The Eyes of Texas are upon you, all the livelong day. The Eyes of Texas are upon you; you cannot get away. Do not think you can escape them at night or early in the morn --The Eyes of Texas are upon you, 'til Gabriel blows his horn!
If that doesn't give you chills, get you ready to run through a brick wall, or bring you to tears, then you may be in the wrong place.
The Texas Longhorns are about to kick off their 2026 season, and that song is about to echo through every nook and cranny at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, and if any year is "the year," it's this one.
It is time for Steve Sarkisian, Arch Manning, Colin Simmons, Will Muschamp, and every single person who wears burnt orange on Saturdays in the fall to put it all together and bring the National Championship trophy back to the 40 Acres.
That starts with a home game against the Texas State Bobcats, and while they aren't a Power Conference program, the Horns can't take them lightly. Especially as the No. 5 Longhorns prepare to take on the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes just one week later.
So, here are the three biggest boxes that head coach Steve Sarkisian must check off in Week 1, for everyone to feel confident going into Week 2:
Last season, Texas's starting quarterback Arch Manning was virtually run out of Dodge in the backfield. Manning was pressured on 157 of his dropbacks, was sacked 23 times, and was left scrambling time after time after time.
This year, Sarkisian has rebuilt his offensive line, and even as starting left tackle Trevor Goosby comes off an injury, the unit is supposedly as sound and as sure as possible. That much must be reflected against Texas State.
There is absolutely no reason for the Bobcats' defensive line, or edge rushers, or linebackers to ever get within smelling distance of Manning, much less actually pressuring the Horns' QB1.
Texas must show an improvement in being able to protect Manning against Texas State, or the Longhorns won't stand a chance against Ohio State.
This isn't something that Texas has struggled with recently, but it will be vital to ensuring the type of blowout victory the Horns should see in Week 1.
Texas State is known for playing an up-tempo, fast-paced offense, led by returning quarterback Brad Jackson.
As Sarkisian said in his game week press conference, there are going to be growing pains in the first week of the season; there always are. However, they must show a certain level of preparedness against the Bobcats.
If the Longhorns can't even keep pace with Texas State, a Pac-12 team from San Marcos? Well, we may as well start looking toward the 2027 season.
This is my biggest question mark about Texas right now. Yes, the Horns have all of the talent imaginable in the defensive back room. Led by star safety Jelani McDonald and cornerback Graceson Littleton, the talent is there.
Now, we need to see that talent turn into production.
The Bobcats have two star wide receivers: Chris Dawn Jr. and Beau Sparks. That pair is joined by redshirt sophomore wideout Kylen Evans and redshirt senior tight end Blake Smith in the starting lineup.
Those four targets have a plethora of experience and a previously existing connection with Jackson. So, the Texas defense will have to be more than prepared to defend downfield.
Also read: Trevor Goosby is trending in the right direction, but the D-Line may be the focus ahead of Week 1
The bad news? Jackson is also an absolute beast on the ground, meaning that Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Will Muschamp could easily have to implement a safety rotation or a man coverage on defense.
So, while McDonald and the safety room, including Xavier Filsaime and Derek Williams Jr., are going to have to also focus on the threat of a quarterback keeper, Littleton and the cornerbacks are going to have to play flawless defense on the excessive amount of talent heading downfield.
More likely than not, Texas is going to blow out Texas State, but the Longhorns need to lock down a few areas of their game if anyone is going to feel good about the team against the Buckeyes.
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