Texas opened the 2026 preseason AP Top 25 at No. 5, and for the Longhorns, that spot makes a lot more sense than the top of the poll.
The AP put Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia and Notre Dame ahead of Texas, with Indiana, Miami, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Oklahoma filling out the rest of the top 10. LSU, Texas Tech, Alabama, BYU, USC, Michigan, Washington, Penn State, SMU, Tennessee, Utah, Iowa, Houston, Louisville and Missouri followed.
For Texas, landing outside the top four feels like a reset after the last couple of seasons gave voters plenty of reason to hesitate. When the Longhorns entered a season ranked No. 1, they came up short against Ohio State, then stumbled again against Florida and Georgia. Over the last two years, Texas has also gone 0-5 combined against Ohio State and Georgia, which makes it hard to justify putting the Horns ahead of either program in August.
That’s what makes No. 5 such a useful place to start. Texas is still highly regarded, but it is not carrying the full weight that comes with being the consensus best team in the country.
Instead, Steve Sarkisian’s group gets a chance to climb rather than defend. And the first major test is right there on the schedule: a Week 2 matchup against Ohio State.
If there is one team Texas can reasonably point to and say it belongs ahead of, it’s Notre Dame. The Irish went 10-2 in the regular season last year and then skipped their bowl game.
Texas finished 9-3 in the regular season, beat Michigan in the Citrus Bowl, and ended at 10-3 overall. The schedule matters, too.
Notre Dame played as an independent, while Texas battled through the SEC and finished with only two losses.
There’s also the head-to-head wrinkle. Notre Dame lost 41-40 in overtime to Texas A&M, and the Longhorns beat the Aggies 27-17 for a second straight season.
Still, the Irish have their own argument, especially with Marcus Freeman’s program landing the No. 2 recruiting class of 2026 and the No. 8 transfer portal class. Texas checked in at No. 7 in recruiting and No. 10 in the portal.
So the preseason poll gives Texas a clear path: prove it. Beat Ohio State in Week 2, keep stacking wins, and put itself in position for another shot at Georgia in the SEC Championship game. The Longhorns may not be No. 1 right now, but No. 5 gives them a cleaner runway to get there.
In Other News...
Texas Scrimmage Hinted At The Offensive Change Fans Have Wanted
Texas released a fresh batch of fall camp highlights from a behind-closed-doors scrimmage, and the emphasis was hard to miss. The clips leaned heavily toward the offense, with Cam Coleman popping up on the perimeter and a trio of running backs getting run in a setting that seemed designed to showcase how much the unit has been stressed in camp. After last season's struggles on the ground, the Longhorns have made clear they want the running game to look more dependable, and the additions in the backfield and along the offensive line are part of that push.
Steve Sarkisian also used the scrimmage to manage workloads for some of the program's biggest names, keeping several top players from piling up live reps. That left the focus on the broader depth chart and on whether the offense can look more balanced when the full group is on the field, which is exactly the kind of question Texas is trying to answer before the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
SEC Rivals Arch Manning Praise Says Everything About Texas Ceiling
Arch Manning has spent the season carrying the kind of attention that usually comes with a surname like his, and the latest appreciation has come from an unexpected place inside the SEC. An anonymous defensive coordinator from the league said he respects how Manning has handled the expectations around him, while also pointing to the production that has made him such a difficult player to dismiss. For Texas, that kind of outside acknowledgment only reinforces how far the Longhorns ceiling can rise when their quarterback is playing with confidence.
The praise did not stop at the name on the back of the jersey, either. The coordinator highlighted Mannings arm talent and mobility, and noted how that combination becomes even more dangerous because of Texass receiving corps. Defenses already know they have to account for the athleticism and the poise, and the bigger issue may be that there is no easy way to take away everything Texas can do when Manning is in rhythm. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Fall Camp Is Turning Up Pressure In Key Position Battles
Texas finished its first fall camp scrimmage with a little less than a full deck, as the flu kept some players out and gave the coaching staff one more variable to sort through before the opener. Even so, defensive coordinator Will Muschamp's group came away looking encouraging, and the larger story remains the same: this is the part of camp where reps matter and every snap can start to shape a depth chart.
Several names are in the mix as the Longhorns sort through key roles, including Ty'Anthony Smith, Justin Cryer, Daylan McCutcheon, Nick Townsend, Jonah Williams and Kobe Black. Coaches have made it clear that the next few weeks are about more than just getting through camp cleanly, with position battles and player development standing front and center as Texas tries to define who fits where before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]