Matthew McConaughey Headlines Longhorns Big Noon Kickoff Broadcast

With the Oklahoma loss, and should the results from Saturday as we write this hold, the Sooners will be in a four-way tie with the Longhorns, Kansas State Wildcats and Iowa State Cyclones for first place in the Big 12.

That said, the Sooners still hold a tiebreaker over the Longhorns and Cyclones. Oklahoma does not play Kansas State this season, while the Longhorns will play both the Wild cats and Iowa State next month. 

OCT 28 ARCH DEBUT? According to Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, heralded true freshman quarterback Arch Manning 'could play' in the Longhorns matchup vs. the BYU Cougars on Saturday. 

"That could happen today," Sarkisian told Tom Luginbill. "We'll see how the game goes and the flow of the game. You never know, you try to plan what could come down the road. If I could get him a little exposure today, that would be great."

Manning has yet to play so far this season and has been the third-string quarterback on gamedays behind Quinn Ewers and Maalik Murphy. 

But with Ewers hurt, and Murphy getting the start, it sounds as though Sarkisian could find a way to get the former five-star NFL legacy involved in the gameplan. 

OCT 26 READY TO GO Starting quarterback Quinn Ewers was far from the only injury casualty the Longhorns have suffered in recent weeks, but on Thursday, head coach Steve Sarkisian provided a very positive update ahead of the BYU Cougars matchup.

Ryan Watts, Jett Bush, Alfred Collins, Gavin Holmes, Terrance Brooks, and Cole Hutson are all going to 'be available' for the Longhorns on Saturday.

"I think all of those guys will be available," Sarkisian said Thursday. "I credit our training staff and their position coaches and those players individually for doing what they needed to do on an individual basis to put themselves in position to be available. Naturally, when Saturday rolls around, a lot of those guys I'm going to be monitoring closely to make sure as a team they're putting us in the best position to have success."

The Longhorns and Cougars kick off at 2:30 p.m.

OCT 21 EWERS INJURED Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers had to be taken into the medical tent on the sidelines at the start of the fourth quarter in Saturday's 31-24 win over the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. He didn't return to the game and was seen in a sling after the win.

It's unclear what exactly Ewers' injury is as of now, but he took a hard hit on a short run earlier in the game, though there was no indication of an injury at first. He finished the game 23 of 29 passing for 211 yards and two touchdowns.

Maalik Murphy helped guide the Texas offense in the final stages of the game. He only went 1 of 2 passing for seven yards, as the Longhorns leaned on the ground game. He's now 4 of 8 passing for 47 yards this season. 

Not long after the Ewers injury, defensive back Gavin Holmes and defensive lineman Alfred Collins were also injured and taken to the locker room for evaluation.

OCT 21 MAJORS IN Per Longhorn Network, Texas Longhorns center Jake Majors will play vs. the Houston Cougars on Saturday. 

Majors was injured vs. the Oklahoma Sooners early in the first quarter and was not able to return to the game. 

In place of Majors, freshman Connor Robertson entered the game. 

Now with Majors back in the lineup, the Longhorns will have their entire starting offensive line on the field vs. the Houston defense. 

OCT 16 BYU KICK SET The Texas Longhorns have a big matchup against the Houston Cougars this Saturday at TDECU Stadium. 

After that, however, they will face another critical test on Oct. 28, when they return home to face the BYU Cougars in Austin. 

On Monday, the kickoff time for that matchup was announced by the Big 12, with the Horns and Cougars scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

It will be the sixth meeting between Texas and BYU and the first as Big 12 opponents. Texas is 1-4 all-time vs. BYU and is 1-2 in Austin vs. the Cougars. The programs last met in 2014, with BYU winning 41-7 in Austin.

The game will be broadcast on ABC.

OCT 12 WORTHY CALLS OUT SOONERS Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Danny Stutsman has thoroughly enjoyed the Red River Showdown win over the Texas Longhorns. 

So much so, that he had special t-shirts made both commemorating the victory and shading the Longhorns as well.

The shirts have a photo of Stutsman on the front smoking a cigar after the win, with the phrase "Oklahoma only fears God, Texas fears Oklahoma" on the back.

And now, Longhorns star Xavier Worthy has responded, taking to Instagram to make fun of Sooners linebacker. 

