College Football Rankings: Texas Shows Up At No. 13 In Composite Top 25

Coach Mack Brown's Texas Longhorns are predicted to return to national prominence this season, so it comes as no surprise to see them show up in every set of college football rankings. Just how high they should be ranked is the question. They are ranked anywhere from ninth to 17th heading into their season-opening showdown with the Wyoming Cowboys of the Mountain West Conference.

Jason Kirk, the lead college football writer for SB Nation, has compiled some of the more popular ratings systems into a composite top 25. Texas checks in at No.13 in Kirk's table, which uses seven different polls. He suggests that the Longhorns are in the fifth tier of college football's elite at the start of the 2012 season.

You can see a few clear tiers at the top, with Florida State and the Georgia Bulldogs following the upper crust and lower-upper crust. The South Carolina Gamecocks, Michigan Wolverines and Arkansas Razorbacks form the next bunch, followed by the Wisconsin Badgers, West Virginia Mountaineers, Texas Longhorns and Michigan St. Spartans.

Texas received its highest ranking from Football Outsiders (a good sign for those that believe in advanced statistics) and their lowest came from the BCS simulation.

For more on the Texas Longhorns, head over to Burnt Orange Nation. To fulfill your college football fix, be sure to visit SB Nation's NCAA Football hub.

College Football Rankings: Texas No. 15 In AP Preseason Poll, Texas A&M And Houston Receive Votes

College football Associated Press voters released the 2012 preseason AP Top 25 poll with the Texas Longhorns starting the season ranked No. 15.

After a tough 8-5 season last year and a sub-.500 Big 12 season, Texas still has enough talent to gain the attention of voters with hopes of better results in 2012. The Longhorns' ranking in the AP poll matches the No. 15 ranking they received in the USA Today Coaches' poll.

Oklahoma is the top rated Big 12 team, starting the season ranked No. 4 with USC earning the No. 1 ranking followed by SEC heavyweights Alabama (2nd) and LSU (3rd).

Among the teams not in the Top 25 but still receiving votes, the Texas A&M Aggies notched five votes while the Houston Cougars were given one vote. Both teams will have to earn their way into the rankings with wins instead of presason hype.

For more on the Texas Longhorns, head over to Burnt Orange Nation. To fulfill your college football fix, be sure to visit SB Nation's NCAA Football hub.

College Football Polls: Where Will Texas Longhorns Rank In AP Preseason Top 25?

The Top-25 preseason college football polls are rolling in and the one that matters most, that of the Associated Press, is to be released Saturday at 9 a.m. CT, according to Ralph Russo of the AP. Texas Longhorns fans will know where the Burnt Orange will be ranked to open the season.

Sports Illustrated had the 'Horns at No. 15 after an 8-5 (4-5 in Big 12) season in 2011. Texas wasn't ranked in the AP final poll at the end of the season.

Texas was ranked 15th in the coaches poll. That's a good sign for coach Mack Brown, who enters his 15th season. Fans can also see more college football poll breakdowns in SB Nation's College Football Video Countdown, where the Longhorns came in at No. 13.

Texas came out at No. 21 in SB Nation's post-spring football BlogPoll. A new BlogPoll will be out next week.

For more on the Texas Longhorns, head over to Burnt Orange Nation. To fulfill your college football fix, be sure to visit SB Nation's NCAA Football hub.

College Football Rankings: Texas Longhorns Rated No. 15 By Sports Illustrated

The Texas Longhorns are ranked No. 15 in Sports Illustrated's 2012 preseason Top 25.