The biggest shakeup in the Week 7 AP Top 25 came at the very top, where Texas’ loss to Oklahoma blew the No. 1 spot wide open and sent Georgia back into familiar territory.
Texas came into the weekend looking safe at No. 1, but the Longhorns’ three-point loss to an unranked rival changed everything. Arch Manning threw two interceptions, Oklahoma turned those mistakes into the points it needed, and the AP voters quickly moved on from the previous top team.
Georgia was the beneficiary. The Bulldogs picked up 60 first-place votes and climbed into No. 1, a spot they know well - their 40 appearances at No. 1 in this decade are the most of any program in college football. After the win at Alabama, Georgia suddenly looks like one of Kirby Smart’s title-era teams again.
There were other notable movers across the poll. Kentucky made the biggest leap of the week, jumping 11 spots after its overtime win against LSU. The Wildcats improved their vote total from 160 to 655 and now sit at 5-1 heading to Oklahoma next.
UCLA also surged, moving up nine places after a tight 17-15 win at Oregon. The Bruins stayed unbeaten and put themselves in strong position for a playoff run. Bob Chesney is in his first season as coach, and the start has been a sharp one.
Texas did not fall far, at least by the standards of a No. 1 team losing to an unranked opponent. The Longhorns dropped six spots, but the questions around the offense remain real as they try to keep their SEC championship hopes on track with Arch Manning at quarterback.
Oregon’s slide was much harsher. The Ducks are out of the rankings after a second loss, tumbling all the way to effectively No.
- Their vote total collapsed from 831 last week to just 86, and one of the Big Ten’s national title favorites is suddenly in trouble.
LSU also took a major hit, falling 12 places after the overtime loss at Kentucky. That was the biggest drop in the Week 7 poll and dealt a serious blow to the College Football Playoff hopes that followed Lane Kiffin’s hiring.
Behind the ranked teams, the next group in the voting was Wisconsin with 92 points, followed by Oregon with 86, Arizona with 82, Nebraska with 65, Oklahoma with 44, James Madison with 29, Florida with 9, Duke with 5, New Mexico with 3 and Oregon State with 1.
In Other News...
Texas Looked Vulnerable In Dallas For One Frustrating Reason
Texas trip to Dallas offered a reminder that even a roster built to chase bigger goals can get dragged down by the smallest lapses. The Longhorns fell 27-24 to Oklahoma after their offense went quiet in the second half, piling up three-and-outs while special teams kept handing the Sooners extra openings with a blocked punt and missed field goals.
Arch Mannings late interception only added to the frustration of a game that was there to be taken, but never fully seized. For a team with playoff ambitions, the concerns went beyond one bad stretch of offense and into the broader question of execution, from the play-calling to the kicking game, and whether Texas can clean up enough of those problems before they cost it again. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Just Got A Troubling Warning About Arch And Sarkisian
Arch Mannings name already carries a spotlight most college quarterbacks never have to live under, and the expectations around him are only getting louder as NFL scouts view him as a potential top-10 pick in the 2027 draft. For Texas, that makes every uneven stretch feel a little bigger, especially when the offense is under scrutiny and the Longhorns are trying to keep pace in a season where the margin for error is small.
The warning sign came in the Oklahoma game, when Manning struggled in the fourth quarter and threw two interceptions that helped swing the result against Texas. Steve Sarkisian has stood by his offensive play-calling even as the Longhorns offense has sputtered in recent weeks, but the combination of quarterback growing pains and coaching questions is enough to raise the temperature around a team with high expectations and an even higher-profile future to protect. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Just Handed Texas A Rivalry Loss Sooners Fans Will Savor
A Red River showdown already packed with drama somehow found another gear Saturday at the Cotton Bowl, where Oklahoma stunned No. 1 Texas 27-24 with a last-second 47-yard field goal by Tate Sandell. The Sooners had to dig out of a halftime deficit to get there, and they did plenty of the kind of little things that swing rivalry games, including two non-offensive touchdowns that kept them within striking distance.
Peyton Bowens 42-yard interception return was a momentum jolt in a game Texas seemed poised to control, and the Longhorns never fully recovered from the missed chances that followed. The loss is expected to send Texas sliding in the AP Top 25, a reminder that one October Saturday can change the look of a season fast, especially when the opponent is the one program the Longhorns least want to see celebrating. [Read more 🡒]