"You would think mfs just won the natty," Worthy said on his Instagram story.

The Longhorns and Sooners are likely to meet again in the Big 12 title game, where Worthy will have an opportunity to settle the score. 

OCT 10 BUDGET WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS? Since being hired as the Washington Huskies athletic director, Troy Dannen has already started making waves with his comments regarding his thoughts on the world that is college athletics. 

In a recent interview, Troy Dannen went as far as to take a perceived cheap shot at two other college football programs, the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns. 

"If budgets won championships, Ohio State and Texas would win everything, and they haven't won much lately," Dannen said in an interview. 

The Huskies' new AD is obviously stating that despite the big budgets both the Buckeyes and Longhorns possess, it hasn't helped them find that much success athletically. 

OCT 9 HOUSTON KICK SET Following their devastating loss to the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday, the Texas Longhorns will have a week off before their next conference matchup, when they head southeast to take on Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium.

Now, we have a kickoff time set for that game, with the Longhorns and Cougars scheduled to face off at 3 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on FOX following the Big Noon Kickoff between Ohio State and Penn State.

The matchup between Houston and Texas will be the 26th all-time meeting between the two schools, with Texas leading the all-time series 16-7-2. They are also 7-3-1 in Houston.

Texas last played in Houston in 2001, where they beat the Cougars in a 53-26 blowout, led by Chris Simms and BJ Johnson. 

The Longhorns have won seven straight matchups vs. the Cougars, including the last three in Houston.

OCT 7 WATTS OUT The Texas Longhorns are officially going to be without their top corner on Saturday in the Red River Showdown.

According to reports, Watts will not suit up vs. Oklahoma, with freshman Malik Muhammad and transfer Gavin Holmes expected to rotate in his place. 

Watts left the Longhorns 40-14 blowout win over Kansas late in the second half with a lower-body injury.

Watts has 17 tackles and one tackle for loss with one pass breakup this season. 

OCT 6 HERBSTREIT 'CAN'T WAIT' ESPN's College Gameday will be live from the Texas State Fair and the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, previewing all the matchups for Week 6 of college football, including the Red River Rivalry game between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners. Despite never playing in the rivalry, Kirk Herbstreit has let it be known he is ready to experience the atmosphere ahead of the big game.

"This is always an incredible scene leading up to [Texas vs. Oklahoma]," Herbstreit said on Twitter. "Can’t wait!"

Gameday will be live starting at 8 a.m. (CT) with kickoff between the No. 3 ranked Longhorns and No. 12 Sooners set for 11 a.m.

OCT 5 WATTS UPDATE The Texas Longhorns could be without their top corner on Saturday in the Red River Showdown, with Steve Sarkisian announcing that Ryan Watts is set to be a game-time decision for the game. 

“I think Ryan is going to be a game-time decision,” Sarkisian said.

Watts left the Longhorns 40-14 blowout win over Kansas late in the second half with a lower-body injury. 

Watts has 17 tackles and one tackle for loss with one pass break up this season. 

OCT 4 MAYFIELD SPEAKS Former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback and Heisman winner Baker Mayfield is known for his Texas hate. 

And ahead of the Red River Showdown this season - a game in which Mayfield will be in attendance for - the Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB gave his thoughts on the matchup.

But instead of trashing the Longhorns as usual, Mayfield decided to send some praise the Sooners way.

"I'm just proud of how they're playing. Obviously, last year was rough, transition-wise, but I think they took all that personal," Mayfield said on former OU coach Bob Stoops' podcast. "Everybody was saying 'Oh, they're not the same Oklahoma.' But (coach Brent Venables) has got them rolling. I think the offense is capable of scoring points on anybody, as they've shown.

"I'm ecstatic from all the way in Florida, but just to get to see it up close and personal and be back home with all the fans is awesome."

Texas and Oklahoma kick off at 11 a.m. on ABC.

OCT 3 ESPN MAKES PREDICTION The Longhorns are just a few days away from arguably the biggest edition of the Red River Showdown since the Colt McCoy era. 

And now, ESPN's computer model has made its prediction.

According to ESPN Analytics, the Oklahoma Sooners, despite being 6.5-point underdogs in Las Vegas, have a 54.5-percent chance of beating the Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday. 

