Heading into the 2025 college football season, not only were Penn State and Texas viewed as locks to reach the playoffs, but they were actually ranked in the top two spots in the Associated Press’ preseason rankings.
After winning 13 games and falling a win short of the National Championship game last season, the Nittany Lions were bringing back many key players from 2024, including star QB Drew Allar. The Longhorns also came up a game short of a championship opportunity, and were supposed to have an even better player this year at quarterback in Arch Manning.
Yet, heading into Week 7 of the college football season, the two monster programs own 3-2 records after bad upset losses on Saturday. Barring a virus of defeats by teams in the top 25, Penn State and Texas won’t make the playoffs this season. It is a huge disappointment for a pair of teams that had huge aspirations in 2025.
But which program has been the bigger disaster this season? We look to answer that question after a nightmare weekend for the two teams.
Why Penn State has been the bigger disappointment
Penn State was supposed to give defending champions and Big Ten rivals Ohio State a serious run for their money this season. However, their matchup next month seems irrelevant after this weekend.
On Saturday, the Nittany Lions went cross-country to face a 0-4 UCLA team that just fired its head coach a couple of weeks ago. It seemed like as much of a layup conference win as you can get in the Big Ten. Instead, PSU gave up 42 points to an offense that has struggled all year and made Nico Iamaleava look like a dual-threat superstar. It was an utter embarrassment for a program with championship goals.
If it had been their first loss, they would have had enough time and some big matchups in the weeks ahead to pick up lost ground in the rankings. However, the setback comes a week after a huge overtime defeat at home to Oregon.
Head coach James Franklin’s naysayers just got a bunch of extra ammunition to back up their claims that he simply isn’t an elite coach and has hit a ceiling with Penn State. Two weeks ago, the team was a top 10 group. Now, they aren’t even ranked, and Franklin’s future is on very shaky ground in State College.
Why Texas Longhorns have been the bigger disappointment
The Longhorns seemed primed for a serious run at a title this year. They were close last season and had a bunch of talent returning in 2025. Plus, they had the most hyped QB prospect of the decade, Arch Manning, leading their offense. If they could get a Week 1 win over the defending champions, it would stamp their place as the team to beat this year.
Then they scored just seven points in a Week 1 loss to Ohio State. However, the setback was brushed off as an understandable season-opening defeat, on the road, and against an elite team. They then reeled off three dominant wins, including a 55-0 victory last week. Texas looked like it had righted the ship and had a lot of momentum.
Then they went into Gainesville on Saturday to face a struggling 1-3 Florida team and were soundly beaten 29-21. Quieting the chatter about the job security of Gators head coach Billy Napier. Manning threw two big INTs and did not look like the Heisman Trophy candidate he was hyped to be.
Texas went into Week 6 as the No. 9-ranked team in the nation. Now they are outside the top 25 and won’t be in the playoffs this season.
Final verdict
So, who has been the bigger failure in 2025: Penn State or Texas? It’s tough because both programs have losses to elite programs in title contention. They also have head-scratching defeats to teams they should have beaten, even on the road. But the Nittany Lions’ 3-2 start seems much harder to swallow.
Yes, Arch Manning was supposed to be the second coming of his uncle Peyton Manning. But he is still an inexperienced sophomore. Steve Sarkisian’s team lost to the No. 1 team in the nation in a close game on the road, and a Gators team that should be better than they are — also on the road.
Penn State could not hold off Oregon at home, and then followed that up with an inexcusable loss to a bad Bruins team in their first road game of the season. And they did it while having a senior QB with Heisman potential. There was already so much doubt about James Franklin. PSU’s awful 3-2 start to 2025 has only made it more apparent that he is not the coach to get them their first national title since 1982.
