Josh Pate Puts Historic College Football Powerhouse on Notice Ahead of 2026 Season

College football analyst Josh Pate opened his most recent show by listing six college football teams he believes are out of time. Texas football came first, and considering the school's reputation, that should come as no surprise.

The Longhorns pushed every chip forward into the pot this offseason after missing the College Football Playoff in 2025. They signed what many rank as the top transfer class in the sport and changed defensive coordinators. All of that spending points to one outcome, and Pate doesn't think Texas gets a pass if it falls short.

Josh Pate says Texas is on the clock in 2026

Pate normally pushes back on championship-or-bust talk. He made an exception for Steve Sarkisian's roster during his latest College Football Show.

"Obviously, Steve Sarkisian has not a super team. Super teams don't exist anymore, but about as close to it as you can get from a roster standpoint in modern college football, he has," Pate said.

He then walked the roster position by position. He called Texas top five or better at quarterback, receiver and running back. He pointed to an argument for the best offensive tackle in the country, a top-10 offensive line, a top-five defensive line and possibly the best edge player in the sport. He also singled out the addition of linebacker Rasheem Biles from Pittsburgh.

"And that's why I've kept saying I think it's largely dumb when people do championship-or-bust type content. Except with Texas, that really is the vibe around them, and there's a reason that's the vibe around them. You cannot let that slip away," Pate said.

Pate acknowledged the schedule is the hardest in the country, but didn't treat that as an excuse.

"I didn't say it was going to be easy, I said it's necessary," Pate said.

His own model, his so-called JP Poll power ratings, rated Texas sixth entering the season. The roster evaluations put the Longhorns near the top among preseason prognosticators. That was true last year too, though, so there's nothing else left to do but deliver.

What Texas football is expected to do in 2026

A source close to the program told Horns247 in December that the plan was to go all in, adding that it was playoff-or-bust for 2026 and that Texas wanted to elevate the positions around Manning and Simmons. The Longhorns followed through.

Auburn receiver Cam Coleman, North Carolina State running back Hollywood Smothers, and Biles headlined the class. Melvin Siani and Laurence Seymore arrived to fix an offensive line that broke down repeatedly last fall.

Auburn Tigers wide receiver Cam Coleman (8) celebrates his touchdown as Auburn Tigers take on South Alabama Jaguars at Jordan-Hare Stadium. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Sarkisian also swapped defensive coordinators, replacing Pete Kwiatkowski with Will Muschamp.

The 2025 season is why it all happened. Manning was pressured on nearly half of his 29 attempts and sacked six times in the loss at Florida, with a revolving door at left guard and an unsettled center spot. Texas still finished 7-1 after that game and reached 10 wins for a third straight year.

"So many people built him up to be the greatest of all time, the first pick of the draft, the Heisman Trophy winner," Sarkisian said at SEC Media Days. "When we weren't good at the start of the year as a team, and (Manning) wasn't at his best, it was almost like the same people that built him up wanted to tear him down."

The Longhorns open with Texas State, then host Ohio State in Week 2 and later face Tennessee, Oklahoma and Ole Miss before road trips to LSU and Texas A&M in the final month.

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