Two College Football Powers Return to National Spotlight Despite Falling Short in 2025

Two of college football's biggest programs fell well short of their 2025 goals, but 100 days from kickoff, the revenge narratives are already forming.

A pair of the biggest programs in college football were highlighted by CBS Sports as bounce-back candidates in 2026 after failing to meet expectations last season. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

With 100 days until kickoff, Ohio State and Texas enter 2026 hungry to make up for last year's shortcomings.

CBS Sports' Chip Patterson put a spotlight on Ohio State and Texas as two of the most compelling bounce-back stories of the 2026 season, and it is not hard to see why. Both programs entered 2025 with enormous expectations, and both ended their seasons with the unmistakable sting of falling short.

The Buckeyes went 12-0 in the regular season, beat Michigan, and still walked away without a title after dropping the Big Ten Championship Game to Indiana and then losing to Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal. Texas, meanwhile, never even sniffed the playoff after a 9-3 regular season, settling for a Cheez-It Bowl win against Michigan that felt more like a consolation prize than a celebration.

Ohio State's 2026 outlook with Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith

The Buckeyes return the majority of their 2025 offense, led by quarterback Julian Sayin, running back Bo Jackson, receiver Jeremiah Smith and four of five offensive line starters.

Sayin recently told On3 that beating Michigan last season "needed to get done," but made clear that bigger goals remain: "We want to put another one of these banners up. The standard at Ohio State is to win every game."

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) form one of the most formidable QB-WR pairs in college football. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Smith has backed him up every step of the way. "That arm is different," Smith said of Sayin. "He can make any and every throw. Just a smart quarterback. Like me, he's a little quiet. But he's starting to come out of his shell. He's definitely going to be a guy. It's going to be scary for opponents."

Analyst RJ Young has already called Sayin's wide receiver corps potentially the most lethal Ryan Day has ever had. That's saying something for a program that has consistently produced NFL talent at the position. The Week 2 trip to Austin will be the first major measuring stick of whether all that optimism translates.

Arch Manning's next chapter in Austin

Texas is approaching 2026 with the same urgency. The Longhorns lost 40 scholarship players to the NFL draft, graduation and the transfer portal, replacing them with 43 new faces, including 19 transfer portal additions and 24 freshmen. That is a massive roster reset, even by modern standards.

Sarkisian noted in February that the portal work was essentially complete: "Unless something crazy happens, I would imagine we're done. Never say never, though." Texas ultimately pulled in 20 portal commitments.

Manning enters his final season in Austin with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove statistically. His 26 touchdown passes against seven interceptions in 2025 ranked just 20th nationally in TD-to-interception ratio, and his completion percentage and passer rating both sat outside the top 40.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian and quarterback Arch Manning (16) are expected to lead the Longhorns to a national title run. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The athleticism was never the question, with 10 rushing scores underscoring his dual-threat value. But for a player who arrived with a nearly-perfect recruiting rating and a last name that carries its own weight, a cleaner, more dominant statistical season is what separates a solid college career from a legendary one.

The Ohio State-Texas matchup in Week 2 on Sept. 12 in Austin should be one of the most compelling games of the entire college football season.