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\n <\/bsp-page-actions><\/p><\/div>\n As pro wrestling great and noted philosopher Ric Flair famously said, to be the man, you gotta beat the man.<\/p>\n Defending national champion Ohio State is still the man in college football.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n The purveyors of preseason rankings had anointed Texas largely because of what in retrospect was an overabundance of hype surrounding Arch Manning. Reality hit at the Horseshoe on Saturday, and now the Buckeyes are in position to jump Penn State and return to No. 1 when The Associated Press\u2019 first Top 25<\/a><\/span> of the regular season drops Tuesday.<\/p>\n Look for No. 9 LSU to garner support for No. 1, as well, after its 17-10 victory over No. 4 Clemson.<\/a><\/span> An eight-rung promotion to the top spot would be the second-biggest jump of all time. In 1984, Miami went from No. 10 to No. 1 in the first regular-season poll.<\/p>\n Given the Week 1 results, Penn State might even drop a spot or two. A 46-11 win over lowly Nevada<\/a><\/span> doesn\u2019t necessarily move the needle upward with voters.<\/p>\n Texas fans surely are let down but can take solace in the fact that Manning has a high ceiling<\/a><\/span> and won\u2019t be playing Ohio State every week.<\/p>\n Alabama fans, on the other hand, are gutted and rightly worried. Kalen DeBoer has lost to four unranked opponents<\/a><\/span> in his first 14 games following a 31-17 defeat at Florida State.<\/a><\/span> His predecessor, Nick Saban, lost to four unranked teams in his 235 games over 17 years leading the Crimson Tide.<\/p>\n \u2014 No. 3 Ohio State beat No. 1 Texas 14-7 not because new quarterback Julian Sayin outplayed Manning \u2014 he did \u2014 but because of a dominant defense that made stops on four of five fourth downs. New defensive coordinator Matt Patricia<\/a><\/span> made all the right calls and flummoxed Manning with a mix of pre-snap looks.<\/p>\n \u2014 No. 9 LSU won its first opener in six seasons, leaning on an upgraded defense in what was expected to be a battle of quarterbacks. LSU never let Cade Klubnik get comfortable and held Clemson to a paltry 4.5 yards per play. Garrett Nussmeier was solid and probably is the leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy by default.<\/p>\n \u2014 No. 10 Miami\u2019s 27-24 win over No. 6 Notre Dame<\/a><\/span>, after some anxious moments, turned out to be a great launch for the Hurricanes\u2019 new and improved defense under first-year coordinator Corey Hetherman.<\/p>\n \u2014 Texas became the first preseason No. 1 to lose its opener since BYU knocked off Miami in 1990. Manning will continue to be in the spotlight<\/a><\/span> \u2014 he plays for Texas and he\u2019s a Manning, after all \u2014 but it won\u2019t be as intense with San Jose State, UTEP and Sam Houston the next three opponents.<\/p>\n \u2014 The good news for Clemson is the Klubnik-led offense won\u2019t see a defense as good as LSU\u2019s again.<\/p>\n \u2014 It wasn\u2019t long after No. 8 Alabama\u2019s loss that DeBoer\u2019s contract buyout price of $70 million<\/a><\/span> was bandied on social media.<\/p>\n \u2014 No. 2 Penn State got points on its first nine possessions against Nevada.<\/p>\n \u2014 No. 5 Georgia had a drama-free 45-7 win over Marshall<\/a><\/span>, with Gunnar Stockton throwing for two TDs and running for two TDs and the defense forcing seven three-and-outs and one four-and-out.<\/p>\n \u2014 Bryce Underwood gave himself a grade of C-plus<\/a><\/span>, but he was better than any of the three other true freshman quarterbacks who previously started for No. 14 Michigan. He was 21 of 31 for 251 yards and a touchdown in a 34-17 win over New Mexico.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n \u2014 No. 17 Kansas State was less than a minute away from being the highest-ranked team since 2016 to lose to an FCS opponent. The Wildcats\u2019 touchdown with 42 seconds left let them escape with a 38-35 win over North Dakota.<\/p>\n \u2014 No. 24 Tennessee\u2019s 45-26 win over Syracuse<\/a><\/span> showed that the Volunteers might have gotten the better end of the Nico Iamaleava-Joey Aguilar switcheroo with UCLA. Aguilar threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns. Iamaleava struggled and was sacked four times in a 43-10 home loss to Utah.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n \u2014 No. 25 Boise State obviously was going to miss Ashton Jeanty. The Broncos\u2019 34-7 loss at ascending South Florida<\/a><\/span> suggests they miss him terribly.<\/p>\n \u2014 BYU received the most points of unranked teams in the preseason poll. A 69-0 win over FCS Portland State<\/a><\/span> is no big deal \u2014 the Vikings have been outscored 111-0 in two games \u2014 but there\u2019s a spot available after Boise State\u2019s loss.<\/p>\n \u2014 Utah was 14 of 17 on third downs and scored on all six trips into the red zone against UCLA. Utes QB Devon Dampier, who led the Mountain West Conference in total offense at New Mexico last year, is the real deal.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here<\/a><\/span>. AP college football: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/ap-top-25-college-football-poll<\/a><\/span> and https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/college-football<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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