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Will There Be a New No. 1 Team in the College Football Rankings This Week?

Texas originally took the No. 1 spot in the college football rankings a couple weeks ago, and just passed its first major test in keeping that position in Saturday's biggest game.
James Parks|
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The team that originally snatched the No. 1 place in the college football rankings a couple weeks ago will not have it snatched from them in the new poll this week after all.

Just two Saturdays ago, Texas engineered a 20-point comeback for the ages to take down top-ranked Ohio State and move into pole position, and Tennessee was in perfect position to return the favor in a statement SEC opener to hand the Longhorns their first loss.

Texas Defends Its No. 1 Ranking With a Marquee Win

Winning on the road against ranked SEC opponents is the biggest piece of the puzzle for teams coming out of this conference with College Football Playoff ambitions, and the Longhorns passed that critical test with a 20-17 win at No. 14 Tennessee on Saturday.

While much of the attention naturally revolved around the return of another Manning to Rocky Top, this time in burnt orange rather than the Tennessee shade like his uncle Peyton, it was the Texas defense that did the heavy lifting in the victory.

Manning did his part, taking care of the football for 201 passing yards and an early interception, and there is still room for improvement when it comes to the Longhorns protecting their quarterback and issues with penalties.

But the No. 1 ranking in the AP poll will be preserved heading into October as Texas now boasts two wins against top-15 opponents after taking down then-top ranked Ohio State two weeks ago.

Tennessee Made It Very Interesting Late

Moments after Tennessee wide receiver Mike Matthews scored a late touchdown to come within three points, the Volunteers recovered an onside kick with a chance to tie or win the game with 82 seconds left, but couldn’t build enough momentum to take advantage.

Texas Defense Dominated the Vols Up Front

In particular, Longhorns edge rusher Colin Simmons completely terrorized the Volunteers’ offensive line all day, making program history by tying the single game school record with his fifth sack of the afternoon.

That wasn’t the only damage Texas did up front, racking up a remarkable 10 sacks of Vols quarterback Faizon Brandon, who was working behind some miserable protection against a determined Longhorns’ line.

The Longhorns’ Decisive Drive Came Late

Still leading by just a field goal in the fourth quarter, the Texas offense locked in for a statement drive that cemented it as a national championship contender.

Arch Manning led the push they needed, going 60 yards over eight plays that included three signature rushes from lead back Raleek Brown and two key passes of 14 and 18 yards from Manning before Brown cashed in on a 4-yard touchdown and a 20-10 lead.

Texas, now 4-0 overall and 1-0 in SEC play, is off next weekend, likely ensuring that the No. 1 place in the AP rankings will stay put again, before facing arch-rival Oklahoma on Oct. 10.

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James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.

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