On3 Projects Georgia No. 1, Texas No. 2 in Updated AP Top 25

Q: What hidden flaw caused Ohio State's elite defense to completely collapse during the final twenty minutes against Texas?

The hidden flaw was not a single busted play so much as a structural failure: Ohio State’s defense was elite only while the Buckeyes kept attacking. Once the staff and game flow turned passive, the defense wore down, lost its pressure edge, and Texas exposed it with tempo, volume and repeated conversions. The available game evidence points to three connected problems. Ohio State’s offense stopped sustaining drives, producing only five first downs in the second half and several empty possessions. That left the defense on the field for too long in extreme heat against a Texas offense that ran 78 plays overall, including 40 across its final three possessions and 47 in the second half. Fatigue became a real factor. At the same time, outside analysis of the game repeatedly noted that Ohio State appeared to “take its foot off the gas.” That mattered defensively. The Buckeyes were disruptive early, but later showed less pressure and less aggression, allowing Arch Manning to settle in. Texas then converted 9 of 16 third downs and extended touchdown drives of 15, 13 and 12 plays, including fourth-down conversions on the first two scoring marches. So the hidden flaw was Ohio State’s lack of a sustainable, four-quarter formula. Its defense looked dominant when paired with aggressive offense and field-position control, but once the offense stalled and the coaching approach grew conservative, the unit’s depth, stamina and ability to keep dictating terms all cracked at once.

3 articles · Updated · KSR · Sep 13

Georgia stayed atop On3’s projected AP Top 25 after a 70-20 rout of Western Kentucky, while Texas climbed to No. 2 after rallying past Ohio State 24-23.
That shake-up was driven by Week 2 separation: Ohio State fell to No. 6 after blowing a multi-touchdown lead, and Oregon slid to No. 20 after a 39-31 loss at Oklahoma State.
Notre Dame held No. 3 with a 52-0 win over Rice, while Indiana rose to No. 4 after a 55-0 shutout of Howard and Miami stayed No. 5 by crushing Florida A&M 77-7.
Further down the projection, Alabama moved to No. 10, USC to No. 11 and Michigan re-entered at No. 23 after beating Oklahoma 17-10.
On3 said the rankings are based on this weekend’s results and historical AP Poll movement, with late Saturday games still subject to updates.