The Texas Longhorns have one of the most storied programs in college football history.
While success hasn’t necessarily translated onto the field recently, many dominant seasons have taken place on the Forty Acres. Former Texas head coach Darrell K. Royal held the longest tenure (1957-76) of any coach in Austin, and he won three national titles along the way. He never had a losing season at Texas.
Mack Brown brought the program back to its former glory throughout his tenure from 1998-2013. He won one national title and three BCS Bowl games.
In terms of the most wins among Division 1 FBS programs, Texas lands at No. 4 in the country with 923 total wins. Only Alabama, Ohio State and Michigan sit ahead of them.
Despite all of their success, there are still seven particular programs that Texas has faced and failed to beat at least once.
Using Winsipedia, we’ve compiled a list of teams that the Longhorns haven’t beaten in their 126-year history. It includes three teams from the ACC, two teams from the Big Ten, one team from the SEC, and one team from the Mountain West.
Syracuse
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Texas has played Syracuse a total of three times (0-2-1). Their latest matchup came in 1993 which ended in a 21-21 tie. This was the second consecutive year in which the two teams would play. In 1992, Syracuse beat Texas in New York 31-21. However, the first matchup came in the 1960 Cotton Bowl where Ernie Davies caught the longest pass in Cotton Bowl history when he went 87 yards for the opening score. The No. 1 ranked Orangemen handed Texas their first loss of the season 23-14.
North Carolina State
AP Photo/Eric Gay
The lone matchup between Texas and NC State was not so memorable one for Longhorns fans. In August 1999, Major Applewhite and the 17th ranked Longhorns looked to get off to a hot start for the season. However, a swarming defense who sacked Applewhite four times and recorded three blocked punts said otherwise. It left 80,000 plus fans at DKR-Memorial Stadium in shock as the Wolfpack pulled off the 23-20 upset.
Virginia Tech
AP Photo/Bill Feig
In their lone matchup, the Hokies and Longhorns met in the 1995 Sugar Bowl on December 31, 1995. Rarely was the Sugar Bowl not played in January, but it was on this particular occasion. In fact, it was the first time since 1972 that it would be played in December. The Longhorns went to halftime with a 10-7 lead but ultimately lost 28-10.
Northwestern
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In 1942, the Northwestern Wildcats and Texas Longhorns faced off in an exhilarating 3-0 game. That was the Wildcats only win in their 1-9 season. The three points by Northwestern were the first points the Longhorns had given up through three games. They outscored their opponents 104-3 in that stretch.
Minnesota
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In 1936, the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Texas Longhorns met on November 14. The game was held at Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis. Texas fell to the eventual National Champions 47-16. It marked the Gophers’ third-straight National Championship. The two teams were set to play a home-and-home series starting in 2015 but it was cancelled.
Air Force
AP Photo/Richard Carson
The Texas Longhorns met Air Force for the first time in the 1985 Bluebonnet Bowl in Houston, Texas. The Longhorns lost that game 24-16 to give them their fourth-straight bowl game loss. After opening up the game 7-0, Air Force outscored Texas 24-9.
South Carolina
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
In 1957, the Texas Longhorns and South Carolina Gamecocks met in the third game of the season. Prior to this matchup, Texas defeated Georgia on the road before beating Tulane at home. This was the first season under Darrell K. Royal, South Carolina beat Texas 27-21.
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