Texas Longhorns Among Early National Title Favorites

The Texas Longhorns look to win their first national championship in 20 years.
Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) walks off the field after UT defeats the Clemson Tigers in the CFP National Playoff first round game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) walks off the field after UT defeats the Clemson Tigers in the CFP National Playoff first round game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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Following back-to-back trips to the College Football Playoff semifinals, the Texas Longhorns are no longer content with just getting close to a national championship.

Steve Sarkisian has done a wonderful job of guiding the Longhorns back to national relevance after the darkness of the 2010s, but now it's time to take that next step. Texas will have to overcome some major losses this offseason, but next season's team looks like one that can contend for a title.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian before the Cotton Bowl
Jan 10, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian before the College Football Playoff semifinal against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

The question is: will the Longhorns get the job done next season? If the odds are to be believed, they have a good shot.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Longhorns currently have +650 odds to win next season's national title, tied with the Oregon Ducks for the second-best odds in the country. The Ohio State Buckeyes, whov won this season's national title last week, lead the pack at +500 odds. Other contenders include the Georgia Bulldogs (+700), Penn State Nittany Lions (+850) and Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+1200).

It's not too hard to see why the Longhorns rank so highly among title contenders. They'll have to replace a lot of talent, as mentioned previously, but still have elite players returning such as defensive back Michael Taaffe and defensive lineman Collin Simmons. Additionally, the hype for new starting quarterback Arch Manning to take the reins is astronomically high, and he'll have some good weapons to work with.

The Longhorns also have a relatively easy schedule once more. Their SEC schedule, which previously became a talking point as the College Football Playoff rankings came out, is exactly the same as last year, just with the home and away games flipped. There will be plenty of challenges, with road trips to Ohio State to start the season and Georgia in November being particularly tough, but they're capable of winning essentially every game on their schedule.

Of course, odds only mean so much. It's up to the Longhorns to go out there and prove they are indeed a championship team when the season rolls around.


Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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