Texas opened fourth in the coaches' poll. Will the Longhorns crack the AP preseason top three on Aug 17?
100% of users predicted NO — the community got this one right. 2 predictions cast.
The Texas Longhorns opened the 2026 season ranked No. 5 in the AP preseason college football poll, released Monday, August 17, 2026, falling short of the top three. Ohio State was No. 1 with 40 first-place votes, followed by Oregon at No. 2, Georgia at No. 3, and Notre Dame at No. 4, with Texas rounding out the top five without any first-place votes. The ranking reflects a marked drop from Texas's position as the preseason No. 1 team a year earlier, after the Longhorns opened last season with a loss to Ohio State and later fell to Florida, ultimately missing the College Football Playoff. Texas A&M, which reached the CFP for the first time last season, was ranked ahead of expectations at No. 8, underscoring the shift in voter confidence within the Southeastern Conference's Texas contingent. The community unanimously predicted Texas would not crack the top three (0% yes), and the AP poll's No. 5 placement confirmed that expectation.