To the surprise of no one who watched the college football season unfold on Saturday, the Texas Longhorns jumped from No. 4 to No. 1 in the latest AP Top 25 Rankings. While Steve Sarkisian's team leaped over Notre Dame in the process, the Fighting Irish did manage to creep just a little bit closer to that top spot, should Texas or Georgia falter in the very near future.
Texas took the No. 1 spot after knocking off the previously top-ranked team, Ohio State, on Saturday night. They not only beat the Buckeyes but also forged the kind of comeback that's rarely seen in the sport. After trailing 20-3 at the half and looking dead in the water, Texas outscored Ohio State 21-0 in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead touchdown with under a minute to play in the game.
Behind Texas, Georgia held onto the No. 2 spot and Notre Dame held onto the No. 3 ranking. Indiana and Miami both moved up one spot after their own wins this weekend to No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, and the Buckeyes fell all the way to No. 6 in the AP Top 25.
As for first-place votes, the Fighting Irish fell from four to one, though that was likely more due to voters being pretty aligned on the Longhorns being the best team in the country than to any real doubts about Marcus Freeman's club.
On the other hand, Notre Dame's total points went up from 1,512 to 1,531. In the process, they shaved some points off the gap to Georgia and now trail the No. 2 ranking by only 20 points.
Of course, all of this so early in the season is just bragging rights. Texas has a cupcake on the schedule next week but will get tested again when it opens SEC play against No. 15 Tennessee followed by No. 24 Oklahoma.
Notre Dame shouldn't get a real test of their ranking until October 17, when they travel to Provo to face off against No. 11 BYU. Two games later, a showdown between two Top 5 teams will kick off in South Bend when No. 5 Miami comes to town. If the Fighting Irish are undefeated at that point, the No. 1 ranking could be their prize.
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