Steve Sarkisian Reacts to Texas Longhorns No. 1 Ranking in Preseason AP Poll

With their season less than a month away from its start, the Texas Longhorns have earned the No. 1 position on the Preseason AP Poll.

They will travel to Columbus, Ohio, for their season opener against the No. 3 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, a team that the Longhorns faced in the College Football Playoff Semifinal last season.

A lot of excitement surrounds this year’s Texas game, along with the first game, but head coach Steve Sarkisian has emphasized that the rankings don’t impact the way in which his team approaches practice.

Steve Sarkisian Not Concerned With Texas Longhorns No. 1 Ranking

Jan 10, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian before the College Football Playoff semifinal against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Sarkisian seems to place little to no value in the poll and what it means, which he expressed during a media availability on Monday.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said bluntly. “It’s irrelevant to the way the season’s gonna go, it’s irrelevant to the way we’re gonna play, it’s irrelevant to how our opponents are gonna play. Maybe it puts a little bigger bullseye on us for our opponents, but the reality is that we have to go do it.”

After falling just short of claiming the national title for the past two seasons, this year’s Texas team looks to finish the job. However, this will require the Longhorns to take care of tough opponents on a weekly basis.

“We’re going to have to perform in critical moments, we’re going to have to perform at home, we’re going to have to perform on the road," Sarkisian said. "We’ve got a very challenging schedule in that way, but quite frankly that doesn’t matter.”

Along with Ohio State, this challenging schedule also features strong SEC opponents like Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia and Texas A&M.

Whether or not the Longhorns can maintain their No. 1 status will depend on the outcomes of these matchups. As Sarkisian pointed out, that status would be of more value to the team once they have proven their worthiness through results.

Right now, the ranking means more to the Longhorns’ fanbase.

“It’s great for the fans, it’s great for the exposure of college football, it’s great for the first game of the year and what that matchup looks like, it’s great for college football,” Sarkisian said. “I think there’s three top 10 matchups the first weekend of college football, like what an exciting weekend for our sport, so that part’s exciting.”

He believes that other coaches across the country likely share that sentiment, but the next steps are what he views as most important to his program.