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  • Texas on top! Longhorns take over at No. 1 in AP Top 25

    Texas on top! Longhorns take over at No. 1 in AP Top 25

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    Texas is No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll for the first time in 16 years, replacing Georgia on Sunday after the Bulldogs struggled to remain unbeaten.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Longhorns moved up a spot from No. 2 and received 35 first-place votes and 1,540 points. The Bulldogs, who have been No. 1 since the preseason poll, received 23 first-place votes and 1,518 points

    • The last time the Longhorns were No. 1 was the middle of the 2008 season, when they spent three weeks at the top of the polls before losing a memorable game at Texas Tech in early November

    • Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, stepped in Saturday night against UTSA when Quinn Ewers went out with an abdomen injury that coach Steve Sarkisian said was not serious

    • A week after the SEC became the first conference to hold six of the first seven spots, the league repeated the feat

    The Longhorns moved up a spot from No. 2 and received 35 first-place votes and 1,540 points. The Bulldogs, who have been No. 1 since the preseason poll, received 23 first-place votes and 1,518 points.

    Ohio State received five first-place votes and stayed at No. 3 during an off week. No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Mississippi held their places and Tennessee moved up a spot to No. 6, flip-flopping with Southeastern Conference rival Missouri.

    The last time the Longhorns were No. 1 was the middle of the 2008 season, when they spent three weeks at the top of the polls before losing a memorable game at Texas Tech in early November. The Longhorns are likely to settle into the top spot for at least another week with a home game against Louisiana-Monroe up next, possibly with Arch Manning as the starting quarterback.

    Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, stepped in Saturday night against UTSA when Quinn Ewers went out with an abdomen injury that coach Steve Sarkisian said was not serious.

    “There’s nothing like being in the game. Playing in front of 105,000 people is not the easiest thing to do. I’m really proud of Arch,” Sarkisian said.

    A week after the SEC became the first conference to hold six of the first seven spots, the league repeated the feat.

    There was some shuffling at the back of the top 10, with No. 8 Oregon and No. 9 Miami each moving up a spot and Penn State slipping back to No. 10.

    Poll points

    Winning and dropping from No. 1 is not unusual. This is the 94th time it has happened since the poll started in 1936, and first time since Georgia and Alabama swapped No. 1 back and forth for a few weeks in 2022.

    The Bulldogs needed a second-half rally to squeak by 13-12 at Kentucky — the same Kentucky team that was buried at home a week earlier by South Carolina. That was the fewest points scored by a No. 1 team in a victory since Alabama beat LSU 10-0 in 2016.

    “I don’t know much about this team, but I found out more tonight than I’ve known to this point,” coach Kirby Smart told reporters after the game.

    Georgia has dominated the top spot in the AP poll since 2021, with 39 appearances.

    In its first season as a member of the SEC, Texas keeps No. 1 in the conference where it has resided for 50 of the last 52 polls, dating to the start of the 2021 season. Only Michigan of the Big Ten in the final two polls of last season has interrupted the streak of No. 1 rankings by the SEC, which includes 10 appearances by Alabama.

    Looking ahead, both the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs are off next week to prepare for a likely top-five matchup in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Sept. 28 that should have voters thinking about who’s No. 1 again.

    In and out

    Boston College joined fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Georgia Tech in the brief-stay-after-a-long-drought club. The Eagles lost at Missouri and fell out of the rankings after moving in last week for the first time since 2018.

    Arizona is also out for the first time this season after getting thumped by Kansas State.

    Moving in for the first time this season was Illinois at No. 24. Texas A&M jumped back into the rankings at No. 25.

    Conference call

    The 18-team Big Ten matched a conference record (reached 11 times previously) with seven ranked teams.

    SEC — 9 (Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 15, 16, 25).

    Big Ten — 7 (Nos. 3, 9, 10, 11, 18, 22, 24).

    Big 12 — 4 (Nos. 12, 13, 14, 20).

    ACC — 3 (Nos. 8, 19, 21).

    MAC — 1 (No. 23).

    Independent — 1 (No. 17).

    Ranked vs. ranked

    No. 24 Illinois at No. 22 Nebraska, Friday. The last time the Cornhuskers hosted a game with both teams ranked was 2013 when No. 16 UCLA beat No. 23 Nebraska 41-21.

    No. 6 Tennessee at No. 15 Oklahoma, Saturday. The Volunteers welcome the Sooners to the SEC.

    No. 11 USC at No. 18 Michigan, Saturday. The Trojans’ first Big Ten game is exactly what the executives at Fox hoped for.

    No. 12 Utah at No. 14 Oklahoma State, Saturday. The first big game between Big 12 teams that actually counts in the conference standings.

