1969
The Royal era
Darrell Royal's unbeaten teams took the title in 1963 and 1969 — 11-0 both times
Program prestige
Zeitgeist staturePower Program Iscores like a Blue Blood — held without a national title in over a decade
Red River Showdown
Golden Hat 119 meetings since 1902 See the whole history →No fan reading for this rivalry yet this week. The heat trend and each side’s mood appear when fans start talking about it.
The last 5 · year-by-year
- L 2026 Loss 24-27
- W 2025 Win 23-6
- W 2024 Win 34-3
- L 2023 Loss 30-34
- W 2022 Win 49-0
Who thinks about whom
It runs both ways, but a bit more from Oklahoma toward Texas.
Oklahoma fansTexas fans
How we know
We compare how many different fans on each side bring up the other team, spring months only so bowl and playoff weeks don't tilt it, adjusted for how much each team gets talked about anyway. Only fans with a team flair are included.
Program outlook
Program outlook
Arch Manning's first full year as starter ended outside the Playoff, with a New Year's bowl win over Michigan as the consolation. Four national titles. No championship since Vince Young in 2005. Sarkisian's Texas is back in the conversation — the question is whether the conversation ends in a ring.
Since Oct 28: W 31-3 vs Mississippi State. 6-2 this season.
Read the full essay — 5 more paragraphs
The standard at Texas is not reconstructed from the Saban playbook or borrowed from anyone else — it's Darrell K Royal, three titles in the 1960s and 1970s, and a stadium named for the man who built them. It's Earl Campbell, Ricky Williams, and Vince Young's fourth-down run against USC in Pasadena in January 2006 — the canonical title-game performance that every era since has measured itself against. The program carries four national championships and 33 claimed conference titles as institutional identity, not as nostalgia. The burnt-orange expectation is structural. It doesn't get renegotiated.
Sarkisian spent four years clawing back from the decade-long wilderness — back-to-back CFP semifinals, a 13-3 SEC debut in 2024, the Manning era beginning. Then 2025 arrived: Arch Manning's first full season as starter (3,163 yards, 26 touchdowns, 7 interceptions) ended outside the Playoff, a New Year's bowl win over Michigan the best argument Texas could make by December. The scarred faction of the fanbase — the one that spent ten years watching the gap between expectation and reality widen — recognized the feeling. The believers say one Playoff miss after three appearances in four years is a data point, not a pattern.
Manning returns for 2026 with a stronger line, a more developed run game, and the same fundamental question the SEC posed in year one: can Texas close the gap to the conference's best? The SEC title race in 2026 is the one that matters. Georgia and Alabama are the program's permanent standard. What the October schedule produces — road trips to Baton Rouge, Dallas, College Station — is where 2026's argument gets settled.
Through five games in 2026, Texas is 4-1: a 59-7 win over Texas State, a 24-23 win over Ohio State, a 30-6 win over UTSA and a 20-17 win at Tennessee on September 26. On October 10 it lost 27-24 to Oklahoma as a 7.5-point favorite. The question of whether Texas can close the gap to the conference's best is still open.
Update (Oct. 28, 2026): Texas is 5-2. Since then it lost 27-24 to Florida on Oct. 17, as a 13.5-point favorite.
On the field
Sarkisian's pro-style restoration over a blue-blood infrastructure — the passing system layers spread-RPO concepts over a traditional physical base, with Manning operating from the pocket and extending plays when the structure breaks. The Texas One Fund has kept the roster in the SEC's top tier financially. DKR holds over 100,000, fills on every home Saturday, and the Red River Showdown in Dallas is one of the sport's great neutral-site atmospheres. The identity is institutional: Texas plays like a program that expects to win, because the program was built by men who did.
Texas has won 4 national titles since 1936
1963, 1969, 1970, 2005
How titles are counted
The final AP poll from 1936 and the Coaches poll from 1950 through 2005, then the winner of the BCS and College Football Playoff title games. A program may claim others, named by selectors we do not count.
- 1963: AP poll and Coaches poll
- 1969: AP poll and Coaches poll
- 1970: Coaches poll
- 2005: AP poll and Coaches poll
Texas has won 69% of its games since 1901 — 78% at home, 58% on the road.
