Texas Tops College Football Rankings, Dethrones Ohio State — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Texas Longhorns took No. 1 after erasing a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit to shock No. 1 Ohio State 24-23, with offseason running back additions Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown combining for 31 carries and 128 yards — 59 of which came in the fourth quarter.
- Ohio State Buckeyes now have a Jeremiah Smith dependency problem: the star receiver posted 315 receiving yards through two games, but the rest of the receiving corps combined for just 2 catches in the loss after Texas took Smith away in the fourth quarter.
- Miami Hurricanes are suddenly thin in the secondary — starter Xavier Lucas will miss about a month with an undisclosed injury, OJ Frederique is out even longer with a shoulder issue, and key reserve Ja'Boree Antoine is also sidelined as ACC play begins.
- Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton has been nearly flawless through two blowouts (63-3 and 70-20), completing 28 of 32 passes for 436 yards with 8 touchdowns and no interceptions — getting pulled before halftime both weeks.
- Michigan Wolverines silenced their Week 1 critics behind QB Bryce Underwood's career-high 87 rushing yards on 18 carries in a win over No. 11 Oklahoma, while Oklahoma State bounced back from a Tulsa loss to upset No. 6 Oregon in Stillwater.
- Texas A&M Aggies vaulted from No. 14 to No. 8 after forcing four turnovers — two returned for fourth-quarter touchdowns — to pull away from Arizona State 48-20 despite mustering only 255 yards of offense.
- LSU Tigers head into Lane Kiffin's return to Ole Miss with a warning sign: they led Louisiana Tech just 10-7 at halftime after four second-quarter turnovers, though QB Sam Leavitt's 5 rushing TDs in two games already match his season totals from each of the past two years at Arizona State.
Why it matters: Texas's upset validates a team ESPN had at No. 3 and reshuffles the national title race, while Ohio State's loss exposes a Jeremiah Smith dependency — 315 yards for him, 2 catches for everyone else — that could be exploited by future Big Ten opponents. Miami's secondary injuries and LSU's four-turnover half are the kind of cracks that widen once conference play starts.
Ask SkimNews
