It’s been more than 20 years since Texas last watched a championship night end with Vince Young in the end zone and Mack Brown’s Longhorns on top of college football.
Since that 2005 title, the program has had chances to get back there. Texas played in the 2009 championship game and reached the College Football Playoff twice, only to come up short each time. Now the Longhorns are still chasing a fifth national title, and the drought remains the headline.
That’s what makes the idea of an in-state rival getting there first so aggravating for Texas fans. If one of these programs won it all before the Longhorns do, the noise would be relentless.
SMU isn’t a traditional Texas rival in the same way some others are, but the Mustangs have earned plenty of attention lately. They own three national championships and made the 2024 CFP, which has helped restore some of the shine around the program since joining the ACC.
It has also been more than four decades since SMU last won a title, and the road back has been a long one after the death penalty era that ran from 1987 until 2007. Still, if the Mustangs managed to win another championship before Texas, the reaction out of Dallas would be impossible to ignore.
Texas Tech would be a different kind of headache entirely. This offseason, an unspecified comment Steve Sarkisian made was taken personally by Joey McGuire, and that was enough to stir up a fresh layer of bad blood.
The Red Raiders have never won a national championship in football, and they’re 18-54 against Texas in the series. Even with the schools no longer in the same conference, the tension hasn’t gone anywhere.
If Texas Tech were to win a title before Texas, the Longhorns would never hear the end of it.
And then there’s Texas A&M, which would be the nightmare scenario for Longhorn fans. The Aggies are credited with three national championships - 1919, 1927 and 1939 - though those titles came before there was a true national championship game.
The 1939 season ended with a Sugar Bowl win over Tulane and the Aggies being named national champions afterward. Texas A&M also made its first CFP appearance last season and managed just three points in its home playoff game against Miami.
But if the Aggies won a modern national title before Texas did, it would hit far harder than anything else on the list.
In Other News...
Mack Brown Just Sent A Powerful Message About Arch Manning
Mack Brown has never been shy about recognizing a quarterback when he sees one, and his latest praise for Arch Manning carried the kind of weight that still resonates around Texas. The former Longhorns coach pointed to Mannings leadership and his willingness to learn during practice, a notable endorsement for a player carrying one of the most famous names in college football while trying to carve out his own place in Austin.
Brown also leaned into the broader arc of Mannings development, noting how his football background has shaped him and why he believes there is real potential for him to help Steve Sarkisians program. Coming from a coach who has been around elite Texas quarterbacks before, the message was less about hype than about the habits that tend to separate promising passers from the ones who actually stick. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Just Landed Another Massive Recruiting Win For 2027
Texas 2027 recruiting momentum got another jolt with the addition of Ismael Camara, a five-star offensive lineman whose rise has been as unusual as it has been rapid. Originally from Le Mans, France and now at Gilmer, Camara has already drawn national attention despite being relatively new to varsity football, and his profile fits the kind of high-upside bet elite programs are eager to make. At 6-6 and 340 pounds, he brings the kind of frame that turns heads before a coach even gets to the film.
What makes this one especially notable for the Longhorns is the company Camara is joining in the class. Texas has been stacking highly rated talent for 2027, and Camaras decision only deepens the sense that the program is building something formidable early in the cycle. He had no shortage of heavyweight suitors, either, with a long list of bluebloods and SEC powers in the mix before Texas closed the deal. [Read more 🡒]
Dailyn Swain Shared The Draft Night Moment Texas Fans Will Love
Dailyn Swains first night as an NBA first-round pick already came with the kind of family story Texas fans tend to latch onto. The former Longhorn guard, now headed to Chicago after being selected by the Bulls in the 2026 NBA Draft, used his introductory press conference to talk about the people who pushed him toward this moment, and the personal tone of that appearance fit the way he has carried himself through the transition from college standout to pro prospect.
Swain has also wasted little time getting into the next phase of the job. Alongside fellow rookie Caleb Wilson, he has started preparing for Summer League while getting used to life in Chicago, a reminder that the draft celebration ends quickly once the work begins. For Texas followers, it is another glimpse of a player whose rise has been steady, and whose next chapter is already moving fast. [Read more 🡒]