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Big 12 play begins in week three but an in-state battle highlights this week’s conference picks.
This week in the Big 12, there are some really intriguing matchups.
There are four in-state contests taking place, two Big 12-SEC matchups, the renewal of the Backyard Brawl, a border rivalry game, and two Big 12 squads looking to pick up their first wins of the season.
How have we done through the first two weeks of the season? Well, after a rough week one, we rallied in week two.
Get ready for Saturday with this week’s Big 12 predictions.
Rocky II: Texas gets a rematch with the champs of the last decade. We predict the game and more.
We are almost to what could be the biggest game of the college football regular season. The implications are endless. The No. 11 Texas Longhorns travel to Tuscaloosa to face the top team of the last decade and a half, the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide.
Texas limps into the game after a 37-10 win over the Rice Owls. And no, 37 points is not a satisfactory performance against a team like Rice.
The Longhorns entered the initial matchup against Alabama in the Nick Saban era in similar fashion. Prior to a national title clash between the two teams, Texas snuck past the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the 2009 Big 12 championship game. Texas won the game 13-12 on a walk off field goal.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and company enter this game with as much doubt at that Longhorns squad if not more. Albeit, while it was a dynasty ending game for Texas that season, this year’s match could start a reversal of fortunes for the two teams.
Let’s predict the top games of Week 2.
The quality of football has increased from Week 0 to Week 1.
College football is back in full swing after an ugly Week 0. The Utah Utes kicked off the weekend against the Florida Gators in what was the first premier matchup of the football season.
Utah handled its business without starting quarterback Cam Rising. With Rising out with injury, a two-man platoon at quarterback effectively moved the Utes’ offense. In addition, the Utes imposed their will on Florida defensive fronts that looked below SEC standards.
Saturday features several big games. The No. 16 ranked TCU Horned Frogs play host to Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes in what should be a lopsided matchup in favor of TCU. It will, however, be must-see TV with curiosity over what Sanders and company will look like on a big stage.
The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 10 Washington Huskies have relatively tough challenges. The Huskies face Group of Five powerhouse Boise State while the Buckeyes open Big Ten play on the road at Indiana.
Let’s predict some games of interest for Texas faithful.
We rank the 10 best playoff contenders.
The Texas Longhorns are seeing College Football Playoff hype. And while it’s somewhat out of hand the team does have a playoff ceiling.
Several positions stand out for the team. Wide receiver, offensive line, tight end and cornerback are particularly strong. Quarterback, linebacker and interior defensive line should be at least solid if not very good. It’s Texas’ completeness and depth that make it worthy of playoff consideration.
Even so, there are several other teams who can vie for a playoff appearance. Most of them have more proof of concept than Texas in the way of wins and losses. Georgia, Ohio State and Michigan are a given, but multiple other contenders are worthy of consideration.
With the above in mind, here is our College Football Playoff power ranking for Week 1.
We predict the Big 12 championship game among others.
We are through the first week of fall camp across the country as we inch closer to the 2023 season. College football media continue to beat the drum for Texas as the season approaches.
We noticed earlier this week that 247Sports is high on the Longhorns heading into the year. Both Chris Hummer and Brad Crawford have Texas winning 10 games this season. Crawford went as far as saying that Alabama would lose to Texas at home and fail to win 10 games.
While we won’t predict a three-loss season for Alabama, the general feeling among burnt orange faithful and many national media members is the Longhorns can beat the Tide. That’s certainly our present take on the game.
As prognosticators continue to forecast the season, we look at who will play in Power Five conference championship games. Let’s look at potential conference title matchups for the 2023 season.
The Longhorns might be the default Big 12 playoff candidate, but they shouldn’t be in the top tier of playoff contenders.
The college football season is under two months away. The anticipatory part of talking season is reaching a fever pitch.
Some outlets are confidently predicting the Texas Longhorns to reach the College Football Playoff. We’re not going to do that. We will put into perspective where the team lands among college football teams heading into the season.
I’ve been steadfast in predicting that the Longhorns will upset Alabama, go 10-2 and win the Big 12 championship. Those seem like realistic marks given the production the team returns.
One could argue there aren’t any Big 12 wide receivers better than Xavier Worthy, AD Mitchell and Isaiah Neyor. Certainly there isn’t a better tight end than Ja’Tavion Sanders, linebacker than Jaylan Ford or offensive tackle than Kelvin Banks in this league.
