Texas vaults to No. 1 in college football rankings after comeback over Ohio State

Texas moved to No. 1 in the CBS Sports 138 college football rankings after defeating Ohio State 24-23, storming back with 21 fourth-quarter points after trailing by that margin, per CBS Sports reporting. The victory represents one of the largest single-game swings in early-season polling and reshapes the consensus at the top of the rankings. Texas quarterback Arch Manning completed 20 of 37 passes for 196 yards and led three fourth-quarter touchdown drives. After the game, Manning said: "I'm so proud of our guys in all three phases. It wasn't very pretty, but we found a way to win. That's what good teams do." Texas holds 42 first-place votes in the Coaches Poll, far ahead of Georgia's 15 and Indiana's 10. Texas is not a unanimous pick in the CBS Sports 138 but carries a heavy ballot-average advantage over Georgia at No. 2. Ohio State dropped to No. 5 in the CBS Sports 138 after the loss, a fall that extends a troubling pattern: the Buckeyes have lost three straight games against Power Four competition dating back to last season, with their only win in the past four outings coming against Ball State in Week 1. Ohio State garnered 50 of a possible 74 first-place votes prior to the Texas game. Head coach Ryan Day said after the loss: "We really played well for three quarters and didn't play well enough in the fourth quarter, that's the bottom line. We stalled on some offensive drives, thought we had them on the ropes and didn't finish. We got to go back and figure out why that was." Georgia, Notre Dame, and Miami occupy positions 2, 3, and 4 in the CBS Sports 138, with Georgia obliterating Western Kentucky 70-0 to follow a 63-point output in Week 1, for a combined 133-23 margin in its first two wins. Notre Dame throttled Rice with six touchdowns and just one punt on its first seven drives. Indiana, meanwhile, scored touchdowns on five of its six first-half possessions and cruised to a 55-point win, trending upward in the rankings. Michigan returned to the top 25 in the Coaches Poll after being dropped entirely following a controversial finish against Western Michigan in Week 1. The Wolverines defeated Oklahoma 17-10, marking their first win over a ranked opponent since 2024. The volatility in Michigan's standing within two weeks illustrates the uncertainty voters face in early-season ballots: the team looked "dreadful" in Week 1 before producing an impressive road win in Week 2. Oregon, slotted at No. 18, marks the first time the Ducks have been ranked outside the top 10 in the Coaches Poll under Dan Lanning since September 2023, his second season with the program. Oklahoma dropped from No. 10 to No. 21 following its loss to Michigan. Among the dominant performances, Miami recorded the most first downs (42) in an ACC game and the most total yards of offense (856) in school history; quarterback Darian Mensah completed 14 of 15 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns. LSU defeated Louisiana Tech 45-14 after shaking off early rust from a season-opening win against Clemson. Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and USC all have ballot averages between 9.3 and 10.6 in the CBS Sports 138, with voters struggling to discern differences between them. Texas Tech, Tennessee, and Penn State cluster between 15.0 and 15.6. Florida dropped out of the rankings despite a 49-point win over Campbell to improve to 2-0.