Following Florida flop in 2025, No. 1 Texas looks for a better SEC start at Tennessee
· Yahoo Sports
Over the first three weeks of the season, Texas football beat Texas State and UTSA and recorded a memorable win over Ohio State.
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And now comes the fun part.
No. 1 Texas opens SEC play this weekend when it travels to No. 14 Tennessee, the conference opener for both schools.
MORE: 5 things to know about the Tennessee Volunteers
Winning an SEC championship won't be easy. On Sunday, Associated Press voters reserved 10 of the 25 spots in its poll for SEC teams: No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Georgia, No. 4 Ole Miss, No. 8 Alabama, No. 10 LSU, No. 14 Tennessee, No. 19 Missouri, No. 21 Florida, No. 23 Texas A&M and No. 24 Mississippi State. Two more SEC teams (Kentucky and Oklahoma) received votes.
"Here's the deal, we're starting SEC play," said UT coach Steve Sarkisian, who has seven currently-ranked opponents on his nine-game conference schedule. "I've said it time and time again, from top to bottom, anybody can beat anybody, and I think that's the challenge of our conference is being mentally and physically prepared to play week in and week out. For us this week, it's no different."
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Is the SEC opener a must-win game for Texas?
Mathematically speaking, the loser of Saturday's UT-UT showdown won't be removed from the conference championship conversation. But historically speaking, it has been tougher for teams that lost their conference opener to contend for a spot in the SEC title game. The last SEC champion that started 0-1 in conference was Alabama in 2015. And the SEC hasn't had a runner-up that lost its conference opener since 2011.
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Starting conference play with a loss shrinks a team's margin of error. Last year, Texas had to play catch-up last year after losing its SEC opener at Florida. The Longhorns finished with a 6-2 mark in conference play, but weren't in the first-place mix in a league that had four 7-1 teams.
"The goal is always to win the game," Texas defensive tackle Hero Kanu said Monday. "Florida is behind us. We've got them later on in the schedule (this season), but yeah, the goal is to win."
The 2025 Florida game also was brought up at Sarkisian's news conference. Texas was stunned last year in Gainesville by the Gators, who were weeks away from firing their head coach. In a 29-21 loss, Texas committed two turnovers and allowed 457 yards of offense.
"I get it. We didn't play well at Florida last year, but we are 13-3 in SEC play," Sarkisian said. "I'm very confident in our ability to go on the road and play well."
Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop (18) says a prayer after scoring a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Furman, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne) (Wade Payne/Associated Press)Texas begins SEC play this year against Tennessee
The last two years, Texas got its feet wet in SEC play against Mississippi State and Florida teams that both failed to qualify for bowl games. The Volunteers, on the other hand, are undefeated, ranked and also trying to remain in the SEC title picture. This summer, Tennessee was listed eighth in a SEC preseason poll in which Texas was No. 2.
MORE:Challenged by Steve Sarkisian, Texas' defense steps up on third downs
So far this season, Tennessee is averaging 47.7 points and 510.3 yards. The Volunteers held Furman and Kennesaw State to under 10 points while two turnovers were forced in a 21-point win over Georgia Tech. Texas safety Jelani McDonald said he's looking forward to the matchup between the Vols' running game and Texas' physicality. And center Connor Robertson wants to see what the Longhorns' run game can do as well.
"Really good defense. Really good defensive coordinator," Robertson said. "A lot of production, especially in their front seven. They've got some experienced guys. They've got some new faces, obviously some transfers and stuff, but we've played against (Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Knowles when he was at Ohio State), and it's just a great opportunity for us to go out on Saturday and have a good game."
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