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Texas checks in at No. 4 in ESPN's SP+ rankings

Joe Cookby: Joe Cook02/14/24josephcook89
TEXAS-AGAIN-Sara-DigginsAmerican-Statesman-USA-TODAY-NETWORK-1
Texas running back CJ Baxter (4) carries the ball as Iowa State defensive back Beau Freyler (17) prepares to make the tackle in the second half of the Texas Longhorns' game against the Cyclones at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. Texas won the game 26-16.

Talking season isn’t limited to just words. It includes input from numbers, too. One of the more well-known “numbers” as it pertains to college football is SP+, cultivated by ESPN’s Bill Connelly. Texas checked in as the No. 4 team in Connelly’s SP+ rankings behind No. 3 Oregon, No. 2 Ohio State, and No. 1 Georgia.

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SP+ is a tempo “a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. It is a predictive measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football, not a résumé ranking.”

Its three components are returning production (Texas was No. 25 in the metric), recent recruiting per ESPN’s rankings, and recent history.

The Longhorns’ mark in SP+ that was good for a No. 4 ranking was 28.7. For comparison, No. 3 Oregon registered at 29.3 while No. 5 Michigan was at 27.0. No. 1 Georgia was at 34.5. No. 25 Wisconsin’s mark was 11.0.

SP+ has individual ratings for all three phases. Texas’ offensive SP+ was ranked No. 5, the defensive SP+ was No. 10, and the special teams SP+ was No. 17.

The FBS boasts 134 programs now that the Kennesaw State Owls have joined the ever-growing ranks of college football’s highest level. And among those 134 teams, no other conference compares to the Southeastern Conference in terms of programs at or near the top.

The SEC, Texas’ new home come next football season, boasts five of the top 10, nine of the top 25, and 13 of the top 50 in SP+. According to Connelly, the SEC leads in average SP+ rating by conference with a mark of 14.3. Second? The Big 10 at 8.7, followed by the Big 12 at 4.7.

Texas’ 2024 Schedule in SP+

  • Colorado State – Aug. 31 – No. 97
  • at Michigan – Sep. 7 – No. 5
  • UTSA – Sep. 14 – No. 64
  • Louisiana-Monroe – Sep. 21 – No. 134 (out of 134)
  • Mississippi State – Sep. 28 – No. 74
  • vs. Oklahoma – Oct. 12 – No. 14
  • Georgia – Oct. 19 – No. 1
  • at Vanderbilt – Oct. 26 – No. 105
  • Florida – Nov. 9 – No. 33
  • at Arkansas – Nov. 16 – No. 56
  • Kentucky – Nov. 23 – No. 40
  • at Texas A&M – Nov. 30 – No. 13

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SP+ Top 25

  1. Georgia Bulldogs
  2. Ohio State Buckeyes
  3. Oregon Ducks
  4. Texas Longhorns
  5. Michigan Wolverines
  6. Alabama Crimson Tide
  7. Penn State Nittany Lions
  8. Ole Miss Rebels
  9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
  10. LSU Tigers
  11. Missouri Tigers
  12. Florida State Seminoles
  13. Texas A&M Aggies
  14. Oklahoma Sooners
  15. Tennessee Volunteers
  16. Clemson Tigers
  17. Utah Utes
  18. Kansas State Wildcats
  19. Arizona Wildcats
  20. Oklahoma State Cowboys
  21. Miami Hurricanes
  22. Iowa State Cyclones
  23. USC Trojans
  24. Louisville Cardinals
  25. Wisconsin Badgers

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