Questionable shakeup at the top of AP’s NCAAF rankings

Alabama’s rise to No. 1 is questionable.

While the Crimson Tide were able to pull off a win over Georgia in Week 5, the impressiveness of the win is somewhat tempered by the fact that Alabama blew a 28-point lead. With less than seven minutes left in the second quarter, Alabama had a 28-0 lead. However, over the next 34 minutes of play, Georgia blitzed 34-5 to take a 34-33 lead. Although Alabama ultimately emerged victorious, it gave up 519 total yards and 25 first downs.

After the unranked Kentucky Wildcats held Georgia to 13 points in Week 4, Alabama’s 34-point loss raised a red flag.

In contrast, the Texas Longhorns dominated their opponents as they sprinted to a 5-0 record, outscoring them 225-35. That equates to an average winning margin of 45-7 per game. Additionally, one of their wins came in an away game against defending champion No. 10 Michigan.

Without their starting quarterback Quinn Ewers, the Longhorns won their first Southeastern Conference game, defeating Mississippi State 35-13.

Given the above circumstances, one would look in vain for a rational justification for moving the Longhorns behind the Crimson Tide in the rankings. However, Georgia will soon serve as a benchmark between Texas and Alabama. The Longhorns host Georgia at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin on October 19th. In this contest, Texas has the opportunity to put together a more impressive performance against the Bulldogs than Alabama did, showing that it deserves the No. 1 spot.