Tag: Five bold predictions

Alamo Bowl: Five bold predictions for Texas vs. Washington

Time to get BOLD.

No. 20 Texas is set for an Alamo Bowl matchup with No. 12 Washington on Thursday night.

The Longhorns are going to be without three key players as Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson and DeMarvion Overshown have opted out to prepare for the NFL Draft. Washington is at full strength with no players opting out; quarterback Michael Penix Jr announced he is returning for his senior year.

Washington enters the Alamo Bowl playing a high level of football down the stretch of the season. They are riding a six-game winning streak, scoring over 40 points per game over that span.

Texas currently sits as a slight favorite in the ballgame. The Horns are a three-point favorite over the Huskies. ESPN’s Football Power Index gives Texas a 75% chance to come out on top.

Here are five bold predictions for Texas’ showdown against Washington this Thursday. Expect a shootout between two of the top offensive attacks in college football.

Five bold predictions for Texas vs. Kansas

Expect a close battle between the two Big 12 foes.

The Longhorns find themselves in a “prove-it” game against Kansas this weekend. Continue reading “Five bold predictions for Texas vs. Kansas”

Five way-too-early predictions for Texas football in 2022

Texas has a chance to make some noise in a big way next year.

The first snap of the season is still over 200 days away, but it is never too early to make bold predictions when it comes to Texas.

The expectations are already emerging from the cracks, as 247Sports declared Texas as a team that has the chance to crash the playoffs.

While this team still has so many questions and answers that will resolve themselves, there are a few certainties going into the season. With the most glaring being the fact that Steve Sarkisian and his staff need to make major improvements after going 5-7 in the first season of the “all gas no brakes” era.

Sarkisian was able to bring in the No. 5 recruiting class while also adding a very talented group of transfers, with all but one of them having significant playing time. The lone transfer without experience is expected quarterback prodigy Quinn Ewers, who enrolled at Ohio State a year early with the highest ranking in recruiting history that just a handful of other players have achieved.

Needles to say, there is growing expectations from the fan base and the media that Texas will finally turn it around next season.

Here are my five bold and way-too-early predictions for 2022.

Five bold predictions for Texas’ final game of the season

It’s time to be BOLD.

The season is coming to a close, and the Longhorns are finishing nowhere near where most people expected.

Texas has been historically bad this season, as they are one game away from losing seven consecutive games. The Steve Sarkisian era has not been ‘All Gas, No Brakes’ as we thought it would be, and now the only thing Texas fans can do is look forward to next year and hope that the recruits and transfers brought in will actually change this program for the better.

Hosting Kansas State for the season finale is a tough matchup for Texas. The Wildcats have an electric running back in Deuce Vaughn, and a solid defense that can give the Longhorns trouble especially if Casey Thompson starts and continues to play like he has been.

At this point, this game should be used to get some younger players experience, and maybe sneak in some seniors like Kartik Akkihal to record a catch.

Amid Texas’ struggles, I’m still going to be bold for this matchup. Here are my final five bold predictions for the matchup with Kansas State.

Five Bold Predictions for Texas’ game against Oklahoma State

It’s time to be BOLD.

Texas is likely still licking their wounds after the Red River Showdown loss to Oklahoma. However, they need to get over blowing a 21-point lead because No. 12 Oklahoma State is in town this weekend.

While the loss to the Sooners may have hurt the spirit of Texas, they still can pave a way to the Big 12 championship game and potentially avenge that devastating loss.

Steve Sarkisian and his staff have been forced to make some changes. The offensive line group has continued to shuffle around and will once again look different against Oklahoma State. Texas also lost two players in wide receiver Jordan Whittington and defensive lineman Jacoby Jones to injuries.

The staff really needs to work with the both sides of the line, as Texas is being man-handled in the trenches. The offensive line gives up pocket busting pressure on every play causing Casey Thompson to make a decision much faster, and not allow for plays to develop, while Bijan Robinson has to do something crazy just to get out of the backfield.

Meanwhile, the Longhorns’ defensive line has been exposed by the run game all year, and going up against Oklahoma State running back Jaylen Warren, who receives about 30 carries a game, will be no easy task.

Taking all this into consideration, it is time for my weekly bold predictions. Last week, I went 3-of-5 in my Red River predictions. Let’s see if any of these will hit.

Five bold predictions for Texas’ matchup with Oklahoma

The best rivalry in college football is finally here, and it is time to be BOLD.

The Red River Rivalry is finally here, and both teams are vying to ascend to the top of the Big 12 rankings.

While Texas has picked up major momentum as of late thanks to the dominance of Heisman contender Bijan Robinson, Oklahoma has been somewhat underwhelming despite their perfect record.

This Oklahoma squad looks different than the one’s we have grown accustomed to recently. Instead of having a poor defense, it’s seems that their offense forgot how to be transcending. The Sooners’ offense has struggled against everyone, including sub .500 Big 12 teams to Group of Five schools.

