The Texas Longhorns have claimed the number one spot in the pre-season Associated Press (AP) Top 25 rankings, edging out Penn State by just five points in the voting.
The Longhorns have not won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football championship since 2005, but could snap that streak this year.
The sportsbook linked to this fully licensed and regulated crypto casino online UK platform rate them as one of the favourites to lift the prestigious title.
Here is the complete AP Top 25 poll (first place votes in brackets):
1. Texas (25) – 1,552
2. Penn State (23) – 1,547
3. Ohio State (11) – 1,472
4. Clemson (4) – 1,398
5. Georgia (1) – 1,331
6. Notre Dame – 1,325
7. Oregon (1) – 1,236
8. Alabama – 1,179
9. LSU – 1,174
10. Miami - 889
11. Arizona State - 791
12. Illinois - 713
13. South Carolina - 667
14. Michigan - 662
15. Florida - 626
16. SMU - 565
17. Kansas State - 512
18. Oklahoma - 463
19. Texas A&M - 434
20. Indiana - 423
21. Ole Miss - 370
22. Iowa State - 309
23. Texas Tech - 274
24. Tennessee - 192
25. Boise State - 191
Another 840 votes were cast across 24 different teams, but they are unlikely to challenge the big guns in the battle to win the coveted national championship.
The hype surrounding the Longhorns has been difficult to ignore this summer. Most of the debate has centred around a player who comes from legendary NFL lineage.
Quarterback Arch Manning will lead the Longhorns’ bid to win the title and his presence on the roster has sparked plenty of discussion about their chances of success.
The schedule has not been kind to Texas, starting with the visit to reigning champions Ohio State in their season opener on August 30.
The Longhorns also face Florida and Georgia in the Southeastern Conference this season. Both teams are ranked in the top 15 of the AP Top 25 poll.
Texas reached the semi-finals of the play-offs last season, but have been touted to set the record straight now Manning has replaced Quinn Ewers as quarterback.
However, the 21-year-old has struggled to click with his offense during practice, with Longhorns’ defensive unit proving to be a tough nut to crack.
NFL reporters Anwar Richardson and Alex Dunlap both highlighted flaws with the attacking unit and their inability to advance the ball down the pitch.
Despite this, Longhorns’ head coach Steve Sarkisian insisted that he expected his offensive unit to find it tough to overcome their defensive counterparts.
"Historically, your defense better be ahead of your offense - and we are," Sarkisian said. "I think our defense is playing really good right now.
“The best teams I've ever been on, the defense usually is kind of ahead, from that perspective, on an offensive standpoint, not that the offense isn't doing some really good things."
Penn State have been touted as the team most likely to challenge the Longhorns this season and they could be the value bet in what looks to be a competitive market.
Their toughest test during the regular season is at Ohio State on November 1. They have lost eight-in-a-row against the reigning champions and not defeated them since 2026.
While Ohio have lost several key players to the NFL this summer, they are unlikely to give up their title without a big fight this term.
Quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Carnell Tate are huge talents at NCAA level and have the ability to cause problems for any of their rivals.
