How the Top 25 should look: Texas holds No. 1, Ole Miss win shuffles Top 10

Saturday’s college football action proved that every week is a test, as Coach Kirby Smart said after his No. 2-ranked Georgia program disposed of Arkansas.

Texas, which seized the No. 1 ranking last week on the heels of its come-from-behind 24-23 win over Ohio State, should hold serve at the top of the poll after pounding UTSA, 30-6.

The Longhorns earned the No. 1 ranking with their win over the Buckeyes last week, which still stands as the most impressive win by any college football team this season.

Smart’s Bulldogs look like the No. 2 team after beating the Razorbacks 45-17, having pulled a majority of starters with a 38-3 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Things could get interesting after that, but Miami’s offense proved explosive enough in Friday night’s 33-20 win at Wake Forest for the Hurricanes to maintain the No. 3 position on this voter’s AP Top 25 ballot.

Ohio State dominated Kent State in a 59-3 victory and should be the No. 4 team in the nation, looking very much like a College Football Playoff field lock.

Ole Miss served former coach Lane Kiffin a dose of revenge late Saturday night, spoiling his return to Oxford as the LSU coach with a 32-24 victory that should vault the Rebels into the top five.

Ole Miss held a 24-7 halftime lead before the Tigers battled back to tie the game 24-24, only to see quarterback Trinidad Chambliss lead a game-winning drive and Coach Pete Golding’s defense get a late red zone stop.

Notre Dame pulled away from Michigan State for a 27-10 home win that made the Irish look like the No. 6 team with its efficient offense and fierce defense.

Indiana wasn’t flashy against an overmatched opponent, but the defending national champions flexed defensive muscle in moving to 3-0 with their second consecutive shutout, blanking Western Kentucky 38-0 in Bloomington to earn a No. 7 ranking.

Kiffin’s Tigers still look like championship contenders and should drop no lower than No. 8 as the transfer-heavy team looks to come together after the defeat.

Alabama rallied to beat Florida State at home, its offense lethal enough to edge out rising Tennessee for the No. 9 spot.

Texas A&M, previously No. 9, suffered a shocking 31-21 home loss to 17-point underdog Kentucky and should tumble down, if not out, of the Top 25.

Mississippi State’s 41-31 win at South Carolina adds more flavor near the bottom of the Top 25, with QB Kamario Taylor a rising star to keep an eye on.

Mike Griffith’s AP Top 25 ballot

1. Texas (3-0)

Beat UTSA, 30-6

2. Georgia (3-0)

Won at Arkansas, 45-17

3. Miami (3-0)

Won at Wake Forest, 33-20

4. Ohio State (2-1)

Beat Kent State, 59-3

5. Ole Miss (3-0)

Beat No. 7 LSU, 32-24

6. Notre Dame (3-0)

Beat Michigan State, 27-10

7. Indiana (3-0)

Beat Western Kentucky, 38-0

8. LSU (2-1)

Lost at No. 8 Ole Miss, 32-24

9. Alabama (3-0)

Beat Florida State, 50-36

10. Tennessee (3-0)

Beat Kennesaw State, 42-9

11. Utah (3-0)

Beat Utah State, 33-0

12. BYU (3-0)

Beat Colorado State, 41-23