Despite consecutive 10-plus win seasons, the Missouri Tigers found themselves outside the US LBM preseason College Football Coaches Poll released on Monday.

Texas gets an early chance to prove it belongs. A showdown with the No. 2 Buckeyes in the season opener on Aug. 30 in Columbus looms large as a potential defining moment in the Longhorns' pursuit of their first national title in two decades.

The SEC landed nine teams in the USA Today 2025 preseason college football Coaches Poll to lead all conferences, with Texas holding off two Big Ten powerhouses to open as the preseason No. 1. The Longhorns,