Texas has claimed the top spot in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll, marking the first time in 16 years that the Longhorns have been ranked No. 1. The team replaced Georgia after the Bulldogs faced challenges in maintaining their undefeated status. Texas moved up from No. 2 to No. 1, garnering 35 first-place votes and 1,540 points, while Georgia, who had held the top ranking since the preseason poll, received 23 first-place votes and 1,518 points.
Ohio State remained at No. 3, receiving five first-place votes, during an off week. Alabama and Mississippi held onto the No. 4 and No. 5 spots, respectively, while Tennessee climbed to No. 6, swapping positions with SEC rival Missouri. The Longhorns’ last time at the top spot was in the middle of the 2008 season, before suffering a defeat to Texas Tech. Texas is expected to maintain its top ranking with an upcoming home game against Louisiana-Monroe, potentially with Arch Manning as the starting quarterback.
Arch Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, stepped in during a recent game when quarterback Quinn Ewers sustained an injury. Manning received praise from head coach Steve Sarkisian for his performance in front of a large crowd. Despite the SEC previously capturing six of the top seven spots, the conference replicated this achievement in the latest rankings.
Further down the top 10, Oregon and Miami each moved up a spot to No. 8 and No. 9, respectively, while Penn State dropped to No. 10. The poll noted that it is not uncommon for teams to win and subsequently lose the No. 1 ranking, with Georgia’s recent performance being an example of this trend. The Bulldogs secured a narrow victory against Kentucky after trailing in the second half.
As Texas leads the SEC and prepares for upcoming matches, both Georgia and Alabama are gearing up for a potential top-five showdown. In terms of teams entering and exiting the rankings, Illinois entered at No. 24, while Texas A&M re-entered at No. 25. Several conferences had multiple teams featured in the rankings, with the Big Ten tying a conference record with seven ranked teams.
Highlighted matchups for the week include No. 24 Illinois facing off against No. 22 Nebraska, No. 6 Tennessee playing against No. 15 Oklahoma, and No. 11 USC meeting No. 18 Michigan. The college football season continues to unfold with exciting games on the horizon.