With the college football season winding and the college basketball season moving past its halfway point, attention has officially shifted to the world of college baseball. Along with preseason rankings, discussions about which programs will make a run to Omaha are heating up.
It’s safe to say that Longhorn Nation is expecting big things in year two of the Jim Schlossnagle era. The Texas Longhorns hosted their own regional last season, but unfortunately were eliminated by a red-hot UTSA program.
Despite coming up short in the 2025 college baseball season, the Longhorns are once again expected to contend for a spot in Omaha. In fact, Texas baseball was given the third-highest odds to not only end their season in Omaha, but win the entire 2026 College World Series.
Odds Favor Texas Longhorns as Title Contenders
May 22, 2025; Hoover, AL, USA; Tennessee shortstop Ariel Antiqua can’t come up with a throw as Texas infielder Jayden Duplantier (0) steals second in the third round of the SEC Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Met. Tennessee eliminated Texas with a 12-inning 7-5 victory. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
According to LouisianaSports.Net, the Longhorns have been given 12/1 odds to win the 2026 College World Series. Texas will start the season with the third-highest odds to win a national title on the diamond.
Schlossnagle’s program tails only the defending national champion LSU Tigers and the UCLA Bruins, who also finished last season with a trip to Omaha.
Texas has the third-highest odds to win the College World Series at 12/1.
LSU 8/1
UCLA 9/1
Texas 12/1
25 days until Opening Day! 🤘 pic.twitter.com/1xQHEFlZv2
— Texas Sports Unfiltered (@TSUnfiltered) January 19, 2026
The belief in the Longhorns securing a national championship in 2026 likely stems from their strong performance in conference play last season. In only their first season as a member of the SEC, the Longhorns finished the regular season with a 22-8 conference record. Schlossnagle’s team even toppled the LSU Tigers, who would eventually win their eighth College World Series title.
While Texas lost some standout offensive pieces such as Max Belyeu, Kimble Schuessler, and Will Gasparino, there’s still reason to believe that the Longhorns can remain among the SEC’s elite. With Ethan Mendoza and Adrian Rodriguez manning the middle-infield, and some notable weekend arms such as Dylan Volantis and Luke Harrison returning, Texas will still have the pieces it needs to contend with anybody in the country.
An SEC Program is Once Again Projected to Hoist the CWS Trophy
Tigers Head Coach Jay Johnson, LSU Baseball celebrates the 2025 College World Series championship with a ceremony at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. Wednesday, June 25, 2025. | SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Longhorns and the Tigers aren’t the only SEC program with strong odds to win a national title. Just behind Texas’ 12/1 College World Series odds are Georgia, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, and Auburn. Among that group, Arkansas’ 18/1 odds stands out as one of the more shocking projections for the 2026 season, given the amount of talent the Razorbacks returned this year.
Even in a conference loaded with contenders, Texas enters the season positioned as one of the SEC’s most complete teams and a leading candidate to represent the league on college baseball’s main event.
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