The Poll That Dethroned the Favorite

The Week 3 AP Top 25 poll — released Sunday, September 13, after the weekend's blockbuster upsets — delivered the most dramatic ranking shake-up of the 2026 college football season. Texas claimed the No. 1 spot for the first time, dethroning Ohio State after a stunning comeback victory at Texas Memorial Stadium.

The poll, compiled by the Associated Press and distributed across ESPN, CBS Sports, FOX Sports, The New York Times, NCAA.com, Yahoo Sports, Sports Illustrated, and On3, was covered in more than 100 articles — a sign of how much the weekend's results disrupted the season's pecking order.

Texas: The New No. 1

Texas moved from No. 4 to No. 1 after its dramatic 24-23 win over the previously unbeaten and No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes. The Longhorns' fourth-quarter comeback — driven by QB Arch Manning's 20-point fourth quarter — was the kind of résumé-defining win that poll voters cannot ignore. CBS Sports called it "Texas surges to No. 1," and the AP News official poll announcement led with the same headline.

The significance: Texas is now the consensus national favorite, and the Longhorns' resume includes a win over the previous No. 1 — the single best non-conference result of the season.

Ohio State: The Biggest Fall

Ohio State dropped from No. 1 to No. 6 — a five-spot fall that reflects both the loss and the performance. The Buckeyes, who opened the season 56-3 against Ball State, were outscored in the second half and forced to miss a 45-yard field goal that would have clinched the win. CBS Sports reported that Ohio State's drop was the largest single-week fall for a former No. 1 team in recent AP history.

The Buckeyes still face a challenging Big Ten schedule, but the optics of a No. 1 team losing at home and being outplayed in the fourth quarter are hard to shake in the early-season polls.

Oregon: The Fall from Grace

Oregon plummeted from No. 2 to No. 21 — a 19-spot fall that Sports Illustrated called the Ducks' lowest AP ranking since head coach Dan Lanning's first year. The loss to unranked Oklahoma State was described across outlets as a "shocking upset" and an "embarrassing collapse." The Big Lead went so far as to question whether Oregon will even make the CFP field.

The 95.7°F heat in Stillwater was a factor, but the loss was not close — Oklahoma State scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal the upset. Oregon's defense, which was expected to be elite, was outmismatched for 60 minutes.

Michigan: The Return

Michigan returned to the AP Top 25 after its 17-10 upset of Oklahoma. The Wolverines had fallen out of the poll in Week 1 despite a narrow Hail Mary win over Western Michigan. The Oklahoma upset — driven by a defensive performance and QB Bryce Underwood outplaying John Mateer — was enough to bring Michigan back into the conversation.

Michigan's re-entry is significant: it means the Wolverines are back in the CFP conversation after being written off following their rocky Week 1. A defense-first approach that held Oklahoma to 10 points is exactly what voters wanted to see.

Other Notable Movers

  • LSU continued its ascent after a dominant 51-10 win over Clemson, with Kiffin's first game as LSU head coach going smoothly.
  • Iowa rose in the rankings after a convincing win, signaling that the Hawkeyes may be a legitimate top-25 team.
  • Tennessee ranked after beating Georgia Tech, with the Vols looking like a legitimate top-10 team in the SEC.
  • Texas A&M climbed one spot, continuing a strong start to the season.
  • BYU became the Big 12's highest-ranked team after an impressive win over Arizona State.
  • Five Texas teams (including intrastate rivals) now crack the AP Top 25 — a historic feat for the state.

The Coaches Poll

The US LBM Coaches Poll moved in the same direction: Texas took the No. 1 spot, Ohio State fell, and Oregon tumbled. The Coaches Poll is compiled by 130 voters, including the head coaches of every FBS program. The alignment between the AP and Coaches polls suggests these are not outlier rankings — the weekend's upsets were real.

What This Means for the CFP

The CFP committee meets every week to rank teams, and the Week 3 poll directly informs their deliberations. Texas's No. 1 ranking gives the Longhorns a clear path to a top seed if they continue winning. Oregon's fall to No. 21 is a significant setback — the Ducks need to win out and hope for a favorable CFP landscape to recover.

What This Means for CFB 27

Week 3 is where a rankings-based season turns. Texas's rise to No. 1 is the reward for surviving the hardest non-conference test available — a 24-23 win over the previously unbeaten Ohio State — while Oregon's 19-spot fall after losing to unranked Oklahoma State is what a single bad Saturday costs inside a ratings model built on resume strength. A Big Ten schedule full of ranked opponents now has to be survived rather than merely endured.

For a Dynasty save, the useful part of this poll is the separation, not the top line. Texas owns the schedule's hardest early win; Ohio State and Oregon must rebuild an impression through conference play, where results stack but rarely dazzle. That is exactly the tension a Dynasty run reproduces: a signature victory bought on the road outweighs a season of comfortable wins, and the deeper into the poll you go, the more a single result moves you.