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    Associated Press

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  • Having bid farewell to Saban, SEC welcomes Oklahoma and Texas to the mix

    Having bid farewell to Saban, SEC welcomes Oklahoma and Texas to the mix

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    Goodbye, Nick Saban. Hello, Oklahoma and Texas.

    For the first time in 17 years, Alabama’s iconic coach won’t be prowling the sidelines in the Southeastern Conference. With one longtime juggernaut headed to an ESPN gig and semi-retirement, two others enter the fray.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Sooners and Longhorns join the powerhouse league three years after announcing their departure from the Big 12

    • A league that had captured four straight national titles — including two straight from Georgia — before Michigan won it all last season, is now beefed up to 16 teams

    • For all that, some things haven’t changed: Kirby Smart and top-ranked Georgia are loaded with talent and regarded as the team to beat. Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns bring another current force into the mix with quarterback Quinn Ewers back after leading them to the College Football Playoff

    The Sooners and Longhorns join the powerhouse league three years after announcing their departure from the Big 12, and they will not have to face Saban, who won six of his major college record seven national championships with the Crimson Tide.

    “I think it’s a partnership of elite with elite,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. “And, again, two programs that in the history of college football take a back seat to nobody. The SEC doesn’t take a back seat to anybody.”

    A league that had captured four straight national titles — including two straight from Georgia — before Michigan won it all last season, is now beefed up to 16 teams.

    For all that, some things haven’t changed: Kirby Smart and top-ranked Georgia are loaded with talent and regarded as the team to beat. Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns bring another current force into the mix with quarterback Quinn Ewers back after leading them to the College Football Playoff.

    Kalen DeBoer takes over in Tuscaloosa after leading Washington to the national championship game. Saban is gone, but the talent at ‘Bama isn’t.

    Mississippi and Missouri are also coming off 11-win seasons where both finished in the top 10. They return veteran quarterbacks — Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart and Missouri’s Brady Cook — and enviable playmakers at wide receiver.

    Top players to watch

    Carson Beck, QB, Georgia: Widely regarded as the Heisman Trophy front-runner going into the season, Beck led the SEC and ranked third nationally with 3,941 passing yards while completing 72.4% of his passes. Some of his top targets are gone, but the Bulldogs are loaded.

    Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri: One of college football’s top receivers. Burden was a second-team Associated Press All-American after ranking in the top 10 nationally with 1,212 receiving yards, along with nine touchdowns and 86 catches.

    Will Campbell, OL, LSU: The Tigers’ tackle has started 26 games in his first two seasons and allowed only three sacks in 1,687 snaps — all in his freshman year. The 6-foot-6, 320-pounder anchors a line that was among three finalists for the Joe Moore Award.

    Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas: Ewers gives the league another experienced, talented passer and a potential Heisman candidate. He has 22 starts under his belt with 5,656 passing yards and 37 passing touchdowns.

    Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama: A big-play threat running and passing, Milroe overcame a rocky start to emerge as one of the SEC’s top QBs. He even wound up sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

    James Pearce Jr., LB, Tennessee: Emerged as a pass rushing force last season despite starting only three games. The 6-foot-5, 243-pounder tied for the SEC lead with 10 sacks and his 14-1/2 tackles for loss ranked second.

    Harold Perkins Jr., LB, LSU: The 2022 first-team All-SEC pick has 26 tackles for loss and 13 sacks in 27 career games.

    Malaki Starks, DB, Georgia: A star on the Bulldogs’ loaded defense, Starks was a first-team AP All-American last season. He was also a finalist for two national awards.

    Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma: The two-year starter returns for his senior season with 267 career tackles, 28 of them going for a loss.

    New faces

    There isn’t a more compelling new face in college football than DeBoer, who has a gaudy 104-12 record in nine seasons as a head coach at various levels.

    Mike Elko takes over at Texas A&M after a stint at Duke. Former Oklahoma and Mississippi offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby is the new head man at Mississippi State.

    New coordinators abound across the league, but none more intriguing than Bobby Petrino. He takes over Sam Pittman’s offense at Arkansas, where he once reigned as head coach before getting fired in 2012 amid an off-field scandal.

    On the hot seat

    Pittman’s precarious job situation makes Petrino’s presence potentially both more vital. The Razorbacks managed only one league win and went 4-8 last season.

    Florida coach Billy Napier also may need to make significant strides after going 11-14 in his first two seasons. He faces a closing stretch against Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State but did sign five-star quarterback DJ Lagway.

    Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea is taking over as his own defensive coordinator after going 0-8 in SEC games last season.

    Games to watch

    Aug. 31, Georgia vs. Clemson (Atlanta); Sep. 7, Texas at Michigan; Sep. 21, Tennessee at Oklahoma; Sep. 28, Georgia at Alabama; Oct. 12, Texas vs. Oklahoma (Dallas); Oct. 19, Georgia at Texas; Oct. 28, Missouri at Alabama; Nov. 9, Georgia at Ole Miss; Nov. 23, Alabama at Oklahoma; Nov. 30, Texas at Texas A&M; Auburn at Alabama, Florida at Florida State.

