College football’s annual rite of spring seems to be withering.

Texas junior quarterback Quinn Ewers has declared for the NFL draft, ending a Longhorns career in which he led the program to a Big 12 championship and twice to the College Football Playoff but was not always embraced by a fan base eagerly waiting for Arch Manning to take over.

Texas quarterback and Texas native Quinn Ewers once played for Ohio State.

Smothering defenses have carried the last four teams still in the hunt for the national championship.

One victory over Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinals would more than make up for years of frustration for Ohio State quarterback Will Howard.

In the first round of the College Football Playoff, the teams seeded 5-8 all won.

Texas will be a whole lot closer to home than Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.

Cam Skattebo’s do-it-all offensive show wasn’t enough to save Arizona State from a stretch of fourth-down failures against Texas.

Texas avoided the first big upset of the College Football Playoff, hitting a fourth-and-long touchdown pass to keep the game going and beating Arizona State 39-31 in double overtime when an interception by Andrew Mukuba finally ended a Peach Bowl quarterfinal classic.

Texas won the Big 12 title in 2023 on its way out the door to the Southeastern Conference.

The Texas defense seems to have built a big burnt orange wall at the goal line.

The average final score over the first week of the College Football Playoffs: Winners 36, Losers 17.

Jaydon Blue ran for 146 yards and two touchdowns, the last a 77-yard burst in the fourth quarter, and Texas beat Clemson 38-24 on Saturday in the first round of the expanded College Football Playoff.

Texas winning the national championship next month would be bad news for BetMGM Sportsbook.

Texas earned a surprising victory over Georgia on the recruiting trail one day before facing the Bulldogs on the field in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

Quintrevion Wisner ran for a career-high 186 yards and Quinn Ewers threw a touchdown pass to lead No. 3 Texas to a 17-7 win over 20th-ranked archrival Texas A&M.

Quinn Ewers threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns and No. 3 Texas’ defense clamped down on Arkansas’ final two possessions to help the Longhorns win 20-10.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said the No. 5 Longhorns have a “passionate fanbase” that needs to use “better discretion” after the school was fined and threatened with further sanctions by the Southeastern Conference over fans throwing water bottles and trash on the field during a loss to No. 1 Georgia.

Texas has apologized after fans littered the field with water bottles and other trash after an interception for the top-ranked Longhorns against No. 5 Georgia was initially wiped out by a pass-interference penalty before officials changed the call.

Top-ranked Texas’ defense has been dominant by any measure.

The SEC's newest rivalry will be the 120th meeting for No. 1 Texas and No. 18 Oklahoma.

The Southeastern Conference’s biggest shakeups haven’t come courtesy of newcomers Oklahoma and Texas so far, but from more unlikely culprits.

It was a week of upheaval in The Associated Press college football poll.

Texas will start Arch Manning at quarterback when the No. 1 Longhorns play Mississippi State on Saturday as Quinn Ewers continues to recover from a strained abdomen.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian says quarterback Quinn Ewers is back in practice but remains questionable to play this week with an abdomen strain when the No. 1 Longhorns face Mississippi State.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian says freshman quarterback Arch Manning will get his first career start Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe.

The Texas Longhorns returned to class Monday as the No. 1 team in the country for the first time in 16 years and with college football buzzing about hotshot backup quarterback Arch Manning.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian says injured starting quarterback Quinn Ewers is considered “questionable” for the No. 1 Longhorns game this week against Louisiana-Monroe.

Texas is No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll for the first time in 16 years, replacing Georgia after the Bulldogs struggled to remain unbeaten against Kentucky.

Arch Manning passed for four touchdowns and ran 67 yards for another after taking over for injured starter Quinn Ewers in the second quarter to lead No. 2 Texas over UTSA 56-7 on Saturday night.

Steve Sarkisian is college football’s latest $10 million man.

Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian’s contract extension will push his guaranteed salary to $10.3 million this year under details released by the school's Board of Regents.

Texas will give football coach Steve Sarkisian a four-year contract extension through 2030.

Arch Manning says he envisions remaining at Texas even if current starting quarterback Quinn Ewers returns next season.

Remaking a roster has never been easier in college football for a coach taking over a new team.

No. 2 Washington and No. 3 Texas meet in a College Football Playoff matchup at the Sugar Bowl of offenses known for aggressive and creative play calling.

