Even with the College Football Playoff expansion not happening for the foreseeable future, fans of the sport still fantasize about what it could look like one day.
With March Madness upon us, ESPN took the liberty of crafting a 64-team playoff for the 2022 season using the most recent SP+ predictions.
Starting off with seeding, the Longhorns ranked as a No. 9 seed with teams such as LSU, UCLA, and Minnesota. They were slotted in the Southern Region, and took on No. 8 Florida State in the opening round.
Similar to the men’s basketball team this past week, ESPN has Texas advancing to the second round. Here is the reasoning behind their upset over Florida State:
Florida State last won a national championship in 2013 and Texas in 2005. Both fan bases are clamoring for another, but the Longhorns keep their hopes alive in the best game of the tournament so far. Bijan Robinson scores the game-winner on a 24-yard touchdown run with 35 seconds to play.
It will be a short lived journey in the expanded college football playoff for the Longhorns, as after their first round win, they are slated to play Alabama for what would be the second time of the season.
Steve Sarkisian goes up against his old boss, and it goes the way most of the games have gone when Nick Saban faces one of his former assistants. Alabama’s defense holds its second straight opponent to one offensive touchdown to move into the Sweet 16.
While this is a fictional tournament, it does show the belief that Texas should have a bounce back season after their abysmal 5-7 finish in 2021.
Sarkisian and the fan base alike are hopeful that the new additions headlined by Ohio State transfer Quinn Ewers can spark the momentum that this program so badly needs.