Texas vs. Texas State Football 2026: Kickoff Time, TV Channel & Preview
The Longhorns and Bobcats have not shared a football field since 1930. That changes on Saturday, September 5, 2026, when Texas State makes the 30-mile drive up I-35 to open the Texas football season against No. 5 Texas at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium.
On paper it looks like a routine season opener for a top-five program. Look a little closer and it's one of the more interesting Week 1 games in the country: a Pac-12 debut, a head coach walking back into the stadium where his college career started, and one of the best Group of Five offenses of the last three years getting its shot at a College Football Playoff contender.
Quick Facts
| Matchup | Texas State Bobcats at Texas Longhorns |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, September 5, 2026 |
| Kickoff | 2:30 p.m. CT / 3:30 p.m. ET |
| Venue | Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas |
| TV | ESPN |
| Streaming | ESPN app and live-TV services carrying ESPN |
| Rankings | Texas No. 5 (AP), No. 4 (Coaches); Texas State unranked |
| Betting line | Texas favored by roughly 30 points; total around 60 |
| All-time series | Texas leads 1-0 |
| Last meeting | 1930 — Texas 36, Southwest Texas State Teachers College 0 |
Why This Texas Football Opener Matters More Than the Score Will Suggest
Texas is a heavy favorite and nobody in Austin is pretending otherwise. But three storylines make this a genuine Week 1 watch.
Texas State is playing its first game as a Pac-12 team. The Bobcats left the Sun Belt after the 2025 season and joined the rebuilt Pac-12. Opening that era in front of 100,000 people in Austin is about as loud an introduction as a program can get.
G.J. Kinne is coming home. The Texas State head coach began his own college career as a quarterback at Texas before transferring to Tulsa. He is 37, he is one of the youngest head coaches in the FBS, and he has turned a program that had never won an FBS bowl game into one that has now won three in a row.
Texas is trying to reset. The Longhorns opened 2025 as the AP's No. 1 team, lost their opener in Columbus, dropped a road game at Florida, and missed the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2022. They still finished 10-3 with a Citrus Bowl win. Nobody in that locker room wants a repeat of last September, and a clean opener matters more than usual with Ohio State coming to Austin seven days later.
Series History: Texas Leads 1-0
Texas and Texas State have played exactly once. On that afternoon in Austin in 1930, the Longhorns beat what was then Southwest Texas State Teachers College 36-0.
| Year | Result | Site |
|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Texas 36, Southwest Texas State Teachers College 0 | Austin |
The school has changed names, changed divisions, changed conferences and rebuilt its stadium since. Ninety-six years is a long gap for two programs that share a highway. Part of the reason is simple scheduling economics — Texas rarely needed the game and Texas State was not an FBS program until 2012.
Texas Longhorns 2026 Outlook
Steve Sarkisian enters year six in Austin with one of the deepest rosters in the sport and a schedule that will punish any drop-off. ESPN's Bill Connelly ranked Texas sixth nationally in returning production.
Quarterback: Arch Manning is back for his second full season as the starter and enters the year on the Manning Award, Davey O'Brien, Maxwell, Walter Camp and Johnny Unitas watch lists. His finish to 2025 is the reason expectations are so high — 1,714 yards, 14 touchdowns and two interceptions over the final six games.
New weapons: Texas won the offseason at the skill positions. Cam Coleman arrived from Auburn and is the headline addition at receiver. Running backs Hollywood Smothers (NC State) and Raleek Brown (Arizona State) give the backfield two different gears.
Defense: Colin Simmons returns after leading the SEC in sacks. Safety Jelani McDonald led the team in tackles and interceptions in 2025. The big change is at coordinator, where Will Muschamp replaced Pete Kwiatkowski. Week 1 is the first live look at what that defense actually looks like.
Texas State Bobcats 2026 Outlook
Do not mistake the point spread for a talent gap across the whole roster. Texas State's offense has been legitimately excellent.
Over the last two seasons the Bobcats ranked 15th nationally in rushing offense and 25th in passing offense, and their 36.6 points per game across those two years ranked eighth in the country. They were one of only four programs to finish top-15 in total offense in both seasons, alongside Ole Miss, North Texas and UCF.
Quarterback: Brad Jackson returns as a sophomore after starting all 13 games in 2025 and earning third-team All-Sun Belt honors.
Receivers: Beau Sparks and Chris Dawn both cleared 1,000 receiving yards last season and were named preseason first-team All-Pac-12 by Phil Steele. That is a real Week 1 problem for any secondary breaking in a new scheme.
Defense: This is the question mark. Will Windham took over as defensive coordinator in December 2025 and is rebuilding a unit that was the reason Texas State lost four games by a touchdown or less in 2025. McNeese transfer Phillip Bradford, a 6-foot-6, 308-pound lineman, is the kind of portal addition that can change a front.
Recent history: 7-6 in 2025 with a 41-10 Armed Forces Bowl win over Rice, following 8-5 seasons in 2023 and 2024. Kinne is the winningest Division I head coach in program history.
Three Matchups That Decide the Game
Cam Coleman vs. the Texas State secondary
Coleman's debut in burnt orange is the most anticipated individual storyline of the day. Manning has been working on that connection since Coleman arrived, and Texas will want to establish it early.
Texas State's tempo vs. Muschamp's new front
The Bobcats' whole offensive identity is speed: quick midrange throws, wide running lanes, no huddle, keep moving. A defense installing a new system can look disorganized against that in the first quarter. Texas has to survive the opening script.
Brad Jackson vs. Colin Simmons
Texas State's offense works when Jackson gets the ball out on schedule. Simmons is the best pass rusher on the field. If Texas gets Jackson off his spot on early downs, the Bobcats' offense stalls before it can build rhythm.
