Texas on top! Longhorns take over at No. 1 in AP Top 25 for first time in 16 years, jumping Georgia

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Texas tight end Gunnar Helm (85) lea[ps over UTSA safety Elliott Davison (6) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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Texas quarterback Arch Manning, left, throws against Colorado State during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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Georgia head coach Kirby Smart looks on during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Kentucky, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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Georgia running back Branson Robinson (22) celebrates a touchdown with his teammates during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Kentucky, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

By RALPH D. RUSSO

Texas is No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll for the first time in 16 years, replacing Georgia on Sunday after the Bulldogs struggled to remain unbeaten.

The Longhorns moved up a spot from No. 2 and received 35 first-place votes and 1,540 points. The Bulldogs, who have been No. 1 since the preseason poll, received 23 first-place votes and 1,518 points.

Ohio State received five first-place votes and stayed at No. 3 during an off week. No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Mississippi held their places and Tennessee moved up a spot to No. 6, flip-flopping with Southeastern Conference rival Missouri.

The last time the Longhorns were No. 1 was the middle of the 2008 season, when they spent three weeks at the top of the polls before losing a memorable game at Texas Tech in early November. The Longhorns are likely to settle into the top spot for at least another week with a home game against Louisiana-Monroe up next, possibly with Arch Manning as the starting quarterback.

Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, stepped in Saturday night against UTSA when Quinn Ewers went out with an abdomen injury that coach Steve Sarkisian said was not serious.

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“There’s nothing like being in the game. Playing in front of 105,000 people is not the easiest thing to do. I’m really proud of Arch,” Sarkisian said.

A week after the SEC became the first conference to hold six of the first seven spots, the league repeated the feat.

There was some shuffling at the back of the top 10, with No. 8 Miami moving up two spots, Oregon holding at nine and Penn State slipping back to No. 10.

Poll points

Winning and dropping from No. 1 is not unusual. This is the 94th time it has happened since the poll started in 1936, and first time since Georgia and Alabama swapped No. 1 back and forth for a few weeks in 2022.

The Bulldogs needed a second-half rally to squeak by 13-12 at Kentucky — the same Kentucky team that was buried at home a week earlier by South Carolina. That was the fewest points scored by a No. 1 team in a victory since Alabama beat LSU 10-0 in 2016.

“I don’t know much about this team, but I found out more tonight than I’ve known to this point,” coach Kirby Smart told reporters after the game.

Georgia has dominated the top spot in the AP poll since 2021, with 39 appearances.

In its first season as a member of the SEC, Texas keeps No. 1 in the conference where it has resided for 50 of the last 52 polls, dating to the start of the 2021 season. Only Michigan of the Big Ten in the final two polls of last season has interrupted the streak of No. 1 rankings by the SEC, which includes 10 appearances by Alabama.

Looking ahead, both the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs are off next week to prepare for a likely top-five matchup in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Sept. 28 that should have voters thinking about who’s No. 1 again.

In and out

Boston College joined fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Georgia Tech in the brief-stay-after-a-long-drought club. The Eagles lost at Missouri and fell out of the rankings after moving in last week for the first time since 2018.

Arizona is also out for the first time this season after getting thumped by Kansas State.

Moving in for the first time this season was Illinois at No. 24. Texas A&M jumped back into the rankings at No. 25.

Conference call

The 18-team Big Ten matched a conference record (reached 11 times previously) with seven ranked teams.

SEC — 9 (Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 15, 16, 25).

Big Ten — 7 (Nos. 3, 9, 10, 11, 18, 22, 24).

Big 12 — 4 (Nos. 12, 13, 14, 20).

ACC — 3 (Nos. 8, 19, 21).

MAC — 1 (No. 23).

Independent — 1 (No. 17).

Ranked vs. ranked

No. 24 Illinois at No. 22 Nebraska, Friday. The last time the Cornhuskers hosted a game with both teams ranked was 2013 when No. 16 UCLA beat No. 23 Nebraska 41-21.

No. 6 Tennessee at No. 15 Oklahoma, Saturday. The Volunteers welcome the Sooners to the SEC.

No. 11 USC at No. 18 Michigan, Saturday. The Trojans’ first Big Ten game is exactly what the executives at Fox hoped for.

No. 12 Utah at No. 14 Oklahoma State, Saturday. The first big game between Big 12 teams that actually counts in the conference standings.

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This story was corrected to show Miami is No. 8 and Oregon is No. 9.

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Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP

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