Texas-Ohio State was already shaping up as a heavyweight showdown, and the Preseason Coaches Poll just turned the volume up even more.
With the poll out, the Buckeyes landed at No. 1 and Texas came in at No. 4, giving the Week 2 matchup even more juice as the Longhorns head into fall camp and start turning the page toward the 2026 season.
It’s a sharp flip from last year’s setup. Texas entered that meeting as the nation’s No. 1 team, while Ohio State checked in at No.
- The result did not go Texas’ way, with the Longhorns taking the Week 1 loss to the Buckeyes.
That defeat, along with other issues from last season, seems to be part of why Texas didn’t open this year at the very top of the poll.
Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns have a bigger problem than one bad result, though. Since Texas joined the SEC in 2024, the program has come up short in the biggest moments more often than not.
There have been bright spots, including wins over Michigan in both the 2024 regular season and the Citrus Bowl last year. But outside of that, Texas has not shown the same punch in the marquee games.
The Longhorns went 0-3 against Georgia, including a loss in the 2024 SEC Championship Game, and they also fell short repeatedly in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Against Ohio State last season, the offense never really found its footing.
That history helps explain why Texas is sitting behind Oregon and Georgia in the preseason rankings. It also reflects the view among SEC coaches that Georgia and Kirby Smart still have the edge over Sarkisian and the Longhorns.
The numbers back up the concern. Over Sarkisian’s five seasons in charge since 2021, Texas is 12-14 against AP Top 25 opponents, a 46.1 percent winning rate.
That kind of record doesn’t line up with a program trying to claim a spot at the very top.
And the schedule doesn’t offer much breathing room. Texas will face the No.
1 Buckeyes, No. 8 Texas A&M Aggies, No.
9 Oklahoma Sooners, No. 10 Ole Miss Rebels, No.
13 LSU Tigers, No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers and No.
25 Missouri Tigers.
For Sarkisian, the first chance to start changing the conversation comes against Ohio State. A win there would mean revenge for the last two seasons and a victory over the top-ranked team in the country. It would also be a first step toward proving Texas belongs back near the summit.
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