The Texas schedule (along with the rest of the SEC) has been a massive topic of conversation of late. Texas was introduced to the SEC with one of the easier slates in the conference in 2024. In 2025, a couple of those games get tougher, away from Austin’s friendly confines, and the reigning national champions loom.
Let’s take a second to rank the games from toughest to easiest to give an idea of what the Longhorns face this fall:
1. At Georgia – Nov. 15
This is the toughest game on the schedule. Georgia and Texas have been dubbed the next huge SEC rivalry given their battles on the recruiting trail, and Sanford Stadium will be rocking. Sark and Texas will be circling this one, as will Kirby and the Dawgs. Gunner Stockton taking over at quarterback creates some questions around Georgia, but that defense will be one of the best in the country. As a cherry on top, following this are back-to-back rivalry games against Arkansas and Texas A&M.
2. At Florida – Oct. 4
Putting Florida above Ohio State might be a surprise for some, but there are three massive reasons for having the Gators here. 1. The Swamp will be the toughest road atmosphere these players have ever played in. 2. A week later Texas heads to Dallas to take on Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. 3. DJ Lagway will likely be playing in this game, unlike last year. Getting a bye before this one is huge, but it sets the tone for the SEC slate. If Texas is not ready to go when it walks into the Swamp, the Gators can get a massive upset, much like LSU or Ole Miss last year.
3. At Ohio State – Aug. 30
The Longhorns play the reigning national champion for the second year in a row. They head to Columbus in just over a month to get the Buckeyes for the second time in the last two games for Texas, but it’s a totally different Buckeye squad. Julian Sayin will likely be the starter at QB. The Buckeyes will field a new running back duo and will debut numerous changes on defense. Ohio State is favored by just under a FG in this one. If Texas misses the mark in this one, the margin for error drops significantly for a third straight playoff berth.
4. Texas A&M – Nov. 28
Texas A&M comes to Austin this time around for the Lone Star Showdown. Marcel Reed heads into his first full year as the starter, Le’Veon Moss returns as a top RB in the country and transfer WRs Mario Craver and KC Concepcion should upgrade the Aggies offense. On defense, Taurean York and Scooby Williams are back as the anchor of that defense, Will Lee is one of the best returning CBs in the SEC and Mike Elko has had another year to implement his defensive identity. If Texas wants to make it three in a row against the Aggies, it will have to be at the top of its game on a short week.
5. Oklahoma(Dallas) – Oct. 11
Oklahoma is one of the biggest unknowns in college football this year. Ben Arbuckle and John Mateer come over from Washington State trying to revive the Oklahoma offense from the Lincoln Riley era. The defense, although losing Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman, will be an improved unit, particularly up front. Oklahoma will be coming off a game against Kent State, with a bye before that. This sets up for a possible huge, possibly undefeated matchup in Dallas.
6. Arkansas – Nov. 22
Arkansas is a game that Steve Sarkisian will never take lightly again after what happened in 2021. The Horns were able to get the win in Fayetteville last year, but Taylen Green and the Razorbacks come into Austin with a chip on their shoulder. The other part of this is the placement of the game. It is placed between Georgia and Texas A&M, setting up a classic trap game for the Horns.
7. Vanderbilt – Nov. 1
Diego Pavia has already talked about this being one of the biggest games for the Commodores this year. Texas escaped Nashville with a win last year by three points, and many key players are returning for Vanderbilt, including one of the top tight ends in the country, Eli Stowers. This one comes right before a bye, but Texas needs a win heading into that final three game stretch.
8. At Mississippi State – Oct. 25
Texas will have to battle the Bulldogs and the cowbells in Starkville this year. Mississippi State was picked to finish last in the SEC in the media poll. However, Mississippi State has an experienced QB, Blake Shapen, leading the way. It also brought in two explosive transfer receivers: Anthony Evans and former Longhorn and Sooner Brennen Thompson. Jeff Lebby’s offense has given Texas problems in the past, and he is still looking for his signature win in Starkville.
9. At Kentucky – Oct. 18
Kentucky was not too far ahead of Mississippi State in the SEC media poll and brought in former Aggie QB Zach Calzada to lead the offense. Kentucky lost some huge weapons this offseason, but the additions of Kendrick Law and Dante Dowdell should help soften the wound. In this game, Texas should be able to get a comfortable win, but as Georgia has seen, going into Lexington and getting a win is not a layup by any means.
10. San Jose State – Sept. 6
San Jose State is coming off a 7-6 overall season, but came up a game short of a MWC title game berth. Walker Eget is back as the starting QB for the Spartans (2,500 passing yards, 13 TDs in 2024), and Floyd Chalk IV is leading the way in the backfield. However, the loss of Nick Nash looms large. San Jose State will be a factor in the MWC race again, but shouldn’t be an issue for the Horns in Week 2.
11. Sam Houston – Sept. 20
Phil Longo takes over the Bearcats in 2025, and as you can imagine, much is new. Hunter Watson returns after being one of the most productive QBs in the Group of Five last year, but they are introducing eight new transfer starters on defense. Hunter Watson will present interesting problems, but this needs to be a comfortable win heading into the bye before SEC play.
12. UTEP – Sept. 13
The Miners are coming off a 3-9 season in 2024, but return a wealth of production, particularly on offense. Skyler Locklear returns at QB for his sophomore year after an up-and-down freshman campaign. The Miners return their top four pass catchers and a 700-plus yard rusher, Jevon Jackson. Texas should not have much of an issue with this one, especially with UTEP returning less than half of its production on defense.
This is a manageable schedule for Texas, largely because of the placement of the byes. Getting them before the start of SEC play in Gainesville and before a trip to Athens is going to be very helpful for the Horns. Even with that advantage, this is one of the toughest schedules in the country, and those three road trips are going to be hard to sweep.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Ranking Texas Longhorns schedule from toughest to easiest opponents
Reporting by Tommy Bresee, Longhorns Wire / Longhorns Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
