Skip to main content
Texas

Buy or Sell? Every Texas Football rating we know so far in CFB 26

by: Evan Vieth07/02/25
cfb26 deluxe edition cover
The Deluxe Edition cover of College Football 26 (Photo Courtesy of EA Sports)

Last year’s release of the College Football 25 video game was a whirlwind, as the iconic EA franchise returned to game systems for the first time in over a decade.

[Sign up for Inside Texas TODAY and get the BEST Longhorns scoop!]

Back then, Texas fans were debating whether Quinn Ewers should be QB1 over Carson Beck and who should be the WR2 behind Isaiah Bond in terms of rating and speed. Remember those days?

A year later, there still remains buzz around what should be a more polished and realistic version of the sport. Head coaches will be a part of the game, graphics look to be improved, and Kyle Field isn’t the No. 1 hardest place to play in the nation anymore. Texas disproved that last November.

With quite a bit of information surrounding the game already either official or leaked, IT is buying and selling everything we know about the Longhorns in EA CFB 26.

Buying: Arch Manning’s rating

The most recent update to release featured ratings for 20 of the best quarterbacks in the nation. LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, and Drew Allar lead the way with 92 ratings, while Arch Manning sits at a solid 90 overall.

We’re buying this rating. While Manning may end up being the most talented QB in the nation right now, you can’t rate a player with that few snaps in his career any higher. Being tied for the eighth-highest-rated QB in the nation before the season is completely fair—and if anything, a bit generous.

Selling: Texas has the No. 1 offense

While the Longhorns are tied with four teams for this mark, it’s hard to consciously say they have one of the five best offenses entering the year. Texas lost all but three starters from 2025, while having concerns on the offensive line and with the ability to run the ball.

It’s hard to pick one singular team that’s better, but a group like LSU or Miami’s seems hard to top at this moment in time.

Buying: Anthony Hill is the second-best defensive player in the nation

EA has been kind to Hill in his ratings this year after what seemed to be underselling his talents heading into last year’s game. Outside of Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs, no one is rated higher than Hill in the game—a testament to what he has been for this Texas defense over the past two seasons. His 95 rating is only behind Downs defensively and is tied with Clemson’s T.J. Parker for second place.

Selling: Malik Muhammad > Michael Taaffe

Muhammad has the potential to be one of the five best CBs in the nation, which is how he is rated heading into the year, but picking him over Taaffe at this point in time seems foolish. While Muhammad struggled mightily over the final few weeks of the year, Taaffe continued to play well through the postseason and earned second-team All-American honors because of it. Taaffe’s -1 rating compared to Muhammad should be flipped.

Buying: Texas has a top-two defense in the nation

The Longhorns trail just Alabama—whose outrageous 96 rating feels a bit inflated—as the best defense in the nation heading into 2026. With the amount of talent returning and elevating into larger roles this season, it’s impossible not to buy this selection. Texas should have the best front seven in the sport thanks to Hill and edge rusher Colin Simmons, and the secondary returns the aforementioned Muhammad, Taaffe, and starters like Jaylon Guilbeau and Jelani McDonald. What we’d sell is them being two spots behind the Crimson Tide.

Selling: DKR is the 13th hardest place to play in the nation

Arguments can be made both ways for whether Texas has a top-10 environment in the nation. Longhorn fans love quoting former Alabama LB Will Anderson when he said Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium was the loudest place he’d ever played in, but there’s also a bit of reservation in calling the stadium a truly terrifying environment week in and week out. The past few seasons have been great at times—like the Georgia game—but previous games in the early 2020s showed a lackluster crowd, and some games that Texas still plays lack the crowd of a top-15 stadium in the nation.

Still, Texas brings more energy to their biggest games than the likes of Michigan and Oregon. Yes, Oregon is a very tough place to play, but they have far fewer seats to pack in. At its best, Texas should be leapfrogging those two schools at least. Also, how is Auburn 17th?

[Order THE LONGHORN ALPHABET: Your little Longhorns can know about famous plays like Roll Left!]

Buying: Texas is one of the two best teams in the nation to start the year

There’s no powerhouse team to beat heading into this season. Most top contenders are replacing starting QBs, and the ones that aren’t have far more flaws than past OSU, Georgia, and Michigan teams of the 2020s. While we may sell that Alabama is the No. 1 overall team (man, does EA love them some Crimson Tide), there are no complaints with Texas being tied for the No. 2 spot and officially claimed as the No. 2 team on all of EA’s socials and graphics. The Longhorns will be really good this year—and a really good team to use in this game.

You may also like