927-391-32 all-time · 126 seasons · 1901–2026
Home
590-150-14
Away
291-198-16
Neutral
46-43-2
65%
1900s
77%
1910s
72%
1920s
48%
1930s
76%
1940s
62%
1950s
80%
1960s
77%
1970s
62%
1980s
62%
1990s
85%
2000s
55%
2010s
71%
2020s
The CFP era
2 CFP appearances, 0 title games across 13 seasons — the era the program argued for.
Trajectory · quality-score line · AP rank dotted · CFP bids marked · coach regimes ribboned
Program quality
AP rank (inverted)
CFP appearance
Swipe left for earlier seasons
Texas’s 2014–2026 record is 102-61, with 2 playoff appearances.
Steve Sarkisian
Steve Sarkisian has held the program for 6 seasons — the era is established.
Era Steve Sarkisian · 2021–presentPrev: Tom Herman (2017–2020)OC: A. J. Milwee (co) / Kyle FloodPrev OC: Kyle Flood (2021–2022)DC: Will MuschampPrev DC: Johnny Nansen (co) / Pete Kwiatkowski (2024–2025)
6
years · era
Texas and Oklahoma, meeting by meeting
Texas leads the series 62-52-5 (since 1902); in the last 10 meetings, Texas is 4-6
2026: Oklahoma won 27-24. After this game, Texas led 62-52-5.
Last 25 meetings: ▲ Texas won, ▼ Oklahoma won, by how much
Each step is one meeting: up when Texas wins, down when Oklahoma wins, flat for a tie. Counts every game in our records since 1902. Tap the line for any season.
Biggest stories
The stories fans talked about most for Texas.
- LB Ty’Anthony Smith dismissed from Texas Aug 23, 2026 · Whole sport
- Texas LT Trevor Goosby out for season Oct 25, 2026 · Whole sport
- Texas player out for season Oct 26, 2026 · National argument
Texas in History
- Oklahoma 34, Texas 30Game · Oct 7, 2023
- Oklahoma 55, Texas 48: Brooks runs 33 yards with 3 seconds leftOct 9, 2021
- From a Big 12 notice to an SEC vote: Texas and Oklahoma's weekConference change · Jul 26, 2021
- Oklahoma beats Texas in four overtimes after Texas ties it lateGame · Oct 10, 2020
Moments in Texas history
- Texas beats Oklahoma on a field goal with nine seconds leftGame · Oct 6, 2018
- LSU names Ed Orgeron its head coach, and he says he will build a championship program fastCoach change · Nov 26, 2016
- Texas fires Charlie Strong and hires Houston's Tom Herman the same dayCoach change · Nov 26, 2016
On this date, Nov 4, 2023: Texas 33, Kansas State 30
What this program never forgets
Most weeks vanish. These didn’t.
The 2005 Rose Bowl (Vince Young vs USC)
Young's fourth-down run wins the national title over USC
2014
The 2010s collapse
A decade in the wilderness that became the 'Texas is back?' punchline
Wound
Moment of the year · 2026
Won 24-23 vs Ohio State
Week 2 of 2026. Beat a top-1 opponent on the field. It turned on one snap in Q4 — a 54-point win-probability swing.
2023–2026
Texas has sent 34 players to the NFL Draft since 2023 — 6 of them in the first round.
Elite. Top recruit destination + development pipeline.
34
picks · 6 in round 1
#8
Bijan Robinson
Running Back · 2023 · 
Atlanta Falcons · #2/317 final season
Atlanta Falcons · #2/317 final season
#9
Kelvin Banks Jr.
Offensive Tackle · 2025 · 
New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
#16
Byron Murphy II
Defensive Tackle · 2024 · 
Seattle Seahawks · #105/418 final season
Seattle Seahawks · #105/418 final season
#10 all-time · 50 first-round picksthe talent factory →
More in this tab
Program facts
Program résumé
4Nat'l titles
33Conf. titles
2Heismans
2CFP apps
59Bowl apps
1893Founded
Ladder finish
Season standing · 2026 · 6-2 · CFP #7 / AP #10
Season standing · 2026 · 6-2 · CFP #7 / AP #10Texas is 7th in the CFP poll at 6-2 — a top-15 team.
Top 15 nationally. NY6-bowl conversation.
