When Texas took a 10-point lead into halftime at the Cotton Bowl, the Longhorns appeared well on their way to another Red River Rivalry victory, while Oklahoma's struggles seemed destined to continue into Week 7.
Then, the chaos that so often defines the rivalry took over.
Behind some second-half lockdown defense and a 47-yard walk-off field goal from Tate Sandell, the Sooners knocked off the top-ranked Longhorns 27-24 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on Saturday, Oct. 10.
On the flip side, Arch Manning had a mixed second half that ended with Courtland Guillory picking him off and setting up an eventual game-winning drive by John Mateer, Sandell and the Sooners.
The Longhorns were held to just seven second-half points, scoring only on a quick touchdown drive capped by a Manning pass to Jermaine Bishop Jr. in the fourth quarter. The score came immediately after Peyton Bowen returned a Manning interception for a touchdown.
The loss for Texas means there will be a new No. 1 team in the country. But where will the Longhorns be ranked in the US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25 poll on Sunday when they're released? Here's a look at where Steve Sarkisian's squad might find itself:
Where will Texas fall in college football rankings after Oklahoma loss?
A loss to Oklahoma will not kill Texas' hopes of playing in the College Football Playoff or at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in December's SEC championship game. This could, however, be a "bad" loss for the Longhorns, especially considering who is next up on their schedule: ranked teams in Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri and LSU.
It is also a loss that will drop the Longhorns a bit in the updated US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 poll.
It's hard to predict exactly what type of drop Texas will take, since there won't be much movement in the top 10, pending the outcomes of No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Alabama and No. 10 LSU vs. No. 25 Kentucky. No. 5 Indiana avoided an upset on the road at Nebraska and the other top 10 teams won handily. But a best-educated guess would be Texas lands in the range of around 7 to 10. Working in Texas' favor is its Week 2 home win over Ohio State, one of the best wins in the country this season.
Below is a look at how the rest of the top 10 fared in Week 6 of the season:
- No. 1 Texas: Lost to Oklahoma
- No. 2 Georgia: vs. No. 7 Alabama
- No. 3 Notre Dame: Beat Stanford
- No. 4 Miami: BYE
- No. 5 Indiana: Beat Nebraska
- No. 6 Ohio State: Beat Maryland
- No. 7 Alabama: vs. No. 2 Georgia
- No. 8 BYU: Beat Iowa State
- No. 9 Texas Tech: BYE
- No. 10 LSU: vs. No. 25 Kentucky
Final projection: No. 9
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas football rankings: Where will Longhorns fall after Oklahoma loss?
