Texas Football Faces SEC Depth

The transfer portal has altered the competitive balance in the SEC, creating a league where depth is distributed evenly across rosters.

Texas football has suffered four losses this season, all decided by a combined margin of 16 points. Head coach Steve Sarkisian attributes these close results to the new depth in the conference, noting that good players are now spread across many teams rather than concentrated in a few.

Sarkisian is in his sixth year at Texas, having joined the program in 2021. The Longhorns moved from the Big 12 to the SEC in 2024. In the two seasons since the move, Texas has lost multiple conference games. A comparison of national championships and College Football Playoff appearances shows a sharp decline in the Big 12 relative to the SEC. Georgia defeated TCU by 58 points to win the 2022 title. The SEC sent three teams to the 2024 playoff and five to the 2025 playoff, winning eight of those games. The Big 12 sent one team to each of those playoffs and lost both.

Sarkisian argues that the portal allows teams to compete if they are not playing their best. He said, 'Just about everybody's good enough to beat anybody in our league.' Texas center Connor Roberston agreed, stating, 'There's no bad teams in this conference. Every week you got to be 100% prepared and focused.' Defensive tackle Hero Kanu, who transferred from Ohio State in 2025, described the SEC as an 'any-given-Saturday league.'

Texas enters this weekend with five conference games remaining. Three of those games are on the road. The team is currently ranked No. 11 in the AP poll. It will face Mississippi State at Royal-Memorial Stadium on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

The Longhorns must win their next five games to secure a strong playoff case. Currently, only Kentucky and Georgia have fewer than two conference losses. Both teams have three games left against top-25 opponents. Texas has wins over Ohio State, Tennessee, and Ole Miss. It will play LSU and Missouri next. A three-loss team has made the playoff in only two seasons, and those teams won their conferences.