2006 Texas Longhorns Football Team - Leading Into The 2006 Season

Leading Into The 2006 Season

Texas' biggest loss was the decision by quarterback Vince Young, winner of the 2006 Rose Bowl Most Valuable Player award, to enter the 2006 NFL Draft, where he was the No. 3 over-all pick and first quarterback selected. The Horns' had three options to replace Young: redshirt freshman Colt McCoy, true freshman Jevan Snead, or true freshman Sherrod Harris. Prior to the season, Coach Brown announced that McCoy would be the starter with Snead also getting some game-time.

With the exception of Young, David Thomas, Jonathan Scott, and Will Allen, Texas returned most of their key offensive players from 2005–2006, including fifth-year senior running back Selvin Young, true sophomore running back Jamaal Charles, receivers Quan Cosby, Billy Pittman, and Limas Sweed and lineman Lyle Sendlein, Kasey Studdard, and Justin Blalock. The defense lost starters Rodrique Wright, Aaron Harris, Cedric Griffin and Michael Huff.

In most preseason rankings, Texas was listed in the top five. In the initial USA Today Coaches' Poll, which is part of the Bowl Championship Series formula for determining which two teams play for the National Championship, Texas was ranked number two. The same poll had Ohio State number 1, meaning that if both teams held their ranking until their September 9, 2006 match-up, it would be a rarely-seen early-season meeting of the two most highly ranked teams in the sport. The teams did keep their respective ranking until game day and played the earliest ever meeting of the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams.

See also 2006 NCAA Division I-A football rankings