Texas football is a rollercoaster. Honestly, if you're looking for the Texas Longhorn football score right now, you’re probably either celebrating a late-season surge or still scratching your head about how the CFP committee treated Steve Sarkisian’s squad this winter. It has been a wild few months in Austin.
The last time the Longhorns took the field for a meaningful snap was New Year’s Eve. They weren't in the playoff—which still feels weird to say given the talent on that roster—but they did leave Orlando with some hardware. Texas beat Michigan 41-27 in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. It wasn't the national title game everyone hoped for back in August, but watching Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning both contribute to a dominant win over a Big Ten powerhouse was a decent consolation prize.
Why the Texas Longhorn Football Score Matters Right Now
We are currently in that strange "dead zone" of the football calendar. It’s January 18, 2026. The NFL playoffs are screaming toward the Super Bowl, and the College Football Playoff National Championship between Indiana and Miami is literally happening tomorrow. Texas fans are mostly watching from the couch, wondering "what if."
The Longhorns finished the 2025 season with a 10-3 record. That sounds great on paper, right? Most programs would kill for double-digit wins and a bowl trophy. But for Texas, the season was defined by three specific scores that kept them out of the 12-team playoff bracket:
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- A frustrating 7-14 defensive slugfest loss to Ohio State in the opener.
- A narrow 21-29 stumble against Florida in the Swamp.
- The blowout 10-35 loss to Georgia that basically sealed their fate with the committee.
Even though they beat Texas A&M 27-17 in the Lone Star Showdown to end the regular season, the "Texas Longhorn football score" that mattered most was the final CFP ranking. They landed at #13. One spot out. Basically, the committee looked at that Florida loss and decided the Longhorns didn't quite have the resume, despite playing one of the hardest schedules in the country.
Breaking Down the Citrus Bowl Victory
If you missed the New Year's Eve game, you missed a glimpse into the future. Texas went into Camping World Stadium and basically used Michigan as a punching bag. The 41-27 final score actually makes it look closer than it was.
Sarkisian really opened up the playbook. Quinn Ewers threw for over 300 yards, and Manning came in for a few specific packages that kept the Wolverines' defense completely off balance. It was a statement. It was Texas saying, "We belong in the top 12, and you're going to regret leaving us out next year."
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The victory moved Texas to a 32-27-2 all-time bowl record. It’s not a National Championship, but finishing the year on a three-game winning streak (Arkansas, A&M, and Michigan) gives the program massive momentum heading into the 2026 recruiting cycle.
The 2025 Season at a Glance
| Opponent | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | Loss | 7-14 |
| Oklahoma | Win | 23-6 |
| Georgia | Loss | 10-35 |
| Texas A&M | Win | 27-17 |
| Michigan (Bowl) | Win | 41-27 |
Looking Ahead to the 2026 Season
You can't talk about the score without talking about what's next. The 2026 schedule is already looking brutal. Texas is deep in the SEC now, and the "easy" weeks are officially gone.
Right now, the coaching staff is hitting the transfer portal hard. They've already made moves to bolster the secondary, which—let's be real—got scorched a few times in 2025. Coach Sark also just brought back Blake Gideon as the defensive passing game coordinator. Gideon is a Longhorn legend, and his return to Austin is basically a signal that the defense is getting a complete schematic overhaul this spring.
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If you're checking the score today because you saw "Texas vs. Texas A&M" on a ticker somewhere, you're actually looking at the men's basketball score. They just played last night (Jan 17) at the Moody Center, and unfortunately, the Longhorns fell 70-74 to the Aggies. It’s a bit of a sting, especially since the football team won their version of the rivalry just a few weeks ago.
Actionable Next Steps for Longhorn Fans
The football season might be over, but the work doesn't stop. Here is how you can stay ahead of the curve before spring ball starts:
- Watch the National Championship Tomorrow: Keep an eye on Indiana and Miami. These are the teams Texas will have to leapfrog next year to get into the playoff.
- Track the Transfer Portal: The "score" in January isn't on the field; it's in the recruiting office. Monitor who Texas picks up to replace outgoing seniors.
- Check the Spring Game Date: Usually held in April, the Orange-White game will be the first time we see how the QB battle between Manning and the incoming freshmen shakes out.
- Review the 2026 Schedule: Start planning your road trips now. The SEC road environments are no joke, and Texas has some tough away dates coming up.
The 2025 season had plenty of "what could have been" moments, but a 10-win season and a dominant bowl win over Michigan is nothing to scoff at. The Longhorns are officially a perennial contender again. Now, they just need to find a way to win those one-score games that kept them out of the playoff this year.