AP Top 25 Takeaways: Georgia-Alabama plays a thrilling classic that isn't diminished by the expanded CFP

No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama played a classic on Saturday night. A wild affair that included a 28-0 run by the Crimson Tide to start the game, a strong comeback by the Bulldogs and 142 yards worth of touchdown passes in a 13-second span of the fourth quarter.

When it was done, Carson Beck and Jalen Milroe had combined for 939 yards and seven touchdowns in a thriller between the Southeastern Conference superpowers.

“Obviously there's a lot going on there,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer told reporters in a contender for understatement of the year.

Yes, Alabama and Georgia could meet again and again in this new era of college football. Both will likely be part of the first 12-team playoffs.

But nothing about the new postseason diminished the breathtaking spectacle in Tuscaloosa.

Georgia-Alabama, played seven days after the end of the summer in front of 100,000 fans and a former US president, is the reason the CFP can expand and the regular season will go well.

It still felt like an event, full of compelling storylines and epic performances.

DeBoer won his first SEC game since replacing Nick Saban, who watched from a luxury suite instead of lurking on the sidelines.

Georgia's Kirby Smart lost 6-1 to the Crimson Tide, the only team Georgia has lost to since 2021.

Carson Beck played one of the worst and then one of his best games of his career, erasing a 28-point deficit for the Bulldogs.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Milroe called himself perhaps the Heisman Trophy favorite and became the first player with 300 yards passing, 100 yards rushing and two rushing touchdowns against an AP top-five opponent.

Ryan Williams, the spectacular 17-year-old receiver from Alabama, scored the decisive touchdown with a catch-and-run.

And when it was over, everyone involved felt both exhilarated and exhausted.

What's not to like?

Heisman hunters

“Travis Hunter is good enough to beat the odds and win the Heisman Trophy.”

Heisman winners usually play quarterback, typically for a College Football Playoff contender. Players like Milroe and Beck.

Colorado's two-way star splits his time between wide receiver and cornerback, and while Deion Sanders' Buffaloes have already matched last season's win total, it might be a stretch to call them a serious threat to win the Big 12 – or maybe not.

The cap for Hunter and CU may need to be reset after they enter a new conference rivalry UCF and turned the Bounce House into the Buffs' House.

“I can't even say it. This is one of the first times we’ve come together offensively, defensively and special teams at the same time,” Sanders said.

Hunter put up a stat line like only he can, with nine catches for 89 yards and a touchdown and an interception leading to one Heisman pose.

As the lockdown cornerback of an improved Colorado defense and quarterback Shedeur Sanders' favorite target on offense, Hunter has routinely logged more than 100 snaps in games.

Many a Heisman hopeful in September has become a footnote to the season in November, but a healthy Hunter could change the usual dynamics of the race.

Since 2000, 20 Heisman winners have been quarterbacks, and most of them have played for teams that had a chance to win a national title in the postseason.

The big question about LSU's Jayden Daniels Heisman campaign last year was whether he could overcome a 9-3 record. The last Heisman winner to be on a team that lost that many games in the regular season was Lamar Jackson for Louisville in 2016.

Hunter will be an unusual Heisman contender, but he is a unique talent. Charles Woodson won the Heisman in 1997 as a brilliant cornerback, part-time receiver and occasional special teams weapon.

Woodson didn't play as much on either side of the ball or at this level. Hunter will have NFL teams thinking about whether to use him on offense or defense if he becomes a first-round draft pick in April.

Hunter currently has more than 100 catches and 1,000 yards receiving. Hunter's Heisman hopes depend as much on how well Colorado (4-1) can compete as he does. It's still early, but the Buffs enter their week off in first place in the Big 12.

No. 23 Kansas State, the blew up No. 20 Oklahoma State, comes to Boulder on Oct. 12 for a game that will undoubtedly get a prime television window. Coach Prime's team is still a TV ratings machine.

That should help Hunter too. His brilliance should continue to get a big showcase as long as Colorado doesn't fall off like they did last season.

It's funny how things work out.

Last season, CU got off to a rocky start at 3-0 and spent several weeks as a ranked team. It was all a mirage. The Buffs finished 4-8 and Hunter missed part of the season due to injury.

Excitement for the Buffs is growing more organically this season, which could give both Colorado and Hunter staying power.

UNLV's wild week

UNLV has been the epicenter of college football for most of this week, both in conference realignment and then when its starting quarterback left the team over a no-go.

With Matthew Sluka sidelined, UNLV turned to another FCS transfer, Hajj-Malik Williams, in an important Mountain West conference game against Fresno State.

“Many have expressed very strong opinions about the events of last week without a full knowledge of the facts. Without full knowledge of the events of last week,” UNLV coach Barry Odom said after the game, adding that the program followed established rules in dealing with Sluka.

Williams, moving from Campbell, appeared to be an upgrade. He went 13-for-16 for 182 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 119 yards in a score as UNLV routed the Bulldogs – giving the schools that stayed in the Mountain West a score over those that went to the restart Pac-12 broke up.

The Rebels are 4-0 for the first time since moving to Division I in 1978.

Angry rebels

Lane Kiffin and Mississippi were among college football's offseason winners, with an NIL-powered all-star transfer portal class that helped the Rebels to their best preseason finish since Archie Manning was a Heisman Trophy candidate.

No. 6 Ole Miss spent four weeks bullying a weak non-conference schedule and then lost at home to a resilient Kentucky team This benefited from a bit of luck and the relaxed attitude of the generally conservative coach.

To his credit, Kiffin tried to downplay the Rebels' 4-0 star who averaged 55-5.

“We didn’t make the plays. We didn’t rule them out,” Kiffin told reporters after being bowed out.

Kentucky played the possession and defense game that put the Wildcats in position to upset Georgia two weeks ago. This time, however, coach Mark Stoops scored a fourth try that changed the game.

There's still a long way to go in a 12-team playoff, but losing at home to unranked teams in a crowded SEC is no way for Ole Miss to confirm its preseason hype and truly establish itself as a national title contender.

All over the country

The last time Indiana was 5-0, John Pont was the coach, Harry Gonso was the quarterback and the Hoosiers were playing in the Rose Bowl for the first and only time in program history. Curt Cignetti's Hoosiers improved to 5-0 behind Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke, who threw three TD passes Withdraw from Maryland. Next up is Indiana in the northwest. … Indiana and Rutgers is a combined 9-0. … Count the Navy as one of the first surprises. The Midshipmen appear to have another star quarterback Blake Horvath, He is the first major college quarterback since Lamar Jackson to have at least seven touchdown passes and seven touchdown runs in the first four games. Navy and Army are a combined 8-0. … Another surprising unbeaten: Duke is 5-0 after a comeback under first-year coach Manny Diaz Trailing 20-0 in the second half to beat rival North Carolina.

___

Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP

___

Get poll alerts and AP Top 25 updates throughout the season. Sign up Here. AP College Football: And