Texas Football Ranked In Top Five of New ESPN Rankings

According to ESPN, SP+ is not the same as the AP Top 25, but instead "is a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. It is a predictive measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football, not a résumé ranking...simply [it is] early offseason power rankings."

Among this ranking, the Texas Longhorns find themselves at No. 5, behind Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia and Penn State. ESPN writer Bill Connelly says this is because SP+ rankings do not have a specific measure for Arch Manning to bring into account for the team.

"As I've written quite a bit this offseason, anything less than elite QB play might expose the fact that the Longhorns had a lot of holes to fill on the lines and in the receiving corps," Connelly wrote. "Without an Arch Effect adjustment in the algorithm, SP+ sees the Horns as merely one of many potentially elite teams, not the most elite of the bunch."

Texas made a few offensive changes to the roster this offseason after the departure of various key offensive players. Some of these changes included the loss of the team's top two receivers, Matthew Golden and Isaiah Bond, as well as tight end Gunnar Helm and four of the five starting offensive linemen from last season.

Though there may be some doubt, this season's offensive replacements for the Longhorns have shown last season what they may be capable of in 2025. Ryan Wingo, Texas's new top receiver, recorded 472 receiving yards on 29 receptions, playing behind Golden, Bond and Helm, averaging 16.3 yards per catch. Jack Endries, Helm's replacement at tight end, transferred to Texas from Cal in the offseason and finished with the third-most receiving yards amongst tight ends in the ACC in 2024.

Manning will also have an impressive backfield to rely on, with Tre Wisner and CJ Baxter expected to be one of the nation's top running back duos if they can play to their potential. Though the team is not atop the SP+ rankings, the Longhorns are still considered in elite company at No. 5.

Also included in ESPN's article were every SEC team's odds at a conference title this season. Texas, looking to make back-to-back trips to the SEC championship, was given an 11 percent chance of once again reaching the SEC title game, the third-best odds in the conference.

Georgia and Alabama were the only two teams ahead of the Longhorns, with the Bulldogs having a 12 percent chance and Alabama having a 13 percent chance.

The SEC championship, though, is a ways away, and Texas will have to focus on a daunting week one matchup first. The Longhorns are set to face Ohio State, the SP+ top-ranked team and the defending national champions, on August 30th.