For the first time in over a decade, Texas football will head into a season as a top-five team.

Texas was ranked fourth in the preseason poll released by the Associated Press on Monday. With 1,386 points and no first-place votes, UT trailed just Georgia (1,532 points), Ohio State (1,490) and Oregon (1,403) in the rankings.

This is UT's best showing in the AP preseason poll since it was second ahead of the 2009 season. This also marks the 25th time since 1950 that Texas has been a top-five team in the AP's preseason poll. In 12 of the previous 24 seasons, Texas ended that season with a top-5 ranking as well. Texas was ranked fifth, fourth, second and second ahead of its national championship seasons in 1963, 1969, 1970 and 2005.

Texas has already been ranked fourth in the first US LBM Coaches Poll of the season and second in the Southeastern Conference's preseason poll, so Monday's news was hardly a surprise. Led by quarterback Quinn Ewers, Texas returns several key players from a team that went 12-2 last season, won the Big 12 championship and reached the College Football Playoff.

Texas opens its 2024 season with a home game against Colorado State on Aug. 31. The Rams went 5-7 last season, but four teams that were ranked by the AP on Monday − No. 1 Georgia, No. 9 Michigan, No. 16 Oklahoma and No. 20 Texas A&M − will eventually appear on UT's schedule. Texas won't have to play No. 5 Alabama, No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 11 Missouri, No. 13 LSU or No. 15 Tennessee in SEC play this season.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Longhorns ranked No. 4 in first AP football poll of season