Texas is just a placeholder No. 1 seed in the preseason AP rankings
Unfortunately for Steve Sarkisian's squad, that reign at the top isn't expected to last very long. In fact, Texas may not make it past the first game with a "1" next to its name.
Opening their season on the road against the preseason No. 3-ranked team, Ohio State, the Longhorns are actually underdogs in Week 1. Despite holding top odds to win the national championship at +475 at BetMGM, they're getting 2.5 points and +110 odds on the moneyline for the opener in Columbus. Absolutely wild for a team everyone expects to be the best in college football.
Unless the line flips, Texas will be the first No. 1 team to open a season as an underdog.
On one hand, this is really cool. It's nice that we'll get to see two amazing teams square off this early in the season in a rematch of the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl. On another, it's quite meaningless... these teams will be drastically different at the end of the season (likely for the better) than they will be in the opener. There won't be much we can glean from a game on Aug. 30.
Regardless, a loss would no doubt flip these teams' place in the AP rankings. And if Ohio State grabs the top spot, it won't likely relinquish it until hitting the heart of its conference schedule in mid-October, at the earliest. Considering the SEC gauntlet Texas has to play, the Longhorns may never get that top seed back -- no matter how the Buckeyes play.
So, enjoy this little bit of history while you can, Texas. There's a chance it doesn't last long. But hey, there's always a national championship to play for at the end of the year.
NBA teases schedule release
With the NBA schedule release coming Thursday, the league has already revealed some of its biggest dates of the 2025-26 season, including the full schedule of games for Christmas Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
One thing that jumped out to me, though, is the two-game slate for Opening Night because it includes a Lakers-Warriors matchup that used to be a thing of dreams. Now? I'm not so sure they couldn't have found a more appealing matchup given the uncertain state of those two teams, even as the two aging legends of the Lakers and Warriors remain huge draws. The earlier Rockets-Thunder game is much more interesting to me.
Either way, I'll be tuned in. Here's a look at all the other games that have been teased so far.
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