We find ourselves in that fun time of the calendar where we try to project what will happen in the next season based on preseason projections, and of course, spring football rumors.
As usual, there are plenty of positives coming out of Austin in regards to how Texas will improve, and while this seems to be a yearly event it likely has some truth behind it. For starters, it is hard to get worse than how Texas played in 2021, and when you consider the major haul of talent that the Longhorns were able to bring in this offseason there is no excuse for them to play as poorly as last season.
There are still uncertainties such as who will win the quarterback battle, how will the offensive line look, and if they will be able to generate pressure on the quarterback. Even with all these concerns, 247Sports still believes the Longhorns will be able to turn around their misfortune from this past season and make a bowl game.
They projected Texas to make an appearance in the Texas Bowl against Kentucky. Here is their reasoning behind this bowl selection:
These two programs have only played once all-time, that coming in 1951 (a 7-6 slugfest in Austin won by the Longhorns). Steve Sarkisian’s team is inside the preseason top 25 according to most way-too-early polls, while the Wildcats are in a similar position this spring and won 10 games last fall. For Texas, climbing out of the 5-win cellar has to happen for the current regime. Keep an eye on Bijan Robinson, who could win the Doak Walker.
It is unclear what this team’s ceiling truly is as it is unlikely that they won’t at least attempt to nab some more transfers, and we obviously have yet to see them play. A bowl game appearance would certainly be an improvement over 2021.
With the Big 12 up for grabs and Texas able to keep it close with the top teams last season, the Longhorns may have a legitimate chance to make a Big 12 title game appearance.
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