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The preseason coaches poll that comes out every August is the first opportunity for college football fans to sink their teeth into the new season.
In Monday’s USA Today Coaches poll, the usual suspects were in the top five, with Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson and Notre Dame holding down the top five spots, with all but Clemson and Notre Dame receiving first place votes.
University of Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian talks with defensive back DShawn Jamison during the spring game on April 23, 2022, at Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Adam Davis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Longhorns are entering their second season under head coach Steve Sarkisian and are fresh off of a massive recruiting victory in landing five-star quarterback Arch Manning. They are also coming off a 5-7 season in which they lost six straight during the months of October and November and found a way to lose against lowly Kansas.
ALABAMA VOTED NO. 1 IN COACHES’ PRESEASON POLL
They come in this year at No. 18 in the coaches poll, and yet somehow earned one first-place vote.
All 65 coaches who vote in the poll are anonymous, so whoever cast Texas as the number one team in the country may never be known. Regardless of who the vote came from, it is quite the stretch.
While Texas is a traditional power team, the program is still trying to work back to relevance under Sarkisian.
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The early-season slate for Texas will not be easy as they have a home date with Nick Saban and Alabama September 10 in Austin.
The Longhorns, who are headed to the SEC in 2025, will get an early taste of what an SEC schedule will look like while seeing where their roster stacks up with best in the country.
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The following week, Texas will get another early season test, as the UTSA Roadrunners come to town. The Roadrunners are coming off its best season in program history, going 12-2 under head coach Jeff Traylor.
Most of the hype around Texas in 2022 is due to the major recruiting get in July, as well as Ohio State quarterback transfer Quinn Ewers.
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Ewers, who will be competing with sophomore Hudson Card for the starting job, is a home-grown product out of Southlake Carroll High School outside Dallas-Fort Worth. The redshirt freshman was a big get for Sarkisian, just two years after Ewers spurned Texas for Ohio State.
Quinn Ewers, #3 of Texas Longhorns, looks to the sideline for a play during the Orange-White Spring Game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on April 23, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
"I'm excited for both of these guys," Sarkisian said when asked about the quarterback battle, according to CBS Sports. "They're both great teammates, both are really coachable, both highly competitive, highly driven young men that both would love to take the field when the team takes the field on Sept. 3."
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However, while Texas certainly has a bright future under Sarkisian, the 2022 season more than likely will not be the year that Texas returns to prominence.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian of Texas Longhorns stands Bijan Robinson, #5, during the Eyes of Texas after the Orange-White Spring Game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on April 23, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner Getty Images)
The Texas defense has to perform better than it did in 2021 when the Longhorns allowed 30 points or more in all seven losses and more than 200 yards rushing per game during the season.
Visits to Texas Tech and Oklahoma State will not be cakewalks; and Oklahoma awaits them Oct. 8.
Texas may be on the rise, but a number one vote is far too much, too soon.
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