The Texas Longhorns enter the 2026 college football season with something to prove.

A year ago, Texas opened the season ranked No. 1 in the country and looked like a team built to compete for a national championship. Instead, the Longhorns finished 10-3, missed the College Football Playoff and were left watching the postseason from home after a disappointing campaign.

Now, the expectations are back.

Texas enters 2026 ranked No. 5 in the AP preseason poll, and head coach Steve Sarkisian has rebuilt the roster with an aggressive mix of returning talent, highly regarded recruits and transfer additions. The Longhorns have plenty of talent, but talent alone will not guarantee another trip to the playoff.

If Texas wants to make it back to the College Football Playoff, these five things could make the difference.

It starts with the quarterback.

Arch Manning enters his senior season carrying enormous expectations, and for good reason. After a difficult beginning to the 2025 season, Manning showed significant improvement down the stretch. He finished the final seven games of the season with 1,846 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and only two interceptions, showing the kind of growth Texas needs from its quarterback.

The biggest challenge now is consistency.

Texas cannot afford to have Manning disappear for stretches against quality opponents. Against Ohio State, Tennessee, LSU, Texas A&M and other major SEC competition, the Longhorns will need their quarterback making smart decisions, extending drives and delivering big plays when opportunities are there.

Manning does not necessarily have to win the Heisman Trophy for Texas to reach the playoff. But he does need to look like one of the best quarterbacks in the country.

This might be the biggest challenge of all.

The SEC does not give teams many easy weekends, and Texas has several games that could determine whether its season ends in the playoff or on the outside looking in.

The Longhorns have a massive early-season test against Ohio State, followed by a difficult conference schedule that includes Tennessee. November could be particularly unforgiving, with road games and rivalry matchups capable of turning a promising season into a stressful one very quickly.

Texas does not need to go undefeated. But it probably cannot afford to pile up multiple losses, especially bad losses.

The Longhorns learned that lesson last season.

If Texas can enter November with one loss or fewer, it will put itself in a much better position to control its playoff destiny.

Sarkisian did not sit around and hope last year’s roster would suddenly become better.

Texas attacked the transfer portal and brought in major additions, including former Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman and running backs Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown. The Longhorns also added talent across the roster while continuing to bring in highly regarded recruits.

On paper, it is an impressive group.

But football is not played on paper.

The challenge will be turning all of those individual pieces into one team. New players have to understand the system, build chemistry with their teammates and learn how to perform when the pressure is at its highest.

Coleman, in particular, could give Manning another dangerous weapon in the passing game. If the new additions make an immediate impact instead of needing half a season to settle in, Texas could have one of the country’s most complete offenses.

Texas cannot expect Manning and the offense to win every shootout.

The defense needs to become a strength, especially with Will Muschamp taking over as defensive coordinator. Sarkisian made a major change after last season, and the Longhorns are counting on Muschamp to help get the defense ready for the kind of physical games that come with playing in the SEC.

There is plenty of talent to work with, including star pass rusher Colin Simmons.

The key will be consistency.

Texas needs to get off the field on third down, create turnovers and, most importantly, make opponents earn every yard. Against elite quarterbacks and explosive SEC offenses, one or two defensive stops can completely change the outcome of a game.

A championship-caliber Texas team cannot simply have an explosive offense. It needs a defense that can close games.

This sounds obvious, but it may ultimately determine everything.

Last season showed how quickly a playoff dream can disappear. Texas entered 2025 with championship expectations but suffered losses that damaged its margin for error. The Longhorns cannot repeat that mistake.

Every season has a game that looks manageable on paper but becomes a nightmare on the field. Texas has to avoid those games.

That means staying focused against lesser opponents, handling road environments and refusing to overlook anyone between the major matchups.

The Longhorns have enough talent to beat almost anyone in the country. The question is whether they can bring the same level of focus every Saturday.

Texas has the talent to return to the College Football Playoff.

The roster is loaded, Arch Manning has another year of experience, the offense has added major weapons and the defense has a new voice in Will Muschamp. National expectations are high once again, with Texas viewed as one of the leading contenders for the SEC and the national championship.

But the Longhorns learned last season that preseason hype does not win football games.

If Manning takes the next step, the new additions fit quickly, the defense becomes dependable, and Texas survives its brutal SEC schedule without unnecessary losses, another playoff appearance is very realistic.

The opportunity is there.

Now Texas has to prove it can finish the job.