Texas dodged an upset at No. 14 Tennessee and could easily maintain the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 when the rankings come out early Sunday afternoon.
The Longhorns’ 24-23 come-from-behind win over Ohio State -- with three unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter of the Sept. 12 matchup -- remains the most impressive win in college football this season.
That said, Georgia looked every bit like a championship contender and might unseat the Longhorns. The Bulldogs’ defense forced four turnovers to score a lopsided 41-13 victory over preseason top 10-team Oklahoma.
Notre Dame, No. 3 in last week’s AP Top 25, rolled at Purdue, 49-10, likely making the three pollsters (of 69) who voted the Irish No. 1 last week feel validated enough to keep them in the top spot.
While there are strong cases to be made for the top three teams, No. 6 Miami is right there with Notre Dame and will maintain No. 1 votes after the Hurricanes beat Central Michigan, 52-3.
Indiana, No. 5 last week, figures to drop among the top 10 as it struggled to put away unheralded Northwestern on Friday night, winning 29-23 on Friday night in Bloomington, Indiana.
Not every Top 25 was fortunate enough to wind up on the winning side of the scoreboard, as a flurry of upsets should lead to a shake-up in this week’s rankings.
Ole Miss, previously No. 4, was the most notable victim, falling to No. 21 Florida by a 52-28 count at “The Swamp” in Gainesville — a loss that could knock the Rebels out of the top 10.
College football has indeed turned into a week-to-week game of survival as transfer-heavy teams settle in and first-year starting quarterbacks grow up.
Here’s how Mike Griffith cast his AP Top 25 ballot, with teams who won on the road noted by “won at” in the scores portion:
1. Texas (4-0)
Won at No. 14 Tennessee, 20-17
2. Georgia (4-0)
Beat Oklahoma, 41-13
3. Miami (4-0)
Beat Central Michigan, 52-3
4. Ohio State (3-1)
Beat Illinois, 42-19
5. Notre Dame (4-0)
Won 49-10 at Purdue
6. Alabama (4-0)
Beat South Carolina, 49-18
7. Florida (4-0)
Beat No. 4 Ole Miss, 52-28
8. Indiana (4-0)
Beat Northwestern, 29-23 (Friday)
9. Ole Miss (3-1)
Lost 52-28 at No. 21 Florida
10. LSU (3-1)
Beat No. 24 Texas A&M, 35-6
11. Utah (4-0)
Won 31-17 at Iowa State
12. Tennessee (3-1)
Lost to No. 1 Texas, 20-17
13 BYU
Was idle.
14. Iowa (4-0)
Won 20-19 at No. 18 Michigan
15. Oregon (3-1)
Won at No. 12 USC, 41-27
16. Texas Tech (4-0)
Beat Sam Houston State, 49-14
17. Washington (3-0)
Vs. Minnesota late
18. Boise State (3-1)
Won at Western Michigan, 32-7
19. Mississippi State (4-0)
Beat No. 19 Missouri, 31-24
20. Houston (3-1)
Won 42-28 at Georgia Southern
21. SMU (2-1)
Vs, Missouri State, late
22. USC (4-1)
Lost to No. 20 Oregon, 41-27
23. Michigan (3-1)
Lost to No. 17 Iowa, 20-19
24. Virginia Tech (4-0)
Won at Boston College, 21-14
25. Arizona (3-1)
Won at Washington State, 34-24
