Can someone explain how everybody conveniently forgets that Texas plays in the SEC now when they talk about schedule difficulty? The Longhorns went from a Big 12 schedule where they faced one or two ranked teams a year to a conference slate where they draw Georgia, Alabama, and LSU in the same season. Texas finished 2025 ranked 7th in SP+ strength of schedule and nobody wants to talk about that because it messes with the narrative that the program is somehow soft.
The 2026 schedule is even more brutal on paper. Texas has to go on the road to Athens and Tuscaloosa in back to back weeks, which is a gauntlet that would test any program in the country. Meanwhile programs like Ohio State and Oregon are sitting in conferences where they play maybe two legitimate top 25 teams all regular season. The double standard is exhausting. Texas has to earn every single win against the deepest conference in football while other playoff contenders get to coast through November.
You cannot claim the SEC is down and then ignore that Texas is playing the toughest schedule in the league every single year. The numbers do not lie, the Longhorns consistently rank in the top 10 nationally in strength of schedule since joining the SEC. That is the reality of the situation.