When was the last time Texas won a national championship in football?

The Longhorns have been waiting to get their hands on another crystal football.

Oct 18, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Vince Young stands with the AFCA Coaches’ Trophy at Vince Young Steakhouse. The trophy is presented by US LBM and awarded to the national champion and number one team in the US LBM coaches poll. Young played for the Texas Longhorns and helped the team bring home the trophy at the end of the 2005 season. Texas is currently ranked No. 1 in the latest poll. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images / Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns would love to add a national title to their trophy cabinet this year. They'll have to get through a gauntlet in the College Football Playoff to do so.

The last time they raised the championship trophy, there was no playoff. There were no iPhones. AI was a science fiction concept. Arch Manning was in diapers, not even a year old.

It's been a while, but the Longhorns aren't so far from getting there again.

Texas last won a national championship in 2005

The last time Texas won a national championship was in the 2005 season. A win in the 2006 Rose Bowl over USC gave Mack Brown and his team bragging rights over everyone else in college football.

That Rose Bowl game was an instant classic, immediately considered one of the greatest games ever played. The Longhorns and Trojans battled back and forth until Vince Young ran in the game-winning touchdown with 19 seconds remaining.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was USC's quarterbacks coach back then. Now it's his job to bring the Longhorns back to glory.

There have been lean times since then. Before Sarkisian, Tom Herman and Charlie Strong hardly sniffed national contention. The final eight years of Brown's tenure were ultimately fruitless. Texas played for the national title in 2009, but they fell to Alabama at the dawn of the Nick Saban dynasty.

List of Texas claimed national championships

Overall, Texas claims four national championships.

Year (Record)	Coach	Selectors
1963 (11-0)	Darrell Royal	AP, FWAA, NFF, Coaches
1969 (11-0)	Darrell Royal	AP, FWAA, NFF, Coaches, Nixon
1979 (10-1)	Darrell Royal	NFF (co-champ), Coaches
2005 (13-0)	Mack Brown	BCS, AP, FWAA, NFF, Coaches

In addition to those claimed, the Longhorns were also declared champions by some selectors in 1914 under David Allerdice; 1941 under Dana Bible; 1968 under Royal; and 1977 and 1981 under Fred Akers.

Texas record in the College Football Playoff

Texas is 1-1 in the College Football Playoff all-time.

They had to wait until the 2023 season to get their shot at a title under the playoff format. As the No. 3 seed, they fell to No. 2 Washington in the 2024 Sugar Bowl.

The Longhorns got their first CFP victory in 2024. They beat Clemson in the 5-12 matchup to advance to the quarterfinals.

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