Some rematches take a season. This one took nearly a century.
When the Texas Longhorns open the 2026 season against the Texas State Bobcats on Saturday, September 5, it will be just the second meeting between the two schools — ever. The first came all the way back in 1930, when Texas State was still known as Southwest Texas State Teachers College and the Longhorns rolled to a 36-0 shutout in Austin.
Ninety-six years later, they’ll do it again in the same city: a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, broadcast nationally on ESPN.
Two Programs, Two Different Universes
Let’s be honest about the gap here, because it’s part of what makes the matchup fascinating. Texas is one of the sport’s true bluebloods — a top-ten winningest program of all time with a winning percentage north of .700, multiple claimed national championships, dozens of conference titles, sixty-plus bowl appearances, and a pair of Heisman Trophy winners.
Texas State’s résumé lives in a different neighborhood. The Bobcats sit just above .500 all-time, have reached three bowl games in program history, and have never spent a week in the AP poll. They spent decades climbing the ladder — from teachers college to FCS power to FBS member — and only moved up to the top subdivision in 2012.
But that’s the résumé, not the roster. Texas State has been trending upward in the Sun Belt, and the Bobcats enter 2026 with real juice: they’ve won two straight against UTSA in the I-35 Rivalry, flipping a series they once trailed badly and proving they can hang with — and beat — quality Texas competition.
The Sarkisian Machine Rolls On
For Texas, this opener kicks off year six under Steve Sarkisian, and the program has rarely been healthier. Over the past three seasons, the Longhorns have piled up a 35-8 record with three consecutive 10-win campaigns — the first such run in Austin since the 2007-09 stretch. The trophy shelf from that span includes a Big 12 championship in 2023, back-to-back College Football Playoff semifinal trips in 2023 and 2024, an SEC Championship Game appearance in 2024, and a Citrus Bowl title last season.
The Bobcats are the appetizer for a brutal September. One week after Texas State, Ohio State comes to Austin for a primetime blockbuster. A week after that, the Longhorns host UTSA — meaning Texas faces both sides of the I-35 Rivalry in a three-week span. Then comes a trip to Tennessee, the Red River Rivalry against Oklahoma in Dallas, and an SEC gauntlet that closes with the Lone Star Showdown at Texas A&M on Thanksgiving weekend.
Why This Game Matters for Texas State
For a program like Texas State, a date with the Longhorns is about more than the scoreboard. It’s a statewide spotlight, a recruiting billboard, and a measuring stick all in one — the kind of game that tells a rising program exactly how far it’s come and how far it has left to go.
San Marcos sits barely 30 miles down I-35 from Austin. Generations of Bobcats have grown up in the Longhorns’ shadow without ever getting a shot at them on the field. On September 5, that changes. And with the game airing on ESPN as part of college football’s opening weekend, the whole country gets to watch.
History says this should be lopsided — Texas won the only previous meeting by five touchdowns and change, and the Longhorns have handled their recent in-state guests comfortably. But history also says you wait 96 years between meetings, and here we are. Opening weekend has a way of writing its own script.
The Details
- Who: Texas State Bobcats at Texas Longhorns
- When: Saturday, September 5, 2026 — 2:30 p.m. CT
- Where: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, TX
- TV: ESPN
- Series history: Texas leads 1-0 (36-0 in 1930)
And here’s a fun wrinkle for South Texas fans: this game kicks off at the exact same time as UTRGV‘s historic first-ever meeting with UTSA at the Alamodome. September 5, 2026 might be the single biggest day of in-state firsts and renewals that Texas college football has seen in a generation. Plan your screens accordingly.
Think Texas State can shock the world — or will the Longhorns make it 2-0 in the series? Lock in your pick on our Texas vs. Texas State Week 1 predictions page
