The preseason AP Poll, released on August 12, ranked Texas football at No. 4. This is a drop of one spot from their No. 3 finish in the final AP Poll of the 2023 season under head coach Steve Sarkisian.
Texas football slotted at its highest preseason ranking in the AP Poll in 14 years
This marks the first time since 2010 that the Longhorns are ranked in the top five of the preseason AP Poll. Texas also faces a challenging schedule with four opponents ranked in the AP preseason top 25, including two in the top 10: No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs, No. 9 Michigan Wolverines, No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners, and No. 20 Texas A&M Aggies.
Nine of the top 20 teams and four of the top 10 in the preseason AP Poll are from the SEC. The SEC teams rounding out the top 10 include No. 1 Georgia, No. 4 Texas, No. 5 Alabama, and No. 6 Ole Miss.
Texas holds the No. 4 spot in both the preseason AP Poll and the preseason Coaches Poll. In both rankings, the Longhorns trail the same three teams: No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Ohio State, and No. 3 Oregon. The only difference is that Texas received one first-place vote in the Coaches Poll but none in the AP Poll. Since the AP Poll began in 1950, Texas has appeared in the top 25 a total of 57 times.