Texas and Oklahoma will kick off on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT

OCT 2 SANDERS DAY TO DAY The Texas Longhorns have a huge matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners in Dallas this Saturday.

And after two of their best players, cornerback Ryan Watts and tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders was injured against Kansas in Week 5, head coach Steve Sarkisian gave an update on his status ahead of the rivalry matchup.

Sarkisian described both players as 'day-to-day', but noted that they will have more information on Thursday.

"It's going to take a minute for them to rehab and see if they'll be able to go," Sarkisian said Monday. "I'll probably have a better answer for you on Thursday."

Sanders, who injured his ankle in the first half on Saturday, did not return to action and was seen in a walking boot after the game. 

Watts is also dealing with a lower-body injury.

OCT 1 HORNS FAVORED Following their dominant win over the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday, the Texas Longhorns now look forward to their biggest remaining matchup of the year vs. the Oklahoma Sooners in Dallas next weekend. 

And according to the oddsmakers, the Horns are on track for 6-0, with Texas opening as 5-point favorites over the Sooners, per Circa Sports

The over/under is currently set for 62.5 points. 

SEPT 30 DANIELS OUT Just minutes before kickoff at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, ESPN reported that Kansas Star quarterback Jalon Daniels will not play vs. the Texas Longhorns on Saturday.

Daniels is reportedly dealing with back tightness, but could still potentially get onto the field if the issue can be relieved.

The Lawndale, California, native was named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year and is a dual-threat quarterback.

He hasn't run for as many yards through three games as he did last season, averaging 22.5 fewer rushing yards per contest. Despite the down numbers, the Longhorns' defensive line will have to recreate the effective pocket containment that they had against Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe.

Despite Daniels going down, however, Kansas isn't in trouble as Jason Bean played some solid football in his four starts last season. He went 87-of-136 for 1,280 yards and 14 touchdowns to four interceptions.

SEPT 26 OSU SAFETY ARRESTED Oklahoma State safety Trey Rucker was reportedly arrested on suspicion of a DUI this past weekend, following the team's 34-27 loss to Iowa State. 

Tulsa World reported Dean Ruhl was the first to report Rucker's arrest. 

Rucker currently sits at fifth on the team with 18 total tackles for the Cowboys.

Barring a trip to the Big 12 title game, which seems unlikely at this point in time, Oklahoma State and Texas will not face off this season. 

SEPT 26 WHOSE THE REAL 'TIGER KING?' Despite the Florida State Seminoles and starting quarterback Jordan Travis being able to say they 'tamed" the LSU and Clemson Tigers this season, calling the senior quarterback the "Tiger King" will at least make at least one person unhappy. 

In a tweet on Sunday, Joe Exotic, also known as the "Tiger King," took issue with Seminole fans who are referring to Travis by the nickname that became famous in his Netflix series. 

"Jordan Travis was 6 years old when I became The Tiger King, it is my trademark, my intellectual property and I'm sick of others cashing in on my Trademark just because President Biden cares nothing about me being wrongfully in prison in America," Exotic said.

"I will give ANY ATTORNEY 80% of a settlement to sue Jordan Travis and ALL companies selling stuff using Tiger King. Time quarterbacks and anyone else in this country stops stealing from others, which attorney would like to take this multimillion dollar case? DM me!"

The Twitter rant came just after Travis released a shirt with a graphic of him sitting on a throne with a crown on his head and a tiger at his feet. So, while Travis can rejoice at the fact that he guided the Seminoles to victories over LSU and Clemson, he cannot take the title of the "Tiger King" away from Joe Exotic.

SEPT 25 TEXAS FAVORED VS KANSAS The Texas Longhorns are one of the hottest teams in the country through four weeks. 

And after a dominant win over Baylor in Waco on Saturday, the voters are beginning to agree, with the Horns sticking at No. 3 in the AP Top 25. 

Now, the odds makers have released the odds for a big Week 5 in college football, with the Horns coming in as a 17.5-point favorite over the No. 24 Kansas Jayhawks in Austin, per SI SportsBook.

Texas enters the matchup with a 17-4 advantage in the all-time series vs. the Jayhawks, and have won 17 of the 19 games between the two since entering the Big 12.

