Texas Rises to No. 1 in AP Top 25, Overtaking Georgia After 16 Years

In a significant shift in college football rankings, Texas has claimed the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time in 16 years. This change follows a challenging performance by Georgia, which fell from the top position after being there since the preseason poll.

Texas rose from No. 2, garnering 35 first-place votes and accumulating a total of 1,540 points. Georgia, previously at the top, received 23 first-place votes and 1,518 points.

Ohio State, on an off week, retained its third position in the rankings with five first-place votes. Both Alabama and Mississippi maintained their spots at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, while Tennessee moved up to No. 6, swapping places with Missouri.

This marks the first time the Longhorns have been ranked No. 1 since the middle of the 2008 season. They held the top position for three weeks during that year before a memorable loss to Texas Tech in November. The Longhorns appear poised to hold their position, with a home game against Louisiana-Monroe scheduled, potentially featuring Arch Manning as the starting quarterback.

Manning, who is the nephew of NFL stars Peyton and Eli Manning, stepped onto the field against UTSA after starting quarterback Quinn Ewers left due to an abdominal injury that head coach Steve Sarkisian assured was not serious.

Sarkisian expressed pride in Manning’s performance, acknowledging the challenge of playing in front of a large crowd. “There’s nothing like being in the game. Playing in front of 105,000 people is not the easiest thing to do,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) continues to showcase its depth, maintaining six of the first seven spots in the rankings for the second consecutive week.

In the lower half of the top 10, No. 8 Oregon and No. 9 Miami each moved up one spot, while Penn State slipped to No. 10.

Dropping from the top spot after a win is not an unprecedented situation in college football. This occurrence has taken place 94 times since the poll began in 1936, with the most recent instance being in 2022 when Georgia and Alabama exchanged the No. 1 ranking.

Georgia faced a tense battle this past weekend, narrowly defeating Kentucky 13-12. This match saw the Bulldogs achieving the lowest score by a No. 1 team in a victory since Alabama managed only 10 points against LSU in 2016.

Head coach Kirby Smart reflected on the game, stating, “I don’t know much about this team, but I found out more tonight than I’ve known to this point.” Georgia has consistently held the top rank since 2021, making 39 appearances.

Texas, in its first year as an SEC member, leads the conference in a sequence where they have been a top contender for 50 of the last 52 polls—dating back to the start of the 2021 season. Michigan was the only team outside the SEC to break this streak in the final two polls last season.

Looking forward, Alabama and Georgia will take a week off to strategize for an anticipated matchup on September 28 in Tuscaloosa. This game is expected to reignite discussions about the No. 1 ranking once again.

The rankings have also seen some changes, with Boston College exiting after a loss to Missouri, marking its first ranking since 2018. Arizona also fell out of the rankings following a defeat by Kansas State.

However, Illinois entered the rankings for the first time this season at No. 24, and Texas A&M rejoined at No. 25.

The Big Ten conference matched its record with seven teams appearing in the rankings. In contrast, the SEC has nine ranked teams, followed by the Big 12 with four, the ACC with three, and one each from the MAC and Independent categories.

Exciting matchups include No. 24 Illinois visiting No. 22 Nebraska on Friday, marking the first ranked game hosted by the Cornhuskers since 2013. On Saturday, notable clashes feature No. 6 Tennessee facing No. 15 Oklahoma, No. 11 USC taking on No. 18 Michigan, and No. 12 Utah competing against No. 14 Oklahoma State.