Texas and coach Steve Sarkisian are entering the 2025 season with extremely high expectations. Arch Manning is set to begin his first season as the starting quarterback, as the Longhorns will be looking to make it 3 straight appearances in the College Football Playoff.
The Longhorns are the No. 1 team in the coaches poll, as well as the AP poll. ESPN also dropped its power rankings before Week 0, and Texas once again is at the top of that list as well.
Here’s some analysis on Texas from ESPN’s Dave Wilson:
The Longhorns are the preseason No. 1 for the first time in school history, shockingly enough. There’s star power everywhere, especially on defense, where Anthony Hill Jr., Colin Simmons, Trey Moore and Michael Taaffee all return for one of the country’s best units. They’ll need it in Week 1 against an Ohio State team that ended their 2024 season at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl in the College Football Playoff semifinals. But both teams look radically different this season, and Texas’ questions are all up front on both lines, where there will be four new starters on the offensive line and a new rotation on defense after losing five of last year’s top six defensive linemen. Yes, Arch Manning will finally start, and he likes to air it out. Ohio State is a tough place to break in new faces in key places, but it’s going to be fun to watch.
That No. 1 ranking is going to get tested very quickly, as the Longhorns will be on the road at Ohio State in Week 1. It’s a chance at revenge for Texas, who lost to the Buckeyes in the CFP semifinals at the end of the 2024 season. Ohio State went on to win the national title.
Each season under Sarkisian, the Longhorns have made improvements. They won only five games in his first season, and followed that up with eight wins before the last two years of making it to the CFP.
If the Longhorns win on August 30, the expectations and hype are going to go to a different level. The team will be the definitive No. 1 team in the country, and Manning will be the unquestioned favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.