Saturday will mark the final Big 12 matchup between the two teams. 

SEPT 23 OLE MISS UPSET? Since losing to the Texas Longhorns in Week 2, the narrative surrounding the Alabama Crimson Tide is more clouded than it has been in recent memory under coach Nick Saban. 

While in years past, many would've predicted for the Crimson Tide to bounce back from the Texas loss and run the table the rest of the way, experts are seemingly picking against Alabama, including ESPN's Rece Davis.

"If this were Ole Miss giving seven, based on what I've seen from Alabama, especially last week, I would take Ole Miss and lay the seven," Davis said recently on the College Football GameDay. "So there's no question that I'm taking the Rebels and getting seven. Not only to cover, but to win outright."

A loss on Saturday for the Tide would obviously eliminate them from college football playoff contention and potentially could see them lose the SEC West.

SEPT 18 KANSAS KICK SET With the Texas Longhorns sitting at 3-0 to start the season, a kickoff time has been announced for their Week 5 game at home versus Big-12 rival, the Kansas Jayhawks.

According to a tweet from the Longhorns' official Twitter account, Texas will host the Jayhawks inside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, September 30th, for a 2:30 p.m. (CT) kickoff. 

SEPT 16 LONGHORNS D-LINEMAN CARTED OFF Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Kristopher Ross was carted off in the third quarter of Saturday's meeting with the Wyoming Cowboys at DKR. Texas was leading 10-7 at the time.

It's unclear what injury Ross suffered.

Ross, a member of the 2022 recruiting class, appeared in one game last season. Through two games this year, he's posted one tackle.

SEPT 16 HUTSON OUT Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Cole Hutson has left the team's matchup vs. the Wyoming Cowboys on Saturday with an apparent knee injury. 

Hutson was helped off of the field by the training staff and was struggling to put weight on his left leg. 

According to a release from the team, Hutson will not return to the game. 

SEPT 16 HORNS UP, DAWGS DOWN? The Texas Longhorns could rise in the AP Top-25 rankings with a dominant win over the Wyoming Cowboys as the current No. 1 ranked team, the Georgia Bulldogs, picked up an ugly home win over the South Carolina Gamecocks. 

The unranked and 27.5-point underdog Gamecocks got out to an early 14-3 lead over the back-to-back champions in the first half before the Bulldogs managed to score 21 unanswered in the second half to fend off South Carolina in the 24-14 win.

While a win is a win in this case for Georgia, it could hurt them in the next edition of the rankings. 

SEPT 15 BAMA QB CHANGE The Texas Longhorns took down the Alabama Crimson Tide last weekend, in one of the biggest wins in program history. 

And now, it seems as though the Longhorns win has forced the Tide to re-evaluate their approach, with Nick Saban seemingly leaning toward naming a new starting quarterback on Friday.

Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner looks to be favored to earn the nod for the Tide. 

"We evaluate every position every week. If guys want security in their position, they need to play well," Saban said Wednesday. "Everybody on our team knows that. I think everybody has responded in a positive way to try to get better and to improve. We'll constantly evaluate that position as we do every other position."

SEPT 14 KIFFIN SPEAKS ON BAMA Few coaches are more familiar with Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide than Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. 

After his former boss was upset on his home field by the Texas Longhorns, Kiffin was asked about Alabama's prospects for the remainder of the season. 

Of course, Kiffin was nothing but positive about the Tide's situation.

"Sometimes an early loss can be good," Kiffin said. "Not Alabama week, but I'm getting Alabama questions already. But I think they're going to be in a better position because it wasn't an SEC game. An early loss sometimes over time has been really good and better than a late loss as we've seen in order to get in the Playoffs and things."

The Rebels and the Tide will face off in Week 4 in Tuscaloosa, where Kiffin will hope to be the second former Saban pupil to take down his former boss this season.

SEPT 12 BAMA 'PISSED OFF' AFTER TEXAS LOSS The Alabama Crimson Tide are not accustomed to losing on their home field. Especially in non-conference matchups.

And as a result of their 34-24 loss to the Texas Longhorns in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night, the Tide players are taking it personally.

