According to SEC Media Day surveys, the Longhorns finished second in the league behind Georgia, and 13 players were selected for the Preseason All-SEC Football Team.

Texas is expected to rank among the top 16 colleges in the Southeastern Conference in just their first year of competition.

A poll of journalists present at the annual SEC journalists Days revealed that Texas was predicted to finish second in the league and narrowly miss out on the title.

Furthermore, the Longhorns had 13 players picked to the Preseason All-SEC Football Team—tied with Georgia and Alabama for the third-most selections in the league.

The only offensive first-team selection was left lineman Kelvin Banks Jr.; wide receiver Isaiah Bond, running back CJ Baxter, and quarterback Quinn Ewers were named to the second team of the SEC. With these five players comprising half of the Texas offense and defense picks, center Jake Majors was named to the third team.

Linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. was the standout player for the Longhorns, and defensive backs Andrew Makuba, Malik Muhammad, and Jahdae Barron also made the second team. Trey Moore, a defensive lineman, completed the secondary selections by making the third team.

Kicker Bert Auburn was named to the first team for special teams, while kickoff specialist Will Stone was named to the second team. Jaylon Blue, a return specialist and running back, was named to the third team for all-purpose.

Texas finished third in the conference with a total of 10 offensive and defensive picks, one more than Georgia and Alabama, which each had 13.

The findings of the preseason poll indicate that Texas will be a strong candidate in both the SEC and national championship games. The Longhorns already have enough pressure to create an incredible first impression in the SEC and may play Georgia in both.

SEC Snubs Unproven Rookie Member By Bestowing Official ‘UT’ Honors On Tennessee Over Texas

The SEC’s decision to award the University of Tennessee Volunteers the official “UT” title over the University of Texas Longhorns, who will now be known as “TEX,” has been interpreted as a jab at one of the conference’s newest members and a statement to the world that tradition counts.

The Longhorns and the entire state of Texas, who have attended UT for the duration that the state’s flagship university—the University of Texas at Austin—was established in 1881, whereas the University of Tennessee was established in 1794, 87 years earlier, are devastated by this.

Naturally, both universities had different names in their early years, but that doesn’t really matter now that the SEC has formally awarded the Volunteers the title of “UT.” The Volunteers were a founding member of the Southeastern Conference on December 8, 1932, when the SEC was established.

Seniority counts. And in this instance, that just relates to the amount of years spent in the SEC because Texas has outperformed the Vols in the “Poll Era” of college football, winning four national titles to Tennessee’s two. Beyond college football, Texas is a massive force in all sports, having won 47 titles in 11 different competitions.

It’s important to note that a Texas A&M journalist, whose team is conspicuously missing from that list of First Team SEC talent, broke the news of the SEC Tennessee-Texas “UT” title. The Aggies must be a little offended by it.