Sep 20, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian holds up his horns while entering Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium before a game against the Sam Houston State Bearkats. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Where Texas Longhorns Stand in National Polls After Week 5

Originally posted on Texas Longhorns on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Sep 28, 2025 2:27 PM ET

The Texas Longhorns' first bye week came at even more perfect of a time than originally thought. Not only did it give them a nice break before they enter SEC play, but it kept them out of the fray in one of the most chaotic weeks of football in recent memory.

In Week 5, four of the top 10 teams in the AP Poll fell, and three of them were in the top five. The chaos started on Friday night when Virginia upset No. 8 Florida State in double overtime, then continued on Saturday as Ole Miss beat No. 4 LSU, Alabama beat No. 5 Georgia and Oregon beat No. 3 Penn State in overtime. Even though the three Saturday upsets were by other ranked teams, it's always exciting to see so many of the top dogs go down in one week.

Fortunately for the Longhorns, they were spared from the chaos thanks to the bye. Needless to say, though, the landscape around them has changed quite a bit, so how do they stack up in the new polls?

Texas Rises Back Up to No. 9 in New AP Poll

Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Despite all the chaos in the top 10, the Longhorns only moved up one spot to No. 9 in the AP Poll. They dropped two spots to No. 10 last week, so while they made up some lost ground, they didn't make up all of it.

It's not too hard to see why the Longhorns didn't move up much, though. LSU and Georgia fell past them, but Penn State managed to avoid a major slide by forcing overtime, as the Nittany Lions fell just four spots to No. 7. On the other side of the coin, Ole Miss rose nine spots to No. 4 while Indiana rose three spots to No. 8 after a gutsy road win over Iowa. Alabama is also at No. 10 just behind Texas, and the fact they're so close could've worked against the Longhorns as well.

On the other hand, the Longhorns stood pat at No. 7 in the Coaches Poll. Unlike the AP Poll, the Coaches Poll has Texas ahead of both Oklahoma and Indiana, but still behind Penn State despite the Nittany Lions' loss.

Unlike many of the teams around them, the Longhorns haven't earned a great win yet. They'll have chances to when they get into SEC play, which starts against Florida on Saturday, but they still have much to prove.

This article first appeared on Texas Longhorns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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