Arch Manning and Texas Are Coming Back Hungry After the CFP Snub Nobody Saw Coming

Texas came into 2025 as the preseason No. 1 team in America with the most hyped quarterback prospect anyone had ever seen. Then they went 10-3 and didn't even sniff the College Football Playoff. Yeah, that happened.

A 10-win season sounds solid on paper until you remember where these Longhorns were supposed to be. Arch Manning was supposed to be the answer. The talent was there. The expectations were sky-high. But somewhere between Ohio State in Week 1 and that brutal loss to Florida a month later, things started falling apart, and the whole season shifted.

The Florida Game Exposed Everything Wrong with This Team

The Florida loss was the gut punch that set the tone for the whole year. Manning got pressured on nearly half of his 29 passing attempts that day. He got sacked six times. The offensive line, especially around left guard, never found any consistency. The center position was shaky. This front five never really clicked, and it showed on every snap.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian knew it too. "I think it goes back to finding rhythm of playing with one another and trusting one another," he said after the loss. "And then I think ultimately it's experience. And right now, we're just not an experienced group, especially not an experienced group playing together."

That was the problem. Not talent. Chemistry. Experience. The kind of stuff you can fix if you're willing to work.

Georgia Hammered Home the Reality

The Georgia game in November showed just how close Texas actually was to contending, even if the final score of 35-10 didn't look like it. Late in the third quarter, Texas was only down 14-10. Then Georgia converted a crucial fourth-and-1, and the whole thing unraveled. Georgia recovered an onside kick, scored twice more, and suddenly it was 28-10. Game over.

But here's the thing: that was the third loss to Georgia in 13 months. It hammered home how far Texas still had to go. Sarkisian even tried to lobby the CFP committee before the rankings came out, making the case that their losses should be treated differently. It didn't work. Texas ended the season with wins over Texas A&M and a bowl game against Michigan on New Year's Eve, but it was too late.

The 2026 season is the chance to prove this team was built for better than that.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.