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Steve Sarkisian slated to join elite company when it comes to the AP Poll

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Steve Sarkisian
Steve Sarkisian (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

The Associated Press poll has been maintained in various forms since 1936. Sometimes it recognized a top-25, at other points it ranked just 20 teams, and for a short stint in the 1960s only 10 teams were ranked. No matter how many teams were ranked in the poll, finishing in the top five is a big deal.

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Steve Sarkisian, barring any vindictive rankings from the AP Poll voters, is set to record back-to-back top five finishes and become just the fifth Texas football coach in the poll era to record multiple seasons ending in a top-five ranking.

Sarkisian will join the ranks of Darrell Royal, Mack Brown, Fred Akers, and Blair Cherry as Longhorn football coaches with multiple top-five finishes. Dana Bible recorded one top-five finish during his time as head coach of the Longhorns, rounding out the group of coaches to achieve that final lofty ranking.

Royal has posted the most top-five AP poll finishes with nine. He’s followed by Brown with five, Akers with three, and Cherry with two. Sarkisian is set to tie Cherry, who posted his top-five campaigns just after World War II.

Texas has won three AP national championships in its history. Royal won two, one in 1963 and the other in 1969, while Brown won his and the BCS National Championship in 2005. The Longhorns have finished ranked in the final AP poll 51 times

The final AP poll is scheduled to be released the day after the College Football Playoff national championship on January 21

Darrell Royal (9)

1959 – 9-2 – Lost in the Cotton Bowl – Finished No. 4

1961 – 10-1 – Won the Cotton Bowl – Finished No. 3

1962 – 9-1-1 – Lost the Cotton Bowl – Finished No. 4

1963 – 11-0 – Won the Cotton Bowl – Finished No. 1, AP national champions

1964 – 10-1 – Won the Orange Bowl – Finished No. 5

1968 – 9-1-1 – Won the Cotton Bowl – Finished No. 3

1969 – 11-0 – Won the Cotton Bowl – Finished No. 1, AP national champions

1970 – 10-1 – Lost the Cotton Bowl – Finished No. 3

1972 -10-1 – Won the Cotton Bowl – Finished No. 3

Mack Brown (5)

2001 – 11-2 – Won the Holiday Bowl – Finished No. 5

2004 – 11-1 – Won the Rose Bowl – Finished No. 5

2005 – 13-0 – Won the Rose Bowl – Finished No. 1, AP national champions

2008 – 12-1 – Won the Fiesta Bowl – Finished No. 4

2009 – 13-1 – Lost the BCS Championship – Finished No. 2

Fred Akers (3)

1977 – 11-1 – Lost the Cotton Bowl – Finished No. 4

1981 – 10-1-1 – Won the Cotton Bowl – Finished No. 2

1983 – 11-1 – Lost in the Cotton Bowl – Finished No. 5

Blair Cherry (2)

1947 – 10-1 – Won the Sugar Bowl – Finished No. 5

1950 – 9-2 – Lost the Cotton Bowl – Finished No. 3

Steve Sarkisian (1)

2023 – 12-2 – Lost the Sugar Bowl – Finished No. 3

***2024 – 13-3 – Lost in the Cotton Bowl – Most recently ranked No. 4

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Dana Bible (1)

1941 – 8-1-1 – No bowl – Finished No. 4

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