Texas defeats Ole Miss as AP Top 25 rankings shift after week of upsets
Texas beat Ole Miss 34-27, prompting a reshuffle of the AP Top 25, with several teams dropping out and others moving up after a week of unexpected results.
Texas rallied to a 34-27 win over Ole Miss on Saturday, a result that is expected to lift the Longhorns in the upcoming AP Top 25 poll. The victory came after Texas had previously beaten Ohio State and Tennessee, giving the team three high-profile wins this season.
The week also saw a number of ranked programs lose to unranked opponents, including Texas Tech, Tennessee, Iowa and USC. As a result, the AP Top 25 is projected to undergo a significant reshuffle, with Iowa and USC falling out of the rankings and teams such as Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Northwestern and SMU moving into the lower tier of the poll.
"Steve Sarkisian still found new life in the run game with Raleek Brown while Will Muschamp's defense tightened the screws to pull out the win," the article notes.
Other notable moves include Kentucky staying in the top ten after a 34-17 win over Vanderbilt, and UCLA remaining unbeaten with a 28-10 victory over Michigan State. Miami stayed at No. 1 after a 52-23 rout of Pittsburgh, while Ohio State and Notre Dame are on a bye week.
Analysts highlighted that Texas Tech’s loss to Cincinnati and Tennessee’s defeat by South Carolina could see both programs slide in the rankings, while BYU’s double-overtime loss to UCF may affect its standing despite a strong start to the season.
The projected top five after the week are Miami, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Georgia and Indiana, with the Longhorns expected to re-enter the top ten.