College Football’s No. 1 Team Set to Plummet in AP Top 25 Rankings After Rivalry Loss

No. 1 Texas is expected to tumble in the AP Top 25 Sunday after Oklahoma stunned the Longhorns 27-24 at the Cotton Bowl, a loss that likely ends a four-week run at the top of college football for coach Steve Sarkisian’s team.

Oklahoma kicker Tate Sandell drilled a 47-yard field goal as time expired to finish a comeback from a 17-7 halftime deficit after the Sooners intercepted Texas quarterback Arch Manning twice in the fourth quarter, once on safety Peyton Bowen’s 42-yard pick-six.

How did Oklahoma upset No. 1 Texas?

College Football’s No. 1 Team Set to Plummet in AP Top 25 Rankings After Rivalry Loss — Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer (10) looks to pass against the Texas Longhorns during the first half at Cotton Bowl. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Texas outgained Oklahoma 382-238 and Manning threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns, including first-half scoring strikes of 41 yards to receiver Cam Coleman and 34 yards to receiver Ryan Wingo. But the Longhorns lost the turnover battle 2-0 in the 122nd Red River Rivalry.

Oklahoma gained 15 yards in the first quarter against defensive coordinator Will Muschamp’s Texas defense, so the Sooners’ first points came on special teams when Oklahoma’s Danny Okoye blocked a punt and defensive back Dakoda Fields recovered it in the end zone.

Running back Lloyd Avant tied the game 17-17 with a 2-yard run early in the fourth quarter, Oklahoma’s first offensive touchdown against Texas since 2023. Bowen then picked off Manning and returned it 42 yards for the go-ahead score with 10:07 left.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables was 15-2 in games where his team scored a non-offensive touchdown before Saturday, and the Sooners scored two against Texas.

Texas tied it 24-24 on Manning’s 15-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jermaine Bishop Jr., his first career score, with 6:32 to play. Kicker Gianni Spetic then missed a 53-yard field goal with 1:54 left, and Oklahoma’s Courtland Guillory intercepted Manning inside the final 30 seconds. Quarterback John Mateer found receiver Isaiah Sategna III for gains of 13 and 20 yards to set up Sandell’s winner.

Texas AP Top 25 ranking projection

Texas entered Week 6 with 61 first-place votes despite narrow wins over Ohio State (24-23) and at Tennessee (20-17). Sarkisian said Monday the team hadn’t discussed the ranking in two weeks, because if the Longhorns didn’t handle that week’s work, “we won’t be No. 1 next week.”

Every team ranked No. 2 through No. 8 entered the weekend unbeaten except No. 5 Ohio State, so the Longhorns could slide somewhere between No. 6 and No. 9. Their head-to-head win over the Buckeyes may keep voters from dropping Texas behind Ohio State.

Texas absorbed a steeper fall last October, when the preseason No. 1 Longhorns dropped out of the AP Top 25 after losing at Florida before beating No. 6 Oklahoma 23-6 the next week.

Who becomes college football’s new No. 1?

No. 2 Georgia, which received six first-place votes last week, visits No. 6 Alabama at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, and the winner is the likeliest new No. 1. SEC Network host Paul Finebaum picked Alabama, and college football analyst Josh Pate said this week the Crimson Tide may be the sport’s best team.

No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 4 Miami sit next in line if voters drop the loser in Tuscaloosa below them.

Oklahoma fell out of the AP Top 25 after a narrow Week 3 win over New Mexico and lost 41-13 at Georgia in Week 4, but Saturday delivered the program’s first win over a top-ranked team since 2007.

The Sooners improved to 3-2 and 1-1 in SEC play with seven conference games remaining.

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