By the time Texas gets to Baton Rouge on November 14, the Longhorns should be running on full confidence.
Steve Sarkisian’s system has had time to settle in on both sides of the ball, Arch Manning will have a full season as the starter under his belt, and Texas has added one of the nation’s top wide receivers to give him another weapon. That’s why plenty of people have the Longhorns pegged as SEC and national title favorites.
Still, one league opponent looks built to make life miserable for Texas, and it isn’t Oklahoma, Texas A&M or Tennessee.
That team is LSU.
The Tigers were a mess by the end of their 2025 season, climbing as high as No. 3 in the AP Top 25 before a rough stretch knocked them out of the rankings and eventually cost Brian Kelly his job. But the matchup with Texas has been lurking for a while, and LSU now has the kind of coach who knows exactly what Sarkisian can do.
Lane Kiffin, the former Ole Miss coach, has plenty of history with Sarkisian. Both were on Pete Carroll’s staff at USC during the Trojans’ national championship years, and Sarkisian later replaced Kiffin as offensive coordinator at USC and then again at Alabama in 2019 under Nick Saban.
Now they’re leading two SEC heavyweights in the West, and the competition has already started before kickoff. Kiffin has already flipped a few Texas commits, and he also appears to have his sights on Easton Royal.
Add in Tiger Stadium in late season, with both teams expected to be near the top of the standings, and Texas is walking into one of its toughest road environments of the year. That hasn’t stopped the Longhorns from winning in tough spots lately, but this one has the feel of a heavyweight collision.
For LSU, a win would be a huge statement and a chance to take control of its own playoff path. For Texas, a loss would sting badly and bring back memories of the Georgia game late last season, the one that likely ended the Longhorns’ playoff hopes.
It’s the first meeting between the programs since 2019, and the ingredients are all there for a bruising one: elite coaches, Heisman Trophy-worthy quarterbacks, disruptive defenses and College Football Playoff positioning all packed into one November night in Baton Rouge.
In Other News...
National Analyst Sees Something Different In Texas Ahead Of SEC Race
Greg McElroy came away from SEC Media Days with a noticeably upbeat read on Texas, and it was rooted in how the Longhorns have handled the offseason heading into the 2026 SEC race. The former Alabama quarterback said Texas has built real momentum through transfer portal additions and upgrades at certain positions, giving the roster a different feel than the one that finished last season.
McElroy also pointed to Steve Sarkisian as a coach who seems intent on pushing the program forward with significant changes, not just incremental tweaks. For a Texas team trying to keep pace in a league that rarely waits for anyone, that kind of offseason activity suggests the Longhorns are aiming higher than simply being part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Just Got A Huge Cole Hutson Update Fans Needed
Texas offensive line has been waiting on clarity around Cole Hutson, and now there is at least a path forward. The veteran linemans situation has moved into the legal process, giving the Longhorns a chance to potentially regain a player who has already shown he can handle meaningful snaps up front and provide some needed flexibility across the interior.
For a team still sorting out its best combinations, Hutsons status matters because it could affect the depth chart and the competition for a starting spot on the left side. The next step will come in court, and until that plays out, Texas is left watching a process that could eventually put Hutson back in the mix this season. [Read more 🡒]
Sarkisian Sends A Blunt Message Before Texas Faces Former Longhorn
Parker Livingstones path from Austin to Norman has turned the Red River Rivalry into more than just another October measuring stick for Texas. The former Longhorn wideout made enough of an imprint in his time in burnt orange to be remembered around the program, and his move to Oklahoma only sharpened the interest around a matchup that already carries plenty of edge.
Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning both addressed the reunion publicly this week, a sign of how quickly the storyline has taken hold inside the Texas camp. For the Longhorns, it adds a personal layer to a game that usually needs no help, even with Texas still stocked at receiver and focused on the bigger picture beyond one former teammate. [Read more 🡒]