Four words that may keep Steve Sarkisian and Texas Longhorns up at night this season

The Texas Longhorns feel like they have a national championship contender.

Their team is stacked. Not too long ago, several Longhorns were named preseason All-Americans, and the most famous player on their team, quarterback Arch Manning, wasn't even on the list.

That just goes to show you how much talent Steve Sarkisian is working with in 2026.

The expectations are high, but with those expectations comes pressure.

Sarkisian has been great since taking over at Texas in 2021. He's gone 48-20, and the Longhorns made a College Football Playoff run in 2024.

They missed the CFP last season, though. Missing it again in 2026 could put Sarkisian in a bit of a pickle. It's more than that, though, at least according to analyst Josh Pate.

It's not just about making the CFP. Considering their talent level, Pate beleives Sarkisian and the Longhorns have to win it all this season. 

Or else? Things could get sticky in Austin.

Pate was asked on Thursday if the Longhorns are facing a "national title or bust" season on ESPN's "Get Up."

“I rarely say that phrase, but I do actually agree with it here,” he said (h/t On3). “I believe in it here. It’s the only team in the SEC that I would say this about, because it’s the only team in the SEC that feels like it has built to this. It’s like shaking up a soda bottle and you keep waiting for someone to twist the top.”

Texas Longhorns may be facing "title or bust" season in 2026 

The Longhorns have their quarterback in Manning. They've got star players all around him on offense, including a massive transfer portal addition in former Auburn wideout Cam Coleman. Defensively, they boast arguably the best defender in college football in Colin Simmons.

Everything is lining up for a title run, but as mentioned, that leads to pressure. Pate went a bit further with the soda bottle analogy.

“And if you don’t twist the top right now if you’re Texas, and I’m a Texas booster, I’m a diehard Texas supporter in every sense of that word, I’m going to look at it and I’m going to say, ‘I love you Steve Sarkisian,'” Pate said, “And I feel that same way about Sark. But I would look at it and say, ‘If not now when?’ What is it you needed that these last couple of years have not given you?”

"If not now, when?" are four words that could haunt the Longhorns this season. 

They've got the shot lined up, but now they've got to make it.