Texas Longhorns will start a college football season as the top-ranked team in The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time. According to the poll issued Monday, the Longhorns barely have a mandate after defeating Penn State by a mere five points in the closest preseason vote since 1998.
For a record fifth consecutive year, Texas was the preseason No. 1 team in the Southeastern Conference, earning 1,552 points and 25 first-place votes. The Nittany Lions received 1,547 points and 23 first-place votes, their highest preseason ranking since they began the 1997 season at the top of the rankings.
The Longhorns are immediately put to the test. They play the defending champion and third-ranked Ohio State in their August 30 opener, which is a repeat of the Buckeyes’ 28-14 victory in the Cotton Bowl during the previous season’s College Football Playoff semifinal.
The panel of 65 college football media representatives gave the Buckeyes 11 votes for first place. No. 5 Georgia received one first-place vote, while No. 4 Clemson received four.
Miami, Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame, and Oregon (which received the final first-place vote) complete the top 10.
