Ranking Texas' 2026 Opponents from Easiest to Hardest

Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns will be looking to get back into the College Football Playoff after missing out for the first time in three seasons. The Longhorns finished the 2025 season with a 10-3 record.

Now heading into the next year, the Longhorns should emerge as one of college football's top teams after taking into account the top returners and the impact players the Longhorns brought from the transfer portal.

The Longhorns already know the route they'll have to travel to get back into the College Football Playoff, with some tough challenges awaiting them in 2026. Here's a look at the Longhorns' 2026 season ranking each game from easiest to hardest.

Taking a Look at the 2026 Schedule

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Ryan Wingo runs with the ball while Michigan Wolverines defensive back Zeke Berry. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Texas State Bobcats

The Longhorns will open the season taking on a squad from just down the road as the Texas State Bobcats head into Darrell K. Royal Stadium for the season opener. While the Bobcats may be the Longhorns' easiest matchup of the season, they should not be overlooked, as head coach G.J. Kinne has been building something in San Marcos.

In his three seasons with the Bobcats, Kinne has led Texas State to three straight bowl game wins and has amassed a 23-16 record. Texas State will also travel to Austin as a new member of the newly rebuilt Pac-12 in 2026.

UTSA Roadrunners

The Longhorns take on the UTSA Roadrunners for their final non-conference game before beginning SEC play. The Road Runners are coming off another 7-6 season in 2024 and 2025, and in both of those seasons, UTSA managed to end its season with a bowl win.

While the Road Runners have been competitive in the six seasons that head coach Jeff Traylor has been leading the program, with back-to-back Conference USA titles in 2021 and 2022. However, the Longhorns should take care of business as they head into conference play.

UTSA Roadrunners head coach Jeff Traylor against the South Florida Bulls during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Arkansas Razorbacks

The renewal of the Texas-Arkansas rivalry has been completely one-sided since the two teams started playing once again, as the Longhorns have won both matchups. The Longhorns will close out the season with the Arkansas Razorbacks visiting Austin for the second straight year.

Texas will hope to put one final stamp on its regular season as it looks for a return to the postseason, while the Razorbacks will be working through the first season of new head coach Ryan Silverfield.

Mississippi State Bulldogs

Last season's trip up to Starkville was a surprise for the Longhorns and not in a good way, as the Mississippi State Bulldogs came really close to pulling off a massive upset over Texas.

Now the matchup heads back to Austin in late October, in which, if last year proved anything, the Longhorns should not look over the Bulldogs. Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby enters year three and heads into 2026 with an interesting quarterback in Kamario Taylor.

Missouri Tigers

The last time these two old Big 12 conference foes faced off was back in 2017, a part of the Texas Bowl in which the Longhorns took care of business over the Missouri Tigers. The final time the pair battled as conference foes was back in 2011, when the Tigers scored the upset before heading to the SEC.

Now, for the first time as SEC rivals, the Longhorns will travel up to Columbia for the first time in 15 years to take on head coach Eli Drinkwitz's program. The Tigers ended last season 8-5 and return one of the top running backs in the country, Ahmad Hardy, who finished as the nation's second-leading rusher with 1,649 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Florida Gators

Like many teams in the SEC, the Florida Gators head into life with a brand new head coach as Jon Sumrall takes over the reins at Florida. While the Gators only won two SEC games last season, one of which was against the Longhorns.

There will be a lot of new faces when the Longhorns take on the Gators, but one face the Longhorns will be extremely familiar with is running back Jadan Baugh, who chose to stick with the Gators. Texas would like to not have any flashbacks from last season's game in Gainesville, where Baugh rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown.

Tennessee Volunteers

A lot of hype around this matchup will surround Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning, as Texas travels up to Knoxville early in the season to take on the Tennessee Volunteers, obviously, the home of Manning's legendary uncle, Peyton Manning.

Focusing on the Volunteers, however, this game still has some questions, especially with what Tennessee will look like under center as last season's starter, Joey Aguilar, is battling for another year of eligibility.

Ole Miss Rebels

The Ole Miss Rebels sit in the exact same camp as Tennessee, with their starting quarterback for 2026 also in question, as this season's breakout star, Trinidad Chambliss, is also fighting for another season of college eligibility.

The Rebels head into their first full season after the messy departure of Lane Kiffin and the takeover of new head man Pete Golding, who led the Rebels to the College Football Semifinals a season ago.

Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma's John Mateer reacts following the College Football Playoff game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Friday Dec. 19, 2025. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Red River rivalry never needs an introduction and will always be one of the hardest games on the schedule for the Longhorns. Texas has had plenty of success over the Oklahoma Sooners as of late, winning three out of the last four times the two teams have met.

Furthering their recent success, the Longhorns have not given up a single touchdown to the Sooners in the last two games, outscoring them 57-9. The Sooners will return quarterback John Mateer for another season in Norman.

Texas A&M Aggies

Since the Lone Star Showdown came back on the schedule, the Longhorns have had close battles against the Texas A&M Aggies; however, the Longhorns have picked up where they left off years ago, winning the last two meetings against the Aggies.

This is undoubtedly one of the top three toughest games for the Longhorns, as the previous two matchups against the Aggies have both had SEC championship game implications. The Aggies will also return starting quarterback Marcel Reed.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Could this absolutely be considered the Longhorns' toughest game of the year? Absolutely, as the Ohio State Buckeyes bring back incredible amounts of talent in wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and quarterback Julian Sayin.

A rematch of last season's opening game up in Columbus, in which Texas lost. The Buckeyes return the favor and travel to Austin for the second game of the season, in what's another mega non-conference test the Longhorns are willing to take, which pits two potential Heisman Trophy candidates in Manning and Sayin.

LSU Tigers

The game that is at the top of the list of the toughest challenges in 2026 is a trip to Death Valley to take on the LSU Tigers, now led by Lane Kiffin, in a late-season battle in what would likely be a game played under the lights.

Kiffin was obviously the biggest story surrounding college football in the last few months. And since taking charge of the Tigers, the new head coach went to work in the transfer portal, bringing in quarterback Sam Leavitt, left tackle Jordan Seaton, and edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen.