Another first in the history of the Texas football program has occurred.
Following their first-ever No. 1 ranking in the Coaches Poll last week, the Longhorns were named No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 for the first time on Monday. They narrowly defeated Penn State by five points, the narrowest margins for the top slot since 1998.
Texas finished with 1,552 points overall and 25 first-place votes from the panel of 65 college football media members. With 1,547 points and 23 first-place votes, Penn State came in second. Next up is Texas’ Week 1 clash against Ohio State, which came in third in the poll with 11 first-place votes.
The Southeastern Conference has now shattered two records with Texas’ rating. The league has produced the top-ranked team in the preseason AP rankings for the fifth consecutive year.
With 10 teams in the preseason Top 25, including No. 5 Georgia and No. 8 Alabama, the SEC tops all leagues. This is the most teams ever by a single conference and one more than the SEC had in the Top 25 the previous year.
It remains to be seen whether Texas’ top position proves to be a boon or a disadvantage.
Since the poll’s inception in 1950, just 11 teams have begun and finished the season ranked first. Under the leadership of Longhorn great quarterback Vince Young, Texas finished second in the 2005 national championship rankings rather than first.