Texas enters the Red River Showdown ranked as the No. 21 team in the nation, and a victory over Oklahoma would at least propel them into the top-15, whereas Oklahoma is ranked No. 6 at the moment and could possibly bounce back into the top four with a signature win this week.

This year’s Red River Showdown will feature two of college football’s best play callers in Steve Sarkisian and Lincoln Riley, and regardless of where the teams rank, this rivalry always has potential to be an instant classic.

It is time for my weekly bold predictions, and hopefully this is a bounce back week after the TCU predictions did not go so hot.

Five bold predictions for Texas’ matchup against Texas Tech

Time to be BOLD!

Texas will be taking on their in-state rival Texas Tech this weekend, and are looking to extend their current win streak to four consecutive wins.

The Red Raiders have gotten off to a hot start winning their first three matchups, and are hoping that Oregon quarterback transfer Tyler Shough can continue to find his groove. On the other hand, the Longhorns are looking to establish some consistency in their play, as they are in dire need of following up a solid performance against Rice with another one against a conference opponent.

This is the first Big 12 game of the season for Texas, and they are in what can be considered the beginning of the gauntlet on their schedule.

The team looked exceptional last week, but that was expected, as they were playing a very inferior Rice team. Texas Tech is a team that the Longhorns can and should beat, but they are team of quick explosions. The Red Raiders have gotten off to slow starts in all three of their games, but would eventually have an explosive quarter where they separated from their opponent, such as the second quarter against FIU when they scored 28 points.

This means if the Texas defense is unable to stop Texas Tech from scoring, the offense, now led by Casey Thompson, needs to be able to counter every score with a touchdown of their own. This game will be a good gauge of where Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense is, as Texas Tech has a very balanced offense and can hurt defenses with both the passing and ground game.

Considering all the factors mentioned, it is now time to be bold. Here are my weekly bold predictions for Texas’ Week 4 matchup against Texas Tech.

Five bold predictions for Texas’ game against Rice

Let’s get BOLD.

Just two games into the season, the Longhorns have already experienced what feels like a seasons worth of ups and downs.

Texas started the season hot out of the gates, beating a ranked Louisiana team by 20 points, which had the nation pondering if they were back. The Longhorns provided the answer the following week, when they got absolutely embarrassed by an unranked Arkansas team.

The stud redshirt freshman quarterback Hudson Card from the first game was no where to be found, as he was plagued by overthrows and always being on the run due to the offensive line getting consistently torn apart by a three-man front. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has decided that
Casey Thompson will now start for the Longhorns in Week 3 against Rice.

Whether or not Thompson benefited from the Arkansas defense being in prevent, and not having a specific game plan for him is yet to be seen. However, he produced two touchdowns against the Razorbacks and provided Texas with a spark that they seemed to be lacking.

The Rice matchup will be the first start of Thompson’s collegiate career and he is hoping to never let go of the job he once yearned for.

The rest of the team is looking to bounce back, as there was not a single positive aspect of the game outside of Thompson coming in and rushing for two touchdowns when Texas was down 33-7.

My bold predictions from last week did not go as planned by any means, as I was not expecting the Longhorns to be throttled the way they were. To keep the weekly tradition rolling, here are my five bold predictions for Texas’ matchup against Rice in Week 3.

Five bold predictions for Texas’ Week 2 matchup against Arkansas

It’s time to be BOLD.

Texas is feeling confident after their Week 1 thrashing of the No. 23 ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns.

They now have what could be a very tough road matchup taking place in Fayetteville against a much improved Arkansas team. It will be the first road start of redshirt freshman quarterback Hudson Card’s career and it happens to be among a sold out crowd.

Arkansas quarterback K.J. Jefferson got off to a rough start in the Razorbacks Week 1 game against Rice, but relied on his running ability to keep his team in the game.

Once he found a rhythm, he was able to utilize both the air and the ground to decimate Rice. He finished with 128 passing yards and one touchdown through the air, while adding on 89 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground. He will be anchored by a strong group of running backs led by Trelon Smith who rushed for a team-high 102 yards and a touchdown.

Slowing down this offense will be a great test to see how much the Texas defense has improved this offseason, as scrambling quarterbacks often gave the Longhorns issues in the past.

Steve Sarkisian’s offense will also look to keep their momentum rolling against a very strong and underrated Arkansas defense. It will not be easy, as although the Razorbacks were playing Rice, they were making life miserable for the Owls’ offense. Arkansas intercepted three passes in the fourth quarter to kill any hope of a comeback.

Although this is only Week 2, there plenty on the line for both schools, as this could give Texas a momentous win against an SEC team on the road with a young quarterback, or it can be a sign of emergence for an Arkansas team that has been down in the dumps for a while.

Each week on Longhorns Wire, I’ll come up with five bold predictions for the upcoming matchup. Against Louisiana, I hit on 2.5 of them. Will Card hit the 300 yard passing mark this week?