Ohio State running back CJ Donaldson is stopped by the Texas defense during the second half in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday. The Buckeyes won 14-7. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

As pro wrestling great and noted philosopher Ric Flair famously said, to be the man, you gotta beat the man.

Defending national champion Ohio State is still the man in college football.

The purveyors of preseason rankings had anointed Texas largely because of what in retrospect was an overabundance of hype surrounding Arch Manning. Reality hit at the Horseshoe on Saturday, and now the Buckeyes are in position to jump Penn State and return to No. 1 when The Associated Press’ first Top 25 of the regular season drops today.

Look for No. 9 LSU to garner support for No. 1, as well, after its 17-10 victory over No. 4 Clemson. An eight-rung promotion to the top spot would be the second-biggest jump of all time. In 1984, Miami went from No. 10 to No. 1 in the first regular-season poll.

Given the Week 1 results, Penn State might even drop a spot or two. A 46-11 win over lowly Nevada doesn’t necessarily move the needle upward with voters.

Bryce Underwood gave himself a grade of C-plus, but he was better than any of the three other true freshman quarterbacks who previously started for No. 14 Michigan. He was 21 of 31 for 251 yards and a touchdown in a 34-17 win over New Mexico

Texas fans surely are let down but can take solace in the fact that Manning has a high ceiling and won’t be playing Ohio State every week.

Alabama fans, on the other hand, are gutted and rightly worried. Kalen DeBoer has lost to four unranked opponents in his first 14 games following a 31-17 defeat at Florida State. His predecessor, Nick Saban, lost to four unranked teams in his 235 games over 17 years leading the Crimson Tide.

Look for them to move up

— No. 3 Ohio State beat No. 1 Texas 14-7 not because new quarterback Julian Sayin outplayed Manning — he did — but because of a dominant defense that made stops on four of five fourth downs. New defensive coordinator Matt Patricia made all the right calls and flummoxed Manning with a mix of pre-snap looks.

— No. 9 LSU won its first opener in six seasons, leaning on an upgraded defense in what was expected to be a battle of quarterbacks. LSU never let Cade Klubnik get comfortable and held Clemson to a paltry 4.5 yards per play. Garrett Nussmeier was solid and probably is the leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy by default.

— No. 10 Miami’s 27-24 win over No. 6 Notre Dame, after some anxious moments, turned out to be a great launch for the Hurricanes’ new and improved defense under first-year coordinator Corey Hetherman.