Texas is shaking up the latest AP Top 25 poll after its win over Ohio State in Week 2 of the college football season. The Longhorns now occupy the top spot on the list.
The Week 2 edition of the Associated Press Top 25 Poll was released on schedule Sunday morning, with some pretty substantial changes that were a direct reflection of this weekend’s results. There weren’t too many surprises, all things considered, but this past week was a great example of how volatile early season college football can be.
Texas predictably took the No. 1 spot this week after its thrilling fourth-quarter comeback against previously top-ranked Ohio State, in which Arch Manning stunned the Buckeyes by leading three lengthy touchdown drives to erase a 20-point deficit.
The win resulted in a big-time blowout for the Longhorns in the polls, as they received 56 of 68 first place votes despite some other very convincing performances from other teams in the top five.
AP Top 25 Poll Week 2 Shakeup
Miami, which rose two spots to No. 5, received four first-place votes after its 77-7 drubbing of Florida A&M on Thursday. No. 2 Georgia and defending champion No. 4 Indiana each received a trio of first place votes, while No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 7 LSU each received one. No. 21 Oregon had the steepest fall in the polls, descending from the No. 6 spot after inexplicably losing to lowly Oklahoma State on Saturday.
The latest AP Top 25 poll is out! 📈
Texas ascends to the top of the rankings after knocking off Ohio State. Oregon's loss to Oklahoma State and Oklahoma's loss to Michigan drops the Ducks and Sooners 15 and 13 spots, respectively.
Did the voters get it right this week? pic.twitter.com/PQUZvoTnb2
— teamfb (@teamfbseven) September 13, 2026
Oklahoma also took a tumble, falling 13 spots to No. 24 after being stunned by Michigan. Perhaps more importantly, that win did favors for the Wolverines as it not only brought them back into the rankings but into the top 20 at No. 19.
What else sticks out on this week’s poll? Let’s dive into some takeaways and break it down.
Texas/Ohio State was for No. 1, Should It Have Been?
Look, anyone who follows this sport to even the slightest degree could have turned on Saturday’s Game of the Year contender between Texas and Ohio State and told you the winner would be No. 1 on Sunday morning. That truth was preordained as death and taxes. However, seeing how dead Texas’ offense looked through the first three quarters immediately followed by Ohio State’s incredible collapse did little to convince me that either of these teams will be lifting the trophy in Las Vegas come January.
NO. 4 TEXAS SHOCKS NO. 1 OHIO STATE WITH A 21-PT COMEBACK 😳
The Longhorns largest comeback since 2007 🤘 pic.twitter.com/pfup6xnsXG
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 13, 2026
When you consider just how dominant Georgia looked through two weeks, it seems like they’re going to be at the top of polls soon enough once the SEC schedule starts to heat up a little bit. I could see Kirby Smart and company claiming No. 1 after beating Alabama on Oct. 10, and once they get that top spot I’m not so sure the Bulldogs are going to give it up.
Michigan Is Riding The Roller Coaster
If you’re a Michigan fan with any sort of cardiac ailments, this is probably a good season for you to find a fall hobby and take a step back a little bit. We all saw what happened against Western Michigan Week 1 at The Big House, so there was just no way they’d beat an Oklahoma team that felt like a surefire contender for a second straight College Football Playoff berth, right?
Wrong.
The Wolverines clawed themselves back into the top 20 of this week’s AP poll with a 17-10 victory over the Sooners, on the shoulders of an excellent defensive performance and a 38-yard touchdown run from quarterback Bryce Underwood. Still, with just 30 total points scored this season, it’s hard to imagine Michigan going through the season without at least a few significant setbacks. And it’s even harder to imagine any AP poll voters giving the Wolverines much benefit of the doubt after their season-opening theft.
BYU/ND In October Could Be a Top 10 Matchup … Or Better
BYU climbed four spots this week after its 28-17 win over Arizona in Provo, landing just one spot out of the top 10 at No. 11. Don’t get me wrong, it was definitely a great win for the Cougs, but for all intents and purposes it was a game they absolutely should have won and I’m not sure their performance necessarily justifies a four-spot rise. What this does suggest to me is that BYU is going to be one of this year’s poll darlings and will get favorable treatment for winning games it shouldn’t lose.
Haven't heard a crowd this loud in a while. Maybe ever.
Kyler Kasper calls game for BYU. @FOX13 pic.twitter.com/CBsoHxHslR
— Grace Lawrence (@gracemlaw4) September 13, 2026
I’m fairly confident that BYU won’t slip up before the Cougs’ Oct. 17 matchup against Notre Dame. I’m almost certain the Irish will make it to that game unscathed, and the reality for both teams is that’s largely because they will be each other’s first real challenge this season. I expect BYU to be ranked in the neighborhood of No. 7 or No. 8 by the time that one rolls around, and Notre Dame isn’t leaving the top three. It will probably be a good idea to find a TV for that matchup.
Don’t Be Afraid To Show Texas A&M Some Love
If BYU is the darling of the polls so far this season, No. 9 Texas A&M must be the ugly duckling. The Aggies came out in full force with a dominant performance in Week 1, blanking an FBS foe in Missouri State 50-0 before stepping off the gas pedal. The encore to that? A 28-point win over an Arizona State program that has proven itself as a real factor on the national scale.
Although I will concede that the score told a somewhat different story than the stats and especially the tape, Texas A&M should see it as a sign of great disrespect that a collective +78 scoring margin through its first two games has only gotten it one spot BELOW where it were originally ranked in the preseason. That’s right. The Aggies were No. 8 in the nation before beating MO State in Week 1, dropped to No. 10 after that, and a 28-point drubbing of a respected program only got them one spot back. What sense does that make?
See You Soon, Mississippi State
When going through all of the submitted ballots for this week’s AP poll, a logo I’m starting to see more and more is that maroon slab of “State” text that belongs to the one and only Mississippi State Bulldogs. They didn’t quite break into this week’s top 25, receiving 15 votes, but it won’t be a long time at all before the Bulldogs kick the door down if Kamario Taylor keeps playing the way he is.
Taylor has been the most impressive quarterback in the country to this point, leading Mississippi State to a 62-13 Week 1 victory over UL Monroe before putting on a clinic against Big Ten foe Minnesota in a 38-13 win on Saturday.
Your weekly dose of Kamario Taylor pic.twitter.com/e1dvDH1cqN
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) September 13, 2026
Mississippi State has a gauntlet of four consecutive ranked SEC opponents beginning at the end of September, but I think even going 3-2 through that stretch will earn them enough respect among the voters to crack into the polls. Taylor certainly has Cam Newton-esque leadership traits and throws the prettiest ball in the country, so it isn’t too far-fetched to believe the Bulldogs could start turning some heads for real here pretty soon.
