A rollercoaster season with Manning has No. 10 Texas back in SEC title hunt and playoff picture

By Canadian Press on November 9, 2025.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A month ago, preseason No. 1 Texas had fallen to 3-2, was unranked and star quarterback Arch Manning was being mocked as a bust.

Look at them now: A four-game winning streak, including two victories over opponents who were in the top 10 at the time, and the conversation about the Longhorns is starting to turn.

The new topic is how No. 10 Texas (7-2, 4-1 SEC) is right back in the hunt for a berth in the Southeastern Conference championship game and flirting with the College Football Playoff, where the Longhorns were No. 11 in the initial rankings.

After an open date this weekend, Texas now heads to No. 5 Georgia (8-2, 6-1, No. 5 CFP) on Saturday night. It be the start of a make-or-break stretch that will determine if the Longhorns can live up to those lofty preseason expectations as national title contenders.

“We’ve got three big games to go in November. But none bigger than Georgia,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “I do think we’re playing better football that we have all year.”

That starts with Manning.

The betting favorite for the Heisman Trophy in August, Manning’s poor start saw him ridiculed by some as a flop. But his play of late has been much better, with 674 yards passing and six touchdowns with just one interception over the past two games.

Manning was named SEC offensive player of the week after Texas’s win over Vanderbilt, which came a week after getting a concussion that knocked him out of overtime against Mississippi State. A quarterback who was hesitant and missing open receivers early in the season is now reading through checkdowns and hitting his targets in coverage.

“Maybe the concussion helped,” Manning joked.

Sarkisian has praised his quarterback’s progress.

“We weren’t mature enough at quarterback. And Arch will tell you where he is today is not where he was a month a go,” Sarkisian said.

Slimmest of margins and big-play bailouts

Texas isn’t dominating anyone. The streak includes two wins over top 10 opponents, but also has some very nervy moments against teams near the bottom of the SEC.

Texas escaped Kentucky with a 13-10 overtime victory. A week later, it was more overtime drama in a 41-35 thriller in Starkville. Both times, Texas needed big, late-game punt returns from Ryan Niblett to survive.

Texas led Vanderbilt 34-10 before the Commodores rallied with three fourth-quarter touchdowns. Texas survived when Vanderbilt’s onside kick in the final minute rolled out of bounds, barely out of reach of a Commodores player.

SEC and playoffs still within reach

The 3-2 start included a season-opening 14-7 loss at Ohio State, which has been No. 1 ever since, and a damaging loss to Florida.

The losses leave Texas little room to room to spare in the SEC standings and the CFP. Sarkisian has said he doesn’t think a team with two league losses will make the conference title game.

But big things can happen if Texas can stay hot. After Georgia come home games against Arkansas and rival No. 3 Texas A&M.

Sarkisian noted that when Texas won the Big 12 in 2023, a midseason loss to Oklahoma meant they had to win out to get to the league title game. That included a couple of tight victories, including an overtime win over Kansas State.

Last season’s midseason loss to Georgia also meant they couldn’t afford to stumble again. Texas won out, including beating Texas A&M on the road, to make the league title game in the Longhorns’ first season in the SEC.

“This isn’t really new to us. We’ve been in this arena,” Sarkisian said. “And that’s a tribute to our culture of guys just continuing to believe in what they need to do.”

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Jim Vertuno, The Associated Press

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