The ESPN offseason ranking is fine and all but the real story nobody is talking about is Texas's strength of schedule in 2026 and what that means for the numbers.
Texas has to go to Ohio State. That alone is a top-5 road environment against a roster that just reloaded. Then you look at the SEC schedule and Texas draws Georgia from the East, plus Alabama and LSU from the West. That's three teams that all finished top-15 in SP+ last season.
The funny thing is the metrics actually favor Texas here. The Longhorns ranked 3rd nationally in yards per play allowed at 4.6 and return enough defensive production to stay elite. But playing four teams that all finished top-20 in offensive EPA per play is a brutal path.
People want to crown Georgia and Ohio State as the title favorites but neither of them has to navigate a schedule with five projected top-25 opponents before the conference championship. Texas's SOS is going to be a legitimate talking point for the selection committee.