While the Texas Longhorns haven't had a complete misstep since claiming the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 Poll three weeks ago, the team hasn't exactly looked flawless.
During the Horns' bye week, the teams ranked just behind Texas looked as dominant as ever, with the Georgia Bulldogs dominating the Vanderbilt Commodores, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish escaping Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels, and the Miami Hurricanes easily dismissing the Clemson Tigers.
So, with two weeks to prepare and a sub-par Oklahoma Sooners team on the horizon, the Horns have a chance to make or break their place atop the rankings.
After Week 5, while the Horns took a weekend off, they actually lost a first-place vote in the AP Poll, maintaining their No. 1 ranking but falling from 62 first-place votes to 61. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs kept their six first-place votes, and the Canes actually gained an extra one, moving from one to two votes to be the top team.
- Texas Longhorns, 4-0 (61 1st-place votes)
- Georgia Bulldogs, 5-0 (6)
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 5-0
- Miami Hurricanes, 5-0 (2)
- Ohio State Buckeyes, 4-1
- Alabama Crimson Tide, 5-0
- Indiana Hoosiers, 5-0 (1)
- BYU Cougars, 4-0
- Ole Miss Rebels, 3-1
- LSU Tigers, 4-1
- Texas Tech Red Raiders, 5-0
- Utah Utes, 4-0
- Oregon Ducks, 3-1
- Missouri Tigers, 4-1
- Tennessee Volunteers, 4-1
- Florida Gators, 4-1
- Mississippi State Bulldogs, 4-1
- Oklahoma State Cowboys, 3-1
- USC Trojans, 5-1
- Iowa Hawkeyes, 4-1
- UCLA Bruins, 4-0
- Houston Cougars, 4-1
- Boise State Broncos, 4-1
- SMU Mustangs, 4-1
- Pittsburgh Panthers, 5-0
In other words, one misstep by Texas, one mediocre performance against a below-mediocre OU squad, and the Horns could see a significant number of those votes move to the teams that are eager to hunt them down.
Georgia beating Alabama in Week 6 could have Dawgs at No. 1
Even with a blowout victory over the Sooners, the Horns could easily have steep competition for the No. 1 spot, with Georgia facing the newly No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 6.
If the Bulldogs are able to topple the Tide, securing their first top-10 win of the season, there could be a huge argument in favor of UGA and head coach Kirby Smart leapfrogging UT and Steve Sarkisian.
However, if quarterback Arch Manning and the Texas offense are finally able to get things rolling, and the Longhorns obliterate their rivals in the Cotton Bowl, voters would be much more hard-pressed to send them down the rankings.
When Georgia played Oklahoma just a couple of weeks ago, the Bulldogs walked away with a dominant 41-13 victory to their name. The Horns should be able to match that, at least, or they could be clinging to the fact that they eked out a win over then-No. 1 Ohio State in Week 2 as their argument to stay atop the poll.
And, of course, we're now less than a month away from the first College Football Playoff ranking of the season being released on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Texas is going to want to ensure that its on-field performances match the expectations that come with being the No. 1 team in the nation over the next few weeks, or the Longhorns could see themselves behind quite a few teams in the first CFP ranking.
For now, the Horns are the No. 1 team in the country; the top Dawg, you might say. However, Sarkisian needs to shore up any questionable areas in his team's gameplay because the rest of the season is only going to get more difficult, and the expectations are only going to get higher.
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