CBS Sports analyst predicts Texas’s 2026 record, order of finish in SEC
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Texas will have sky-high expectations in 2026. With a quarterback like Arch Manning on its sideline, that shouldn’t be surprising.
Manning got off to a bit of a slow start in 2025. He ended it well, though, setting himself up for a 2026 season that will have him slated as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate. But the Longhorns are much more than Manning. Tre Wisner transferred to Florida State in the offseason. DeAndre Moore Jr. is now at Colorado. Top linebacker Anthony Hill is now in the NFL.
So what does that mean for the Longhorns? To CBS Sports college football analyst Brad Crawford, a return to the College Football Playoff could be in the cards. Crawford not only has Texas finishing the regular season 11-1 and 8-1 in the SEC, but winning its first-ever SEC championship and making the Playoff as a No. 2 seed.
There’s one date to circle, per Crawford: Week 2 against Ohio State in Austin, a rematch of last year’s 14-7 Buckeyes win.
“A Week 2 victory over Ohio State would mark Sarkisian’s most notable with the Longhorns and go a long way in helping Texas achieve a top-4 seed in the CFP,” Crawford said.
Crawford, who predicts Texas will lose to LSU, also highlighted its trips to Tennessee and Texas A&M.
“Lose either of those —along with the matchup at LSU — and then we’re talking about Texas in a logjam again with other CFP at-large squads,” he said.
Texas opens against Texas State on September 5.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
