The expectations couldn’t be higher for the Texas Longhorns heading into the 2024 college football season. And the anticipation for the upcoming season is right up there as well.
Coming off their first Big 12 title since 2009, the Longhorns head to a loaded SEC along with long-time rivals, the Oklahoma Sooners. There is also the return of old conference matchups with the Arkansas Razorbacks and the return of the Lone Star Showdown with the Texas A&M Aggies.
The season is much more than just getting an opportunity to stick it to old rivals, Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian have national championship aspirations. This might be the best chance the Longhorns have had in recent years. Quarterback Quinn Ewers returns for a third year as the starter along with a bevy of talented receivers, tight ends, and running backs. Simply put the offense is loaded.
There is plenty of young and veteran talent on the defensive side of the ball. Losing linebacker Jaylan Ford along with defensive tackles Byron Murphy II and T’Vondre Sweat are massive for this team. Roles for Anthony Hill Jr, Colin Simmons, Jermayne Lole, and Tiaoaalii Savea should help alleviate the losses. Pete Kwiatkowksi’s defense should be ready to roll in 2024.
Worst Case for Texas in 2024
What CBS Sports Says…
Texas could see a bit of a drop off if it can’t handle the weekly rigors of an SEC schedule. It isn’t hard to fathom three losses — a worst-case scenario for which most programs can only hope — if everything goes wrong. Despite what Michigan may have lost, the Wolverines should still have one of the nation’s most ferocious defenses, and it’s never easy to win in Ann Arbor. And then there’s Georgia, which has been the toughest out in the SEC over the past few seasons. Those are two potential losses right there. Oklahoma always presents a tough challenge, and Texas’ regular-season finale reviving the rivalry against Texas A&M could be a sneaky upset pick with emotions sure to fly high. First-year Aggies coach Mike Elko will be gunning hard for a cornerstone win within the friendly confines of Kyle Field on which to build his program.
As Backus states, the Longhorns could at worst be 9-3 after year one in the SEC. That might still be good enough to land in the College Football Playoffs expanded field. There will be a lot of teams wishing that was their worst case scenario.
Best case for Texas in 2024
What CBS Sports Says…
Texas could take this thing all the way to a national title. The Longhorns are already a trendy pick to compete for an SEC championship and seem about as close as one can get to a lock for a return to the College Football Playoff. Coach Steve Sarkisian has this program firing on all cylinders, with elite recruiting and a steady build towards a national breakout finally paying off in 2023. QB Quinn Ewers is back to lead an offense bolstered by key receiver transfers, a rising star in running back CJ Baxter and an offensive line loaded with talent. An early road game against a rebuilt Michigan team could set the tone for the year, while an October home game against Georgia gives Texas the opportunity to announce its arrival to the SEC in grand fashion.
I think the best-case scenario is a return to the College Football Playoffs and securing the national title for the first time since the 2005-2006 season. Texas has the talent on offense and defense, the big key will be the new additions to the team. Can the wide receivers match the output of last year’s team and can the defense get to the quarterback consistently? If both occur, there is a confidence that Texas could return to the title game picture.