Were pollsters or computers kinder to Texas?
Texas’ No. 12 ranking in the final AP top 25 caused a little bit of a stir yesterday on the Members Only board. There was satisfaction in the Longhorns being ranked ahead of the Oklahoma Sooners, but confusion in the Longhorns being ranked behind BYU.
[Sign up for Inside Texas for $1! Get the latest on the NCAA Transfer Portal HERE]
The highest ranking for Texas by an AP poll voter was No. 7 from the Houston Chronicle’s Kirk Bohls and The (Charlottesville, Va.) Daily Progress’ Greg Madia. The lowest ranking from a voter was No. 14, which came from six different pollsters.
How did the No. 12 ranking compare to other polls and computer rankings?
The Longhorns were No. 13 in the Coaches Poll, a one spot jump from the top 25 released before bowl season. SEC teams ahead of the Longhorns included No. 3 Ole Miss, No. 5 Georgia, No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 9 Alabama, and No. 10 Oklahoma.
The Coaches Poll reveals final ballots. The highest ranking the Longhorns received in the Coaches Poll was No. 8 from Air Force’s Troy Calhoun and Indiana’s Curt Cignetti. The lowest? That was a No. 21 ranking from Chris Creighton at Eastern Michigan. Most of the other ballots were in the 10-15 range.
And what about the major computers?
Massey Ratings had the Longhorns at No. 10 behind SEC teams like No. 4 Georgia, No. 7 Ole Miss, and No. 9 Alabama. Texas was one spot ahead of Texas A&M and three spots ahead of Oklahoma.
The Longhorns finished at No. 11 in Saragin’s college football ratings. Texas was behind No. 7 Georgia and No. 8 Ole Miss from the SEC. Oddly enough, 7-6 Penn State was ranked No. 10.
- 1
NewNCAA Tournament projections entering conference tournament week
- 2
Morgan Scalley addresses Kyle Whittingham’s Utah exit
- 3
Inside Kalani Sitake's decision to turn down Penn State
- 4
College Baseball Rankings predictions at end of regular season
- 5
Ohio State on pace to sign 2027 standout prospect
Get the On3 Top 10 Newsletter in your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
ESPN’s SP+, a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency intended to be predictive and forward-facing, had the Longhorns at No. 17 at the end of the year. Texas was No. 30 in offensive SP+, No. 18 in defensive SP+, and No. 31 in special teams SP+.
ESPN’s FPI ranked the Longhorns at No. 11 to end the season, one spot ahead of Texas A&M and four spots ahead of Oklahoma. No. 7 Georgia, No. 9 Ole Miss, and No. 10 Alabama were ahead of Texas.
Finally, Texas finished No. 19 in FEI, trailing SEC teams like No. 7 Georgia, No. 9 Vanderbilt, No. 10 Ole Miss, No. 11 Texas A&M, No. 12 Alabama, and No. 16 Oklahoma.
The computers viewed the Longhorns about the same as the human pollsters did, recognizing Texas as a top-15 team at the end of the 2025 season.
