The University of Texas Longhorns fell in the Associated Press Top 25 rankings heading into Week 10 despite a 27-24 road victory over Vanderbilt.
After spending four weeks as the top-ranked team in the country, the Longhorns have dropped in the rankings for two consecutive weeks.
The Longhorns dropped from No. 1 to No. 5 following a loss to Georgia in Week 8 and have now dropped once again despite picking up the road win against Vanderbilt.
Texas took a commanding 21-7 lead early in the second quarter before the offense began to stall in the second half of the game, allowing Vanderbilt to storm back as they trailed just 24-17 heading into the fourth quarter.
A late field goal helped the Longhorns secure the victory after taking a 27-17 with just under two minutes remaining. However, a Vanderbilt touchdown with under one minute left made the score much closer than initially expected.
Although Vanderbilt is not considered a football powerhouse, the team entered its game against the Longhorns ranked as the 25th-best team in college football. The team had a record of 5-2 and impressive wins over Alabama and Kentucky in the weeks preceding the game.
Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian said after the game that his team’s “toughness” and “culture” stood out to him, noting that road games in the Southeastern Conference are always challenging to win.
“We knew it was going to take 60 minutes against this style of team and again, it’s always good to get a road win and like I said before, that was a good football team,” he said, according to AP.
“They weren’t 25th in the country on accident,” Sarkisian added.
Texas was replaced as the fifth-ranked team in the country by the University of Miami, which defeated Florida State 36-14 in a game that was seemingly over by halftime.
Miami has also struggled to beat teams throughout the majority of the season, walking away with close wins against Virginia Tech, California, and Lousiville in the three weeks prior to this game.
Regardless, Texas will now head into a bye week and begin preparations for Florida in Week 11, where the Longhorns will look to once again show their dominance against a conference opponent.
