uruguay still has a low homicide rate for the region, with about 10 homicides per 100,000 people last year.

In October 2025, Interior Minister Carlos Negro said that Uruguay had “epidemic homicide rates” and vowed to reduce them.

As the dirt roads descend toward a stream adjacent to Borro, mud becomes omnipresent. It often seeps into nearby houses.

That landscape is now cut by a concrete road prepared for the papal visit. The narrow streets converge on a soccer field restored by the parish, where Lautaro Martínez, a promising young player, practices. However, training has been suspended these days as a precaution following recent shootings.

In this context, the church has become a refuge. Neighbors bring the wounded there because ambulances will only go as far as the church. Coimbra said that gangs used to expel families at gunpoint to set up drug dens, forcing them to seek refuge in the parish.

To combat crime, the parish is leading social housing projects in which residents are building more than 100 units with sanitation systems — an effort that in turn generates local employment.

“The presence of the church makes the difference between drug use and nonuse, between continuing to study and not,” the priest said.

Many young people seeking to leave a life of crime find solace in faith. On Mondays, the parish celebrates a Mass for homeless people, drawing dozens from all over the city.

“They come for the bathroom and two meals, but mainly to be heard,” Coimbra said.

When Holy Communion is given, most remain with their arms crossed over their chests, a sign indicating they haven't been baptized. According to data from the Catholic Church, in 2025 only 2,200 of the 30,000 newborns in Uruguay were baptized.

Pablo Acosta, 28, was born in the neighborhood and got mixed up in crime. Today he spends his days between shelters and the streets, works informally in local markets, and sends money to his 10-year-old son, whom he doesn’t see because of his addictions.

“I have a gunshot wound in my stomach and stab wounds. I owed money, I was involved where I shouldn’t have been, but for the past month I’ve been trying to quit using drugs,” he said.

Extending a hand to those who have strayed down dark paths and preventing youth from taking that road, Coimbra said, is the church’s task.

“They have no other opportunities, no club, no English classes, no rugby, and in some cases, barely any soccer,” Coimbra said. “So there is a lot of idleness, and that’s where we need to intervene.”

Follow AP’s Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

A family gathers in the Borro neighborhood in Montevideo, Uruguay, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. ahead of Pope Leo XIV's scheduled visit in November. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

A person sits on a bench as Father Pablo Coimbra walks past on his way to celebrate a weekly Mass for the homeless organized by Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, which Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit in November, in the Borro neighborhood of Montevideo, Uruguay, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

An aerial view of the Borro neighborhood in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, ahead of Pope Leo XIV's scheduled visit in November. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Teacher trainee Lucia Pintos, center back left, attends a Mass honoring Mother Teresa at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in the Borro neighborhood of Montevideo, Uruguay, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, ahead of Pope Leo XIV's scheduled visit to the parish in November. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Father Pablo Coimbra blesses a person with crossed arms during a weekly Mass for the homeless at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, which Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit in November, in the Borro neighborhood of Montevideo, Uruguay, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)