Texas has built one of the most eye-catching résumés in college football, but the Longhorns are still chasing something bigger than big wins.
Since 2023, Texas has beaten 17 ranked opponents, the most of any FBS program. In the SEC, the Longhorns are 3-1 on the road against ranked conference foes. Those numbers point to a team that can walk into a tough setting and handle business.
That’s why the question around Steve Sarkisian’s program feels so sharp now: if Texas can beat almost anybody, why hasn’t it done it every time?
The Longhorns are No. 7 in the CFP rankings, sitting ahead of several teams with better records despite two losses to unranked opponents. Sarkisian has no doubt about what his team is capable of.
“I think we’re built for this type of stuff,” Sarkisian said on Monday. “We know how to do it.”
At its peak, Texas has looked like a legitimate national title threat. The ranked wins speak for themselves, and all three of the teams currently sit inside the top 13 of the College Football Playoff rankings.
But this season has also shown the other side of the Longhorns - the version that has let leads slip away and left too much on the field.
Against Oklahoma, Texas led 17-7 before the game turned, with special teams mistakes and an offense that unraveled helping fuel the first Red River defeat since both teams entered the SEC. Then came Florida, where the Longhorns again blew a double-digit lead, this time in front of their own crowd.
Different stages, same problem: Texas didn’t close.
Those losses were followed by two straight wins, but the issues behind them have not disappeared. Against Mississippi State, Texas gave up five sacks, managed only 60 rushing yards and finished with 13 first downs. The defense carried the load while the offense sputtered.
That tension has defined the season. Texas can rise to the moment against elite competition, but it also remains vulnerable to mistakes and stretches of offensive stagnation.
Sarkisian has kept pushing the same message, especially when it comes to the run game. During Thursday’s media availability, he stressed the need for more physical, efficient football.
“We got to go get the tough yards and not worry so much about the home run runs,” Sarkisian said. “We just got to find a way to get 3, 4, 5, 6-yard runs, and then ultimately, if we can do that consistently, then you can find 10, 15, 20, 30-yard runs.”
It’s a straightforward formula, but one Texas has not yet executed consistently.
And with four regular-season games left - including road trips to Missouri, LSU and Texas A&M - the Longhorns are running out of time to clean it up.
Saturday’s trip to Missouri offers another chance to add to an already impressive record against ranked teams. It also offers another test of which Texas team shows up.
One version has the Longhorns in position to chase a national championship.
The other may be the one that keeps them from getting there.
In Other News...
Texas Just Took Another Offensive Hit At The Worst Time
Texas took another blow to its offense at an unforgiving time, with tight end Nick Townsend set to miss the rest of the 2026 season after suffering a knee injury in the game against Ohio State. Townsend had carved out a role in the rotation, appearing in six games with three starts and providing a steady presence in the passing game with six catches for 31 yards.
His absence leaves more responsibility on the rest of the tight end room, where Emaree Winston and Michael Masunas have already been asked to help fill the gap. For a Texas offense trying to keep moving forward, losing another piece now only makes the margin for error a little thinner. [Read more 🡒]
Texas May Need A 5-Star Freshman In A Huge SEC Test
Injuries have started to test Texas in the secondary at a bad time, with cornerbacks Graceson Littleton and Kade Phillips both listed as questionable for the upcoming game against Missouri. That has put a spotlight on the Longhorns depth behind them, especially with a matchup looming against a Tigers passing game that will lean on Donovan Olugbode.
One name to watch is true freshman John Meredith III, the former five-star recruit who could be asked to take on a bigger role if Texas needs another body on the back end. The Longhorns are also still waiting on edge rusher Colin Simmons, whose status remains uncertain, even as others have helped keep the defense moving in his absence. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Faces A Respect Test Against A Nebraska Team Fans Know Well
Illinois is heading into a matchup that feels a little bigger than the usual early-season measuring stick, because Nebraska is the kind of opponent fans around the Big Ten know well and tend to judge with a long memory. The broader college football conversation has been full of rankings movement, coaching changes and teams trying to separate themselves from the pack, and this game fits right into that mix as a chance for Illinois to show it belongs in the same conversation as the more established names.
For Illinois, the real test is not just whether it can win, but whether it can handle the kind of game that exposes soft spots and rewards discipline. Nebraska brings the sort of familiarity that can make an opponent dangerous, and with so many teams around the country still sorting out their identities, this one has the feel of a useful barometer for where Illinois stands before the schedule gets any harder. [Read more 🡒]