2024-09-16 17:05:03
The majority of AP Top 25 voters now believe the best team in the country at the moment resides in Austin.
Coming off a resounding 56-7 win Saturday evening over UTSA, the Longhorns moved to No. 1 in the AP Top 25, just 22 points ahead of previous No. 1 Georgia. The second-ranked Bulldogs had to survive an upset bid by Kentucky Saturday night, ultimately escaping Lexington with a 13-12 win.
Texas received 63 first-place votes, Georgia had 25, and Ohio State, which was idle this weekend, got the other five.
This is the first time the Longhorns have reached No. 1 in the AP Poll since Oct. 26, 2008. That Mack Brown-coached team finished 12-1, including a win over Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. It marks the 45th time the Longhorns have been the AP No. 1 dating back to 1940.
Texas and Ohio State flipping spots keeps a potential AP No. 1 vs. No. 2 game intact for Oct. 19 at DKR-Memorial Stadium.
The Longhorns’ win over the Roadrunners was not without its issues.
Redshirt junior quarterback Quinn Ewers exited the game early in the second quarter with what head coach Steve Sarkisian later said was a strained abdomen. Arch Manning came on in place of Ewers, and proceeded to go 9-for-12 for 223 yards and four touchdowns, while tacking on a 67-yard rushing touchdown on his third snap.
There is no timetable on Ewers, but postgame, Sarkisian did not sound optimistic about his availability for Saturday night vs. Louisiana-Monroe back at DKR. If Ewers is out, Manning, a highly-touted redshirt freshman and one of the highest-rated recruits ever, would start for the first time in his career.
The SEC continued to dominate the AP Poll, putting nine teams in this week. Aside from Texas and Georgia, No. 4 Alabama, No. 5 Ole Miss, No. 6 Tennessee, No. 7 Missouri, No. 15 Oklahoma, No. 16 LSU, and No. 25 Texas A&M all hit the board.
AP Top 25, Week 4
1. Texas
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
4. Alabama
5. Ole Miss
6. Tennessee
7. Missouri
8. Miami
9. Oregon
10. Penn State
11. USC
12. Utah
13. Kansas State
14. Oklahoma State
15. Oklahoma
16. LSU
17. Notre Dame
18. Michigan
19. Louisville
20,. Iowa State
21. Clemson
22. Nebraska
23. Northern Illinois
24. Illinois
25. Texas A&M
