What began as a season with the highest of hopes for the Texas Longhorns football team has slowly turned into a season of uncertainty and perhaps some slight panic.
Once the No. 1 team in the nation to start the season, the Horns now sit at 5-2 to begin the 2025 season, with another loss likely putting an end to what little of their College Football Playoff hopes remain.
However, according to one analyst at ESPN, the Longhorns’ playoff chances are still very much intact, they just simply need to start playing like a playoff-caliber team.
Oct 18, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian celebrates with his team after winning the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
After going from No. 1 to out of the rankings to back in the lower portion of the rankings in just under two months, the future of the Longhorns remains uncertain, but ESPN’s Heather Dinich still believes that the Burnt Orange can make the 12-team field at the conclusion of the season, as long as they start playing like they belong in the field.
“They sure do (have a chance),” Dinich said. “I mean, we talked about 70 percent of at-large bids going to two-loss teams, but they’ve got to run the table. They’ve got to start playing like a CFP team. “You can’t just almost beat Kentucky in overtime and expect to edge out another two-loss team that played better down the stretch and has a stronger resume. So yes, Texas is still in the mix, but they’ve got to start looking the part.”
There have been some major differences from this year to last year, when the Longhorns made it all the way to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff before losing out to the Ohio State Buckeyes, the biggest difference being Arch Manning under center as the starting quarterback instead of Quinn Ewers, and the inconsistency that has plagued both Manning and the Horns on offense in the season thus far.
“Sark is still one of the best play-callers in the entire country. He just needs his quarterback to make the plays that are there, the ones that could change the game,” Jordan Rogers said on Get Up. “16 points isn’t going to get it done against Mississippi State. They actually have a pulse on offense, unlike Kentucky, the last couple of weeks.”
The Longhorns will travel to Starkville to take on the Bulldogs, who are still searching for their first conference win with Jeff Lebby as their head coach, with the opening kick set to take place at 3:15 PM.