Longhorns Country

Texas Longhorns’ National Championship Odds Still Alive and Well

Despite a somewhat rocky start, Vegas thinks Texas is still in contention for a championship this season.
DJ Burton|
Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Colin Simmons (1) reacts after making a tackle during the first half against the San Jose Spartans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Colin Simmons (1) reacts after making a tackle during the first half against the San Jose Spartans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

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Texas Longhorns

So far, Texas Longhorns’ 2025 season has been a rollercoaster. The longhorns experienced lows against Ohio State and UTEP, but rode the highs against San Jose State and Sam Houston State.

While Texas fans may have been hitting the panic button, it is important to remember that no matter how ugly a win may be, it is still another tally in the right column. On top of that, the Longhorns still only have one loss, and it came against the current No. 1 team in the country who is showing no signs of slowing down.

Five weeks into the season, Vegas still believes in the Texas Longhorns. At the end of September, the Texas Longhorns are +700 to win the National Championship, according to BetMGM. They have the third-lowest odds out of all of college football.

Texas’ Road to the Natty

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) throws a pass during the first half against the Sam Houston Bearkats at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Other teams in the running for the National Championship include Ohio State at +500, Oregon at +600, Alabama at +850, Georgia at +1000, Miami at +1200, Ole Miss and Oklahoma at +2000 and Notre Dame, Texas A&M and LSU all at +2500.

With one loss to the best team in the country, Texas is in a good spot heading into SEC play. The close victory over the Miners is concerning, but SEC play will be a gauntlet that will easily answer any questions and expose any weaknesses that the Longhorns may have.

Something that is feeding the championship chances is Texas’s injuries. Multiple key players, like running backs CJ Baxter and Quintrevion Wisner, and wide receiver Emmett Mosley V, are likely to return over the next few weeks and provide offensive reinforcements to a side of the ball that has been struggling this season. Once quarterback Arch Manning gets some of his fancy weapons back, the Longhorns are going to be one scary squad that could genuinely play with anyone.

The road to the College Football Playoff continues Saturday when the Longhorns make the trip to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators and quarterback DJ Lagway. The Gators and Lagway have had a similar start to the season as Texas and Manning, which should make for an interesting matchup. The Longhorns opened as 7.5-point favorites in that contest.

“We'd better be mindful, and better be ready to get the best version of DJ Lagway," coach Steve Sarkisian said. "They just maybe haven't been hitting them here in the first few games, but they're gonna attack us, and they're gonna attack us down the field multiple shifts, motions, and things, and so you got to do a great job stopping the run, but we better be, cautious and aware of them throwing the ball down the field."

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DJ Burton
DJ BURTON

DJ Burton is a journalist from Kingwood, Texas. He is a credentialed writer for Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He graduated from Texas A&M with a journalism major and a sport management minor. Before attending A&M, Burton played offensive line for two seasons at Hiram College in northeast Ohio, where he studied sport management. Burton brings experience covering football, baseball, softball, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball. He also served as a senior sports writer for A&M’s student newspaper, The Battalion.

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