For the first time in history, the Texas Longhorns will kick off a college football season ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 poll. The Longhorns narrowly claimed this top spot, edging out Penn State by just five points, marking the closest preseason vote since 1998. Texas garnered 25 first-place votes and a total of 1,552 points, making it the Southeastern Conference's (SEC) No. 1 team for the fifth consecutive year. In comparison, Penn State received 23 first-place votes and 1,547 points, achieving its highest preseason ranking since the 1997 season.
The Longhorns will face a significant challenge right out of the gate with their opener on August 30 against defending champion and third-ranked Ohio State. This matchup is a rematch of last season’s College Football Playoff semifinal, where the Buckeyes triumphed with a 28-14 victory in the Cotton Bowl. Ohio State received 11 first-place votes from the 65-member media panel covering college football.
Following Texas and Penn State are No. 4 Clemson, which received four first-place votes, and No. 5 Georgia, which secured one. Completing the top ten are Notre Dame, Oregon (which received the final first-place vote), Alabama, LSU, and Miami. The SEC leads all conferences with a record-setting ten teams in the preseason Top 25, surpassing last year's total and maintaining four teams in the top ten for the second consecutive year.
The Big Ten, which has claimed the last two national championships, boasts two of the top three teams in this year’s poll and maintains six teams in the Top 25 for the third year in a row. The Big 12 has four ranked teams, with defending conference champion Arizona State ranked highest at No. 11. The Atlantic Coast Conference includes three teams, led by Clemson.
In Texas, the excitement is palpable, especially with Arch Manning now the undisputed starting quarterback. The Longhorns have shown significant improvement since their 5-7 record in 2021 during head coach Steve Sarkisian's inaugural season. They have won 25 of their last 30 games and reached the College Football Playoff (CFP) semifinals for two consecutive years. Last year, Texas held the No. 1 rank for four out of five weeks from mid-September to mid-October and reached the SEC championship game in their first year in the conference.
"This is a new year, new faces, new team, and obviously expectations are high for our program," Sarkisian commented during SEC media days. "I’m not naive to that... but I also say we’re the University of Texas, and the standard is the standard here, which is competing for championships year in and year out."
Despite twelve Texas players being selected in the NFL draft, including three first-round picks, the Longhorns have bolstered their roster through elite recruiting and additions from the transfer portal. These moves are expected to mitigate concerns regarding losses on the offensive line and at the receiver position. The defense, meanwhile, brings back substantial talent, providing a solid foundation for the upcoming season.
However, it’s worth noting that Texas received only 38.5% of the first-place votes (25 out of 65), the lowest share for a preseason No. 1 team since Georgia achieved 33.9% in 2008. Historically, the Longhorns have finished a season ranked No. 1 in the AP poll three times (1963, 1969, 2005), but had never started a season higher than No. 2.
Meanwhile, the second-ranked Nittany Lions are not far behind Texas, as they are only six points away from the top spot and hold a substantial lead over Ohio State by 75 points. Penn State will have Drew Allar back as quarterback, with a relatively light schedule ahead before facing Oregon in late September and Ohio State in a crucial November matchup.
The Buckeyes, ranked in the top five for the ninth straight year, will enter the season with a different roster, featuring only five returning starters on offense and three on defense. Head coach Ryan Day emphasized the team’s desire to establish its identity while also aiming to be the first Ohio State team to win back-to-back national championships. The opening game against Texas will be a critical measure of their progress.
Notably, Texas aims to become the 12th team in history to start and finish a season ranked No. 1 since the AP preseason poll's inception in 1950. Alabama was the last team to achieve this feat in 2017. Furthermore, Notre Dame is making its mark by being in the preseason top 10 for the third time in four years, with a new quarterback taking the helm.
With Boise State ranked at No. 25, all 12 teams in the upcoming 2024 College Football Playoff are included in the preseason rankings. The Mountain West’s Broncos have made history as the first team from a Group of Five conference to enter the preseason Top 25 since Tulane in 2023. Additionally, SMU is celebrating its return to the preseason Top 25 for the first time in 40 years, marking a significant achievement for the program.
