Texas Tops the AP Poll But That Doesn’t Mean the Longhorns Are Back

Entering the 2025 college football season, things feel as wide open at the top as they have in recent history.

In the preseason Associated Press poll published Monday, six teams received first-place votes — the most since 2016 — while three teams received double-digit first-place votes, which last happened in 2012.

This isn’t one of those seasons where there appears to be a clear front-runner leading the pack. That’s reflected by the fact that just five points separated the top two teams in the poll, the slimmest margin between No. 1 and No. 2 in the AP poll since 1998.

But someone has to be No. 1, and the 65 AP poll voters settled on Texas, which received 25 first-place votes. It’s the first time in AP poll history, which dates back to 1936, that the Longhorns will begin the season as the No. 1 team.

I understand why the Longhorns were chosen as the preseason pick to win the program’s fifth national championship and first since 2005. Their defense should once again be among the best in the country, anchored by the likes of defensive end Colin Simmons and linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. Plus, the case can be made that Arch Manning could be an upgrade over former quarterback Quinn Ewers.

But I don’t think they should be No. 1.

That’s a lot of pressure to put on a new quarterback who has made just two starts and appeared in 12 games at this level — even if he was the consensus No. 1 overall recruit two years ago and has NFL pedigree as the grandson of former New Orleans Saints QB Archie Manning and the nephew of legendary NFL QBs Peyton and Eli Manning.

No. 2 Penn State (23 first-place votes) is a similarly talented team, but has a much more experienced quarterback in Drew Allar (5,958 passing yards and 49 passing touchdowns over the last two seasons). So does No. 4 Clemson (four first-place votes) with Cade Klubnik (6,483 yards and 55 TD passes in the last two seasons) at the helm.

Defending national champs Ohio State come in at No. 3 (11 first-place votes). The Buckeyes, like Texas, are introducing a new QB this season. But they return two of the best players in all of college football in wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs.

The truth of the matter is that preseason polls mean as little now as they ever have in college football history. In the 12-team playoff era, the days of preseason polls determining a pecking order that could prove critical in determining who would play for the national championship are over.

Whichever team emerges from the scrum this season is going to have to earn it on the field.

As for the Texas Longhorns? They’re going to have to prove to me that they’re finally back.