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Texas finishes No. 7 in ESPN's SP+

Joe Cookby:Joe Cook•about 9 hours•

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Jahdae Barron
Jahdae Barron (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

In ESPN’s final SP+ rankings, Bill Connelly’s tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency, the Texas Longhorns finished No. 7 after their 13-3 season.

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The Longhorns’ No. 7 overall ranking was comprised of a No. 13 finish in offensive SP+, a No. 2 finish in defensive SP+, and a No. 117 standing in special teams SP+.

Texas’ offense was performed well but was far from nationally elite, something also reflected in conventional counting stats and in painful red zone situations. Texas’ defense only trailed No. 1 Ohio State in defensive SP+. The strength of the 2024 team, the Longhorns’ rating of 10.8 was a full point clear of No. 3 Ole Miss’ 11.9, but 1.5 points behind the Buckeyes.

The dip in special teams was evident in more than just the rankings, though it’s not clear if Bert Auburn‘s misses factor into the rating. Losing an All-American returner in Xavier Worthy, another quality returner in Keilan Robinson, and a quality punter in Ryan Sanborn created more hidden yardage for the Longhorns to have to make up, something reflected in the No. 117 standing.

Other SEC teams in SP+ included No. 2 Ole Miss, No. 4 Alabama, No. 6 Georgia, No. 9 Tennessee, No. 13 Texas A&M, No. 14 South Carolina, No. 15 LSU, No. 19 Missouri, No. 20 Florida, No. 24 Arkansas, No. 33 Oklahoma, No. 34 Auburn, No. 45 Kentucky, No. 52 Vanderbilt, and No. 88 Mississippi State.

Longhorns’ non-conference opponents’ finish in SP+ was No. 26 for Michigan, No. 64 for UTSA, No. 94 for Colorado State, and No. 122 for ULM. College Football Playoff opponent finishes included No. 22 for Clemson, No. 35 for Arizona State, and No. 1 for the Buckeyes.

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In the three previous seasons, Texas went 5-7, 8-5, and 12-2. The Longhorns finished No. 48 in SP+ in 2021, No. 7 in 2022, and No. 6 in 2023.

SP+ Top 25

  1. Ohio State
  2. Ole Miss
  3. Oregon
  4. Alabama
  5. Penn State
  6. Georgia
  7. Texas
  8. Notre Dame
  9. Tennessee
  10. Miami
  11. Indiana
  12. SMU
  13. Texas A&M
  14. South Carolina
  15. LSU
  16. Iowa
  17. BYU
  18. Kansas State
  19. Missouri
  20. Florida
  21. Louisville
  22. Clemson
  23. USC
  24. Arkansas
  25. TCU

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