The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Football set for prime time matchups vs. Ohio State, at Texas A&M
05.12.2026 | Football
Texas vs. Ohio State will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT on Sept. 12, and Texas at Texas A&M will kick off at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 27 with both games broadcast on ABC. ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Austin for the Ohio State game on Sept. 12.
AUSTIN, Texas – Details for Texas Football's 2026 games vs. Ohio State and at Texas A&M have been announced by the Southeastern Conference and ESPN on Tuesday.
Texas and Ohio State will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday, Sept. 12, on ABC. It'll be the sixth all-time meeting between the Longhorns and Buckeyes with Ohio State leading the all-time series, 3-2. It'll mark the third-consecutive season Texas and Ohio State have played one another. Additionally, ESPN's College GameDay will broadcast live from Texas' campus for the matchup against the Buckeyes. The show will air for three hours from 8-11 a.m. CT, hosted by Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Pat McAffee, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit and other ESPN personalities.
Kickoff for this season's Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown vs. Texas A&M in Bryan-College Station, Texas, has been set for 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 27, at Kyle Field. The game will be televised on ABC. A Thanksgiving weekend tradition, 2026 will be the second-straight season the game has been played on the Friday of the holiday weekend. 2025 was the first time the game had been played on the Friday following Thanksgiving since 2007. In the renewal of the rivalry in 2024, the game was played on Saturday, but in the four meetings prior to that from 2008-11, it was held on Thanksgiving Day. Prior to 2008, the game occurred on the Friday of Thanksgiving from 1996-2007. The long-time in-state rivals also played on a Friday twice in 1974-75, and in 1941 on a Thursday when Thanksgiving was Wednesday (Nov. 26), for a total of 16 times on the day after Thanksgiving. In all, 85 of Texas' 120 meetings with Texas A&M have come on Thanksgiving or the day after. The Longhorns and Aggies will meet for the 121st time in history in a series that dates back to 1894 with Texas holding a 78-37-5 advantage. Texas has won five of the last six in the series with the lone exception coming in 2010.
Including eight visits to the Red River Rivalry and nine road/neutral site appearances, Texas' Week 2 game vs. Ohio State will be the 29th time the GameDay set and its show will be a prominent fixture at a Texas game. It'll be the 11th time in the last six seasons that Texas will be appearing on ESPN's College GameDay. It will also mark the fifth time overall and third-consecutive season a Texas vs. Ohio State matchup will draw College GameDay after the show aired live from Columbus, Ohio, on Aug. 30, 2025 for last year's season opener and the 2024 CFP Semifinal at the 89th Goodyear Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Jan. 10, 2025. The show came to the University of Texas during the 2006 season when the Horns hosted the Buckeyes. College GameDay was in Columbus for the 2005 matchup between UT and Ohio State when the Longhorns prevailed 25-22. College GameDay will be in Austin for the first time since the 2024 season when Texas hosted Georgia. College GameDay has been in Austin 10 times overall.
College GameDay broadcasted live from five games Texas was playing in during the 2024 season – the most in a single season for the Longhorns. GameDay was in Ann Arbor for Texas' road win at No. 10/9 Michigan on Sept. 7 before the show returned to the Forty Acres for Texas' home contest with No. 5/4 Georgia on Oct. 19. GameDay traveled to College Station, Texas, for the Lone Star Showdown vs. Texas A&M on Nov. 30. GameDay covered Texas in back-to-back weekends as it aired lived from the 2024 SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta prior to Texas vs. Georgia. GameDay then traveled to the CFP Semifinal at the 89th Goodyear Cotton Bowl between Texas and Ohio State.
AUSTIN (11)
2026: Ohio State
2024: Georgia
2022: TCU
2022: Alabama
2019: LSU
2009: Texas Tech
2008: Missouri
2006: Ohio State
2005: Texas Tech
2003: Kansas State
1999: Nebraska
ALLSTATE RED RIVER RIVALRY IN DALLAS (8)
2023: Oklahoma
2021: Oklahoma
2018: Oklahoma
2011: Oklahoma
2009: Oklahoma
2008: Oklahoma
2002: Oklahoma
2001: Oklahoma
ON THE ROAD (10)
2025: at Ohio State
2025: vs. Ohio State (CFP Semifinal at Cotton Bowl)
2024: vs. Georgia (SEC Championship)
2024: at Texas A&M
2024: at Michigan
2023: at Alabama
2009: vs. Alabama (BCS Championship)
2008: at Texas Tech
2005: vs. USC (BCS Championship)
2005: at Ohio State
Up Next
Texas opens the 2026 season at home vs. Texas State on Saturday, Sept. 5. More information regarding 2026 game times and TV designations will be announced at a later date.
