Rece Davis Refuses to Name Texas No. 1 Team in College Football After Ohio State Win

Texas collected 56 first-place votes in the Associated Press poll, but one ESPN voter still slots the Longhorns behind another team.

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ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis refused to call Texas the best team in college football this week, even after the Longhorns erased a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Ohio State 24-23 in Austin.

Davis, who votes in the Associated Press Top 25, cast the only first-place vote for Notre Dame this week and slotted Texas second. He explained the ballot Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show.

"I still have Notre Dame ranked No. 1," Davis said. "I put Texas No. 2 because I wanted to honor the victory."

Rece Davis explains his Texas ranking

"I still have Notre Dame ranked at number one..

I don't have Texas on top right now" ~ @ReceDavis #PMSLive https://t.co/baNm6Yxr4V pic.twitter.com/Ook7WUxOjJ

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 15, 2026

Ohio State led 23-3 after three quarters, and Texas quarterback Arch Manning threw for 60 yards and an interception in the first half.

"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."

Still, the Longhorns closed with a 21-0 fourth quarter. Running back Hollywood Smothers scored the tying touchdown on a 1-yard run with 25 seconds left, and kicker Gianni Spetic's extra point gave Texas the lead.

Texas became the first team in 22 seasons to erase a 20-point deficit against a No. 1 team in the AP poll.

Who else ranks Texas No. 1?

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Texas received 56 first-place votes and holds the No. 1 spot in a regular-season poll for the first time since Oct. 13, 2024. Georgia is No. 2 and Notre Dame is No. 3.

Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt moved Texas to No. 1 and dropped Notre Dame to No. 7, citing an Irish running game that 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.

Texas upcoming schedule

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Texas still has plenty of difficult games coming up on its schedule, including road games against Tennessee, Oklahoma, Missouri, LSU and Texas A&M. Plus, home contests 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."

UTSA visits Texas at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday before the Longhorns open 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.