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    Associated Press

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  • Bye to the Big 12 and hello SEC: It’s party time for Texas and Oklahoma

    Bye to the Big 12 and hello SEC: It’s party time for Texas and Oklahoma

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    AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Bye-bye Big 12, hello SEC. Texas and Oklahoma are finally making their long-awaited conference switch.

    What You Need To Know

    • The three-years-in-the-making switch to the Southeastern Conference for two programs that were co-founders of the Big 12 in 1996 officially happens Monday

    • And for their move to a league where “It Just Means More,” Texas and Oklahoma have scheduled big campus celebrations Sunday and Monday with carnivals, live music and fireworks. Oklahoma’s even stretches to events statewide

    • The Texas and Oklahoma break from the Big 12 helped trigger myriad conference shifts with more on the way. By the first kickoff of the 2024 season, 11 so-called Power 4 programs will be in new conferences

    • Between them, the Sooners (14) and Longhorns (four) won 18 Big 12 football titles in 25 years, with Texas winning the crown last season for the first time since 2009

    But first, it’s time to party with Bevo (the longhorn) and Pitbull (the human).

    The three-years-in-the-making switch to the Southeastern Conference for two programs that were co-founders of the Big 12 in 1996 officially happens Monday.

    And for their move to a league where “It Just Means More,” Texas and Oklahoma have scheduled big campus celebrations Sunday and Monday with carnivals, live music and fireworks. Oklahoma’s even stretches to events statewide.

    The SEC Network planned live programming from both campuses over the two days, and Longhorns and Sooners fans had their first chance to buy SEC-branded school merchandise.

    “This is a day we have been building toward for years,” Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said.

    It’s a moment college sports in general has been building toward in the era of major realignment. The Texas and Oklahoma break from the Big 12 helped trigger myriad conference shifts with more on the way. By the first kickoff of the 2024 season, 11 so-called Power 4 programs will be in new conferences.

    The Big Ten will grow to 18 teams with USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington poached from the Pac-12. The beleaguered West Coast league also lost Arizona, Colorado, Utah and Arizona State to the Big 12, and California and Stanford to the Atlantic Coast Conference. SMU leaps from the American Athletic Conference to the ACC on Monday as well.

    As for Oklahoma and Texas, they originally planned to join the SEC in 2025, but ultimately reached a financial deal with the Big 12 for an early exit. And they leave with a whole lot of hardware.

    Between them, the Sooners (14) and Longhorns (four) won 18 Big 12 football titles in 25 years, with Texas winning the crown last season for the first time since 2009.

    In its final year in the league, Texas won 15 league regular season or tournament championships across all sports, and national titles in volleyball and rowing. Oklahoma capped its final season with its dominant softball program winning its fourth consecutive national title in May. The Sooners beat Texas in the final.

    “Texas brings more tradition, more talent, more passion and more fight,” to the SEC, the school said on its athletics website.

    All that winning will be much more difficult to duplicate in the SEC. Oklahoma opens its first SEC football schedule at home against Tennessee on Sept. 21. The Longhorns debut at Mississippi State on Sept. 28.

    Since the start of the College Football Playoff in 2014, SEC schools have won the championship six times.

    Texas (2005) and Oklahoma (2000) were the only two schools to win national titles in football while in the Big 12.

    Some traditional rivalries will be stitched back together, and some torn apart.

    The Texas-Texas A&M rivalry is reborn. It had been on hiatus since A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC in 2012. Oklahoma’s Bedlam rivalry with Oklahoma State is ruptured.

    Texas spiced things up with Texas A&M last week when it poached Aggies baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle to Austin. At his introductory news conference, Schlossnagle warned Longhorns fans that the SEC is the “major leagues” of college baseball. The league has won the past five national championships.

    Texas and Oklahoma planned for thousands of fans to join their celebrations.

    Texas set up a central campus carnival. Fans will get autograph sessions with team coaches, and a chance to pose with the Bevo longhorn mascot for photos in the afternoon.

    Sunday night includes a scheduled concert by “Mr. Worldwide” pop star Pitbull on a stage underneath the campus’ iconic clock tower.

    Oklahoma’s celebration started Sunday night with a “Race to the SEC” 5k race through the heart of campus, with midnight sales of SEC merchandise and fireworks.

    Monday morning, former Sooners coach Barry Switzer will co-host a celebration breakfast in Tulsa and Oklahoma will host a campus party at the football stadium with live music and entertainment.

    “We couldn’t be more excited to join the SEC. Our teams are poised for success and look forward to the competition with many of America’s most outstanding universities,” Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione said.

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    Associated Press

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