With Hollywood Smothers’ plunge into the end zone to complete Texas’ rally past Ohio State and vault the Longhorns to No. 1 in the AP Top 25, the nonconference portion of the 2026 college football calendar was just about put to bed.
Texas’ 24-23 win over Ohio State in a top-five showdown Saturday in Austin was by far the most noteworthy matchup in a mundane nonconference slate nationally, as most programs opted for easy tuneups over real competition.
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- Texas (0)
Georgia (0)
Notre Dame (0)
Ohio State (+2)
Miami (0)
Indiana (-2)
LSU (0)
Texas A&M (+1)
Alabama (+1)
Ole Miss (-2)
BYU (0)
Tennessee (+3)
Penn State (+1)
USC (-2)
Texas Tech (-2)
Oregon (+5)
Utah (0)
Michigan (+1)
Oklahoma (+5)
Louisville (+3)
South Carolina (+12)
Missouri (-2)
SMU (-7)
Florida (+3)
Kansas State (+15)
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Still, the first two weeks offered plenty of opportunity to recalibrate expectations for the championship chases ahead.
Through each week of my debut season with an AP Top 25 ballot, we’ll take you inside my thought process behind the picks, with a focus this week on handicapping the contenders in each league.
Texas is the easy pick at the top of the SEC and the national poll, boasting as much talent as any team in the country and validating it Saturday with the most impressive win of the year.
But Georgia has quietly built a strong case for No. 1, too, with an unmatched consistency making up for a lack of explosiveness.
Plenty of other contenders will be heard from, with LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Alabama claiming spots 7 through 10 in the top 25. My personal rankings have Ole Miss last in that quartet, with Tennessee not far behind at No. 12. Not surprisingly, the SEC race will be crowded.
If we accept the obvious reality that home field advantage matters, then Ohio State losing by the slimmest margin on the road to a top-five opponent should keep the Buckeyes in the mix for No. 1, right?
Of course, respecting head-to-head is important, and the Longhorns are a deserving No. 1. But I kept Ohio State at No. 4 with Indiana at No. 6, and the poll results had those two flipped.
IU’s opening win over North Texas looks a little better after UNT routed UNLV on Saturday, but the Hoosiers still have more to prove on defense relative to the Buckeyes.
I had Penn State, USC and Oregon bunched up from No. 13 to No. 16, but many of the other voters were quicker to lose faith in the Ducks after Saturday’s loss at Oklahoma State, as Oregon fell to No. 21.
That puts Oregon seventh in the Big Ten, also behind No. 18 Iowa (who I was still not compelled to rank after a 16-13 escape at home against Iowa State) and No. 19 Michigan (which might’ve lost to Western Michigan in Week 1).
That’s far too low for my taste given Oregon’s talent and metrics that remain pretty solid.
BYU has appropriately vaulted past Texas Tech as the highest-ranked team in the Big 12 after posting a decisive 28-17 win against an Arizona group on the fringe of the top 25.
Still, the Red Raiders remain correctly listed as the betting favorite because of a much easier schedule, even after Texas Tech looked lackluster in wins against Abilene Christian and Oregon State.
Tech’s toughest matchup the rest of the way might be this week’s home date with No. 22 Houston, while BYU has to visit to No. 17 Utah for their rivalry matchup in November.
Miami is the runaway favorite by any measure, showing little cause for concern in two blowout wins to open the year.
The more interesting question is who will emerge as the Hurricanes’ title game challenger?
The AP consensus would suggest No. 16 SMU is the favorite, ahead of No. 23 Louisville. I’d have those rankings flipped, putting Louisville at No. 20 and SMU at No. 23 on my ballot.
Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings is too volatile and turnover-prone, and SMU’s defense isn’t stout enough to cover for his mistakes.
Louisville should only get better as Lincoln Kienholz settles into the starting job. The difference between his first half and second half in the opener against Ole Miss points that direction.
Boise State continues to look like the clear favorite for the G6 playoff berth, checking in at an unofficial No. 28 in the top 25 votes tally.
Five programs at the Group of Six level landed votes this week, but I’m not ready to put any of them on my ballot. Boise State has the strongest statistical profile in the G6, but even the Broncos rank No. 48 in SP+ and No. 36 in ESPN’s FPI. Considering them one of the best 25 teams in the country is wishful thinking.
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This article originally published at Inside Greg Luca’s AP Top 25 ballot: How two weeks reshaped conference races.
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