The Texas Longhorns ended the 2025 regular season with a 27-17 victory over Texas A&M. What was the most impressive part of the win?
Daniel Seahorn (@DanielSeahorn) – The second-half adjustments on both
sides of the ball were the best part of it for me. The offense looked like a mess in the first half, and then in the second half, they absolutely cooked A&M’s defense, and defensively, they only allowed 7 points and forced two turnovers to close it out.
Gerald Goodridge (@ghgoodridge) – There’s a running game in there somewhere! Steve Sarkisian really schemed up a way to leverage misdirection and movement to use the Aggies’ aggressive linebackers against them. Creating space for Quintrevion Wisner to rattle off the first 100-yard game of the season was a huge reason why Texas was so successful in the game.
Cameron Parker (@camerondparker) – The second-half domination over A&M. Texas was a facemask penalty away from keeping the Aggies scoreless in the second half. The run game suddenly came alive and the vaunted Aggy offensive and defensive lines didn’t look so vaunted. It was the type of performance from Texas that made you think they’re a playoff team.
Jacob Neidig (@jneidig_2) – The resolve the team showed. Down at halftime, three-point game in the middle of the fourth. Texas didn’t wither; it withstood the storm. I was impressed that the Longhorns were able to throw some punches and take a few as well.
Quentin Bell (@uncleqbell) – Overall, it was good, and what stood out the most was probably the halftime adjustments to come together for a strong finish, forcing turnovers and executing fantastic runs. The Longhorns showed their offensive grit, and the defense did their homework.
Wescott Eberts (@SBN_Wescott) – Within the context of the overall Texas season, the ability to run the football so effectively in the second half, with 157 yards on the ground and six of the nine explosive runs in the game. Quintrevion Wisner was at his Lone Star Showdown best with 155 yards on 19 carries.
Texas comes up just short of the College Football Playoff – finishing 13th in the rankings. Do you buy into the belief that Texas is being punished for playing Ohio State? Is the fix to stop scheduling tougher out-of-conference games?
Daniel – I believe it’s a little bit of both. Scheduling a tough opponent like that can certainly hurt the resume when it comes down to situations like this, but matchups like that are awesome for the fans and the sport. I think losing to a dreadful Florida team in the fashion that they did was the bigger issue. Florida had their best game of the season against Texas and struggled most of the way after the matchup. Texas also didn’t cover itself in glory by going to OT with teams like Mississippi State and Kentucky.
Gerald – The nuance of this conversation is the hard part. For the first year, the CFP is seemingly using W/L as its baseline metric, which goes a bit against what they’ve said is part of their selection criteria. Does swapping out Ohio State for a random buy game mean Texas is 10-2 and in the playoff? Yes. However, most of the national conversation I hear around Texas is actually giving them credit for being the only team to play Ohio State close. All of that being said, I feel like Texas is just as much reaping the consequences of being one of Florida’s only wins this year. Not only does beating the No. 12 team in the conference mean that you’re in the CFP, but you’re also tied for first in the SEC.
Cameron – It’s the Florida loss. Texas did not look like a playoff-caliber team during that loss in Gainesville. It also didn’t help that the Longhorns had trouble separating from San Jose State and UTEP and needed overtime to knock off Kentucky and Mississippi State. The sloppy fourth quarters against Vanderbilt and Georgia didn’t help their case either.
Jacob – Texas is being punished for having three losses. You can scream beat Florida until you’re blue in the face, but the committee is holding the number of losses against the Longhorns more than anything else. Lose two and the Longhorns would be in. By playing Ohio State, Texas decreased the probability that they escaped the season with just two losses, so in some ways, yes. With that being said, running from nonconference smoke or scheduling a November cupcake would be on brand with the rest of the conference, but CDC and Sark should shy away from that. Big games are what make college football special.
Quentin – It’s a toss-up, because the other losses didn’t help. If Ohio State had lost, who else on their schedule could’ve given them a chance to redeem their season without possible question marks? Indiana looks interesting, and their schedule was tougher than Ohio State’s, but they aren’t really playing anyone else through the rest of the season. At least the Gators were ranked at one point during the season. Sark should schedule the hard games, and it’s pretty tough not to schedule the tough games in the SEC. I think that all these top-tier programs should at least face 4 ranked teams on the season, two in non-conference and two in conference, if the conference is strong enough. An example would mean teams like Texas Tech, UNT, and JMU need to schedule tougher preseason games if they want to keep their ranks, and Notre Dame needs to commit to a conference or, like Ohio State, have a tougher back of season schedule.
Wescott – As bad as the Florida loss was, if Texas had scheduled Northwestern, a two-loss Longhorns team with three top-10 wins is in the playoff, no matter how bad the optics are for dropping a game to a four-win team that fired its head coach. The easiest fix is not to get beat by bad teams in the future, but when you factor in the nine-game SEC schedule, I think the Longhorns would be well served by canceling the home-and-home series against the Fighting Irish and not scheduling those games in the future, as disappointing as that will be for fans.
Steve Sarkisian and his staff signed 23 players to the 2026 class, including a trio of five-stars. Who is your favorite player from the ‘26 class?
