Inside Texas Football
Predicting the kickoff times and TV partners for Texas' 2026 schedule
While Texas fans already know a few kickoff times and television partners for games on the 2026 schedule, more details about the Longhorns’ upcoming campaign will be revealed tonight at 6 p.m. on SEC Network.
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Games will get the Early (11 a.m.-12 p.m. Central), Afternoon (2:30-3:30 p.m. Central), or Night (5-7 p.m. Central) designations. Some will also receive “Flex” designations, meaning they could be Afternoon or Night games.
In addition to the four games with established kickoff times and TV partners (Texas State, Ohio State, UTSA, Texas A&M), here’s my prediction for what the Longhorns will get for their remaining eight games.
Texas State
This one is confirmed and not a prediction.
Date: September 5
Time: 2:30 p.m. CT
TV partner: ESPN
Location: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas
Ohio State
This one is confirmed and not a prediction.
Date: September 12
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
TV partner: ABC
Location: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas
UTSA
This one is confirmed and not a prediction.
Date: September 19
Time: 7 p.m.
TV partner: SEC Network+
Location: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas
Tennessee
Prediction
Date: September 26
Time: Flex
TV partner: Flex
Location: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tenn.
The main games that could be on an ESPN channel this week include Oklahoma at Georgia, Texas A&M at LSU, Texas at Tennessee from the SEC. Outside of the league but in a Big 10 not affiliated with ESPN, there’s Notre Dame at Purdue, Wisconsin at Penn State, Illinois at Ohio State, and Oregon at USC. A flex designation gives the SEC the chance to keep this game at night.
Oklahoma
Prediction
Date: October 10
Time: 2:30 p.m.
TV partner: ABC
Location: Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas
Texas A&M at Missouri at 11 a.m., then the Red River Shootout at 2:30 p.m., then Georgia at Alabama in prime time. That’s a solid day for the SEC.
Florida
Prediction
Date: October 17
Time: 7 p.m.
TV partner: SEC Network
Location: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas
Florida has a manageable schedule up to this point, while the Longhorns will have been challenged at least three times by top teams. The Longhorns won’t get the 2:30 kick time because that’ll go to Knoxville for Alabama at Tennessee. Around the country, Ohio State visits Indiana, Notre Dame travels to BYU, Arizona State plays at Texas Tech, Florida State visits Miami, and Georgia hosts Auburn. Those games will get a lot of attention on the main airwaves, but this is a battle that won’t likely be relegated to the a.m.
Ole Miss
Prediction
Date: October 24
Time: 11 a.m.
TV partner: ESPN
Location: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas
A Brendan Sorsby showdown with Texas Tech at Cincinnati will likely draw a considerable amount of attention, and this battle with the Rebels is a smart game to matchup with Indiana at Michigan at 11 a.m.. Texas A&M goes to Tuscaloosa this evening, likely taking one of the main spots.
Mississippi State
Prediction
Date: October 31
Time: Flex
TV partner: Flex
Location: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas
The ACC actually delivers a few intriguing matchups this week like Clemson at Florida State and Miami at North Carolina. The Big 10 won’t put Ohio State at USC at 9 a.m. local time for the Trojans. Plus, Florida and Georgia match up on this day and that’s typically a 2:30 p.m. Central game.
Missouri
Prediction
Date: November 7
Time: 11 a.m.
TV partner: ESPN
Location: Faurot Field, Columbia, Mo.
With Alabama at LSU, Georgia at Ole Miss, and Oklahoma at Florida all happening on the same day, the Longhorns might get squeezed out of prime TV territory here. Also, the Holy War is going on in the Big 12 and Oregon visits Ohio State.
LSU
Prediction
Date: November 14
Time: 6:30 p.m.
TV partner: ABC
Location: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, La.
It does not matter what else is happening this weekend. This is the game of the weekend.
Arkansas
Prediction
Date: November 21
Time: Flex
TV partner: Flex
Location: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas
The Razorbacks aren’t likely to make a lot of waves in year one under Ryan Silverfield and could be looking for nothing more than to play spoiler. That storyline isn’t all that compelling, especially when Texas A&M visits Oklahoma and LSU and Lane Kiffin return to Tennessee. This is SoCon Saturday though, so some SEC teams are playing easy wins like UT-Chattanooga, Samford, Wofford, and Tennessee Tech. This won’t get a morning game treatment because of the other buy games, but this one isn’t going to be on ABC.
Texas A&M
This one is confirmed and not a prediction.
Date: November 27
Time: 6:30 p.m.
TV partner: ABC
Location: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas
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