Odds and Prediction
Texas opened as roughly a 30.5-point favorite with a total near 60. ESPN's analytics model gave the Longhorns better than a 98% win probability.
Texas 45, Texas State 20
Expect Texas State to move the ball, hit a couple of explosive plays and score more than most 30-point underdogs do. Also expect Texas's depth to take over somewhere in the third quarter. The spread is the interesting number here, not the winner.
Odds move all week. Check a current sportsbook before kickoff. Please gamble responsibly. Nothing on this page is betting advice.
How to Watch the Texas vs. Texas State Football Game
- TV: ESPN
- Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. CT / 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, September 5, 2026
- Streaming: The ESPN app with a TV provider login, ESPN's direct subscription, or any live-TV service that carries ESPN (YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, DirecTV Stream, Sling Orange)
- Radio: Longhorn radio affiliates in Austin and statewide; Texas State's broadcast airs on Bobcat radio affiliates
- Highlights: ESPN and both schools' official YouTube channels post highlights shortly after the final whistle
Tickets, Parking and Gameday Info
Single-game tickets are sold through the University of Texas ticket office and its official partner, with resale inventory on the usual secondary marketplaces. Get-in prices for this one have hovered in the $55 to $100 range depending on the platform, which is low for a DKR game — the Ohio State game a week later is the one driving the market.
- DKR seats roughly 100,000. Traffic on I-35 and around campus starts building three to four hours out.
- A 2:30 p.m. kickoff in early September in Austin means real heat. Field-level and lower-bowl seats on the sunny side will be brutal. Bring water and check the clear bag policy before you leave.
- Campus garages open several hours before kickoff and sell out. Rideshare drop-off zones shift on gamedays, so check the university's gameday page the morning of.
- San Marcos to Austin is about a 30-minute drive without traffic. On a Longhorns gameday, plan for double.
What's Next for Both Teams
Texas gets no reward for surviving Week 1. Ohio State comes to Austin on September 12 in a rematch of the 2025 opener, then UTSA on September 19 and a trip to Tennessee on September 26. The Longhorns' 2026 schedule includes seven teams ranked in the AP preseason poll.
Texas State heads into its I-35 rivalry game against UTSA on September 12, then North Texas and Incarnate Word before Pac-12 play begins. Of the Bobcats' seven Pac-12 opponents, six are first-ever meetings.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Texas vs. Texas State football game in 2026?
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Saturday, September 5, 2026, at 2:30 p.m. CT (3:30 p.m. ET) at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.
What channel is Texas vs. Texas State on?
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ESPN.
How can I stream Texas vs. Texas State without cable?
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Through the ESPN app or any live-TV streaming service that carries ESPN, including YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, DirecTV Stream and Sling Orange. Most offer free trials, though availability changes.
Where is the game being played?
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Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. Texas is the home team.
Have Texas and Texas State played before?
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Once. Texas won 36-0 in Austin in 1930, when Texas State was named Southwest Texas State Teachers College. Texas leads the all-time series 1-0.
Why haven't these two schools played in almost 100 years?
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Texas State only became an FBS program in 2012 and spent most of its history at a lower classification. Texas historically filled its non-conference schedule elsewhere. The two programs finally lined up an agreement for 2026.
Who is favored to win?
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Texas, by roughly 30 points. ESPN's model gave the Longhorns a win probability above 98%.
Is Texas ranked in 2026?
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Yes. Texas is No. 5 in the AP preseason poll and No. 4 in the Coaches Poll. Texas State is unranked.
Is Arch Manning playing?
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Manning returns as Texas's starting quarterback for his second full season as the starter, barring any late-week injury news.
Who is Texas State's quarterback?
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Brad Jackson, a sophomore who started all 13 games in 2025 and made third-team All-Sun Belt.
Who is Texas State's head coach?
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G.J. Kinne, entering his fourth season. He began his own playing career as a quarterback at Texas before transferring to Tulsa, which gives this opener an extra layer.
Is Texas State in the Pac-12 now?
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Yes. The Bobcats left the Sun Belt and joined the rebuilt Pac-12 beginning with the 2026 season. This game is their first as a Pac-12 member.
Is Texas State any good?
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Better than the spread suggests. Three straight winning seasons, three straight bowl wins, and a top-15 total offense in each of the last two years. The defense is the reason they were 7-6 instead of 10-3 last season.
How much are tickets?
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Get-in prices have been in the $55 to $100 range on primary and resale platforms, though pricing moves right up until kickoff. It is one of the cheaper tickets on the Texas home schedule.
What is the DKR bag policy?
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Texas uses a clear bag policy. Check the official gameday page before you travel, since sizes and exceptions get updated each season.
How hot will it be?
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It's Austin in early September at 2:30 in the afternoon. Assume 95°F or higher and plan for direct sun in much of the bowl.
Who does Texas play after Texas State?
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Ohio State at home on September 12, then UTSA on September 19 and at Tennessee on September 26.
Who does Texas State play after Texas?
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UTSA at home on September 12, then North Texas and Incarnate Word before opening Pac-12 play.
Will there be a College GameDay presence?
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GameDay is expected in Austin for the Ohio State game on September 12, not the Texas State opener.
What would an upset mean?
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For Texas, it would end playoff hopes before September 12. For Texas State, it would be the biggest win in program history by a wide margin and instantly the story of Week 1.
Is this game a rivalry?
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Not yet. It's a geographic matchup between schools 30 miles apart with almost no shared history. If Texas State keeps winning in the Pac-12 and the series continues, that could change.
Where can I find live score updates?
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ESPN's game page, both schools' official athletics sites and their social accounts will carry live scoring and stats.