Texas just rocketed to the top spot in the AFCA Coaches Poll for Week 3, but let’s be real, the entire college football world is still buzzing about how Ohio State absolutely imploded against the Longhorns. Ohio State, who started the game with a ton of hype, lost a stunning 24-23 after holding a massive 20-point lead in the fourth quarter. Yeah, you read that right. A 20-point fourth-quarter lead vanished into thin air, and now they’ve tumbled all the way down to sixth in the rankings.
The Buckeye Meltdown Is REAL
This isn’t just a tough loss; this is a full-blown crisis for Ohio State. They’ve now dropped three straight games against Power Four competition, dating back to last season. Their only win in the last four outings? Against Ball State in their season opener. Talk about a rough start to the year! Texas quarterback Arch Manning led three separate fourth-quarter touchdown drives, finishing 20-of-37 for 196 yards, and he wasn’t pulling any punches after the game. He said he was “so proud of our guys in all three phases,” even admitting, “It wasn’t very pretty, but we found a way to win. That’s what good teams do.” Ohio State coach Ryan Day sounded just as frustrated, pointing out, “We really played well for three quarters and didn’t play well enough in the fourth quarter, that’s the bottom line. We stalled on some offensive drives, thought we had them on the ropes and didn’t finish. We got to go back and figure out why that was.” Nobody gave Ohio State a single first-place vote this week, which is a huge shift from the 50 votes they had just last week. Ouch.
Oregon Took a Massive Tumble, Too
It wasn’t just Ohio State having a nightmare weekend. Our neighbors down south, the Oregon Ducks, took a huge hit, too. After getting upset by Oklahoma State, they plummeted a staggering 12 spots in the poll, landing at No. 18. This is the first time Oregon has been outside the top 10 under coach Dan Lanning since September 2023. You know Lanning is going to be ripping into that locker room after a drop like that. Meanwhile, Michigan’s win over Oklahoma helped them get some momentum back after a shaky start, and quarterback Bryce Underwood is trying to find his groove in a new offense. Outside the top two, the rest of the top five looks like this: Georgia at No. 2 (15 first-place votes), Notre Dame at No. 3 (4 first-place votes), Indiana at No. 4 (10 first-place votes), and Miami at No. 5 (2 first-place votes). Even LSU nabbed a first-place vote, sitting at No. 7. Florida, on the other hand, dropped out of the rankings completely despite a huge 49-point win over Campbell, which just feels wrong.
The college football landscape is getting wild fast, and these early season upsets are setting the tone for what’s sure to be a chaotic year. While the big dogs across the country are figuring things out, our own Washington Huskies quietly pulled off a tight 16-14 win over Utah State. It wasn’t flashy, but hey, a win’s a win, right? We’ll be watching every snap as these teams battle it out! Go Dawgs!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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