Kirk Herbstreit believes Texas has the talent to be one of the best teams in the country in 2026, but he has also made it clear that talent alone will not be enough. With six preseason top-25 opponents on the schedule and Ohio State waiting in week two, the Longhorns are entering a season where handling pressure may matter as much as any single matchup.
That is the heart of Herbstreit’s point. He spoke on The Pat McAfee Show this week and praised Texas and Sark, while also warning that the college football landscape has already shown how quickly hype can disappear when expectations get heavy.
Herbstreit: Texas has the talent, but that is only the start
Herbstreit did not sound skeptical about the roster. In fact, he was open about where he stands on Texas and its coach.
“I know they do. I'm a fan of Sark. I'm a fan of Texas,” Herbstreit said.
He then added the line that really defines the discussion around the Longhorns in 2026. “I feel like Texas is incredibly talented. This will probably be Sark's best team.”
That is strong praise. But Herbstreit immediately moved the conversation away from raw ability and toward the mental challenge of living up to it.
“But can they handle week in and week out?” he said.
That question is the entire story for Texas. The Longhorns are not being asked whether they can look good on paper. They are being asked whether they can survive a full season of expectation, attention and high-end opposition.
Why the schedule changes everything
Phil Steele has ranked Texas's 2026 slate as the toughest in the country, and it is easy to see why. The schedule includes Ohio State in week two, along with several other preseason top-25 opponents.
That kind of run does not give a team much room to breathe. It also creates a different kind of pressure, because every week becomes a test of focus, resilience and recovery.
Herbstreit pointed back to last season as a warning sign. “I'm not a fan of (what happened) last year, remember we had preseason Texas, LSU, Clemson, Penn State? None of those teams could handle the pressure,” he said.
The message there is simple enough. Being talented is one thing. Handling the build-up, the ranking, the spotlight and the expectation is another.
Can Texas turn hype into a real run?
This is where Texas will be judged. Not by whether it belongs in the conversation, but by whether it can stay in it deep into the season.
That is why Herbstreit’s warning matters. He is not questioning whether the Longhorns can compete with the best. He is questioning whether they can keep doing it when the schedule starts to bite and the pressure builds from week to week.
If this really is Sark's best team, as Herbstreit suggested, then the standard is obvious. Texas will be expected to win big games, absorb setbacks and keep moving forward without letting one result derail the season.
With six preseason top-25 opponents on the slate, the margin for error is already thin. Herbstreit’s point is that the talent is there. The real test is whether Texas can prove it over and over again.
