College football rankings: Preseason top 25 – Clemson at No. 1, SEC owns half of top 10

9. Texas Longhorns

Coming off of a 10-win season and a Sugar Bowl win over Georgia to cap off 2018, there were high hopes for Tom Herman and the Texas Longhorns returning to glory last season. Instead, they took a step back. Hook ‘Em finished the year at 8-5, even if they were highly competitive against the best competition they faced. But now it’s time to be more than competitive and to make a run at winning the Big 12.

Quarterback Sam Ehlinger is back for one last hoorah in Austin after accounting for 39 touchdowns last year. He’s loaded with weapons around him, even if the wide receiver room has gotten a facelift with Brennan Eagles and Jake Smith stepping into bigger roles while transfer Tarik Black enters the fray along with former five-star running back turned receiver Jordan Whittington. Another five-star, freshman running back Bijan Robinson, could give the offense an even bigger jolt.

More than that, though, the two things that may have the biggest influence on the Longhorns’ success are the impact of new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and the effectiveness of the defense.

In the case of Yurcich, he produced one elite offense after another while at Oklahoma State for six seasons. The hope is that he can unlock even more of Ehlinger’s potential with the top-tier talent around him at the skill positions.

As for the defense, a unit that returns nine starters, including high-end NFL prospects Joseph Ossai and safety Caden Sterns, could be the linchpin. If Texas is able to establish themselves as the best defense in the Big 12, that could be a calling card that carries the team to the top of the conference standings and maybe in the College Football Playoff mix.