Texas Climbs to No. 8 in Both the AP and Coaches Polls After the Missouri Win
Saturday's 34-20 win in Columbia paid out on Sunday: the Longhorns rose to No. 8 in the AP Top 25 and No. 8 in the Coaches Poll, with the playoff committee's next verdict coming Tuesday night and a trip to No. 24 LSU waiting Saturday.
AUSTIN — The Texas Longhorns climbed to No. 8 in both major Sunday polls, the reward for Saturday's 34-20 road win over then-No. 19 Missouri — the program's fourth win over a ranked opponent this season.
In the AP Top 25, Texas jumped from No. 10 to No. 8, helped by a Saturday on which five top-12 teams lost. The Longhorns are one of eight SEC teams in the poll and one of four in the top 10, sitting between No. 7 Alabama and No. 9 Tennessee, with Georgia at No. 1. In the US LBM Coaches Poll, released earlier Sunday, Texas rose three spots to No. 8 as well, at 7-2 with 1,287 points.
The win itself was Texas's most complete conference performance of the season: Arch Manning completed 28 of 38 passes for 297 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, and Raleek Brown produced 133 total yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns — the go-ahead catch with 5:03 left and the closing score on the ground. Texas has won three straight to stand 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the SEC.
The polls are the warm-up act. Texas entered the week No. 7 in the College Football Playoff rankings, and the committee releases its next list Tuesday, November 10, at 8 p.m. CT. Then comes the schedule's last ranked test: a primetime trip to Baton Rouge to face No. 24 LSU on Saturday.
