From conference realignment to the beginning of the 12-team College Football Playoffs, the 2024 season starts a new era. The sport has already been rapidly changing between the introductions of NIL and the transfer portal, but now it will be on full display.
For the Texas Longhorns, joining the SEC and the playoff expansion could not have come at a better time. Going from the Big 12 to the SEC will be a major step up in competition, but the Longhorns have one of the two or three best rosters in college football next to Georgia and Ohio State and are much more equipped for the change than in years past.
Additionally, the expansion from four to 12 teams allows for Texas to drop a game against Georgia or Michigan without worrying about their postseason chances being ruined by one loss.
As a fan, the conference realignment makes for plenty of intriguing matchups on a week-to-week basis that wouldn’t have occurred in years past. For the Longhorns, the 2024 schedule is highlighted by a visit from the No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs and a return to the Lone Star Series with a trip to College Station to take on bitter in-state rivals the Texas A&M Aggies.
Both games combined with a trip to Michigan make for one of the toughest schedules in the entire country for [autotag]Steve Sarkisian[/autotag] and his staff.
Fox Sports CFB expert Joel Klatt is as excited as anyone about the changes coming to the sport. On his podcast ‘The Joel Klatt Show’, the former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback broke down the 10 games that will shape the 2024 season.
Klatt projects that Texas’ games against Michigan and Georgia are among the most important. With the Longhorns playing so many games on Fox, Klatt has covered as many Texas games over the past couple of years as anyone. The play-by-play announcer typically has a pretty good feel.
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