Ranking Texas Longhorns schedule from toughest to easiest opponents

USA Today

17 hours ago

Road tests at Ohio State, Florida and Georgia, combined with tons of rivalry matchups sets up for a really tough 2025 slate for the Texas Longhorns
The Texas schedule (along with the rest of the SEC) has been a massive topic of conversation as of late. Texas was introduced to the SEC with one of the easier slates in the conference in 2024. In 2025, a couple of those matchups get tougher, going away from Austin and you add in the reigning National Champions.
Let's take a second to rank the games from toughest to easiest to give an idea of what the Longhorns face this Fall:
1. At Georgia - November 15th
This is the toughest game on the schedule. Georgia and Texas have been dubbed the next huge SEC rivalry, with the battles on the recruiting trail and Sanford Stadium will be rocking. Sark and Texas will be circling this one and Kirby and the Dawgs will be right there with them. Gunner Stockton taking over does create some questions around Georgia but that defense will be one of the best in the country. As a cherry on top, following this are back-to-back rivalry games against Arkansas and Texas A&M.
2. At Florida - October 4th
Putting Florida above Ohio State might be a surprise for some, but there are three massive reasons for having the Gators here. 1. The Swamp will be the toughest road atmosphere these players have ever played in. 2. A week later Texas heads to Dallas to take on Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry 3. DJ Lagway will(likely) be playing in this game, unlike last year. Getting a bye before this one is huge, but it's the tonesetter for the SEC slate. If Texas is not ready to go walking into the Swamp, the Gators can get a massive upset, much like LSU or Ole Miss last year.
3. At Ohio State - August 30th
The Longhorns play the reigning national champion for the second year in a row. They head up to Columbus in just over a month to get the Buckeyes for the second time in the last two games for Texas, but it's a totally different Buckeye squad. Julian Sayin(likely) will be the starter at QB, brand new RB duo and TONS of changes on defense. Ohio State is currently favored by just under a FG in this one, and if Texas misses the mark in this one, the margin for error drops significantly for a 3rd-straight CFP berth.
4. Texas A&M - November 28th
Texas A&M comes to Austin this time around for the Lone Star Showdown. Marcel Reed heads into his first full year as the starter, Le'Veon Moss returns as a top RB in the country and transfer WR pieces, Mario Craver and KC Concepcion should upgrade the Aggies offense. On defense, Taurean York and Scooby Williams are back as the anchor of that defense, Will Lee is one of the best returning CBs in the SEC and Mike Elko with another year to set in his defensive identity. If Texas wants to make it three in a row vs. the Aggies, they have to be at the top of their game on a short week.
5. Oklahoma(Dallas) - October 11th
Oklahoma is one of the biggest unknowns in college football this year. Ben Arbuckle and John Mateer come over from Washington State trying to revive the Oklahoma offense from the Lincoln Riley era. The defense, although losing Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman, will be an improved unit, particularly up front. Oklahoma will be coming off a game against Kent State, with a bye before that. This sets up for a possible huge, possibly undefeated matchup in Dallas.
6. Arkansas - November 22nd
Arkansas is a game that Steve Sarkisian will never take lightly again after what happened in 2021. The Horns were able to get the win in Fayetteville last year, but Taylen Green and the Razorbacks came into Austin with a chip on their shoulder. The other part of this is the placement of the game. It is placed in between Georgia and Texas A&M, setting up for a classic 'trap game' for the Horns.
7. Vanderbilt - November 1st
Diego Pavia has already talked about this being one of the biggest games for the Commodores this year. Texas escaped Nashville with a win last year by three points, and many key players are returning for Vanderbilt, including one of the top TEs in the country Eli Stowers. This one comes right before a bye, but Texas needs a win heading into that final three game slate.
8. At Mississippi State - October 25th
Texas will have to battle the Bulldogs and the cowbells in Starkville this year. Mississippi State was picked to finish last in the SEC in the media poll. That being said, Mississippi State has an experienced QB in Blake Shapen leading the way. They also brought in two explosive transfer receivers in Anthony Evans and former Longhorn and Sooner, Brennen Thompson to that offense. Jeff Lebby's offense has given Texas problems in the past and is still looking for his signature win in Starkville.
9. At Kentucky - October 18th
Kentucky was not too much ahead of Mississippi State in the SEC media poll and brought in former Aggie QB Zach Calzada to lead the offense. Kentucky lost some huge weapons this offseason, but the additions of Kendrick Law and Dante Dowdell help soften the wound. This is game Texas should be able to get a comfortable win, but as Georgia has seen, going into Lexington and getting a win is not a layup by any means.
10. San Jose State - September 6th
San Jose State is coming off a 7-6 overall season, but came up a game short of a MWC title berth. Walker Eget is back as the starting QB for the Spartans(2,500 passing yards, 13 TDs in 2024) and Floyd Chalk IV is leading the way in the backfield, but the loss of Nick Nash looms large. San Jose State will be a factor in the MWC race again, but shouldn't be an issue for the Horns in Week 2.
11. Sam Houston - September 20th
Phil Longo takes over the Bearcats in 2025 and as you can imagine, there is a lot of new. Hunter Watson does return after being one of the most productive QBs in the Group of 5 last year, but they are introducing 8 new transfer starters on defense. Hunter Watson will present some interesting problems, but this needs to be a comfortable win heading into the bye before SEC play.
12. UTEP - September 13th
The Miners are coming off a 3-9 season in 2024, but return a ton of production, particularly on offense. Skyler Locklear returns at QB, going into his sophomore year after an up and down freshman campaign. The Miners return their top 4 pass catchers and a 700+ yard rusher in Jevon Jackson. Texas should not have much of an issue with this one, especially with UTEP returning less than half their production on defense.
This is a manageable schedule for Texas, largely because of the placement of the byes. Getting them before the start of SEC play in Gainesville and before a trip to Athens is going to be very helpful for the Horns. That being said, this is one of the toughest schedules in the country, and those three road trips are going to be hard to sweep.