Arch Manning, Steve Sarkisian, and the Texas Longhorns are up to their necks in the 2025 NCAA season. Their upcoming showdown with Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Rivalry could be a true sink-or-swim test. Back-to-back SEC losses could be all she wrote for the burnt orange in college football.
As the two despised programs get set to do battle at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, fireworks are guaranteed for an electric showdown at the State Fair of Texas. Manning and Sarkisian know the Longhorns are walking on thin ice. One misstep, and they’ll be in for an ice-cold reality bath. Another loss wouldn’t only be heartbreaking, but it will virtually eliminate them from the College Football Playoff.
Venables and the Sooners are still undefeated in the NCAA. However, winning on Saturday is about much more than staying perfect. Starting quarterback John Mateer remains questionable to make his return to the huddle after undergoing surgery on his throwing hand. If they win without their QB1, morale will be through the roof in Norman.
Coaches can’t make plays
Still, with or without Mateer, the Sooners are eager to land a knock-out punch on the Longhorns. On that note, Venables issued a powerful message warning Manning and company.
Brent Venables of the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
“End of the day it’s about the players,” Brent Venables answered a question about Steve Sarkisian during the SEC’s weekly Coaches Teleconference. “Everything you said [about Sarkisian] is accurate. He’s had success at the very highest level for a long time. Does a great job in his creativity in the play design.
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“But at the end of the day the schemes and what not that both programs run are only as good as the players that are out on the field executing it. So it’ll come down to that. It’s a players game.”
Make or break
Texas is 3-2 on the season (0-1 in SEC play). Losing to the Florida Gators in Gainesville led to the Longhorns being left out of the AP Poll top 25. Week 7 of the 2025 college football season marks the first time Texas enters a game unranked since November 2022.
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Another defeat to a ranked SEC opponent could be the final straw. The odds aren’t in the Longhorns’ favor to make the Playoff, and back-to-back losses could virtually extinguish those hopes altogether. Manning and Sarkisian aren’t playing for their jobs, but more for their hopes in the NCAA campaign.