“The mindset of the team, we’re pissed off, not gonna lie,” Bama offensive lineman Tyler Booker during his press conference on Monday. "Who wants to lose at home? There’s only ever been 2 undefeated teams to win the national championship here at the University of Alabama. All of our goals are still attainable. We can still win the SEC West, we can still win the SEC and get a College Football Playoff spot. This was just a wake-up call for us and we’re all taking heed to what the coach is saying.”

Alabama will attempt to get back into the win column this weekend when they travel to Tampa Bay to take on the South Florida Bulls on the road. 

SEPT 11 BAYLOR KICK SET Following their huge upset over the Alabama Crimson Tide, the No. 4 Texas Longhorns kick-off time for Week 4 has been announced.

Per a release from the team, the Horns and Bears will kick off at 6:30 pm in Waco, with the game set to be broadcast on ABC.

SEPT 9 TEBOW'S ADVICE Former Florida Gators star quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow knows what it takes to succeed on a big stage. 

And ahead of Alabama's matchup with the Texas Longhorns on Saturday night, Tebow had some advice for Crimson Tide QB Jalen Milroe - Let it rip.

“Every now and then you can go from being quarterback to, ‘OK Jalen, let it rip. Show everybody you’re a legit 4.4, you’re 220 pounds and you can run over most linebackers," Tebow said on the Paul Finebaum show. "And I think that’s something where if you’re Nick Saban, you’re Tommy Rees tomorrow night, it’s like, ‘Hey we love how much you’ve improved in the pocket. But there’s going to be a couple of plays, hey, go out there and be the best athlete on the field."

The Longhorns and Tide will kick off at 6 pm central time on ESPN.

SEPT 7 MACK BROWN RIPS NCAA Former Texas Longhorns head coach Mack Brown went scorched earth on the NCAA on Thursday, ripping the organization for its treatment of one his players, Devontez Walker.

Walker, who was projected to be one of the Tarheels' best wide receivers, was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for the 2023 season.

"I don't know if I've ever been more disappointed in a person, a group of people or an institution than I am with the NCAA right now. It's clear the NCAA is about process and couldn't care less about the young people it's supposed to be supporting..."

Brown closed his statement by emphatically shaming the NCAA for their decision. 

"Shame on you, NCAA," Brown said. "SHAME ON YOU!"

As a result, Mack Brown released an impassioned statement condemning the NCAA and their decision. 

You can view his full statement below:

SEPT 2 TEXAS RELEASES DEPTH CHART VS RICE The Texas Longhorns have revealed the first official depth chart of the season ahead of Saturday's opener against the Rice Owls at DKR.

Take a look:

Competitions like the backup quarterback battle remain unsolved per the depth chart, while other positions have co-starters listed.

SEPTEMBER 1 ACC CONTINUES CFB EXPANSION The world of college football is continuing to change dramatically, with the latest expansion taking place on Friday morning. 

According to reports, Stanford, California and SMU are set to join the ACC in 2024. 

The three schools are just the latest to make a realignment move for 2024, with USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington joining the Big 10, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah joining the Big 12, and Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC.

Washington State and Oregon State are now the sole remaining Pac 12 members searching for a new home.

AUGUST 24 USC'S CALEB WILLIAMS TURNING DOWN EA SPORTS? Thanks to the introduction of Name, Image, and Likeness, when the long-awaited release of Electronic Arts' newest college football video game drops, it could feature rosters with real player names and likenesses for the first time in the franchise's history.

Although it may not have everyone, USC quarterback Caleb Williams recently revealed in an interview with Yahoo's Ross Dellenger that he is unsure if he'll appear in the video game due to the reported $500 flat fee that EA is offering to players to use their likeness.

“Thing about life is, you have to adjust to anything,” Williams said. “Businesses and brands and things like that have to adjust to the new brand of college. I’d love to have the game back, but it’s the new day and age and everybody knows what the new day and age in college is.

“It’s like if you go to school and you are a straight-A student and there’s another kid whose strong suit isn’t school and he gets B’s or B-minuses. How fair would it be if you get the same grade as him? That never works in school and it doesn’t make sense. That’s how I look at that game with the situation with the $500.”

Williams won't be the only player who believes that the $500 fee does not meet their true value, which could serve as a domino effect for other top players to fall in line with the reigning Heisman Trophy winner if he does indeed choose to opt out of featuring in the game.