Texas Listed As Top 10 Program In Lastest ESPN SP+ Ratings

The Longhorns sky-high expectations aren't slowing down anytime soon.

Steve Sarkisian isn't turning his focus toward days in the Southeastern Conference just yet. Texas Football still has another year remaining in the Big 12, and Sarkisian has aspirations of leaving the conference with a title attached to his name. 

With the Longhorns' schedule still featuring opponents like Kansas, Iowa State and Baylor, expectations are reaching sky-level heights in 2023. The betting favorites to win the Big 12, Texas is receiving the "College Football Playoff or bust" treatment among fans and national media. 

ESPN is no different in its way-too-early projections for the Longhorns. According to Bill Connelly's SP+ rankings, Texas enters the summer as the No. 9 program for 2023. 

The Longhorns lead the charge among Big 12 programs, ranking 3.6 points ahead of No. 13 Oklahoma, 7.7 points ahead of No. 20 TCU, and 9.0 points ahead of No. 23 Kansas State. The Wildcats won their first conference title since 2012 under fouth-year coach Chris Klieman, while TCU played for a national title in Los Angeles against two-time defending champion Georgia. 

The SP+ standings are not a measurement in terms of the team's resume, but rather an adjusted measure of college football efficiency. The rankings are made not just on determining the most likely outcomes of matchups, but also due to returning production and the acquisition of new faces. 

Texas, which finished 8-5 last season, returns over 70 of its starting production, including Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Quinn Ewers, All-Big 12 linebacker Jaylan Ford and former All-Big 12 freshman receiver Xavier Worthy. The SP+ rankings have the Longhorns listed as the No. 11 in offensive returning production and No. 65 in returning defensive metrics. 

A fan favorite to compete for one of the final four spots in this year's postseason, Texas' No. 11 offensive metric standings rank higher than several contenders, including Florida State (No. 19), Clemson (No. 21), Penn State (No. 22), and Notre Dame (No. 26). Defensively, the Longhorns production is listed at No. 16, higher than programs like Tennessee (No. 31), USC (No. 39), and Oregon (No. 42). 

The Sooners, who finished 6-7 under first-year coach Brent Venables last season, have the highest-graded offense among Big 12 teams at No. 6. Defensively, the Longhorns lead all programs, though newcomer Cincinnati claims the silver medal as the No. 19-ranked unit. 

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