Washington will meet Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Jan. 1.

Seventh-ranked Texas is leaving the Big 12 with bookend championships.

Keilan Robinson returned a kickoff 95 yards for one of his two touchdowns, Bert Auburn made five field goals and No. 7 Texas overwhelmed Texas Tech 57-7 on Friday night to reach the Big 12 championship game.

Quarterback Quinn Ewers will start for No. 7 Texas against TCU after missing two games with a sprained shoulder.

Bert Auburn kicked a 42-yard field goal in overtime and the Texas defense got a key stop on fourth down to earn a 33-30 win Saturday in a matchup of Big 12 co-leaders.

Oklahoma and Texas might not be done playing each other in the Big 12 before going to the Southeastern Conference next year.

The final Red River Rivalry in the Big 12 before it moves to the Southeastern Conference felt like a chance for No. 3 Texas to lay claim to being the best team in the country.

Slow starts and big finishes.

After a routine win over Rice to start the season, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian lamented no one seemed to be talking about how good the No. 4 Longhorns’ defense could be.

The hype is coming for the Texas Longhorns like it hasn’t in years.

Quinn Ewers finished what he started last season, passing for 349 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 11 Texas to a 34-24 victory over third-ranked Alabama on Saturday night in a huge win for a program trying to climb back into national championship contention.

Texas is ready for the Southeastern Conference.

No. 11 Texas and No. 4 Alabama are set to meet again a year after going down to the wire.

Quinn Ewers’ mullet is gone.

Kendre Miller rushed for 138 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown in the third quarter that broke open a tense defensive struggle, and No. 4 TCU beat No. 18 Texas 17-10 to clinch a berth in the Big 12 championship game.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has apologized for not staying on the field to sing “The Eyes of Texas” after the Longhorns’ loss to Oklahoma State and promised it would never happen again.

Trey Wolff kicked a 20-yard field goal in overtime to give Texas Tech a wild 37-34 victory over No. 22 Texas.

Will Reichard kicked a 33-yard field goal with 10 seconds left, and No. 1 Alabama overcame a stifling defensive effort by Texas to earn a hard-fought 20-19 victory.

No. 12 Florida returned to the AP Top 25 this week for the first time since October and will host No. 20 Kentucky in the league opener for both teams.

The Southeastern Conference was perhaps one blocked kick away from perfection on opening weekend, with a few impressive nonconference wins and some no-brainers.

The Big 12 is going into its final season as a 10-team league.

Good afternoon, Gators fans!

Nebraska has not officially named its starting quarterback but all indications point to it being Texas transfer Casey Thompson.

Jalon Daniel hit Jared Casey on a scrambling pass for a 2-point conversion in overtime and Kansas stunned Texas 57-56 Saturday night to snap their eight-game losing streak this season and a 56-game losing streak in Big 12 road games over the past 13 years.

Bijan Robinson spent far too much of last season watching others play football.

Oregon and Iowa are the big movers in The Associated Press college football poll after road wins over top-10 opponents.

The Texas chapter of the NAACP and a group of students have filed a federal civil rights complaint against the University of Texas for its continued use of school song “The Eyes of Texas.”.

No team has lost its opening game and reached the Bowl Championship Series title game of the College Football Playoff.

Steve Sarkisian has yet to make his debut in the Big 12, but the new Texas coach was asked on Thursday to ponder life in his next league, the Southeastern Conference.

Big 12 leaders held a call without Texas and Oklahoma on Thursday to discuss how to keep the league’s flagship schools from bolting to the Southeastern Conference — and contingency plans to survive without them.

Oklahoma has won six straight Big 12 championships and the Sooners enter the 2021 season with the most well-rounded team coach Lincoln Riley has had.

FILE - In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, file photo, fans join in singing "The Eyes of Texas" after Texas defeated UTEP 59-3 in an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas. The University of Texas' long-awaited report on the history of the school song The Eyes of Texas found it had no racist intent, but the school will not require athletes and band members to participate in singing or playing it at games and campus events. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)AUSTIN, Texas – The University of Texas' long-awaited report on “The Eyes of Texas” has found that the school song has “no racist intent," but the school president said athletes and band members will not be required to sing or participate when the song is played at games and campus events. The report also noted the song was first performed at a minstrel show, most likely with performers in blackface. “Nobody has been, or will be, required to sing the song," Hartzell said.

