In all honesty, the Texas Longhorns and their fans should be breathing a deep sigh of relief right now.
The 2026 preseason AP Top 25 Poll was just released, and the Horns were ranked No. 5 in the nation, trailing the Ohio State Buckeyes, Oregon Ducks, Georgia Bulldogs, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Now, you may not love trailing any one of those teams for an array of reasons, but it is an ideal place for Texas to stand before the season actually kicks off.
2026 preseason AP Top 25 Poll
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Oregon Ducks
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Texas Longhorns
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Miami Hurricanes
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Oklahoma Sooners
- LSU Tigers
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- BYU Cougars
- USC Trojans
- Michigan Wolverines
- Washington Huskies
- Penn State Nittany Lions
- SMU Mustangs
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Utah Utes
- Iowa Hawkeyes
- Houston Cougars
- Lousiville Cardinals
- Missouri Tigers
For starters, when Texas was ranked No. 1 in the country heading into the season, the Horns got a massive dose of reality shoved down their throats as they failed to defeat the Buckeyes. Then, the season never found its footing as they also lost to the Florida Gators and Georgia.
Simply put, the Longhorns and head coach Steve Sarkisian clearly gave the AP Poll a handful of reasons to not trust them before actually seeing them in action against another team.
Not to mention the fact that over the last two years, Texas has failed time and time again to beat Ohio State or Georgia (going a combined 0-5 against the two teams). So, really, why should the Horns be ahead of them in the Top 25 rankings?
Climbing the Top 25 is more ideal for Texas than defending the top spot
Even as everyone piles on the pressure that Texas is out of excuses to not win the National Championship this season, myself included, the Horns simply haven't proven themselves worthy of that No. 1 ranking, but that isn't a bad thing.
Earning a top-five spot that isn't the No. 1 spot in the nation or even the top spot in the SEC takes an unbelievable amount of pressure off of Texas and places it onto other teams.
Instead of having to defend their worth as the best team in the country or conference, the Longhorns have the opportunity to prove themselves week in and week out as they knock off one team after another (including a Week 2 matchup against the Buckeyes).
Also read: Texas vs. Ohio State made even more important with the Preseason Coaches Poll out
The one team you could truly argue Texas deserves to be ranked ahead of is Notre Dame.
Notre Dame went 10-2 in the regular season last year, with the Irish opting out of their bowl game matchup. Meanwhile, the Horns went 9-3 in the regular season, but defeated the Michigan Wolverines in the Citrus Bowl to improve to 10-3 overall.
However, while the Fighting Irish had a better regular season record, they didn't play anywhere near the same strength of schedule that Texas did. Notre Dame is independent (AKA they're not in a conference). Meanwhile, the Horns had to clobber their way through the SEC, where they only lost two games.
In fact, one of Notre Dame's losses was to none other than the Texas A&M Aggies (losing 41-40 in OT), who the Longhorns wrangled for a second straight season (winning 27-17).
So, yes, you could argue that Texas should be ranked ahead of Notre Dame. Yet, to play devil's advocate, the Irish and head coach Marcus Freeman landed the No. 2 recruiting class of 2026 (Texas landed No. 7) and the No. 8 transfer portal class (Texas landed No. 10). So, take that as you will.
Ultimately, the rankings set up the Horns to prove that they are the best team in the nation, with a chance to topple No. 1 Ohio State in Week 2, and possibly matchup with No. 4 Georgia in the SEC Championship game (once again).
Yes, you want your team to finish the season as the No. 1 team in the nation, but for right now, Texas should be just fine settling for No. 5.
Add us as a preferred source on Google