A record five FBS teams from Texas finished last season ranked in the Top 25. That record could be tied or broken in 2026. The Longhorns will enter the season as one of the favorites to win the national championship. Texas Tech and Texas A&M are trendy picks to return to the CFP. SMU is the second-betting favorite in the ACC and teams like Houston and TCU are dark horses to claim the Big 12. 

The start of the college football season is close enough to touch. The players have reported and camps start in earnest for teams that begin the season in Week 1, which means it is time to finish off any offseason projects and kiss your loved ones goodbye until February. It also means it is time for the final preseason Power Poll of the offseason. 

1. Texas 

The Longhorns are favored to reach the SEC Championship game and make a deep run in the College Football Playoffs after improving the supporting cast around QB Arch Manning and hiring Will Muschamp as defensive coordinator. The Horns will be a preseason Top 5 team in the AP Poll and could emerge as the top team in the nation if they beat Ohio State at home in Week 2. Questions along the offensive line, specifically at guard, and in the secondary must be answered. This is a huge season for Steve Sarkisian’s reputation. 

2. Texas Tech 

The Red Raiders are expected to roll through the Big 12 even without quarterback transfer Brendan Sorsby. But Texas Tech is no longer graded on how it handles conference opponents. The shutout loss to Oregon in last season’s Orange Bowl showed how much further the program needs to go to catch the nation’s elite. The health of QB Will Hammond seems to be less of a question mark as the season approaches. Tech boasts a talented running back stable and big advantages over its conference foes on the offensive line and in the front seven on defense. One of the easiest schedules in the Power Four also helps push the Red Raiders to the No. 2 spot in this poll. 

3. Texas A&M 

I’ll admit to struggling on how to read Texas A&M heading into 2026. The Aggies must replace both coordinators, four starters along the offensive line, a high-end pick at wide receiver, and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year while battling through a much harder schedule than last season. But we trust Mike Elko and the staff in Aggieland to field one of the most talented rosters in the country. The ceiling for Texas A&M might be higher than the one at Texas Tech, but we put the Aggies in the three spot because the floor is lower. 

4. Houston 

The Coogs return their head coach, all three coordinators, and their starting quarterback from a 10-win season. They’re a trendy dark horse pick in the Big 12 because of the collective faith the sport has in head coach Willie Fritz. But if you’re looking for a reason to be skeptical, you’ll find it in the margins. Houston was 6-1 in one-possession games last year, and those six wins in close games were the most in the country. Is winning the coin flips a product of great coaching and mature quarterback play or are the Coogs going to regress to the mean and take a step back in 2026? 

5. SMU  

No FBS team in Texas has more wins than SMU since Rhett Lashlee arrived. His Mustangs are 14-2 in the regular season against ACC foes and they’ve already notched a win over the conference’s elites. If you’re betting on the Ponies to return to the ACC Championship game for the second time in three years, it is because of QB Kevin Jennings and a talented supporting cast. If you’re betting against them, it is because of a coordinator change on defense and roster turnover on both sides of the ball. 

6. TCU 

Ask me which team could shoot the furthest up the rankings from preseason to the end of the season and I’m picking the Horned Frogs. New OC Gordon Sammis wants to run the ball and avoid turnovers – two things TCU desperately needs to focus on. Incoming QB Jaden Craig is making a big jump from the Ivy League to the Big 12, but if he can handle it, watch out. The Horned Frogs have recruited well out of the high school ranks over the last couple of years and if those guys hit big, Sonny Dykes’ program can play for the Big 12 title in Arlington. 

7. Baylor 

Do you think it is more likely that the Bears are in conference contention or playing for an interim head coach come Nov. 1? The schedule sets up for Baylor to start 6-3 or better, so don’t write Dave Aranda off just yet, but it is hard to be overly optimistic in Waco. The addition of QB DJ Lagway was inspiring and could provide some real upside on offense. The hiring of DC Joe Klanderman was a smart move. Anything can happen in the Big 12. 

8. Texas State 

The Bobcats are the best G6 team in Texas entering the season. The returns of QB Brad Jackson and WRs Beau Sparks and Chris Dawn Jr. give them a potent offense that can score in the new-look Pac-12. The big questions are on defense. Texas State doesn’t need to be the 1985 Bears or the 2000 Ravens to contend for a conference championship, but new DC Will Windham does need to figure out a way to steal some possessions and prevent big plays. 

9. UTSA 

There is no hiding from what has ailed the Roadrunners over the last two seasons. They’re 10-2 at home and 2-10 on the road in the regular season over that span. Wins over Tulane and Memphis during that stretch has shown that UTSA can still beat the big dogs in the American, but they’ve also lost to Rice, Tulsa, and Temple. Rick Bowie takes over at offensive coordinator and that is good news for QB Owen McCown, though the offensive star in San Antonio is running back Will Henderson. Like with most G6 teams, the questions are on defense. 

10. North Texas 

There aren’t many familiar faces in Denton, America right now after a complete overhaul of the roster and coaching staff for the Mean Green. Neal Brown was a tremendous hire, but can it work in Year 1? We’ll find out quickly thanks to a non-conference schedule that includes Indiana, UNLV, and Texas State. Change is hard and anything more than six wins would be considered overachieving. 

11. Rice 

The good news for the Owls is that the offense should be better in Year 2 of Scott Abell’s system and that the personnel is much better on the defensive side of the ball. The bad news is that the schedule is brutal. Rice plays Notre Dame, Western Michigan, and Fresno State in non-conference and go on the road to East Carolina, FAU, North Texas, and Temple in the American. Jacurri Brown is an upgrade at quarterback and running back Quinton Jackson is a star. 

12. UTEP 

The Miners need to turn a corner in Year 3 of the Scotty Walden era. The move to the Mountain West is good news long term for the program, but the short-term downside is that the road to bowl eligibility will be much harder than it was in Conference USA. Will any roster improvements be noticeable if the record stays the same? Walden arrived in El Paso selling hope. He needs that optimism to turn into results. 

13. Sam Houston 

An improved roster and a return to Bowers Stadium makes the Bearkats a team to watch in 2026. Head coach Phil Longo called his Year 1 a “hurricane” because of the obstacles he faced in building a roster and playing 12 games outside of Huntsville. QB Landyn Locke has upside and the defensive front seven was reworked. But there needs to be a large jump to reach a bowl game after finishing last in CUSA in scoring offense and scoring defense a year ago.