The Hidden Cost of Texas Playing So Many High-Leverage Games in 2026

It's no secret that the Texas Longhorns will be in many high-stakes games next season. When there's championship-or-bust pressure, that's bound to be the result.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has made it clear that he and his team welcome this pressure with opens arms. That's what you sign up for at the University of Texas.

But though the Longhorns will never back down from the challenge of a tough schedule, there remains some hidden costs that come with it.

Thin Margin for Error in The Race for a College Football Playoff Spot

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last season, the Longhorns were fortunate to escape with overtime road wins at Kentucky and Mississippi State along with holding off No. 9 Vanderbilt in order to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive, but Texas can't afford to live on the edge that frequently this fall.

That's easier said that done with so many big-time matchups on the schedule, but treading the dangerous line between a key win and a devastating loss is the "hidden cost" contained within a schedule like the one Texas has.

Teams like Texas Tech can't exactly say the same. The Red Raiders will likely cakewalk through most of their schedule en route to another CFP berth, and won't be in danger of being on the fence between a win or a loss. Texas, along with other SEC and Big Ten teams won't have that luxury this season.

The Longhorns will need to leave no doubt in games against Florida, Mississippi State and Arkansas. For Texas, there will already will enough pressure as is, and the team can't afford to have those three games feel like make-or-break contests. Leave the pressure for games like Ohio State, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, LSU and Oklahoma.

Fewer Blowouts Means Less Rest, Higher Chance of Injury

Another hidden cost to a high-pressure schedule, though less significant, is the fewer opportunities for the starters to rest, a simultaneously less opportunities for the third and fourth-string players to get valuable reps.

Texas will likely get chances to do this against Texas State and UTSA, but there might not be other opportunities on the rest of the schedule. Unless the Longhorns plan on blowing out Florida, Mississippi State and Arkansas by the end of the third quarter -- an unlikely scenario in the SEC -- then Manning and the rest of the team's top starters will likely have to play into the fourth quarter.

More time on the field means an increased chance of injury, and the Longhorns can't afford anything of the sort when a national championship is the No. 1 goal.

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