Texas Football's Resurgence: Can Burnt Orange Revive Playoff Dreams?
In 2025, the University of Texas football team entered the season as the top-ranked program in the AP Preseason Poll. For years, the Longhorns have been synonymous with college football excellence, but consistency has eluded them, with a 20-year drought since their last national championship. This year's preseason hype centered around quarterback Arch Manning, touted as a potential Heisman contender.
Manning's performance did not live up to expectations in the season opener against Ohio State, where he threw for 170 yards on a 56.7% completion rate, silencing some of his critics and revealing more about the Buckeyes' chances to repeat as champions rather than Texas being overhyped. Manning's struggles continued through mid-season games against mid-major opponents, further raising questions about his readiness to lead the team.
However, in their conference schedule opener against Florida, Texas finally found its footing under quarterback Arch Manning. Despite allowing more than 14 points in Week One, the Longhorns' play caller Steve Sarkisian was able to adapt and exploit weaknesses on defense. The game went into overtime before they came out victorious, with Manning scoring two touchdowns and the difference between victory and defeat being a lack of running game.
Following their upset over Florida, Texas dominated their former Big-12 foe Oklahoma, winning 23-6, but struggling against unranked Kentucky and Mississippi State in subsequent games. The turning point for the Longhorns came in their next test against Vanderbilt, where Manning had an outstanding performance, throwing for 328 yards and three touchdowns.
But just as it seemed that Texas was finally putting itself back into playoff contention with a seven-point loss to Ohio State being used as tiebreaker material, they suffered another blow in their final regular-season game, falling short 35-10 against Georgia. The loss dropped them from #17 to #20 in the nation rankings.
In the season finale, Texas A&M provided a crucial last hurdle for playoff aspirations, but the Aggies were handed an easy victory, leaving Texas with nothing more than a potential tiebreaker. Despite a sluggish start, the resiliency of Steve Sarkisian's coaching and quarterback Arch Manning will likely propel Texas as a formidable contender in 2026.
Can the Longhorns finally break their drought? Can they overcome adversity to claim playoff glory? It all hangs on next season for this once-mighty college football program.
In 2025, the University of Texas football team entered the season as the top-ranked program in the AP Preseason Poll. For years, the Longhorns have been synonymous with college football excellence, but consistency has eluded them, with a 20-year drought since their last national championship. This year's preseason hype centered around quarterback Arch Manning, touted as a potential Heisman contender.
Manning's performance did not live up to expectations in the season opener against Ohio State, where he threw for 170 yards on a 56.7% completion rate, silencing some of his critics and revealing more about the Buckeyes' chances to repeat as champions rather than Texas being overhyped. Manning's struggles continued through mid-season games against mid-major opponents, further raising questions about his readiness to lead the team.
However, in their conference schedule opener against Florida, Texas finally found its footing under quarterback Arch Manning. Despite allowing more than 14 points in Week One, the Longhorns' play caller Steve Sarkisian was able to adapt and exploit weaknesses on defense. The game went into overtime before they came out victorious, with Manning scoring two touchdowns and the difference between victory and defeat being a lack of running game.
Following their upset over Florida, Texas dominated their former Big-12 foe Oklahoma, winning 23-6, but struggling against unranked Kentucky and Mississippi State in subsequent games. The turning point for the Longhorns came in their next test against Vanderbilt, where Manning had an outstanding performance, throwing for 328 yards and three touchdowns.
But just as it seemed that Texas was finally putting itself back into playoff contention with a seven-point loss to Ohio State being used as tiebreaker material, they suffered another blow in their final regular-season game, falling short 35-10 against Georgia. The loss dropped them from #17 to #20 in the nation rankings.
In the season finale, Texas A&M provided a crucial last hurdle for playoff aspirations, but the Aggies were handed an easy victory, leaving Texas with nothing more than a potential tiebreaker. Despite a sluggish start, the resiliency of Steve Sarkisian's coaching and quarterback Arch Manning will likely propel Texas as a formidable contender in 2026.
Can the Longhorns finally break their drought? Can they overcome adversity to claim playoff glory? It all hangs on next season for this once-mighty college football program.
They're like the opposite of a well-oiled machine - they can't even get it together one minute and then suddenly remember how to do their job the next! Arch Manning is just trying his best, but it's like he's got two left feet on the field and a Ph.D. in excuses 
. I'm rooting for them though, only 'cause I want to see Steve Sarkisian's coaching face when they finally make it to the playoffs 
. But seriously, can they really turn their season around? Maybe next year will be the one where Texas football is back on top - after all, as the saying goes: 'third time's the charm'... or in this case, maybe fourth time since 2005 
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I'm so done with the hype around Arch Manning. Like, I get it, he's a talented QB and all, but the Longhorns' struggles are way more complex than just one player's performance. 
It's like they're trying to pass the buck and say "Oh, it's all on him" instead of acknowledging their coaching issues. Steve Sarkisian needs to step up his game if he wants to get Texas back into playoff contention. 
And let's be real, a 20-year drought is NOT just about one season or even next season... it's a systemic problem that needs to be addressed. 
, but like they're not even consistent from week 1 to now its kinda weird. i think arch manning is a solid QB, but he needs to step up his game if they wanna make playoffs this year...they gotta figure out their running game and defense, cause its been giving me sleepless nights 
watching those games. steve sarkisian's coaching skills are on point tho, so i'm keeping an eye on him to see how he handles the pressure. can you imagine a texas-texas A&M playoff match-up? that'd be lit 
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. Texas is part of that group! 
Arch Manning's completion rate has improved slightly each game, from 56.7% to 61.9%, which is still a bit under par for his QB standards 
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, but with Manning's growth and a healthy Sarkisian, I'm optimistic about their playoff chances 
. He had some solid games, like that one against Vanderbilt, but then there are those other games where he just seems to fall apart 
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... they've got some talented players and a strong team culture. Maybe they just need to iron out their kinks and find that magic formula 
. Can you imagine if they can do it? The whole state of Texas would be ecstatic 
!
. It's not about individual stars, it's about team chemistry & strategy 
. They've got the talent, now let's see if they can put it all together 
. and arch manning, he's got so much potential, but what does that even mean in terms of actual greatness? is it just about the stats, or is there something more to it?
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