Longhorns Wire pegged the Texas Longhorns’ 2025 schedule at No. 12 with a strength score of 35.5. The season isn’t over yet, but Steve Sarkisian learned the final verdict on his team’s College Football Playoff fate. And while the wounds were still fresh, an SEC analyst just slapped a worrying label on their 2026 slate. But there’s a silver lining to it… one that involves Sarkisian and something he pledged recently.

“The Texas Longhorns are going to be my most difficult schedule in the SEC,” analyst Cole Cubelic said, keeping things straight on December 11 on the SEC Network. “You’re going to play an in-state team first and third with Ohio State sandwiched in between, and Jeff Traylor’s team on September 19th. That’s as physical a group of five teams.”

Gene Chizik picked the Missouri Tigers to run with the toughest schedule. Roman Harper’s vote went to the Auburn Tigers. Dari Nowkhah chose the Mississippi State Bulldogs. However, Cubelic stuck with Sarkisian’s Longhorns. 

The Longhorns’ 2026 non-conference slate kicks off with three home games. The season opener pits the Longhorns against the Texas State Bobcats on Saturday, September 5. It will be followed by a high-voltage clash as the Ohio State Buckeyes return to Sarkisian’s camp. The two sides will face each other for the first time since 2006 on September 12 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

After finishing 9-3 with losses to Ohio State, Florida Gators, and Georgia Bulldogs this season, the Texas side’s spot in the College Football Playoff was a no-go. It sparked questions about a return trip to face the Buckeyes. But Sarkisian quickly shut down any talk of backing out.

“We’re going to honor Ohio State and Michigan,” Sarkisian promised earlier this month. “For the next two years, we know what our non-conference schedule is going to look like.”

CFP success comes down to schedule strength, and Sarkisian’s Longhorns didn’t get any breaks. They opened at Ohio State, had no FCS opponents, skipped the LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide, but later made a road trip to the Georgia Bulldogs.

“If you really look at the body of work and the SEC and what we have to go through every week, if you look at the nonconference schedule, we go to Ohio State in Week 1 and lose by 7 and we outgained them by nearly 200 yards,” Sarkisian kept things straight. “We’ve got a really good football team, and it’d be a disservice to our sport if this team’s not a Playoff team.”

Sarkisian questioned whether college football was about avoiding tough opponents to pad records or about facing the best and putting top teams in the Playoff. He stressed that the Longhorns belonged among the elite!

“Three out of the last four on the road, that feels like an impossible task for Steve Sarkisian’s team,” Cubelic dropped what 2026 awaits them.

So, Sarkisian will keep his promise even after the College Football Playoff committee handed them a heartbreak.

Steve Sarkisian and Texas’ playoff hopes were crushed on December 7

Sarkisian’s team was left out of the College Football Playoff bracket, closing the season ranked 13th. It was the first time they missed out on a bid in the last three seasons. And with conference champs No. 20 Tulane Green Wave and No. 24 James Madison Dukes already in the CFP, the Texas program needed a top-10 finish to sneak into the playoff. 

Instead, the committee handed the final at-large spots to No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide (10-3) and No. 10 Miami Hurricanes (10-2). Now that the 2026 schedule has dropped, Sarkisian can no longer waste time brooding over their missed playoff ticket. 

They already have enough of a boost to start things fresh. December was a whirlwind for the Longhorns as all 23 verbal commits put pen to paper. While not a top-5 class under Sarkisian, the 2026 haul still ranked among the nation’s best. 247Sports ranked them at No.8.

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So, who stole the spotlight?

Five-star edge rusher Richard Wesley – out of Sierra Canyon High School.

“I’m fascinated by him,” said Sarkisian in awe. “His demeanor is not that of a 16-year-old. This guy is very focused.”

But the other side of the coin looks worrisome for the Longhorns…

Running back CJ Baxter, quarterback Trey Owens, and defensive tackle Melvin Hills III are the first Longhorns set to hit the transfer portal on January 2.

With plenty on the line, the Longhorns head into the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl to face the Michigan Wolverines. Only time will reveal if Sarkisian’s decision to embrace a brutal schedule will pay dividends in 2026.