Tag: College Football Playoff preview

WATCH: The mission continues for Texas football against Washington

The Texas Longhorns cross into uncharted waters against Washington in the College Football Playoff.

We have arrived to Sugar Bowl game day. Texas fans have waited for the day for nearly a month. College football fans have waited for the game for nearly a year. It’s time for the College Football Playoff.

The playoff is uncharted territory for the Texas football program. It is the first time the team has played in the four-team tournament since its inception in 2014.

Texas football released a hype video to commemorate the big moment and highlight the opportunity ahead for the team. With a win, the Longhorns move to play the national title game in their own backyard in Houston. What lies ahead for the team overshadows what it has already accomplished.

The 2023 season is a success for Texas. The team ran Alabama out of its own building in Week 2 before going 12-1 and winning the Big 12 championship. But Texas isn’t as interested in what it did in the past as what it could do moving forward.

The journey for Texas has been successful, but the mission isn’t finished. The team will look to advance one game further with a win over Washington.

Washington AD took shot at Texas in comments earlier this year

“If budgets won championships, Ohio State and Texas would win everything — and they haven’t won much lately.”

The Washington Huskies’ athletic director has a chip on his shoulder about big brands in college football. Earlier this year, Washington AD Troy Dannen took a shot at a couple of those big brands. Texas caught a stray punch in the process.

Dannen said the following about teams who have bigger athletic budgets than Washington.

“If budgets won championships, Ohio State and Texas would win everything — and they haven’t won much lately.”

Washington hasn’t exactly been the model of success in college football. The team last won a national title in 1991. Their only other title came in 1960. That Dannen felt emboldened enough to bash the Ohio State Buckeyes is an interesting move as the Buckeyes have been one of the three or four best programs of the last decade. The Buckeyes have made five playoff appearances and won a national title over that span.

The other team Dannen mocked stands as Washington’s next opponent. As if the team needed more motivation, the Texas Longhorns have an opportunity to avenge last season’s bowl loss to the Huskies and reach the national title game.

Do recruiting budgets win national titles? High budget programs have certainly had the most success over the last decade despite Texas’ struggles since 2010. Perhaps Washington can buck the trend. We’ll see if the Huskies can cash Dannen’s check in this season’s playoff.

Looking at teams who have won a playoff game since 2014

Texas can become the eighth program to secure a win in a four-team playoff on Monday.

Texas can join elite company with a win on Monday. Seven teams have won a game in the College Football Playoff. The Longhorns will look to become the eighth with a win on New Year’s Day.

The Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers have enjoyed the most success in the playoff era. Georgia joins the trio of teams who have won two College Football Playoff titles in the decade of the four-team tournament’s existence. The Crimson Tide will look to add to its domination of the four-team playoff with a fourth national title if it wins it all this year.

Several playoff participants have not won a game in the tournament. Michigan is 0-2 in the playoff while Washington lost its first game in its only playoff berth. Oklahoma, Michigan and Notre Dame are the only three to have made multiple trips to the playoff without winning a game.

Here’s a look at the seven teams who have won a playoff game since 2014.

NFL bound Texas players prepare for one shot to make national title

It’s now or never for some Longhorns and their chances of playing in a national championship.

You only get one shot. It’s a reality that has or will soon likely cross the mind of several Texas players as they head into the College Football Playoff semifinal in New Orleans. Seniors and NFL departures will only get one shot to play in a national championship.

That one shot takes place in less than a week. The Longhorns will face the undefeated Washington Huskies for the right to a spot in the national title game in Houston. A journey that for many of the team’s players started in Texas can end in Texas if the team takes care of business in New Orleans.

Multiple Longhorns have left a strong legacy at Texas. Veteran wide receiver Jordan Whittington didn’t quit despite an injury-riddled first half of his career. Defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat changed his personal narrative from a high-potential player to a maximized potential player in his final season. Yet there is still more legacy building potential left on the table.

Just two Texas Longhorns squads have played in a national title game since 2000: the 2005 national championship team and the 2009 runner-up. The 2023 squad can become the third, and frankly become the most beloved of the three for many who endured the last 14 years of mediocrity.

This year’s team can do something special, but will only get one shot as currently constructed. They will aim to make the most of the opportunity on Monday.

Sugar Bowl Preview: Is Washington due to lose its next one score game?

Playing another one score game might not be in Washington’s favor.

The Washington Huskies could be due for regression in a one score matchup. Washington like Texas has played with fire several times this season. Unlike the Longhorns this season, the Huskies have never been burned.

Washington is 13-0, but nearly half of their games have been decided by one score. The Huskies are 6-0 in games decided by eight points or less including four games decided by three points or less.

In contrast, Texas has gone 3-1 in its four one score games. Two of those games were decided by three points.

You can look at the above stats in a couple ways. In one sense, Washington is clearly better in one score battles. On the other hand, the team could be due for regression because of their high volume of one score wins.

The Huskies have won each of their last three games by three points or less. Over that stretch, they defeated Oregon State (22-20), Washington State (24-21) and Oregon (34-31) in succession. We won’t suggest that they limped into the playoff, but the team certainly proved vulnerable.

Monday’s game could unfold in any number of ways. Certainly, the quarterback advantage leans heavily to Washington’s veteran quarterback Michael Penix. Nevertheless, Texas could be the game in which the team’s one score win streak ends.

It’s Anybody’s Playoff: Competitive games in store for New Year’s Day

It’s possible any of the four playoff teams could win the title this year.

We approach arguably the most competitive playoff since the first one in 2014. Each of the four teams seem capable of winning a national championship.

We could be in store for the most entertaining postseason of the playoff era. Texas and Washington are both primed to set off offensive fireworks in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. Alabama and Michigan will battle to impose their will on the other in the Rose Bowl.

Michigan has been better than any team in the country at controlling close matchups. The Wolverines won several defensive battles late in the year, and should be comfortable in close fourth quarter games.

Opposite Michigan is an Alabama team with perhaps the most difficult to defend quarterback in the playoff in Jalen Milroe. The gifted dual threat will be unlike anything Michigan has faced this year.

In the other game, Texas has better offensive weapons, better defense and better overall talent than Washington. Albeit, the Huskies might have the best player in the game in starting quarterback Michael Penix.

Any of the four can win it all. The field will cut from four teams to two on New Year’s Day.

Game prep for Washington intensifies with under a week until playoff

Intensity ramps up to 10/10 this week for the Texas football team.

It’s time. Distractions behind, and with holidays, recruiting and the transfer portal in the rear view, Texas’ game with the Washington Huskies is now within sight.

It’s game week for the Longhorns although the team will have a rare Monday night showdown on its hands. The team will take on Washington at 7:45 p.m. CT on Jan. 1 with a trip to the national championship on the line.

No matter how focused Texas’ preparation for the game has been to this point, it’s human nature to raise the level of mental energy during game week. Ideally, the Longhorns should already know to some degree what vulnerabilities they want to attack. This week, they will practice executing that plan of attack when they take the field.

Undoubtedly, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian will have a few tendency breakers up his sleeve. It’s conceivable that defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski will similarly work in concert with Sarkisian to build an early advantage.

It’s time for the Longhorns to put the finishing touches on a winning game plan. All that’s left for fans to do is wait, but that wait won’t be long.

Texas will take the field in just under a week on New Year’s Day.