Rece Davis isn’t ready to hand Texas the No. 1 spot just yet.
Even after the Longhorns rallied from 20 points down in the fourth quarter to stun Ohio State 24-23 in Austin, the ESPN College GameDay host kept Notre Dame at the top of his AP Top 25 ballot this week. Davis, who votes in the poll, gave Texas the only second-place vote for the Longhorns and said Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show that the win was enough to move them up, but not enough to push them past everybody else.
"I still have Notre Dame ranked No. 1," Davis said. "I put Texas No. 2 because I wanted to honor the victory."
That’s where Davis landed after watching a game that swung hard and fast. Ohio State was in control after three quarters, up 23-3, and Arch Manning had a rough first half for Texas, throwing for 60 yards and an interception. But the Longhorns finished with a 21-0 burst in the fourth quarter, capped by Hollywood Smothers’ 1-yard tying touchdown with 25 seconds left and Gianni Spetic’s extra point that put Texas in front.
Texas’ comeback made history, too. The Longhorns became the first team in 22 seasons to wipe out a 20-point deficit against a No. 1 team in the AP poll.
Still, Davis said the full picture kept him from putting Texas first.
"If you watch the entire game, and I realize Ohio State is a far greater opponent than anybody Notre Dame's faced so far, it was really hard to get to the place where I think about Texas, 'This is the best team in the country,'" Davis said. "They certainly have the best win and the best moment, but I think they have the potential to be right there."
Texas did land at No. 1 in the AP poll, collecting 56 first-place votes and reaching the top of a regular-season ranking for the first time since Oct. 13, 2024.
Georgia sits at No. 2, with Notre Dame at No. 3.
Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt also made a major move with the Longhorns, bumping Texas to No. 1 and sliding Notre Dame to No. 7. He pointed to the Irish ground game, which ranks 117th nationally at 3.6 yards per carry.
"I'm giving them full credit for playing that game and winning it," Klatt said of Texas.
Davis, though, said the schedule still has plenty to say about where Texas belongs. The Longhorns face road trips to Tennessee, Oklahoma, Missouri, LSU and Texas A&M, along with home games against Florida, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
"They've got other great opportunities, like a trip to Tennessee coming up. I think Tennessee is really good, maybe even better than I anticipated," Davis said.
"But I don't have Texas on top right now just because, for the entire game, they didn't always look like No. 1."
Texas hosts UTSA at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday before opening Southeastern Conference play at Tennessee on Sept. 26 at noon ET. The Volunteers are 2-0 and ranked No. 15 after a 45-24 win at Georgia Tech.
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