Rece Davis isn’t ready to hand Texas the top spot just yet, even after the Longhorns delivered the kind of win that usually forces a reshuffle at the top.
Texas’ Saturday night rally in Austin was the headline result of Week 2: a comeback from 23-3 down in the fourth quarter, capped by a win over Ohio State and a signature moment for Arch Manning. The victory pushed Texas to No. 1 in both the AP and Coaches polls. Davis, though, sees the picture a little differently.
Appearing Tuesday afternoon on The Pat McAfee Show, the ESPN College GameDay host explained why Notre Dame still sits at No. 1 on his ballot.
“I still have Notre Dame ranked No. 1.
I’d put Texas No. 2 because I wanted to honor the (Ohio State) victory,” Davis said. “But if you watched the entire game, and I realize it’s a far greater opponent than anybody that Notre Dame has faced so far.
But kind of watching the whole game, it was really hard to get to the place where I think that this is the best team in the country. They certainly have the best win and the best moment.
But I think they have the potential to be right there. But I don’t have them on top right now, just because the entire game they didn’t always look like No.
1.”
So while the polls have Texas on top, Davis is holding firm with Notre Dame after two weeks of the season.
Texas is also being tracked as it chases a national championship in 2026, and the Kalshi market is currently weighing its chances to win it all in January.
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