Going into the 2019 season, many thought Texas had a real shot at making the College Football Playoff. After a 7-5 season, the Longhorns are not in the playoff and are watching from the outside.
With the Alamo Bowl not happening until Dec. 31, Texas fans have to wait to watch their team play. To fill that time, they can watch the College Football Playoff semi-final games on Saturday as LSU plays Oklahoma and Ohio State squares off against Clemson.
Here is who Texas fans should be rooting for in Saturday’s semi-final games:
Peach Bowl – No. 1 LSU vs No. 4 Oklahoma
The Longhorns played both of these teams, hosting LSU in the second week of the season while playing Oklahoma in the annual Red River Shootout. They lost to both teams but played the Tigers closer than they did the Sooners. Quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts are phenomenal quarterbacks that should make this game exciting.
When it comes down to who Longhorn fans should be cheering for, the answer is simple. There is no conference pride when it comes to this game, LSU is the team to root for. Not only to see arch-rival Oklahoma lose but to potentially have a non-conference matchup against the defending national champion Tigers in September next season. As Coach Ed Orgeron would say “Go Tigers.”
Who to root for: LSU
Fiesta Bowl – No. 2 Ohio State vs No. 3 Clemson
Ohio State and Clemson square off in what should be one of the best playoff games in the CFP era. Texas has never faced the Tigers, but they have had some historic matchups against the Buckeyes. In the 2005 championship season, the Longhorns traveled to Colombus for a top-five matchup early in the season. The next year, it was No. 1 Ohio State vs No. 2 Texas in Austin, but the Buckeyes won that one.
The only other matchup between the two schools also came in the Fiesta Bowl. After both missing out on conference championships, Texas and Ohio State met for a classic BCS Bowl game. The Longhorns won via a Quan Cosby touchdown in the final minute, ending the 2008 season on a high note.
Since the Longhorns have played in some fun games against the Buckeyes, they are a good team to root for. Another key reason to root for Ohio State is that Texas just hired passing game coordinator Mike Yurcich as their offensive coordinator. Go Buckeyes!
Who to root for: Ohio State
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