How Texas Revitalized Their College Football Playoff Dreams

AUSTIN, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 28: Arch Manning #16 of the Texas Longhorns fires Smokey the Cannon after beating the Texas A&M Aggies 27-17 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on November 28, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

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Being a fan of the University of Texas’ football program has been one full of trials and tribulations.

Despite representing the unofficial football state and being one of the biggest programs in college football, success has not been consistent for the boys in burnt orange.

Expectations are always high due to these factors, yet it has been 20 years since Texas won the National Championship.

Those expectations were never higher than the 2025 preseason, which the Longhorns can attest they did come up short on.

However, a revitalization of their offense has potentially revitalized a chance to end this 20-year drought.

But, will it be too little, too late?

Whether former Longhorn quarterback Sam Ehlinger regrets his infamous claim in 2018, that is now consistently shared whenever Texas loses a big game, his claim that “Texas is back” was never more true than ahead of this season.

For the first time in program history, Texas entered the year as the top overall seed in the AP Preseason Poll.

This came following a 13-3 overall record and 7-1 conference record in their first season in the SEC.

After ending their season in the second round of the College Football Playoffs, all eyes looked to an improved product in 2025.

Texas had another offseason finishing within the top recruiting teams in the nation, and held onto key components of 2024 like running back Tre Wisner and edge rusher Colin Simmons.

But the key to 2025 was at the quarterback position.

After seeing him shine in parts of 2024, the sky was the limit for Arch Manning entering his first year as the Longhorn starter.

The Junior’s role under center not only gave Texas the top spot in the preseason poll, but also put Manning in the preseason conversations for the Heisman.

Both of those preseason proclamations took a hit in Week One, as Texas started the year with a loss.

Seeking to challenge themselves out of the gate, Texas walked into Ohio State to start the year.

Manning certainly did not light it up in his season debut, only throwing for 170 yards on a 56.7% completion percentage.

This 14-7 win for Ohio State showed more about the defending champion’s ability to repeat instead of Texas potentially being overrated.

Manning would have the next three games to accumulate Heisman statistics against mid-major opponents.

While the scoreboard properly reflects the skill gap between Texas and these opponents, Manning still failed to look like he did the previous year.

So, with Texas starting their conference schedule in the Swamp against Florida, Steve Sarkisian’s lack of offensive execution came to hurt the Longhorns’ playcaller.

In the first game, Texas allowed more than 14 points, and Florida pulled off the upset over Texas, 21-29. Manning threw 2 touchdowns with 2 interceptions, but the lack of a running game was the difference against the Gators.

This was the first significant blow to Texas’s playoff hopes, as the loss to unranked Florida caused Texas to drop outside of the top-25.

With no time to sulk, Texas then traveled to a neutral site to take on #6-ranked Oklahoma, which became the first revitalization attempt of their season.

Texas dominated their former Big-12 foe, outscoring the Sooners 20-0 in the second half to win 23-6. With an emphasis on running the ball, Texas totaled 128 yards on the ground between Manning and Wisner, with the dagger in the game being a 75-yard punt return touchdown for Ryan Niblett.

This put Texas back in the top-25, and kept them ranked 20th or higher for the next two weeks as they struggled to defeat Kentucky and Mississippi State.

Their next test was #9-ranked Vanderbilt at home, where the offense seemed to finally take its final form.

The Longhorns improved to 7-2 on the year with the 34-31 victory, despite Vanderbilt ending the game on a 21-0 run in the fourth quarter.

Manning had a career day, throwing for 328 yards and three touchdowns.

While the offense seemed to be taking form, the defense was amid some troubling concerns, which would be exploited in their next game.

Next was #5-ranked Georgia, which defeated the Longhorns 35-10. This loss seemed to be a potentially fatal blow, as it took Texas’ #10 seed in the nation and dropped them to #17.

With one last chance, Texas would have to take down undefeated Texas A&M on rivalry weekend.

Despite a 10-3 lead at half, the Longhorns’ rushing attack took over the game, leading to them outscoring the Aggies 24-7 behind 218 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground.

In their biggest test of the year, Texas produced its most well-rounded win of the season, giving them a fighter’s chance to be an at-large bid for the College Football Playoff.

Now, despite their slow start to the year and loss to Florida, Texas has three wins against top-10 opponents, and their 7-point loss to Ohio State can be used to their advantage as a potential tiebreaker.

Largely dependent on the results of the games today, Texas could find itself as a dangerous team in the playoffs.

Even if they do not get the nod, the resiliency of a team that dipped outside the top-25, and a quarterback deemed to be, is a testament to Sarkisian’s coaching, and could be the chip on their shoulders for next season.