Texas Football 2025: Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns Are Done Waiting—It’s National Title or Nothing
The time for excuses is over. The window is wide open. Texas football has officially entered its championship-or-bust era, and 2025 is shaping up to be the year everything finally clicks in Austin.
The college football world has seen this before—teams that suffered heartbreak, paid their dues, and came back swinging with a vengeance. Think 2016 Clemson, 2021 Georgia, or 2023 Michigan. They took their punches, learned the hard lessons, and returned with a chip on their shoulder and fire in their hearts. Texas? They’re next in line.
And if history tells us anything, national titles are often born out of pain.
From “Almost” to All In
Rewind to 2023. Texas had everything aligned. A high-powered offense, a resurging defense, and a program finally clicking under Steve Sarkisian. But in the College Football Playoff Semifinal, they ran out of time—and ideas—against a shaky Washington defense. The Longhorns’ late-game surge fell short, and with it, a shot at a long-awaited return to the national title game slipped away.
Fast forward to the 2025 Cotton Bowl. Down by 7 to Ohio State, first and goal at the one-yard line, with just under four minutes to go. The script was perfect. Run the ball. Trust the backs. Maybe sneak Arch Manning in with the now-famous “tush push.” But what happened instead?
A disastrous play call. One that rivals Seattle’s infamous decision not to hand the ball to Marshawn Lynch in Super Bowl XLIX. Instead of smashing it in, Texas ran it wide. Ohio State pounced, forced a fumble, returned it for a scoop-and-score, and sent Sarkisian’s title hopes crumbling. Again.
Painful? Yes. But also necessary. Because that’s how great teams are built.
A Heisman-Worthy QB and a Hungry Program
Enter Arch Manning. The name alone carries pressure, legacy, and expectation. But more than hype, he represents Texas’ full arrival on the modern college football stage. He’s not just a recruit anymore. He’s the guy. The catalyst for something massive.
He might not be a household stat-sheet killer yet, but ask anyone behind closed doors in Austin, and they’ll tell you: Arch is ready. He’s calm, composed, and already drawing comparisons to Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence for his leadership and feel for the big moment. If he can stay upright and lead the offense with poise, Texas has its superstar centerpiece—just like LSU had with Burrow in 2019 or Auburn with Newton in 2010.
Texas Has Paid Its Dues. Now It’s Time to Collect.
This isn’t the post-Colt McCoy, what-happened-to-Texas era anymore. That stretch from 2010 to 2020 is over. Sarkisian took a struggling program and rebuilt it brick by brick:
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5 wins in 2021
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7 wins in 2022
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12 wins in 2023
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13 wins in 2024
That trajectory isn’t random. It’s methodical. It’s calculated. It’s the build-up to a title-winning season.
Add in the boosters, the wealth, the state-of-the-art facilities, the SEC exposure, and a coach who has shaken off the ghosts of his past to become one of the sport’s top program leaders, and Texas isn’t just knocking on the door. They’re about to kick it down.
Talent, Depth, and a Brutal Schedule That Could Forge a Champion
Let’s not sugarcoat it—the 2025 schedule is a beast. Road games at Georgia and Ohio State? For almost any other team, that’s the death of a playoff dream. But Texas is built for this.
Even if they split those two, a strong finish in the SEC and a conference title win would lock them into the College Football Playoff once again. And this time, they’ll be the team no one wants to face.
The offensive line has question marks, sure. But the depth at skill positions, the defense’s continued growth, and the staff’s improved game-day decisions all point toward a team that’s learned its lessons—and is ready to execute at the highest level.
Steve Sarkisian: The Third Act Redemption
“Seven-Win Sark” was the label once thrown around by critics. But Sarkisian has rewritten his narrative in real time. After personal challenges and early struggles at Washington and USC, he’s found his groove in Austin.
He’s not just winning. He’s winning with purpose, structure, and an elite pipeline of NFL-ready talent. Now entering his fifth year, he’s no longer the outsider trying to revive a legacy brand. He’s the architect of a new Texas dynasty-in-the-making.
Final Thoughts: This Is the Year
Every great champion has a season where the stars align. For Texas, 2025 might just be that year.
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They have the quarterback.
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They have the scars from near misses.
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They have the coach, the talent, and the motivation.
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And they’ve got a hungry fanbase that believes again.
Texas isn’t coming. Texas is here. And the college football world better get ready—because the Longhorns are ready to win it all.
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