The Texas Longhorns are fresh off a second consecutive run to the Final Four. Despite losing starters Rori Harmon, Jordan Lee, and Justice Carlton, the team is as loaded with talent as ever.
However, when ESPN released its latest way-too-early top 10 ranking, the Horns were not a top-four team. In fact, Texas was barely in the top 10, ringing in as the No. 8 team in the country.
Many could argue that the Horns deserved a lot more respect than the No. 8 spot in the way-too-early poll, myself included. Even with the holes left behind by departures to the transfer portal and WNBA, head coach Vic Schaefer just landed the No. 1 recruiting class in the country and added even more talent from the portal.
Yet, here we are: underrated.
However, while you may never want to enter a season ranked eighth in the country, especially after back-to-back runs to the NCAA Tournament semifinals, the Horns are already primed to prove they were worthy of a higher ranking.
Longhorns announce Players Era Festival opponents
On the same day that ESPN released the ranking, the Longhorns announced their opponents for the 2026 Players Era Festival: the Duke Blue Devils, who claimed last season's ACC Tournament, and the UCLA Bruins, who won the National Championship after defeating Texas in the Final Four.
- Texas vs. Duke on Dec. 19, ESPN
- Texas vs. UCLA on Dec. 20
doubling down for back to back nights in Vegas 🤘🃏#HookEm pic.twitter.com/EbWSAf7zQt
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) August 31, 2026
You could not ask for better opponents in non-conference games, especially when you are looking to improve your ranking ahead of SEC play.
The Horns are also scheduled to play the Bruins as well as the UConn Huskies in exhibition games before the season actually tips off. Then, Texas will host the Louisville Cardinals as part of the 2026 SEC/ACC Challenge.
Based on ESPN's way-too-early top 10, that lines up three top-10 teams on the Longhorns' schedule before they turn their attention to SEC play.
ESPN's WBB way-too-early top 10
Surprisingly, only two of the teams from last year's Final Four made the cut for the top five, with South Carolina and UConn ranked at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.
- South Carolina Gamecocks
- UConn Huskies
- Duke Blue Devils
- Michigan Wolverines
- USC Trojans
- Iowa Hawkeyes
- Louisville Cardinals
- Texas Longhorns
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- LSU Tigers
ESPN dropped their ‘Way-Too-Early’ Top 10. What are your thoughts on this list? 🤔#NCAAWBB pic.twitter.com/Zy73Dx4b1a
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) August 31, 2026
The biggest shock was the fact that defending National Champion UCLA was nowhere to be seen, with ACC teams like Duke, UNC, and Louisville charging into the top 10, alongside SEC mainstays like LSU and Texas hanging on.
Simply put, the Horns undeniably deserved to be ranked higher, even with the season still over three months away. Luckily, Texas has scheduled a slew of opportunities to climb the ranks.
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