Horns hop into the Top 25
Knocking a Top 25 foe out of the rankings is always sweet.
Getting back in because of two straight wins over those formerly in the rankings themselves lingers even sweeter.
With a thrilling win over former No. 17 TCU, the Texas football team came in at No. 18 and No. 22, respectively, in the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll rankings. Both USC and the Horned Frogs are unranked after the Longhorns won home tilts against both teams in back-to-back weeks.
After the amazing home win head coach Tom Herman gave credit to all the forces coming together to get the Horns back standing with the nation’s best. [place_ad_1]
“All it does is validate the fact that we have taken another step, that's all,” he said. “And I can tell you this, when you go sing ‘The Eyes of Texas’ after a win against a Top-25 opponent in front of a student section that's as packed and as loud as that, that's special. That is a special, special feeling.”
A ‘fearless’ defense kept Texas in the win against TCU until the offense could get going again, allowing the Longhorns to show that they do belong again when there were valid doubts following the season-opening loss.
The ‘D’ is a big reason things are different this year, as Herman keeps reiterating.
“That's the one thing that we have been preaching for awhile around here is when you're confident in your preparation, you're confident in the way that you've been trained, you're confident in your teammates and their preparation and their ability to do their job, then it should be very easy and fun to play fearless,” he said, “and to not hesitate and to not think.”
Herman and the Horns are looking to keep the special feelings rolling with a visit to Kansas State this week, with the annual Red River Showdown against Oklahoma looming. After another slow start and narrow win — though the finish made it seem larger than the game did — the Longhorns are locked in on here, and now. And getting a win again to keep climbing up the rankings. The Wildcats are 2-2 coming off a 35-6 loss to West Virginia in their own Big 12 Conference opener.
Alabama of course still slots in at No. 1 in both polls, followed by Georgia (2 AP, 3 CP), Clemson (3, 2) and Ohio State (4,4). Oklahoma is in at No. 6 in the AP and No. 5 in the Coaches Poll.
West Virginia is the second-highest ranked team in the Big 12 at No. 12 in both polls, while Texas Tech entered the rankings this week at No. 25 int the AP while Oklahoma State fell out, but in the Coaches Poll the Cowboys rank ahead of Texas at No. 21, but were dropped from the AP Poll completely.
