Will the No. 1 Longhorns make another run at the SEC championship after falling to Georgia in last season’s conference title game? And will the regular-season results be enough to earn one of the 12 spots in the College Football Playoff?
With one of the most anticipated Texas football seasons in school history close to kicking off, let’s take a look at the 2025 schedule.
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Top-ranked Texas will have to navigate a slate that includes four games away from Austin against teams ranked in the Associated Press preseason top 25 poll: No. 3 Ohio State, No. 5 Georgia, No. 15 Florida and No. 18 Oklahoma in Dallas. The home schedule isn’t quite as challenging with just one ranked opponent in No. 19 Texas A&M, but the Longhorns will go the entire month of October without playing in the familiar confines of Royal-Memorial Stadium.
Here are game-by-game predictions for the 2025 Longhorns:
Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian celebrates a win over Clemson in the first round of the College Football Playoff last season at Royal-Memorial Stadium in Austin. The No. 1 Longhorns open this season’s schedule Aug. 30 at No. 3 Ohio State.
Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman
Longhorns football game-by-game predictions
Aug. 30: Texas at Ohio State
A meeting between the No. 1 (Texas) and No. 3 (Ohio State) teams in the nation is also a rematch of last season’s CFP semifinal, which the Buckeyes won 28-14 on their way to a national title. This is a chance to make an early case to the playoff committee. The spotlight doesn’t get much brighter for a season opener.
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Final score: Texas 21, Ohio State 20
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Sept. 6: Texas vs. San Jose State
The high-flying Spartans went 7-6 a year ago behind an Air Raid offense keyed by returning quarterback Walker Eget, but new coach Ken Niumatalolo has triple-option roots. It should be an interesting week of film for the Texas defense.
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Final score: Texas 45, San Jose State 13
Sept. 13: Texas vs. UTEP
The Miners have scored a total of just 33 points in their five previous games against Texas — all losses — and a squad that went 3-9 a year doesn’t look ready to snap that skid.
Final score: Texas 56, UTEP 3
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Sept. 20: Texas vs. Sam Houston State
Now in their third year in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the Bearkats may have more bite than expected. The traditionally tough program went 10-3 last season and has plenty of players eager to show the Longhorns what they missed on the state’s recruiting paths.
Final score: Texas 38, Sam Houston 13
Oct. 4: Texas at Florida
The start of SEC play could get slippery in the Swamp against a talented Florida squad. Like Texas, the Gators will enter the week off a bye, which will help heal any bruises endured in previous games against LSU and Miami.
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Final score: Florida 27, Texas 24
Oct. 11: Texas vs. Oklahoma (Arlington)
The Sooners look stout on defense, but new quarterback John Mateer and a questionable offensive line will have its hands full against the Texas defense in the Cotton Bowl cauldron. This series tends to run in streaks, and the Longhorns are looking for a third win in four years.
Final score: Texas 27, Oklahoma 11
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Oct. 18: Texas at Kentucky
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops can scheme with any coach in the nation when it comes to defense, but a squad that went 4-8 a year ago doesn’t look like it has enough firepower to ruin the Longhorns’ first trip to Lexington.
Final score: Texas 27, Kentucky 10
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Oct. 25: Texas at Mississippi State
It’s been 34 years since the Longhorns made their lone visit to Starkville, and they hope to end a monthlong road trip with a comfortable win against arguably the SEC’s worst program.
Final score: Texas 38, Mississippi State 13
Nov. 1: Texas vs Vanderbilt
Swaggy quarterback Diego Pavia and a solid coaching staff headed by Clark Lea could keep things competitive, but a return home should reinvigorate a Texas squad that edged the Commodores by three points in Nashville last season.
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Final score: Texas 41, Vanderbilt 16
Nov. 15: Texas at Georgia
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart seems to have the Longhorns’ number, especially on defense. Texas scored a total of 34 points in a pair of losses to the Bulldogs last season, and neither of those games came between the hedges on the Georgia campus.
Final score: Georgia 24, Texas 21
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Nov. 22: Texas vs Arkansas
The Longhorns handled the raucous atmosphere at Arkansas just fine last season. This year they’ll get the Hogs in Austin for a conference game for the first time since whipping Arkansas in a Southwest Conference contest in 1990.
Final score: Texas 45, Arkansas 17
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Nov. 28: Texas vs Texas A&M
Last year, Texas survived the emotional renewal of an ancient rivalry at Kyle Field. Now, Longhorns fans get to welcome Texas A&M to Royal-Memorial Stadium for the first time since 2010, and the meeting could again determine a spot in the SEC championship game.
Final score: Texas 28, Texas A&M 16
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