Texas has seized the top spot in the latest Coaches Poll after one of the biggest swings the regular season can deliver: the No. 1 team going down in dramatic fashion. The Longhorns’ massive comeback against the Buckeyes changed the shape of the rankings just two weeks into the 2026 college football season.
Arch Manning was at the center of it all. He sparked three long touchdown drives and accounted for 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, turning a disastrous start into a rally that ripped through the top of the poll. After the kind of performance that can flip a season’s narrative, Texas moved up two spots.
Ohio State took the hit from the collapse, sliding five places after coughing up a 20-point lead in Austin. The Buckeyes now have plenty to sort out, from finding more aggression on offense to tightening up a defense that has already lost several key players. The passing game also looks too dependent on Jeremiah Smith, and tougher road games are still ahead.
Oregon’s fall was even steeper. The Ducks dropped 12 spots after a bad loss at Oklahoma State, a stunning turn for a team that beat that same opponent 69-3 a year ago.
The difference this time was impossible to miss: 91 transfers, a new coach, a new quarterback, and a new lead rusher all fed into a result that sent Oregon tumbling. The poll says the roster should be better than that.
The result says otherwise.
Michigan climbed five places after holding its own as a home underdog against Oklahoma. The Wolverines got an early spark from Bryce Underwood’s mobility and then leaned on their front to slow down the Sooners, who came in with SEC title hopes.
Oklahoma also slipped 11 spots, and the concern there is simple: the offense still isn’t producing much. That problem only gets sharper once the SEC schedule starts in earnest, with Georgia on the road among the looming tests.
At the bottom edge of the rankings, Florida fell out of the top 25 after tying with Virginia for the final spot in the previous poll. Even after a lopsided win over Campbell and more than 50 points across Jon Sumrall’s first two games as head coach, the Gators didn’t hold enough coaches’ votes to stay ranked. That total matches Billy Napier’s entire output.
The teams receiving votes but missing the top 25 were Florida 183; Louisville 160; Boise State 44; Kansas State 24; South Carolina 23; Mississippi State 20; Vanderbilt 19; Duke 19; Nebraska 18; Pittsburgh 16; Oklahoma State 16; Auburn 15; Western Michigan 10; Virginia Tech 9; UCLA 8; Tulsa 7; North Dakota State 5; New Mexico 4; Clemson 3; Wake Forest 1; Arizona 1.
In Other News...
Ohio State Suddenly Has A CFP Scheduling Problem Fans Will Debate
The latest reminder came from Stillwater, where Oklahoma States win over Oregon set off a celebration that included students carrying a goalpost into a campus pond. Beyond the scenes of jubilation, the result fed directly into a familiar college football argument: whether powerhouse programs should keep loading up on difficult non-conference games when every loss can carry real College Football Playoff consequences.
Ohio State followers know that debate well, because the Buckeyes have long valued the kind of early-season test that can sharpen a team and energize a schedule. But when coaches such as Brent Venables, Steve Sarkisian and Dan Lanning talk about the risks and rewards of those matchups, they are really pointing to the same uncomfortable question fans keep circling. In a playoff era that can punish even a quality loss, the margin between a statement win and a season-long regret can be awfully thin. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Day Faces Ohio State's Biggest Early Problem
A season-opening loss usually gets measured in the broad strokes, but this one left Ohio State with a much sharper lesson. After building a multi-score second-half lead against Texas, the Buckeyes let the game slip away and were left to answer for a finish that never matched the promise of the first three quarters. Ryan Day pointed to defensive issues and red zone struggles as part of the unraveling, a familiar kind of regret for a team with big expectations.
Day did not try to separate himself from the problem, saying the responsibility for the gameplan sits with him and that the Buckeyes have to improve in every phase moving forward. The early concern in Columbus is not just the loss itself, but how it happened, with Ohio State unable to close in the fourth quarter after appearing to have control. For a program built on standards, the margin for error already looks smaller than anyone wanted. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Sparked A Coaching And Kicking Debate Fans Feared
Ohio State looked in control at halftime against Texas, carrying a 20-3 lead into the break and putting itself in position to open the season with a statement win. Instead, the Buckeyes watched the game slip away as Texas mounted a comeback, leaving the final result to reflect far more than one bad stretch. The conversation afterward turned quickly toward the decisions on the sideline, with defensive strategy under Matt Patricia drawing scrutiny as the margin of error shrank.
Connor Hawkins also became part of the postgame unease after a missed kick left Ohio State without the kind of cushion that can change a game like this. A make there would have helped steady the Buckeyes and forced Texas to chase from even deeper ground, but the miss only added to the sense that Ohio State is entering the season with questions in two areas it can least afford. For a team with bigger goals, the concern now is whether this was just one painful loss or the start of a larger reliability problem. [Read more 🡒]