Sarkisian is the new head football coach at the University of Texas. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)Steve Sarkisian was out of college football five years ago, having lost a dream job because of his struggles with alcoholism. Now Sarkisian is a head coach again, landing the job at Texas after helping Alabama win a national championship as offensive coordinator. Plus, Urban Meyer's first misstep as an NFL coach and Gus Malzahn lands at UCF. Ad___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)A pandemic could not stop some college football programs from spending millions to change football coaches. On the latest AP Top 25 College Football Podcast, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg joins Ralph Russo to talk about the lessons learned from the 2020′s coaching turnover. It is becoming harder than ever to lure well-established head coaches from stable situations. Meanwhile, minorities are still woefully underrepresented among major college head coaches. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

FILE - In this Aug. 21, 2020, file photo, Houston Texans coach Bill O'Brien watches during an NFL football training camp in Houston. Alabama has hired former Texans coach O'Brien as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – National champion Alabama has hired former Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. O'Brien also served as offensive coordinator for the Nittany Lions and won national coach of the year honors after going 8-4 in 2012. A 28-year coaching veteran and former Brown defensive player, O'Brien was also offensive coordinator at Duke.

(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)AUSTIN, Texas – Fresh off a national title with Alabama, Steve Sarkisian plans big changes to Texas' football program. Sarkisian said that while discussion about "The Eyes of Texas "and other issues are welcome, “'The Eyes of Texas' is our school song. Texas, without a conference championship since 2009, is itching to see if Sarkisian can produce similar results in Austin. Texas expects quick results from Sarkisian, recent winner of the Broyles Award given to college football’s top assistant coach. Asked about scheduling A&M again, Sarkisian said “I would love to play that game.”Sarkisian is Texas’ fourth head coach since 2009.

Now the question is will he be able to play in the title game Monday night against Ohio State? “I think you absolutely have to prepare as if he's going to play,” Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs said. Ohio State President Kristina M. Johnson posted photos on Twitter showing her visiting with coach Ryan Day and the team in the school's indoor practice facility. WEST COAST EXPORTSThe West Coast will be well represented in the national championship game among the players, if not the football programs themselves. Alabama All-America tailback Najee Harris, Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave and Buckeyes All-America guard Wyatt Davis are all from California.

(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)Steve Sarkisian is the latest Alabama coordinator to be drawing up game plans for a national title showdown before leaving for a new head coaching job. The Longhorns fired Tom Herman and hired Sarkisian eight days before the national championship game Monday night against No. The difference this time is the accelerated time frame from Sarkisian’s hiring to the title game. Alabama beat Oklahoma in the semifinals before a 44-16 loss to Clemson in the national title game. Nearly a month passed from his hiring to the January 2012 title game rematch against LSU, which ’Bama won 21-0.

(AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)AUSTIN, Texas – Texas was tired of waiting for Tom Herman to deliver a Big 12 title and turn the Longhorns back into national championship contenders. Texas fired Herman on Saturday after four winning seasons, then hours later announced it was giving the job to the Alabama offensive coordinator. He will be Texas’ fourth head coach since the program’s last Big 12 championship in 2009. Of note, Sarkisian was a USC assistant when Texas beat the Trojans for the national championship in the epic 2006 Rose Bowl. Texas fired Herman just three weeks after athletic director Chris Del Conte said he would remain the coach.

FILE - In this Sept. 26, 2020, file photo, Alabama coach Nick Saban leads his team to the field before an NCAA college football game against Missouri in Columbia, Mo. Saban and athletic director Greg Byrne have tested positive for COVID-19, four days before the Southeastern Conference's biggest regular-season showdown. Patterson, File)Alabama coach Nick Saban and athletic director Greg Byrne have tested positive for COVID-19, three days before the second-ranked Crimson Tide is set to face No. Both said their tests Wednesday morning came back positive, but Saban said he didn't have any symptoms by late afternoon. Saban has led Alabama to five national titles since taking over the program in 2007, and also won one at LSU.

10 Florida's game against defending national champion LSU was postponed Wednesday to tentatively Dec. 12 after the SEC postponed Missouri-Vanderbilt on Monday. Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason is going through a similar situation. To play, the SEC requires at least 53 on game days. Timing is critical depending on the day of the week a positive test or tracing result returns. “Every time you’re taking a test," Mason said, “you're crossing your fingers ... you don't have anybody in harm's way."