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‘We Just Don’t Talk About It,’ ‘Just Decided to Put a #1 by Our Name’ — Steve Sarkisian, Texas Fans Downplay Ranking Before Facing Oklahoma

The Texas Longhorns entered Saturday’s Red River Rivalry as the unanimous No. 1 team in college football, according to ESPN’s College GameDay panel, despite their undefeated record coming in with two narrow victories over ranked opponents.

After trailing Ohio State 23–3 in the third quarter, Texas rallied for 21 fourth-quarter points to win 24–23, with defensive back Graceson Littleton’s interception of Julian Sayin sealing the comeback. Two weeks later, they edged Tennessee 20–17, with edge rusher Colin Simmons leading the defense by recording 5.5 sacks and earning a top-10 national grade among FBS edge defenders.

On offense, quarterback Arch Manning has thrown for 862 yards and seven touchdowns through four games, ranking 55th nationally among qualified quarterbacks. Despite the top ranking, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has avoided discussing it with his team, emphasizing preparation for the immediate challenge against Oklahoma, which enters the matchup unranked at 2–2.

The Longhorns’ dominance in recent games—including a 59–7 blowout of Texas State and a 30–6 win over UTSA—has bolstered their case, though their offense has struggled with third-down conversion and penalties, while Oklahoma remains a longshot to upset them, per advanced metrics giving Texas a 78.4% chance to win.

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