Texas Tops AP Poll After 20-Point Rally

Texas jumped to No. 1 in the Associated Press poll after a record fourth-quarter comeback toppled Ohio State, reshaping the early season power map overnight.

Story Highlights

Texas beat Ohio State 24-23 after erasing a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit.
The rally was the largest fourth-quarter comeback to beat an Associated Press No. 1 team, per Sportradar reporting.
Texas rose to No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 with 56 first-place votes, the program’s earliest regular-season No. 1 since 1965.
Ohio State and Oregon dropped in the new poll as voters reweighted early résumés.

Texas Seizes No. 1 After Historic Rally

Texas moved to No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 one day after beating top-ranked Ohio State 24-23 with a 21-0 fourth quarter in Columbus. Reporters cited Sportradar in calling it the largest fourth-quarter rally ever to beat an Associated Press No. 1 team. The comeback included late touchdowns and a clinching interception in the final seconds that sealed the win at 24-23, capping a swing from down 23-3 to a one-point victory.

The poll reaction came fast and clear. Ballots pushed Texas to the top spot with 56 first-place votes, ahead of other contenders after the upset. CBS Sports said it marked the program’s earliest regular-season No. 1 since 1965, a sign that voters rewarded both the opponent quality and the late surge. The Associated Press rankings post also showed Ohio State and Oregon sliding, reflecting how a single high-profile result can reset early-season order.

How The Associated Press Top 25 Works And Why It Moved

The Associated Press Top 25 is based on ballots from about 60 writers and broadcasters who cover college football nationwide. Associated Press employees do not vote, but they select the voters. Ballots rank teams one to 25, convert to points, and then aggregate into the weekly order. This system often amplifies marquee wins, especially when they involve a No. 1 team losing and a dramatic finish that confirms head-to-head strength over reputation.

Voters are urged to weigh results on the field over hype, which explains Texas’s surge. A 20-point fourth-quarter comeback against the top-ranked team checked key boxes: elite opponent, road test, and resilient closing drive. In a straight points system, many first-place votes can swing the top ranking by a wide margin, which is what happened after this game. That mechanism helps explain why early September polls can change so sharply after one weekend.

What The Shake-Up Signals For The Season Ahead

Texas gained more than a ranking; it gained leverage. A No. 1 label raises stakes for every drive and boosts strength-of-schedule value for future opponents. Ohio State now faces a regroup test after a collapse that will shadow close games. Oregon’s drop underscores that voters are regrading résumés, not just box scores, in the season’s first month. For fans, the message is simple: one elite result can still tilt the entire narrative in college football.

Texas rises to No. 1 in AP Top 25 after comeback win over Ohio State, while Notre Dame stays at No. 3 https://t.co/ebQnhu0cjP

— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) September 14, 2026

The broader trend remains familiar. High-profile upsets become sorting tools for a panel built to respond quickly to new data. That can feel abrupt, but it matches the rules voters follow. Texas’s rise fits that pattern. A dramatic, late road win over No. 1 produced a flood of first-place ballots and the earliest No. 1 for the program in decades. The next test is consistency. Polls move on results, and now every team will aim to take down the leader on top.