The Texas Longhorns have the talent to win it all this season.
Whether or not they can do it is another question altogether, and that’s why they play the games. Without a doubt, though, the Longhorns have the talent.
And yet, according to the recently released preseason AP Top 25, the Longhorns are ranked No. 5 in college football.
The Ohio State Buckeyes, Oregon Ducks, Georgia Bulldogs and Notre Dame Fighting Irish are all ranked higher as we head into the 2026 season.
That doesn’t bother head coach Steve Sarkisian, of course. He’s a fan of polls because of what they do for the sport, but he’s not worried about where the Longhorns are ranked at this point of the season.
Keep in mind, not one single game has been played yet.
“I love the polls for college football fans, for the excitement, for the marquee matchups, for all those things,” Sarkisian said, according to the Associated Press via ESPN. “But the polls, internally, they just don’t matter. They’re really irrelevant. I think we’ve gotten to a point now as a team to understand that what matters is how we play each and every Saturday.”
Texas Longhorns get plenty of chances to prove themselves in 2026
Ohio State received 40 first-place votes and was the clear No. 1 in the rankings while Oregon received 14.
The Longhorns were the preseason No. 1 last year but quickly lost that ranking in Week 1 with a 14-7 loss to Ohio State in Columbus.
They’ll get a chance at revenge in Week 2 this season as they play host to the Buckeyes in the rematch game.
As a whole, Texas will get a ton of chances to prove itself as a CFP contender during the regular season. The Longhorns play seven games against preseason Top 25 teams this season, which is tied for the most by any Top Five team in the AP poll era.
