Texas Longhorns 2026 College Football Preview, Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions

Even with talent littered all over their roster, the Texas Longhorns were unable to bring it all together, failing to make the playoffs after finishing the year 9-3. Heading into 2026-27, oddsmakers believe Texas will be able to turn it around, listing them as one of the betting favorites to win the National Championship. With their schedule presenting plenty of spots where they can fall, expect the Longhorns to continue to fail to live up to expectations.

2026 College Football Betting Resources

• College Football Game Odds
• College Football Playoffs 
• 2026 Heisman Trophy Odds
• College Football Rosters
• SEC Conference Betting Hub

Texas Longhorns 2026 College Football National Championship Odds

National Title Odds:

In Arch Manning’s first season as the starting quarterback, he was unable to string together his performances until the end of the year, completing just 61.4% of his passes. His sporadic play held the Longhorns back from being a competitive unit on offense, ranking 95th in Off Success Rate, 88th in PPA, and 64th in Havoc Allowed.

Going into this season, Manning will have zero excuses with Texas surrounding him with arguably the best group of skill players they have had in program history. Including Cam Coleman who will rival Jeremiah Smith as one of the best wide receivers in the nation, giving Manning a true number one target to help sustain their drives down the field.

On the other side of the ball, the Longhorns will need to elevate their level of play on defense if they want to actually make a run to the National Championship, fielding a group who ranked just 43rd in Def Success Rate. If their defense is unable to round back into dominant form, then the Longhorns will be forced to combat against a high amount of variance in their contests, making it difficult for them to weave through their difficult schedule.

Speaking of the Longhorns schedule, it’s unforgivable, kicking the year off with a highly anticipated matchup against Ohio State in week two. After their battle against the Buckeyes, the Longhorns face off against Tennessee and Oklahoma with a bye week in between. Factor in ranked matchups against Ole Miss, LSU, and Texas A&M to end their year, and the Longhorns have zero room for error.

Even with their offense expected to rival the best of them, their question marks on defense bring in too much variance to justify their short odds to win the title, making them a pass in the National Championship market. Especially with their schedule as daunting as possible, making the Longhorns vulnerable to missing out on the playoffs.

Bet: No

Texas Longhorns 2026 SEC Championship Odds

SEC Title Odds:

With Manning expected to take a step forward with his production as the betting favorite to be the first overall pick in the NFL Draft, oddsmakers are buying into the hype, listing the Longhorns with the shortest odds to win the SEC. After reaching the SEC Conference Championship in their first year, the Longhorns were unable to build on their momentum, missing out on the finals in 2025-26.

While Texas certainly fields one of the more talented rosters in the SEC this season, it’s tough to see them bring it all together in short order with their quality of conference opponent ramping up just four weeks into the year. Future projections indicate the Longhorns will be locked into plenty of close scoring affairs, listing them within a touchdown in four out of their nine conference games.

With the margins as thin as it gets, pass on the Longhorns to win the conference at their short odds. Target teams like Georgia who rival them in regard to their talent on paper while receiving a much more favorable schedule. If oddsmakers overreact to a potential loss to Ohio State, then you may be able to get them at a better number worth buying while diversifying your portfolio.

Bet: No

Texas Longhorns 2026 Win Total Odds

Win Total Odds:

With their schedule presenting plenty of landmines, oddsmakers believe Texas will struggle to rattle off double digit wins, listing the Longhorns win total at 9.5 juiced to the under. Even if their defense is able to iron out the kinks and play at a high level, there are still far too many tough contests spread throughout their schedule to justify a bet on the over, making them a pass or a look at their under.

Bet: Yes – Under

Texas Longhorns 2026 Heisman Contenders, Odds

Arch Manning, QB:
Cam Coleman, WR:

After re-tooling their offense, oddsmakers believe Manning is in for a big year, listing the Longhorns quarterback as one of the betting favorites to win the Heisman award. Even when he struggled with his accuracy, Manning was still able to stuff the stat sheet, finishing last season throwing for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdowns while adding another 399 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.

Unfortunately for Manning, the Longhorns schedule will make it difficult for him to string together his performances, turning the media’s attention towards the other top contenders who are in a far more favorable position to succeed. Including Dante Moore and CJ Carr who can match his output while taking advantage of far more favorable schedules to win at a more consistent rate.

Moving down the board, Cam Coleman is listed around +10000, Manning’s number one option in their pass attack who is poised to comfortably lead the team in Targets. While Coleman will certainly be able to put together a productive year, it will be tough to steal the spotlight from Manning, making him a pass at his lofty odds to win the award.

Bet: No

Texas Longhorns 2026 College Football Schedule

• Sat., 9/5 – vs. Texas State
• Sat., 9/12 – vs. Ohio State
• Sat., 9/19 – vs. UTSA
• Sat., 9/26 – at Tennessee
• Sat., 10/10 – vs. Oklahoma
• Sat., 10/17 – vs. Florida
• Sat., 10/24 – vs. Ole Miss
• Sat., 11/7 – at Missouri
• Sat., 11/14 – at LSU
• Sat., 11/21 – vs. Arkansas
• Sat., 11/28 – at Texas A&M