The Texas Longhorns once again crack the Top 5 of a preseason analyst’s poll. On3 Sports’ Andy Staples has the Longhorns as the No. 5 team in college football.
As the only 2023 playoff team that returns its head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and starting quarterback the ranking is warranted. Texas enters its third year with all four as well as several multi-year starters on the offensive line. That’s stability.
Staples’ ranking of Texas doesn’t preclude the Longhorns from competing for a national title. He has stated that at its peak, the team could win it all this season. There just appears to be more faith in four other teams ahead of Texas.
There were interesting rankings given by Staples for several teams. The first is the Alabama Crimson Tide who is given full benefit of the doubt at No. 3. Other teams that appear to be over-ranked are Miami (No. 12), Notre Dame (No. 8) and Auburn (No. 20).
As for teams ranked too low there are a handful of candidates. The list starts with No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 14 Missouri who both won New Years Six bowls a season ago, won 11 games and return plenty from the last team they fielded. No. 17 LSU and No. 24 Oklahoma seem ranked too low on the list as well.
Regardless of differences from other rankings, the Longhorns are a clear contender according to Staples. They kick off the season against Colorado State on ESPN.
Story originally appeared on Longhorns Wire
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/andy-staples-releases-post-spring-005212174.html
Author : Longhorns Wire
Publish date : 2024-05-22 00:52:12
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