The Texas football program and its fans are expecting a big season with bountiful results from first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian.
However, in ESPN’s latest bowl projections for the 2021 season, they did not foresee Sarkisian’s squad making a significant jump this year. ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach predicted who would be playing in every bowl game, and when it came to Texas, it’s a song that Longhorn fans are all to familiar with at the moment.
Both Bonagura and Schlabach predicted that Texas would be making their third consecutive Alamo Bowl appearance against one of Steve Sarkisian’s former coaching stops in the Washington Huskies. This would not only be the third straight appearance, but also the sixth Alamo Bowl appearance for Texas since 2006.
Granted, the Longhorns have done well in the Alamo Bowl going 4-1 since 2006, but the program likely has their eyes set on a bigger picture. Texas lost three games last season by a combined 13 points. They were a fumble away against TCU, a decisive decision not to go for two against Oklahoma, and a missed field goal against Iowa State from the season being completely different.
Sarkisian is fresh off a national championship with Alabama that saw the Crimson Tide posses one of the most prolific offenses in the nation, and is hoping that his success will translate to Austin.
There is no margin for error, as the Longhorns are tasked with one of the toughest schedules in the nation, but the program and the fans are likely shooting for a New Year’s Six game at the very least in comparison to another Alamo Bowl appearance.