Former LSU coach Brian Kelly picks Texas football as favorite to win 2026 national title

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Despite his firing at LSU last season, Brian Kelly will remain a voice within the college football universe.

This year, however, rather than pacing the sidelines with a headset on, he’s working as an analyst at CBS Sports.

In one of his first appearances in his new position, Kelly was asked who he favorites to win it all in 2026.

Who, you might ask?

The Texas Longhorns.

Per Kelly’s comments, that’s in large part due to his respect for head coach Steve Sarkisian’s ability to field stellar offenses, as well as the benefit of having redshirt junior quarterback Arch Manning returning as a starter under center.

Notably, Kelly also claims that the noise around Manning has quieted down this offseason (it hasn’t, really.) And for that reason, the lack of added pressure will only benefit the program as a whole as Texas football gets the regular season underway in the coming weeks.

You can check out Kelly’s comments for yourself below:

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