Look, the 2025 Texas Longhorns football schedule was never going to be a walk in the park. After the high of joining the SEC and the heartbreak of how 2024 ended, the expectations in Austin were sky-high. Everyone wanted to see what Steve Sarkisian could do in Year 2 of the SEC era, especially with Arch Manning finally taking the keys to the offense.
Quinn Ewers was gone to the NFL. It was officially "Arch Time." But man, the schedule makers did not do the kid any favors.
Starting the season in Columbus? That's just mean. Most programs want a "buy game" to get their young quarterback’s feet wet. Texas decided to jump into the deep end of a frozen lake instead.
The August Nightmare and the Non-Conference Grind
On August 30, the Longhorns walked into the Horseshoe to face Ohio State. It was a rematch of the previous season's Cotton Bowl, and the atmosphere was toxic in the best way possible. Texas lost that one 14-7. It wasn't a blowout, and Manning looked poised, but the Buckeyes' defense was just a wall.
Honestly, starting 0-1 put a massive amount of pressure on the three-game home stretch that followed. You've got to win those. If you don't, the season is over before the state fair even starts.
Texas handled business, though. They rolled through:
- San Jose State (W 38-7)
- UTEP (W 27-10)
- Sam Houston (W 55-0)
By the time Sam Houston left town on September 20, the Longhorns were 3-1. They looked like a playoff team. The Manning-to-Ryan Wingo connection was starting to look like a cheat code. But the "real" season hadn't even started yet.
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That Mid-Season SEC Gauntlet
The SEC is just different. There are no weeks off. Texas found that out the hard way on October 4 in Gainesville.
The Swamp is a nightmare for a redshirt sophomore quarterback. Florida, led by their own star D.J. Lagway, handed Texas a 29-21 loss. It was a classic trap game. People were already looking ahead to the Red River Rivalry, and the Gators made them pay for it.
Red River and the Rebound
If you lose to Florida and then lose to Oklahoma, the wheels come off. Period.
On October 11, the 2025 Texas Longhorns football schedule hit its most iconic beat at the Cotton Bowl. Texas beat Oklahoma 23-6. It wasn't pretty. It was a slugfest. But winning that game seemingly stabilized the locker room.
They followed it up with two gritty road wins:
- Kentucky: A 16-13 nail-biter in Lexington.
- Mississippi State: A 45-38 shootout in Starkville that went to overtime.
Suddenly, Texas was 6-2 and ranked in the top 20. The playoff path was narrow, but it was there.
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The November Finish: Aggies, Hogs, and Heartbreak
November is when the 2025 Texas Longhorns football schedule got weird. After surviving a 34-31 scare against Vanderbilt on November 1, the Horns had to go to Athens.
Georgia is currently the final boss of college football. Texas went into Sanford Stadium and got humbled, 35-10. It wasn't close. It exposed the fact that while Texas was good, they weren't "National Championship favorite" good yet.
But the final two home games were special.
Texas beat Arkansas 52-37 on November 22. Then came the big one. The one everyone in the state had circled in blood. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, Texas A&M finally came back to Austin.
The atmosphere at DKR was the loudest I've ever heard it. Texas won 27-17. Ending the regular season with a win over the Aggies usually makes everything else forgivable.
Why 10-3 Wasn't Enough for the Playoff
The Longhorns finished the regular season 9-3. With a win over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl on New Year's Eve (41-27), they ended 10-3 overall.
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Here is the kicker: they missed the 12-team College Football Playoff.
The committee looked at that loss to a 4-8 Florida team and just couldn't get past it. Even with the second-hardest strength of schedule in the country, Texas was ranked 13th in the final selection show. One spot out.
It sucks. It’s a bitter pill. But that's the reality of the SEC. You can beat Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Michigan, and still find yourself watching the playoff from the couch because you slipped up in Gainesville.
Lessons from the 2025 Campaign
If you're looking at what this means for the future of Texas football, there are a few things that are basically undeniable now.
- Arch Manning is the guy. He finished the year with over 3,000 yards and proved he can handle the SEC's physical toll.
- The Defense needs a mean streak. Giving up 38 to Mississippi State and 37 to Arkansas shows that the secondary still has holes.
- The SEC schedule is a marathon. You can't just be "up" for the big games; the "trap" games at Florida or Kentucky will kill your season.
For fans planning for next year, the big takeaway is that the schedule strength is actually your best friend and your worst enemy. It gives you the resume to stay in the hunt, but it leaves you zero margin for error.
To stay ahead of the curve, keep an eye on the transfer portal this spring. Texas will likely be looking for veteran offensive line depth and a shutdown corner. The 2025 season showed they are close—maybe just two or three players away from that top 4 seed.
Check the official Texas Athletics site for spring game dates and early 2026 ticket deposits to ensure you don't miss the next chapter of this rivalry-heavy era.