Texas ranks No. 4 in preseason Coaches Poll

Texas ranks No. 4 in preseason Coaches Poll

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Texas ranks No. 4 in preseason Coaches Poll
Jul 23, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ahead of preseason camp starting on Wednesday, the ramp up to the 2026 college football season continued on Tuesday with the release of the Coaches Poll, which slots the Texas Longhorns at No. 4 nationally.

With Texas receiving only two first-place votes from the coaches, five other teams received more, including No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 6 Indiana, the reigning national champions, as some skepticism surrounds the Longhorns after going from preseason No. 1 in both polls to losing two of the team’s first five games and missing the College Football Playoff as a result.

That skepticism is notably at odds with the high expectations on the Forty Acres — it’s national championship game or bust in head coach Steve Sarkisian sixth season, widely considered to the fourth and final year in college for redshirt junior quarterback Arch Manning, who returns for his second season as the starter surrounding by multiple projected first-round picks that make up one of the most expensive rosters in the sport.

Beginning with No. 1 Ohio State coming to Austin on Sept. 12, Texas is set to face seven preseason top-25 opponents, including No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 10 Ole Miss, No. 13 LSU, No. 18 Tennessee, and No. 25 Missouri, in what projects as one of the nation’s most difficult schedules.

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