Because Texas likely has the best wide receiver, tight end, offensive line and secondary units in the Big 12, it’s hard to argue against the team winning the conference. But where do they land in the big picture of college football?
Here’s a look at our college football tiers for the 2023 season.
Pound-for-pound these Longhorns should be the most dominant against the opponents across from them.
The Texas Longhorns are going to dominate opposition at times in 2023. They have the personnel to get it done. Several physical and experienced players return for the Longhorns with a couple of significant portal additions.
Defensive tackle has been a strength for the team in recent seasons. Despite losing Keondre Coburn and Moro Ojomo to the NFL draft, the same should be true for the Longhorns this season. Byron Murphy, T’Vondre Sweat, Alfred Collins and Minnesota transfer Trill Carter make for a solid two-deep rotation up front.
Many view the Texas offensive line as one that cannot get a push. That isn’t necessarily the case. Certainly, the team’s most physically imposing players are simply on the outside at offensive tackles. The interior linemen are more technically savvy players.
Players on the outside can dominate, too. Texas saw that firsthand with Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Collin Johnson at receiver in 2018.
Here’s a look at eight Texas players who should be able to impose their will on opponents this season.
National college football analyst details what makes Texas so different this year than in past seasons.
Several college football analysts are buying into the Texas Longhorns heading into the 2023 season. Late Kick podcast host Josh Pate continues to hype the team ahead of a monumental season for the program.
On Tuesday, Pate shared that the heavyweight fight between Texas and Alabama is “pay-per-view’esque.” That’s not all that he has to say about the Longhorns ahead of the season.
Pate said the following about Texas’ ability to combat depth concerns other teams face.
“They’re not going to be one of those programs that is vulnerable to QB1 going down and poverty elsewhere in the room. If it happened this year, they’d have Maalik Murphy and Arch Manning there waiting to play.”
Maalik Murphy is a huge reason why Texas might be immune to the falloff the rival Oklahoma Sooners endured last season when Dillon Gabriel went down. Murphy is a big piece of the Longhorns’ championship puzzle. If he is as cerebral and accurate as the spring game indicated, Texas has perhaps two of the five best quarterbacks in the Big 12.
"They're not going to be one of those programs that is vulnerable to QB1 going down and poverty elsewhere in the room. If it happened this year, they'd have Maalik Murphy and Arch Manning there waiting to play."@LateKickJosh breaks down Texas ahead of the 2023 season đ pic.twitter.com/sUBFD4km1H
— 247Sports (@247Sports) June 13, 2023
Texas is listed as one of the Top 10 offensive lines in college football.
If you’re looking for substance to latch onto with the 2023 Texas football team look no further than the offensive line. For the first time in recent memory the team can count on reliable play up front.
Grant Hughes of 247Sports took notice of the unit ranking the Longhorns in the Top 10 of his best offensive line groups in the nation. The ranking is believable given what the team returns.
Veteran center Jake Majors and right tackle Christian Jones made significant strides last season. After struggling through their first few seasons in Austin, both players were dependable and at times excellent up front.
The team had several calf-sized linemen that you can expect will develop into full grown Longhorns. Left tackle Kelvin Banks was not one of those players as he looked like a man among boys even as a freshman.
Hayden Conner and Cole Hutson played well for the team at guard rounding out one of the best pass blocking units in the country last season. All five starters return for the team.
Here’s a look at Hughes’ top offensive lines in college football.
Could Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M all have breakout seasons this year? One writer thinks so.
Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M could all be good at the same time according to one college football writer. 247Sports’ Raymond Lucas Jr. listed each team among his eight breakout candidates for the 2023 season.
It’s usually rare that all three teams would play quality football in the same season. When two succeed, the other is likely to have a down year. The 2023 season is a rare occasion in which it’s possible, if not likely, that each team reaches eight-or-more wins.
Texas has the most proven roster of the three as they return a particularly strong and high floor offensive line, tight end, receiver room and secondary. They also return one of the best linebackers in the country in Jaylan Ford.
Oklahoma retooled its roster significantly over the offseason with several impact additions. While the team is still lean at defensive tackle, cornerback, offensive line and wide receiver, they should be able to out-talent their schedule on a consistent basis. The Sooners will be especially dominant if their starters can stay healthy.
Texas A&M has perhaps the most impactful quarterback of the three in Conner Weigman. That he was able to excel in head coach Jimbo Fisher’s quarterback-unfriendly offense speaks to his impact for the team. The new offensive system should bring more success for Weigman in 2023.
Here’s a look at Lucas’ rationale for his breakout selections.
