Texas Tops AP Ballot at No. 1 After Week 2 Win Over Previous No. 1

Q: Will Ryan Day's conservative play-calling and monumental fourth-quarter collapse against Texas ultimately derail Ohio State's entire playoff campaign?

Not by itself. Ohio State’s 24-23 collapse at Texas is a serious setback and it sharpens scrutiny on Ryan Day, but it does not have to wreck the Buckeyes’ playoff path. The loss exposed familiar problems: conservative second-half play-calling, red-zone stalls, a missed late field goal, poor clock management and a defense that stopped generating pressure as Texas mounted three straight touchdown drives of at least 12 plays. Ohio State led 23-3 entering the fourth quarter and still lost, which makes this more than a routine September defeat. It is fair to say the game damaged confidence in Day’s game management. Still, the expanded 12-team playoff leaves Ohio State with a realistic margin for error. The Buckeyes remain highly ranked and still have multiple resume-building opportunities ahead, including games against Iowa, Indiana, USC, Oregon and Michigan. If they win out, they are safely in. Even at 10-2, especially with a strong strength of schedule, they would remain in solid contention for an at-large berth. What could derail the campaign is not one collapse, but if the Texas game proves to be a pattern. If Ohio State repeats the same late-game conservatism and offensive stagnation in Big Ten play, then this loss will be remembered as the warning sign that accurately forecast a missed playoff bid. If Day adjusts and the Buckeyes stack quality wins, the Texas defeat can instead become a survivable blemish against the nation’s new No. 1 team.

3 articles · Updated · KSL.com · Sep 13

Texas moved to No. 1 on Josh Furlong’s AP Top 25 ballot after rallying past his previous top-ranked team, Ohio State, in Week 2.
That shake-up came as several contenders looked uneven: LSU climbed to No. 2 after pulling away from Louisiana Tech, while Notre Dame stayed strong at No. 3 with a 52-0 win over Rice.
Miami landed at No. 4 after a 70-point rout of Florida A&M, with Georgia at No. 5 despite a 50-point win because Furlong said the Bulldogs’ résumé still lags teams above them.
Indiana, the reigning national champion, ranked No. 6, followed by Ohio State at No. 7 after blowing a double-digit lead to Texas; Texas A&M and Alabama rounded out the top 10.
Furlong described Texas as a still-fragile No. 1, underscoring how two weeks into the season the national picture remains unsettled despite a clearer early pecking order.

Sources

KSL.com15h ago

Josh Furlong Ranks Texas No. 1 in AP Top 25 After Week 2 College Football

The Associated Press15h ago

NCAA College Football Rankings: AP Top 25 Football Poll | AP News

The Bakersfield Californian10h ago

The AP Top 25 crowns Texas No. 1 in Week 2 of college football | Sports | bakersfield.com

10 Sources

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Will Ryan Day's conservative play-calling and monumental fourth-quarter collapse against Texas ultimately derail Ohio State's entire playoff campaign?