Longhorns ranked second in AP Preseason Poll

Austin — Texas is ranked second in The Associated Press Preseason Top 25 Poll, which was released on Saturday, including receiving two first-place votes.

It marks the fourth time in the last five years the Longhorns have opened the season in the Top Five and it is also the ninth time in the last 10 years Texas has been ranked in the preseason Top 10.

“We’ve been ranked among the Top Five in the AP preseason poll several times recently and that’s rewarding because it shows respect for our program from media around the country,” head coach Mack Brown said. “It also is a tribute to how strong we’ve finished in winning our last five bowl games. But, at this point, no one has earned the right to be in the upper part of the polls. I’ve always said I think we should start the polls in October like they do with the BCS Standings. That’s a much truer evaluation of a team because at that point you’ve proven it on the field.

“All of that said, Coach Royal told me a long time ago that preseason polls are like beauty contests, and if they’re going to enter you, you want to be near the top. We’re proud of everything we’ve built and the hard work our guys are putting in, but also realize that the preseason ranking means nothing. We need to be sure the guys understand that where you finish at the end of the year is important; where you rank at the first of the year is simply respect.”

Texas has been ranked among The Associated Press Top 25 for a UT-record and nation-leading 142 straight weeks, bettering a 114-week streak from 1968-76. The next longest active streak is USC’s 116 weeks. Texas has finished the year ranked among The AP Top 25 in each of Mack Brown’s 11 years in Austin. That marks the first time in school history Texas has finished in The AP Top 25 for 11 straight years, bettering the previous record of eight straight seasons from 1968-75.

Florida was ranked No. 1 in this season’s poll, receiving 58 first-place votes with Texas receiving the other two. Oklahoma was third, USC was fourth and Alabama rounded out the Top Five. Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Mississippi, Oklahoma State and Penn State completed the Top 10.

Overall, the Big 12 had five teams ranked with No. 24 Nebraska and No. 25 Kansas being the other two teams.

Texas opens the season against Louisiana-Monroe at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. on FSN Pay-per-view.

Source: MackBrown-TexasFootball.com