AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns will open their first season in the Southeastern Conference in the top five.
The Associated Press released its preseason Top 25 poll Monday with the Longhorns at No. 4, the second-highest ranked SEC school behind No. 1 Georgia. Ohio State and Oregon represent the Big 10 at Nos. 2 and 3.
It’s Texas’ highest preseason ranking since they began the year No. 2 in 2009. Texas lost in the BCS National Championship Game that year to the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Alabama rounds out the top five, followed by Ole Miss at No., 6, Notre Dame at No. 7, Penn State at No. 8, Michigan at No. 9 and Florida State at No. 10. The only difference between the AP and USA Today coaches poll top 10 teams are the coaches poll has Michigan at No. 8 and Penn State at No. 9.
It’s the highest preseason ranking for Ole Miss since a Texas player’s grandfather played quarterback for the Rebels. Archie Manning, grandpa to Longhorns backup quarterback Arch Manning, was in his final year taking snaps when the Rebels began the season ranked No. 5 in 1970.
Eight of the top 10 teams in the AP poll are from the SEC or Big 10 with Texas and Oregon joining new conferences this season. Missouri checks in at No. 11, Louisiana State is No. 13, Tennessee is No. 15 and Oklahoma starts the year at No. 16. Texas A&M rounds out SEC teams in the top 25 at No. 20.
Texas is coming off its first appearance in the College Football Playoff last year, the final year of the 4-team semifinals-finals format. The CFP is expanding to 12 teams this season with four rounds of playoffs to crown a national champion Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.