Top 15
Sub-FBSBuildingBowlRankedContenderPlayoff
Conference
SEC standing · 2026
8th in the SEC
Texas is 8th of 16 in the SEC at 3-2. The path to the title is steep — the focus is on bowl access and rivalry wins.
| # | Program | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | 5-1 |
| 2 | Kentucky | 5-1 |
| 3 | Alabama | 4-2 |
| 4 | Ole Miss | 4-2 |
| 5 | LSU | 3-2 |
| 6 | Missouri | 3-2 |
| 7 | Tennessee | 3-2 |
| 8 | Texas | 3-2 |
| 9 | Florida | 3-3 |
| 10 | South Carolina | 3-3 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | 2-3 |
| 12 | Auburn | 2-4 |
| 13 | Mississippi State | 2-4 |
| 14 | Arkansas | 1-4 |
| 15 | Texas A&M | 1-4 |
| 16 | Vanderbilt | 0-5 |
Coaching history
Coaching history
- Hired Steve Sarkisian
- Tom Herman departs
- Hired Tom Herman
- Charlie Strong departs
- Hired Charlie Strong
- Mack Brown departs
- Hired Mack Brown
- John Mackovic departs
Coordinator lineage
Texas’s offense and defense, by coordinator
FBS-relative efficiency percentile per season (2014–2026), same population as the Coordinator Mirror board. Dashed vertical lines mark a coordinator change.
Offense2014–2026
2014 · Joe Wickline2015 · Jay Norvell (co) / Joe Wickline2016 · Sterlin Gilbert2017 · Tim Beck2018–2019 · Herb Hand (co) / Tim Beck2020 · Herb Hand (co) / Mike Yurcich2021–2022 · Kyle Flood2023–2026 · A. J. Milwee (co) / Kyle Flood
Defense2014–2026
2014–2016 · Vance Bedford2017–2018 · Todd Orlando2019 · Todd Orlando / Craig Naivar (co)2020 · Chris Ash / Coleman Hutzler (co)2021–2023 · Jeff Choate (co) / Pete Kwiatkowski2024–2025 · Johnny Nansen (co) / Pete Kwiatkowski2026 · Will Muschamp
Elite (≥70th pct)AveragePoor (≤30th pct)
Gameday customs
Rituals
Things this fanbase does every Saturday — none of them invented in the last decade.
Hook ’em Horns (the hand sign)
since 1955
more
Index and pinky extended, middle and ring folded — invented by head cheerleader Harley Clark in 1955 at a pep rally before the TCU game. Within a decade, every Texas fan greeted with it. Visible at presidential photos, Hollywood premieres, and graduation ceremonies. The most-recognized college fan hand sign in America.
Bevo (the longhorn steer)
since 1916
more
Live longhorn steer (Bevo XV is current). Each Bevo is a working steer with handlers from the Silver Spurs honorary service organization. The 2019 Bevo-vs-Uga (Sugar Bowl) charging incident is part of the lore. Bevo's horns are usually 70+ inches tip-to-tip. The bull is the largest live mascot in any major American sport.
The Eyes of Texas
since 1903
more
The alma mater, set to 'I've Been Working on the Railroad.' Written 1903 by John Lang Sinclair. Sung by team, band, and fans with Hook 'em signs raised. Controversy around its minstrel-era origins surfaced in 2020; the program kept the song but added historical context. Still central to Texas game-day.
Smokey the Cannon
since 1953
more
10-pound black-powder cannon fired by Texas Cowboys honorary service organization. Stationed in the south end zone. Each Texas score = one boom, audible across campus. Visiting fans often jump on the first one (it's louder than they expect). Smokey is technically illegal in some states; Austin grants a permit.
Texas Fight (fight song)
since 1923
more
Composed by Walter Hunnicutt in 1923. The 'Texas Fight, Texas Fight, And it's goodbye to A&M' lyric was originally pointed at the rival; after A&M left the Big 12 (2012), the lyric became geographically odd. Now that A&M is back on the schedule (SEC 2024+), the lyric is timely again. The song's call-and-response structure is its signature.
Cultural identity
2025 W
2024 L
2024 W
2023 LReddit blowups
r/CFB moments
5.6k
[Postgame Thread] TCU Defeats Texas 33-31
3k
[USA Today] Texas politician condemned for posts targeting students at UT football game
All-time top community posts
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