Mikala Compton, Austin American-Statesman
Could Texas Finish the Season Ranked Despite Starting Unranked?
As the Texas Longhorns enter year two under coach Steve Sarkisian, they do so hoping for much better results than what was seen in year one.
While Longhorn fans are approaching the season with a sense of cautious optimism, the same cannot be said for AP Poll voters. For the first time since 2016, the Longhorns will enter the season unranked in the preseason AP Top-25.
However, there is some reason to be optimistic about Texas this season. The Longhorns boast a plethora of talent on offense, led by the trio of running back Bijan Robinson, receiver Xavier Worthy and quarterback Quinn Ewers.
Of course, preseason polls are also completely meaningless in the grand scheme of the season. After all, where you finish the season ranked is far more telling. That line of thinking led CBS Sports to name the Longhorns as a team that could potentially finish the season ranked despite starting the season on the outside looking in.
Texas somehow managed a No. 18 ranking in the preseason Coaches Poll -- with one first-place vote, no less -- which is at odds with the program's 5-7 record from last season. Clearly, the coaches (or whoever is filing ballots on their behalf) are riding the annual hype wave surrounding the Longhorns. AP voters are taking a more sensible approach, which is to wait and see if this team can put it all together.
After an ugly 5-7 season, which included a loss at home to the Kansas Jayhawks, it makes sense that Texas enters the season unranked. In those seven losses blown leads were common, especially in conference play. Should they clean that up, then they could win some big games this season.
If we assume Texas will lose to top-ranked Alabama in Week 2, then the program's candidacy for a top-10 finish will likely depend on how it fares against No. 9 Oklahoma (Oct. 8), at No. 12 Oklahoma State (Oct. 22) and vs. No. 10 Baylor (Nov. 26). Wins against two of those three would put the Longhorns in prime position to climb in the polls throughout the season. Texas finished 0-3 against that group last season by a combined 22 points during a brutal October. Those games are more spaced out this season, giving a team that has already proven injury-prone during preseason practice the chance to breathe a bit. With Quinn Ewers officially under center, expectations are that the Longhorns have the key ingredients to compete for a Big 12 title and just its second top-10 finish in the AP poll since 2009.
The recipe for success for Texas is written plain and clear this season. If the Longhorns win the games they're supposed to win, such as against Kansas, and pull out at least two wins against the top three teams from last year? Well, then the Longhorns could end the season ranked. Maybe not quite as high as the top 10, but ending the year in the top 25 would be a good improvement in year two for Sarkisian.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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