Texas Dethroned From No. 1 in New College Football Rankings for Week 6

There was a notable change at the No. 1 position in the college football rankings coming into the sixth week of the 2026 season, and AP pollsters may end up agreeing.

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Just about everyone who casts a vote in the national college football rankings is still of the opinion that Texas is the No. 1 team in the country after five weeks. But one of the more controversial ranking systems is taking a different view coming into this weekend.

The prediction computer model behind ESPN’s College Football Power Index disagrees with the pollsters on the most important question, instead naming a Big Ten powerhouse as the No. 1 team in college football in mid-October.

Shakeup Drops Texas from No. 1

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The latest update to the power index elevated Ohio State to the No. 1 ranking based on a perceived combination of efficiency, strength of schedule factors, and projected performance the rest of the way.

Enter controversy, once again. As any college football fan will tell you, Ohio State lost its head-to-head matchup against Texas earlier this season, surrendering a 20-point lead and leaving Austin behind by a single point.

That propelled the Longhorns to the No. 1 place in the AP poll, but the ESPN algorithms have since taken a more skeptical view, dropping them to No. 5 nationally.

The model is designed to measure true team strength and forecast future results rather than simply reward past outcomes, which explains why a team can theoretically still be overtaken by the team it beat on the same field.

How Texas Lost the Top Spot

Texas remains undefeated and continues to rank at the top of the AP poll, collecting the vast majority (61) of first-place votes this week. 

The index model, however, places greater weight on underlying metrics such as efficiency on both sides of the ball and the projected difficulty of remaining schedules.

Ohio State’s consistent dominance and depth in other games have registered strongly enough in the model to push the Buckeyes ahead, at least in this poll.

Georgia-Alabama and the AP Poll Picture

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While the AP pollsters haven’t been persuaded to drop the Longhorns from the top spot yet, they could very well be convinced to change their minds this weekend, and it may have little to do with what Texas does on the field against Oklahoma.

The marquee No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 6 Alabama matchup in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night now carries a metric ton of national ranking implications. 

A decisive Georgia victory would strengthen the Bulldogs’ case with human voters and could put pressure on Texas’ hold on the No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25. 

Conversely, an Alabama win or a Georgia loss would likely keep the Longhorns comfortably atop the human polls for another week. But there is also an outside chance that AP voters could jump the Crimson Tide to the No. 1 position if they perform well against the Bulldogs.

Texas has a high-profile Red River Rivalry game of its own, but the national conversation will center heavily on the result in Tuscaloosa.

What Happens This Weekend?

Of course, the change by the ESPN model does not alter the AP or Coaches polls, yet it underscores how fluid the top of the rankings remains, with some lingering questions around Arch Manning’s decision making and the consistency of this offense overall.

Texas still controls its own destiny in the eyes of most voters, but Ohio State’s rise in the computer model adds another layer to an already compelling playoff race. 

One strong performance in either direction this weekend could reshape the national hierarchy once again.