Texas climbs to No. 1 in ESPN’s updated power rankings after Week 2
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The Texas Longhorns are the No. 1 team in the country, per ESPN’s updated power rankings.
ESPN released its new power rankings on Monday morning and it matched the AP Top 25’s choice for the No. 1 team as it slotted in UT at that spot. Texas is coming off of an epic 24-23 win over Ohio State on Saturday night in Austin.
Here’s some analysis from ESPN’s Dave Wilson:
The Longhorns ascended to No. 1 this week after their first win against an AP No. 1 since beating Oklahoma in 2008. The big news was the steady climb back from a self-inflicted hole, rallying from 20 points down to shock No. 1 Ohio State 24-23 with three steady drives. But the best news was that it was Texas’ running game that was able to sustain those. Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown, the Longhorns’ two offseason additions, combined for 31 carries and 128 yards (59 of which came in the fourth quarter), with Smothers adding two 1-yard touchdowns on the game’s final two drives. Arch Manning added seven carries for 38 yards, not counting sacks. Will Muschamp’s defense struggled in the first half, but Steve Sarkisian said man coverage by the secondary in the second half allowed the Longhorns to get more pressure on Julian Sayin and stop the Buckeyes’ running game. The adjustments made the difference as the offense kept the ball moving.
Texas running back Hollywood Smothers was the star for UT’s offense as he scored the game-winning TD and had another score earlier on in the 4th quarter.
Quarterback Arch Manning struggled in the first half, but finished with 195 yards and 1 touchdown pass. He also made some key late-down throws — Texas was a solid 9-of-16 on 3rd down and 2-of-3 on 4th down in the win.
This is the third consecutive season that Texas has spent at least 1 week as the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25. Prior to 2024, the Longhorns hadn’t reached that milestone since 2008.
Texas will host UTSA in Week 3.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
