Trap Game or Tune-Up? Sizing Up Ole Miss on Texas' 2026 Schedule

The Texas Longhorns will have plenty of challenges throughout the season against some of the top teams in the SEC, and a big-time heavyweight clash against one of the top teams in the country in just the second week of the season.

The Longhorns will already be more than battle-tested when the second month of the season rolls around, and the Ole Miss Rebels head into Austin. Texas will prepare for a matchup against the College Football Playoff semifinalists, with the game potentially played under the lights at Darrell K. Royal Stadium.

Taking a closer look at where the Rebels fall on the Longhorns' schedule, the October 24 matchup might have more added stakes than initially meets the eye.

Ole Miss Test Extends Difficult Stretch of Schedule

Mississippi Rebels head coach Pete Golding during warm ups prior to the game against the Tulane Green Wave at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Longhorns have one of, if not the hardest, schedule in the country, and that starts from week two of the season when they take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in a massive non-conference clash in Austin.

While Texas gets a break the week after taking on the UTSA Roadrunners, the three games leading up to the battle against Ole Miss, the Longhorns will be taking on some of their toughest challenges of the season.

The Longhorns will open their SEC slate with a road trip to one of the toughest places to play in the SEC, heading to Knoxville to take on the Tennessee Volunteers. While the Volunteers have plenty of changes throughout their roster, they're still expected to be competitive, and any trip to Neyland Stadium becomes a challenge for any team.

After a bye week, the Longhorns take the short trip up to the Cotton Bowl for the Red River Rivalry against the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners, who, like the Rebels, also made the College Football Playoff, will look to get back at the Longhorns after being taken down and held without a touchdown for the past two seasons.

The week before the Rebels head into town, the Longhorns play host to the Florida Gators, who, a season ago, handed Texas one of its three losses. While the Gators have a new regime in charge, the Longhorns should be looking for some revenge after a sour trip to Gainesville in 2025.

Three straight weeks for the Longhorns of taking on what should be competitive teams in the SEC and programs likely to be competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff towards the end of the regular season.

And to add to the Longhorns' rough streak of games, the Rebels will head to the Forty Acres with plenty of confidence after a successful season in 2025.

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