AUSTIN, Texas – In the final chapter of a storied college football regular season, the Texas Longhorns are hosting their in-state arch-rivals, the Texas A&M Aggies, in the Lone Star Showdown.

The matchup features two teams playing for postseason positioning, but the context is much different than most people expected in the preseason.

Texas, who entered the season as the No. 1 team in college football, is fighting for a slim chance to grab one of the final seeds in the College Football Playoff, while preseason No. 19 Texas A&M is looking to cap off an undefeated regular season and further position itself as a candidate for a first-round bye.

That sounds like a pretty stark contrast to expectations, so let’s take a minute to break down how we got here:

The Longhorns entered the 2025 se

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