Texas remains No. 1 in the US LBM Coaches Poll after beating UTSA 30-6, but Arch Manning and the offense face a much tougher test at Tennessee.
Texas is still No. 1.
The Longhorns remained atop the US LBM Coaches Poll released Sunday after improving to 3-0 with a 30-6 win over UTSA, despite an uneven offensive performance that looked nothing like the dramatic comeback victory over Ohio State a week earlier.
Texas received 46 first-place votes and 1,807 points, comfortably holding off No. 2 Georgia, which received 16 first-place votes and 1,742 points. Notre Dame, Indiana and Miami rounded out the top five.
The defense made sure it didn’t matter.
Texas held UTSA to just 143 total yards, including 70 through the air, and allowed only six points. The Roadrunners converted just one of 11 third downs and never reached the end zone.
That imbalance is becoming the central storyline surrounding Steve Sarkisian’s team.
Texas clearly has a defense capable of controlling games. The question is whether the offense can become consistent enough to survive the SEC schedule.
The answer may come quickly.
The Longhorns travel to No. 13 Tennessee on Saturday for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff at Neyland Stadium on ABC. Tennessee improved to 3-0 with a 42-9 win over Kennesaw State and moved up one spot in the Coaches Poll.
In the rest of the rankings, Ole Miss made one of the biggest moves of the week, jumping three spots to No. 6 after beating LSU 32-24. Texas Tech climbed to No. 10, while LSU dropped four spots to No. 11.
Texas A&M took the hardest fall among the contenders, plunging 12 spots to No. 20 after losing 31-21 at home to Kentucky. SMU also tumbled nine places to No. 25 following its loss at Louisville.
For Texas, though, the message from voters was clear: winning still matters most.
The Longhorns weren’t sharp against UTSA, but they’re still unbeaten, still No. 1 and still in control of their season.
Now comes Tennessee ... and a much more serious test of whether the offense is ready to justify that ranking.
