Oct 24, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian celebrates with fans and players after the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Oct 24, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian celebrates with fans and players after the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect · IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The No. 6 Texas Longhorns head to Baton Rouge to play the No. 21 LSU Tigers for the first time since 1953, a 13-point win for the home squad. Both teams started the year with high hopes, looking to hoist multiple trophies by the end of the year, and both teams fell short, turning this into a must-win for both squads and coaches.

LSU opened the year with a bludgeoning of Clemson, but has been wildly inconsistent since that early-season matchup, and the wheels are starting to come off for new head coach Lane Kiffin. He left Ole Miss in the midst of a playoff run because he thought the odds of winning were better in the bayou, but following an embarrassing collapse against Alabama with a home loss to Texas would be a huge black eye as he tries to build the program in his image. It would also be the second of three potential losses, with a trip to Knoxville and a surging Tennessee squad next week.

For Texas, the margins remain nonexistent after two of the year’s most embarrassing losses sit on their ledger, stretching the credit they get for wins over Ohio State and Tennessee, plus a road win over Missouri. Since the College Football Playoff committee seemingly values the marquee wins over the marquee losses, a road win over LSU would give Texas a nearly iron-clad case for the CFP, even if they drop one of the two following games. The best way to guarantee a trip to the postseason? Win all four, which continues with this road trip in one of the nation’s toughest places to play.

  • No. 6 Texas vs. No. 21 LSU preview: Talented Tigers host Longhorns in monumental matchup
  • BON Roundtable: Can Texas carry its success over to Baton Rouge
  • Texas S Derek Williams returns to Louisiana after earning his redemption arc
  • Steve Sarkisian and Lane Kiffin helped each other rebuild
  • Why Texas at LSU will look a little different
  • Steve Sarkisian admits to strategic miscalculation with the Texas offense

Injury report

Texas

  • RB Hollywood Smothers — out
  • OL Trevor Goosby — out
  • Edge Richard Wesley — out
  • TE Nick Townsend — out
  • OL Cole Hutson — questionable
  • DL Hero Kanu — probable

LSU

  • S Dashawn Spears — out
  • WR Phillip Wright, III — out
  • LB Charles Ross, II — out
  • DT Richard Anderson — out
  • LB Whit Weeks — questionable
  • OT Weston Davis — probable

How to watch

TV: ESPN

Time: 6:30 p.m. Central

Livestream: ESPNUnlimited

Radio: Texassports.com. Broadcasts are also available on Sirius 132, XM 199, and App Ch. 953

Odds: The Longhorns are 3.5-point underdogs on FanDuel

Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 55 degrees, 4 mph E

Source: Yahoo Sports