Texas Is Poised To Make The Playoffs Their First Year In The SEC

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The Texas Longhorns FINALLY make the long awaited jump from the Big 12 to the SEC this fall fresh off an appearance in the College Football Playoffs. Head Coach Steve Sarkisian has the Longhorns rollin' in the NIL era taking advantage of the school's unlimited resources & money. Third year QB Quinn Ewers is a Heisman front runner too.

There are many reasons for optimism in Austin going into the season. Can the Longhorns make the playoffs again? Let's take a look at the key questions facing Texas. 

1) Can the offense replace all the skill guys who went to the NFL?

Texas lost a ton on offesne. RB Jonathan Brooks, WRs Xavier Worthy & AD Mitchell, and TE Ja'Tovion Sanders were all high NFL Draft picks and the cupboard must be reloaded. Texas also already lost projected starting RB CJ Baxter for the season in camp. 

Not surprisingly, the Longhorns spent money in the transfer portal bringing in stud WR Isiah Bond (Alabama), Matthew Golden (Houston) along with an Oregon State WR & an Alabama TE to fill the holes. Texas also has two young 5 star WRs on the roster who could break out. 

Luckily they do not have to worry about the offensive line anchored by junior left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. This group is talented & experienced. The offense should be fine and Ewers is primed for a huge final season in the burnt orange.

2) Can the defense replace the stud defensive linemen?

Texas had an incredible front 7 last year allowing only 82 yards a game. The Horns lost 1st & 2nd round picks to the Draft in T'Vondre Sweat & Byron Murphy who anchored the line. Replacing these guys will not be an easy task although Alfred Collins does look promising. They also brought in UTSA transfer Trey Moore (14 sacks) to boost the pass rush. 

All Big 12 LB Jaylan Ford is also gone but Anthony Hill is a rising star so they should be fine at LB. The bigger question is the porous secondary that got torched last year in the Big 12. This unit looked bad in the spring game too. Luckily, Texas dodges most of the high powered SEC offenses other than Oklahoma & Georgia on the schedule.

3) Can Texas take advantage of a favorable SEC schedule?

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Oklahoma fans have to be PISSED when comparing their schedule to Texas. The Horns open with a cake walk against Colorado State before a huge road trip to Ann Arbor to face the defending national champs. Michigan is rebuilding some this year with a new coaching staff & QB which helps them escape with a big road win.

The Longhorns will have no problems the next 3 weeks with easy home wins over UTSA, ULM & Mississippi State in their SEC opener. They will be riding high into the first bye week.

All bets are off on October 12th for the Red River Shootout against Oklahoma. Who the hell knows when these two teams get together? All the games go to the wire. Look out if Texas pulls this one out & I think they can. Georgia comes to Austin the next week in what will be the biggest home game in Austin possibly ever. I have Texas splitting the Oklahoma & UGA games but have no idea which one they win or lose.

The Longhorns catch a break in the schedule with an easy road win at Vandy. They should take care of Florida at home in a shoot out before traveling to Arkansas in November which is always dicey especially if it is cold. That is an old rivalry game that goes back to the Southwest Conference. Arkansas could be in shambles by then & Texas gets it done.

The Longhorns handle Kentucky at home to go into College Station for the renewal of the bitter rivalry with Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night. I believe the Aggies will be super charged and poised to pull the mild upset at Kyle Field but Texas still finishes 10-2 to make the playoffs again behind a monster season from Quinn Ewers.

The good times are rollin' in Austin these days……