The Coaches Poll has a new No. 1 after Week 6, and that shakeup starts with Texas taking the hit. The Longhorns were knocked from the top spot to No. 6 after their loss to rival Oklahoma, a game in which Arch Manning’s two interceptions led directly to the Sooners’ game-winning points.
That result left the coaches with the week’s biggest question: who moves into first? Among the contenders, one team stands out.
Texas’ fall wasn’t brutal in terms of rank - just five spots - but the loss to unranked Oklahoma sharpened the spotlight on Manning and raised fresh questions about whether this offense is ready to truly contend.
The other major tumble belonged to LSU, which slid 11 spots after another road loss for Lane Kiffin. The defeat left him 13-13 on the road at both LSU and Ole Miss, and it also left LSU’s playoff hopes badly damaged.
Oregon absorbed the harshest drop of the week, falling 12 places after its second loss. The Ducks are still hanging on in the poll, but the road ahead does not get easier, with Ohio State looming in a few weeks.
There was movement in the other direction, too. UCLA climbed 10 spots after a road upset of Oregon in a messy 17-15 game. The Bruins made plenty of mistakes and could have been even more convincing, but they still walked away with a win, and their schedule ahead gives them a real chance to keep building.
Boise State also earned a place in the poll after a solid road showing at Fresno State, powered in particular by its rushing attack.
Wake Forest is back in the national rankings as well. The Deacons enter at 5-1, helped by a dominant win at NC State and a performance that gave Miami its toughest test of the season.
Several teams disappeared from the poll entirely. Florida, which has bounced around the rankings wildly over the last few weeks, is out after a second straight blowout loss that is forcing a sudden reassessment of the Jon Sumrall regime.
Duke fell out after last week’s debut, undone by a three-point loss to Georgia Tech on a missed field goal. Pittsburgh also dropped out after North Carolina beat the Panthers, with the loss of quarterback Mason Heintschel proving too much to overcome.
Teams that received votes but fell short of the top 25 were Northwestern 107; Arizona 92; Nebraska 74; Oklahoma 50; Wisconsin 39; Duke 35; James Madison 33; Florida 32; Pittsburgh 25; New Mexico 16; UTSA 10; Baylor 9; Memphis 6; Oregon State 2; North Carolina 1.
In Other News...
Texas Just Learned How Costly That Red River Loss Really Was
The Red River loss to Oklahoma did more than just knock Texas out of the win column. A 47-yard kick by Tate Sandell sealed the 27-24 defeat and ended the Longhorns four-week run at No. 1 in the AP Poll, a stretch that had given the program some early-season breathing room at the top.
The fallout was just as jarring as the finish. Texas dropped to No. 7 in the AP Poll and No. 6 in the Coaches Poll, and with several other top-25 teams also stumbling over the week, the rankings shuffled around the Longhorns in a way that makes the defeat look even costlier in hindsight. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Suddenly Has A Coaching Question Fans Cant Ignore
Texas left the Red River Rivalry with more than a frustrating 27-24 loss to unranked Oklahoma. The Longhorns were undone by a messy special teams performance, highlighted by a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown and a missed late field goal, while the offense also had trouble sustaining drives and converting on third down.
Steve Sarkisian was asked afterward whether the special teams operation needs to be re-evaluated, a question that can linger when a game turns on hidden-yardage mistakes. For a Texas team with bigger goals, the concern now is not just the loss itself, but whether one phase of the game has become too costly to keep overlooking. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Is Now At Center Of Texas' Biggest Debate
Texas left the Red River Rivalry with the kind of loss that lingers, a late field goal handing Oklahoma the win and putting Arch Manning right in the middle of the conversation. Manning was sharp enough in the first half and showed comfort on throws inside the numbers, but the finish turned on a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions that helped swing the game and reopened questions about how the Longhorns are putting him in position to succeed.
For Texas, the larger issue is no longer just one bad stretch in one rivalry game. Mannings decision-making is under the microscope, but so is the play-calling around him, with the debate centering on whether the offense is asking too much at the wrong moments or not enough to keep him on the right track. As the Longhorns try to move past a painful loss, those questions are only going to get louder. [Read more 🡒]