Arch Manning leads a powerhouse Texas team, bolstered by elite transfers and a brutal SEC slate, aiming for national title glory.
The Texas Longhorns, anointed as the preseason No. 1 team in college football going into last season, stumbled out of the gate, going 3-2 with losses to No. 3 Ohio State and to a then-1-3 Florida team.
Then the Longhorns won seven of their last eight games. These victories included wins over five ranked opponents and wins over three top ten teams. When the dust settled, Texas finished 10-3.
During the recent transfer portal cycle, coach Steve Sarkisian landed some immense talent on offense.
They survived the portal combat as Sarkisian landed the No. 2-ranked portal class. As a result, Texas is ranked No. 2 in CBS Sports' way-too-early top 25 rankings for 2026, put out by Brandon Marcello of cbssports.com.
Texas welcomes back quarterback Arch Manning. Manning will be a Heisman Trophy candidate and will be counted on to lead the Longhorns to a national title. Last season, Manning accounted for over 3,500 total yards and 36 touchdowns.
He protected the football, throwing only seven interceptions in over 400 pass attempts. In a three-game winning streak to finish the season, Manning’s touchdown-to-interception ratio was 7/0.
The Longhorns running back room was gutted by the portal, so Sarkisian went out and got the top two running backs, Raleek Brown (Arizona State) and Hollywood Smothers (N.C. State), to fill the void. Both Brown and Smothers earned all-conference honors. Texas also landed the top receiver in the portal, Cam Coleman (from Auburn).
The Longhorns 2026 schedule is unique in that they will play nine SEC games for the first time. Of their 12 opponents, six are ranked in this way-too-early top 25 poll. They will play seven home games, beginning with Texas State on Sep. 5.
In Week 2, the Longhorns will host the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, followed by UTSA. Later in the season, the Longhorns will welcome Florida, No. 20 Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Arkansas.
The Longhorns travel to Neyland Stadium to take on Tennessee. The following week, in the Red River Rivalry in Dallas, they face off against No. 10 Oklahoma.
Texas will travel to No. 17 Missouri and No. 14 LSU in back-to-back weeks. In the season finale, they will travel to Kyle Field to take on the No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies.
The lofty ranking of Texas is not as much a projection as it may be prophetic.
The Longhorns will be one of the most talented teams in college football next season, with the players and the mindset to get Texas back to the college football playoff for the third time in four seasons, with the goal of winning the national championship.