The Texas Longhorns proved that their No. 1 preseason ranking was a farce after an unfathomable 29-21 loss to the Florida Gators in “the Swamp” on Saturday afternoon.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning had another dud against a Gators defense that was always going to be a challenge, continuing a pattern of alternating good games and not-so-good ones for the Longhorns. Texas’ defense gave up 457 total yards of offense and was hit with 10 penalties for 70 yards.
In every way, the Longhorns came up short against a 1-3 squad whose head coach, Billy Napier, was on the ropes. The loss lost confidence Texas had with the national media, with their schedule looking more daunting as their opponents actually rack up wins.
CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah deemed upcoming matchups against the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Rivalry, the Georgia Bulldogs Between the Hedges, and the Texas A&M Aggies at home as “insurmountable.”
“Texas is showing cracks in nearly every aspect of the game, but the struggles in the trenches are a major warning sign heading into the heart of SEC play. With Florida's ability to bully them, games against No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 12 Georgia and No. 6 Texas A&M suddenly look insurmountable. Texas likely has to win out to make the College Football Playoff. With what we've seen, that's highly unlikely,” Jeyarajah wrote.
In the 12-team College Football Playoff era, two losses aren’t a death sentence. Losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes at the “Shoe,” which the Longhorns did in Week 1, 14-7, is the best loss in college football all year.
Three has proven to be, though. And even taking two of three from OU, UGA, and TAMU looks, as Jeyarajah put it, practically impossible.
Texas is in a deep hole. Steve Sarkisian and Co. may not be able to dig them out this year. 2026 may as well be the focus, with the remainder of the 2025 season being a try-out to see who best fits alongside Arch.