Daniel – Jermaine Bishop is probably the easy call because he’s been an absolute supernova of a football player on both sides of the ball. He’s going to finish top 10 all-time in Texas history in receiving yards and receptions, and will bring juice to a wide receiver room that needs it. I think even though he can project to defense that you need to put his playmaking ability on the offensive side of the ball and go with God.
Gerald – Tyler Atkinson. Dude is just a freak. I imagine he’ll be deployed similarly to how Anthony Hill was his freshman year, while his body and game adjust to playing at the college level. But the kid is an absolute freak. Much like Hill, I wonder if his NFL upside is more as an edge rusher than a linebacker, but he is the prototype for what you want from an athletic backer in this defense.
Cameron – DeSoto head coach Claude Mathis said that Jermaine Bishop is the “best high school football player” he’s ever seen. Coach Mathis has seen some dudes in his career. I’m excited to see how Sark utilizes his game…he could be a Travis Hunter type player.
Jacob – I’m most excited for Tyler Atkinson, but my early favorite has to be Smoke Matthews. I mean, to start, what a nickname for a defensive back. Not to mention, his film and camp metrics are great, and he has the juice that is required to be a cover corner. He’s too highly rated to be a sneaky gem, but I think he has the potential to be one of the biggest contributors of the class. And, he’ll be joining an uber-talented albeit young secondary in Kade Phillips, Graceson Little, and Jonah Williams. Sign me up for as much stock in Smoke Matthews and the future of the Texas secondary as I can get.
Quentin – The defensive competition will be awesome to watch and see develop with Samari Matthews coming into the secondary and Tyler Atkinson at linebacker, along with Richard Wesley on the edge. The defense will and should give the offense solid looks, and running back Derrek Cooper could possibly lead the backfield one day.
Wescott – I have to go with the elite prospect at the most important position in the sport – consensus five-star quarterback Dia Bell, who will most likely replace Arch Manning. KJ Lacey is a gamer, but Bell is bigger, has better arm talent, and, as Steve Sarkisian mentioned on Wednesday, I love the competitive spirit that he got from his parents, especially his father, Raja, one of the toughest defenders I’ve ever seen on the basketball court.
What position will Sark need to work on either through the portal or the remainder of the signing period?
Daniel – Offensive Line is the main priority by a mile. There will be other positions that need to be plugged along the way, but Texas ended up signing a very light class in the trenches on both sides of the ball, and that simply can’t happen if you want to compete for championships year in and out.
Gerald – Offensive line. If Texas goes into next season without adding at least a few offensive linemen from the portal, it will be one of the biggest miscarriages of roster management we’ve ever seen. Behind a good offensive line, Quintrevion Wisner rushed for 1,000 yards. Shot plays were there this year, but Arch couldn’t always stay upright to hit them. If Texas can put together a good offensive line, this team takes off.
Cameron – I’d like to see Texas add at least two offensive linemen, a pass-catching running back, and a few defensive backs.
Jacob – Wide receiver. The group didn’t have a dependable, big situation pass catcher and struggled with both drops and creating separation. Sark needs to find a game-changer and maybe another piece to bring back some juice in the passing game.
Quentin – I think what should be the main focus is the development, but if pulling from the transfer portal, there’s no position that really sticks out since the depth is there with the Horns, maybe D-line transfers to challenge the offensive line. If there are any signs pointing work, it should be toward the trenches.
Wescott – It really has to be the offensive line position. Even by the normal standards along the line, I think all three signees are going to need significant time to develop, and Texas has to replace at least two starters on the interior. The staff miscalculated the need for a portal lineman last year, but there’s finally a sense of urgency for Kyle Flood to recruit some experienced players for his position group for the first time with the Longhorns.
The Longhorns will face the Michigan Wolverines in the Citrus Bowl. Early thoughts on the matchup?
Daniel – Should be a solid matchup and a solid test for Texas as they try to get that 10th win of the season. I hope the team shows up motivated and ready to go.
Gerald – I think I can’t know how I truly feel about it until I know the status of the rosters, but it’s a good helmet game for sure. Overall, it will be a good-on-good matchup on both sides of the ball, so I think the football could be good. It’s easy to devalue these things because of the current state of college football, but I am going to enjoy it as much as I can.
Cameron – Part of me wonders what is to be gained from playing in this game, win or lose. But it offers an opportunity for some of the younger guys on the roster to get more reps, even Arch could use the extra game to develop before entering the spring.
Jacob – This is a game that could mean a lot, but doesn’t really with the current landscape of opt-outs and the CFP. Regardless, I’m not sold on Michigan being an even-keeled opponent for Texas. Sure, the brand is on par, but the Wolverines lost to every high-quality team while beating lesser opponents. Their regular season didn’t show an ability to play against a team that has beaten multiple Top 25 teams.
Quentin – It could be a good matchup and to see players get reps in, but the bowl games are kinda cheesy with CFP. Two bye weeks don’t help if you’re losing. Texas should look into filling one of those spots during the season. It should be a fun watch with two big football teams. I just wish the stakes were higher.
Wescott – Who cares? I’m not feeling cheesy at all, coach. The expansion of the playoffs to 12 teams renders meaningless exhibitions like these even more meaningless. The only meaningful storylines surround how young players develop during bowl practice and the game. I guess I am feeling cheesy about that – there are a lot of young players to be optimistic about on this team.
