Texas Jumps Three Spots in ESPN's College Football Power Rankings After Week 7

We're only seven weeks into the 2024 college football season but Texas is off to one of its best starts in decades.

Through six games the Longhorns have dominated their opponents in all three phases. The closest matchup for Texas came in Week 2 against Michigan, where the Longhorns escaped Ann Arbor with a 19-point win.

Steve Sarkisian's squad has certainly earned its No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 Poll and Coaches Poll over the last two weeks. Now, Texas has seen a rise in ESPN's college football power rankings heading into Week 8.

After defeating No. 15 Oklahoma on Saturday, Texas climbed three spots in ESPN's power rankings this week. The Longhorns now own the No. 1 spot, followed by Oregon (No. 2), Ohio State (No. 3), Miami (No. 4) and Penn State (No. 5).

"The Longhorns are 6-0 for the first time since 2009, and they've trailed for only 3½ minutes this year (after Oklahoma's first-quarter field goal on Saturday)," the ranking read .

One of the most impressive aspects to Texas' play has been is their ability to overcome several key injuries. The Longhorns lost two running backs to season-ending injuries in fall camp, including starter CJ Baxter, and starting quarterback Quinn Ewers was sidelined for 2.5 games but Texas didn't miss a beat.

"The Longhorns have survived injuries, adversity, a road trip to Michigan and the annual test in Dallas against Oklahoma. At this point, their biggest obstacle is handling the expectations and the pressure, beginning with Saturday's game against No. 5 Georgia, one of the most anticipated games of the season before a very manageable stretch at Vanderbilt, home against Florida, at Arkansas and home against Kentucky," ESPN's staff said .

If Texas is able to continue its dominant play against Georgia in Week 8, the Longhorns should be the heavy favorite to take home the national title this year and potentially do so with an undefeated record.

Related: Texas Longhorns Make SEC History After Win Over Oklahoma