The SEC released the 2026 conference schedule for all 16 teams on Thursday night, giving Texas and college football fans something to chew on before bowl season and the College Football Playoff begins. It's safe to say that the Longhorns have some intriguing matchups ahead on the path back to Atlanta.

There are two notable differences in this year’s schedule. First, there are no longer two bye weeks on each team’s schedule. The way the calendar fell in 2024 and 2025, there were 14 available Saturdays from late August/early September and late November for teams to play 12 games. That changes in 2026.

The SEC broke the record in December for representation in the College Football Playoff, comprising nearly half the field with five teams. Commissioner Greg Sankey believes his conference deserved seven, and while his argument might hold merit among the metrics crowd, one can't argue that the SEC was the best conference in the country in 2025.

Texas A&M football had several players honored in the all-conference awards announced Tuesday. More honors will be publicized in the coming days.

Texas added a big-time piece to its coaching staff for the 2026 season, and the Longhorns did it at the expense of a fellow SEC program.

In his true freshman season out of Pleasant Grove High School in Texarkana, Jackson has played in all 12 games with 15 tackles, two sacks and four quarterback hurries. He made his first career sack against Sam Houston and notched half a sack against Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry.

Eight Texas Longhorns received All-SEC recognition from the league's coaches, including three first-team honorees.

SportsLine college football expert Gene Menez tracks the biggest point spread moves for the College Football Playoff