It’s never wise to close the door on college football chaos, but the Texas Longhorns almost certainly played themselves out of the College Football Playoff picture Saturday night.
A close loss to No. 5 Georgia might have kept No. 10 Texas around the periphery of the CFP discussion, especially with No. 3 Texas A&M coming to Royal-Memorial Stadium at the end of the season for a clash that could boost the Longhorns’ resumé.
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REPORT CARD: How the Longhorns graded in ugly loss
Texas Longhorns receiver Ryan Niblett (21) is tackled during the game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Texas Longhorns wide receiver Ryan Wingo (1) drops a pass during the game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian prepares to lead his team out of the tunnel ahead of the game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian walks the sideline during the game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Texas Longhorns wide receiver Ryan Wingo (1) drops a pass during the game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Texas Longhorns kicker Mason Shipley (49) lines up a kick during the game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Texas Longhorns edge rusher Colin Simmons (1) sacks Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) during the game at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Texas Longhorns edge rusher Colin Simmons (1) sacks Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) during the game at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Texas Longhorns defensive back Michael Taaffe (16) breaks up a pass intended for Georgia running back Chauncey Bowens (33) during the game at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Texas Longhorns wide receiver Ryan Wingo (1) drops a pass during the game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Georgia players celebrate a defensive stop during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning walks the sideline ahead of the Texas Longhorns game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Texas Longhorns wide receiver Ryan Wingo (1) drops a pass during the game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) snaps the ball during the game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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A pass is thrown over Texas Longhorns receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. (0) during the game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Georgia head coach Kirby Smart walks the sideline during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Texas Longhorns running back Quintrevion Wisner (5) runs the ball during the game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Texas Longhorns receiver Parker Livingstone (13) lises control of the ball after a hit during the game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) throws a pass during the game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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A Texas Longhorns fan reacts to a Georgia touchdown during the game at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) hands the ball off to running Nate Frazier Jr. (3) during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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The Texas Longhorns celebrate a touchdown by receiver Ryan Wingo (1) during the game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) is sacked during the game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Texas Longhorns receiver Ryan Wingo (1) catches a pass during the game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) is sacked during the game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Texas Longhorns receiver Ryan Wingo (1) catches a pass during the game against Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Texas Longhorns defensive back Malik Muhammad (4) misses a tackle on Georgia receiver Zachariah Branch (1) during the game at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) leaves the field after the loss to Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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But Texas didn’t lose close. Instead, the Longhorns found themselves on the wrong end of a 35-10 demolition job. It marked Texas’ third loss to Georgia in the last 13 months — one at home, one at a neutral site and now one on the road.
Now holding a 7-3 record in 2025, the Longhorns’ latest flop showcased a number of the flaws that have dragged them off heir perch as preseason No. 1 and into irrelevant bowl game purgatory.
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Here are three reasons why Texas’ pursuit of a third consecutive playoff place proved unsuccessful.
Texas football secondary fails talented defense
A rash of recent injuries has provided convenient cover for a harsh truth surrounding the Texas secondary: It’s just not very good.
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In six SEC games, the Longhorns have given up an average of 250 passing yards and 7.7 yards per pass attempt. Both of those mark a dramatic change from last season’s suffocating pass defense that allowed 155 yards per game and 5.5 yards per attempt to SEC opposition.
Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian walks the field after the loss to Georgia at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Athens, Georgia.
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Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton ripped through the Longhorns at will, completing 24 of his 29 passes for 229 yards. He threw four touchdown passes. In nine games against SEC foes last year, the Longhorns gave up three TD passes.
MORE: Longhorns suffer crushing blow to their SEC and CFP hopes in 35-10 loss
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An injury to Michael Taaffe, an All-American safety last season, likely impacted the Longhorns to some degree in the two games he missed. Mississippi State’s Blake Shapen and Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia both threw for more than 300 yards without Taaffe on the field, but his return Saturday didn’t come close to creating Texas’ desired impact. Stockton’s more modest stat line reflected the scoreboard and game script more than any improvements made by the Longhorns’ back end.
Only Malik Muhammad has achieved the kind of dominance Texas produced as a unit last year. And teams have simply just stopped throwing at the Longhorns’ top corner, favoring targets elsewhere on the field.
The Longhorns are average on third down and in the red zone
Texas didn’t convert on third down Saturday until the second half, needing seven attempts before successfully moving the chains.
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The Longhorns are only marginally less efficient on offense than they were a season ago. But they’ve taken a tumble when it comes to third-down success rate, making it more difficult to sustain drives and, by extension, score points. They converted on 43% of their third-down attempts in 2024. This year, they’re converting at a 38.5% clip.
MORE: Texas football loss to Georgia likely ends Longhorns’ 2025 national championship chase
That number takes Saturday’s 2-for-12 effort into account. Texas faced an average third-down distance of more than 8 yards needed against the Bulldogs — difficult circumstances to manage given the athleticism of the Georgia defense. But, even when the Longhorns put themselves in better spots to achieve third-down success, they sputtered. Texas went 0-for-3 on third-and-short.
The third-down problems are compounded by further issues with situational offense. Fans are accustomed by now to red-zone failures; UT hasn’t produced a top-50 red-zone offense since coach Steve Sarkisian’s first year on the job.
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The Longhorns entered Saturday with a red-zone touchdown percentage of 61.1%, which ranked 82nd in the country. Texas managed just one TD from three red-zone trips against Georgia.
Texas Longhorns run game has failed
Before Saturday’s loss, Texas was already tracking for its least-efficient rushing performance since Sarkisian took over in 2021. But the Longhorns managed just 1.4 yards on 17 attempts against the Bulldogs, unable to generate any push against a defensive front that had been maligned and criticized leading into the matchup.
That showing will further anchor the 3.88-yard rushing average the Longhorns began Saturday with — a mark that ranked 99th in the country and 13th in the 16-team SEC. Texas has not averaged 4 yards per rush in a single game since Week 4, with six games now separating UT from its last mildly efficient rushing effort.
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It’s clear that the Longhorns don’t have a true difference-maker at running back, nor can they field an offensive line capable of commanding quality SEC defensive fronts.
It’s also noteworthy that Texas has not been able to truly harness what was viewed as a superpower for quarterback Arch Manning. The first-year starter has not rushed for more than 10 yards in four weeks, and hasn’t accumulated more than 40 yards on the ground against a Power Four team this season.