Texas is walking into this season with a window that may not stay cracked open much longer.
A year ago, the Longhorns opened as the preseason No. 1 and carried national title expectations into the fall. Then came the Week 1 loss to Ohio State, and the conversation around Steve Sarkisian’s team changed fast. Texas wasn’t ready yet, or at least that was the prevailing read, and for much of the season the program lived in the “next year” lane.
There were reasons for that patience. Senior quarterback Arch Manning still needed time to develop.
The run game never fully took hold. The offensive line had its issues.
So the fallback became simple: it’s okay, because next season should be better.
Now next season is here.
The pressure hasn’t eased on Texas. If anything, it’s grown.
Sarkisian spent the offseason making it obvious that the goal is nothing less than winning at the highest level, and he attacked the roster and staff accordingly. Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp is in.
The transfer portal brought in senior running backs Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers, senior linebacker Rasheem Biles and, most notably, junior wide receiver Cam Coleman.
The pieces around Manning are in place. Now comes the hard part: making them fit.
That’s what makes this year feel so urgent. College football doesn’t give teams many clean shots at a title.
Roster turnover is constant, NFL departures arrive fast, seniors move on and transfers don’t stick around forever. What looks loaded one season can turn into a rebuild the next.
Texas may not get another chance like this one.
This is the best opportunity the program has had in years, maybe in decades, to cash in on Manning’s talent and lean on the upside of junior edge Colin Simmons, junior offensive lineman Trevor Goosby and Coleman, whose time in Austin is limited. After this season, a major reset could be waiting.
Of course, talent alone doesn’t win championships. A team that looks built to contend can still get derailed by injuries, bad luck or sloppy football.
Texas can’t control all of that. What it can’t afford is another offseason spent explaining why it came up short again.
The Longhorns have been knocking on the door for a while now. Sarkisian has already guided them to back-to-back College Football Playoff semifinals, and both losses came down to a single play. At some point, those near-misses have to turn into a breakthrough.
So what happens if Texas doesn’t win it all this season?
Probably not a full-on hot seat for Sarkisian, but the temperature rises. And if the Longhorns don’t at least get back to another semifinal, Texas Athletics will have to ask what exactly is keeping a roster this well-resourced from taking the final step.
Sarkisian has done his part to put Texas in position. Now the Longhorns have to make it count.
In Other News...
Texas Landed A 2027 Back With Exactly The Mindset Fans Want
Landen Williams-Callis gave Texas another reason to feel good about its 2027 recruiting class, and not just because the Longhorns beat out Texas A&M for the four-star running back. The Houston-area standout put together a massive 2025 season, setting the single-season touchdown record with 61 total scores, a level of production that immediately turned him into one of the most talked-about backs in the state.
What should stand out even more to Texas fans is the way Williams-Callis carries himself. He has made it clear he wants his attention on what happens between the lines rather than the praise that comes with it, a mindset that fits the kind of edge programs like Texas want from a young playmaker. And with his record-setting season already putting him ahead of several notable Aggies backs on Houston's all-time touchdown list, there is plenty of intrigue left in how high his game can go once he gets to Austin. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Self-Reported Betting Violations That Raise Bigger Questions For Longhorns
The University of Texas has spent much of the year dealing with a series of self-reported NCAA Level III violations tied to sports wagering, a run of issues that stretched from January through August and touched multiple corners of the athletic department. The cases involved members of the football program, womens soccer, mens track and field, and athletic department employees, with the wagers placed on the prediction market website Kalshi.
The fallout has already been real, with some of the people involved declared ineligible or terminated after the violations came to light. What makes the situation especially notable for Texas is not just the number of incidents, but the breadth of the programs affected, a reminder that betting rules now sit squarely in the daily compliance picture for every major campus. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Draws A Hard Line In Its Uniform Debate
Uniform debates have a way of flaring up around Texas, where tradition carries as much weight as anything on the field, and athletic director Chris Del Conte has made it clear the Longhorns are not chasing every social-media concept that pops up. The program is staying with its familiar burnt orange look, even as fans continue to float ideas for an all-black alternate that would give the wardrobe a much different edge.
For now, the Longhorns are keeping any changes modest and firmly in the category of polish rather than reinvention. The only adjustment noted for 2026 is a small SEC logo move to the jersey collar, a reminder that Texas is willing to make tiny tweaks while drawing a hard line on the bigger uniform shift many supporters still want to see. [Read more 🡒]