Texas heads to Baton Rouge on Nov. 14 in 2026, and the trip could look a lot different depending on which LSU shows up.
The easy part for the Longhorns is that Georgia won’t be on the regular-season slate next year. After Texas went 0-3 against the Bulldogs over the past two seasons - with two regular-season losses and an SEC championship defeat - that omission has to feel like a break.
But it doesn’t mean the schedule is soft. LSU could be waiting as a heavyweight of its own.
If the Tigers hit the level some expect, they’ll bring the kind of roster that can wreck a game plan. Lane Kiffin has built a powerhouse through the transfer portal, and Blake Baker remains one of the sport’s most respected defensive minds. Put that together with a roster that could be good enough for a national championship push, and Texas may be staring at another elite SEC test.
That’s where the matchup gets interesting, because Texas has the look of a team that can overwhelm almost anybody when it’s rolling.
Arch Manning is back for his junior season and, after finishing 2025 on a strong run, looks like the Heisman favorite. He’ll have a loaded group of weapons around him, with Cam Coleman, Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley leading the receiving corps. A better running back room should also help keep LSU from pinning its ears back in obvious passing situations.
The Longhorns also added help up front, which should give Manning steadier protection than he had a year ago. And defensively, Texas could be even stronger. Will Muschamp takes over a unit packed with NFL talent, and if his aggressive approach clicks, the Longhorns should be able to answer LSU’s firepower.
On paper, Texas has the edge at quarterback, in overall depth and on defense. If the Longhorns play to their ceiling, there aren’t many teams in the country that can keep up.
But Texas has already seen how an elite SEC defense can shut it down.
In that loss to Georgia, the Longhorns were undone by dropped passes, penalties and a run game that never got going. Texas was flagged nine times, the running backs finished with just 23 yards, and the offense slid into one-dimensional territory while Manning dealt with constant pressure.
That’s the formula Baker will be trying to recreate.
If LSU can force Texas into mistakes and make the Longhorns fight their own tendencies, the Tigers have a clear path to taking control of the game.
In Other News...
Texas May Have Finally Found The Backfield Arch Manning Needed
Texas spent the offseason reworking its backfield, and the shape of it now looks a lot more balanced around Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers. Brown arrived from Arizona State and gave the Longhorns the kind of burst and pass-catching presence that keeps a defense honest, while Smothers brings the downhill production and steady efficiency that can make a run game feel less one-dimensional. For a team trying to make life easier on Arch Manning, that kind of pairing matters.
The appeal goes beyond the top two names, too. Brown and Smothers give Texas a legitimate 1-2 punch, but the Longhorns also have Derrek Cooper and Michael Terry in the mix as young depth pieces who can develop into rotation options. If the room holds up the way it looks on paper, Texas may finally have the kind of backfield balance that lets the offense stay on schedule instead of leaning too heavily on the quarterback to create everything. [Read more 🡒]
Where Texas Portal Departures Are Suddenly Getting Another Shot
Texas spent the offseason watching a sizable chunk of its defensive depth chart and one specialist move on through the transfer portal, and the next stop for those players has already started to take shape. For a program that expects to reload every year, the more interesting part now is not just who left, but how quickly several of those departures found situations where they should matter right away.
A few of the exits were always going to land in places where opportunity was waiting, including at programs that need experienced help and are willing to give it. One of the seven departures was a starter for Texas, while others are stepping into spots where they are projected to be key pieces or even immediate starters, which says plenty about how the Longhorns roster churn is being viewed elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Awaits Final Word In Massive WR Recruiting Battle
Monshun Sales is set to put an end to one of the most closely watched wide receiver recruitments in the country, with the five-star prospect planning to announce his college commitment Friday, June 17, live on the Pat McAfee Show. Texas is among the finalists, along with Alabama, Ohio State, Indiana and LSU, and the Longhorns have remained in the mix as several heavyweight programs have made late pushes for the elite pass catcher.
For Texas, the timing makes this one especially interesting. The Longhorns have been working to stay aggressive in a battle that could come down to the wire, with Indiana long viewed as the hometown school and one of the programs that had held the edge for much of the process. However it breaks, Sales decision will be a major one for a recruiting race that has drawn attention from across the sport. [Read more 🡒]