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With the 2020 college football season winding down for the Texas Longhorns, the staff makes their pick for a dream bowl matchup.
The national media has commonly projected the Longhorns to compete in the Texas Bowl after the regular season concludes. Continue reading “Texas Football: Staff makes their selections for dream bowl scenario”
With three games remaining in the 2020 college football season for the Texas Longhorns, the staff makes their bowl game predictions.
Texas’ 2020 season is just three weeks away from its conclusion. Depending on how the next few weeks finish, the Longhorns could add a fourth game on their schedule if they’re able to make the Big 12 Championship in Arlington, Texas at AT&T Stadium.
Projections have varied from week to week for head coach Tom Herman’s squad. Last season Texas played in the Alamo Bowl for the third time since 2010, could this year be No. 4?
The Longhorns are currently in a position where they could play in a wide range of bowl games this year. The defense has played much better as of late, the offense just needs to catch up to give them an opportunity to win out and play for the Big 12 Championship.
Bowl Projection: Texas vs USC, Alamo Bowl
CFP Top 4: Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson and Ohio State
I don’t have enough confidence in a Tom Herman squad to believe that they’ll win the next three games on the schedule. It’s certainly possible, but even if that’s the case — I don’t see them winning the Big 12 Championship game against either Oklahoma or Oklahoma State. If the Longhorns finish with three or four losses on the year, the Texas Bowl sounds fitting.
Bowl Projection: Texas vs. Auburn, Texas Bowl
CFP Top 4: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Notre Dame
I have decided to be optimistic and predict Texas to beat their final three opponents and make a Big 12 championship appearance. Sadly, the winning stops there when Oklahoma State gets revenge over the Longhorns and win the Big 12 title. As a one-loss Big 12 champion, the Cowboys would make the College Football Playoff and leave a New Year’s Six spot open.
Texas’ 2018 run is eerily similar, finishing 10-3 and winning the Sugar Bowl. I think this season will be similar but with the Sugar Bowl being semifinal this season, the Cotton Bowl will have to do.
Bowl Projection: Texas vs. Texas A&M, Cotton Bowl
CFP Top 4: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma State
Kyle Bonagura: Texas vs. Arkansas in the Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium (Houston)
Mark Schlabach: Texas vs. LSU in the Texas Bowl
ESPN projects UT will get their rematch against LSU in the Texas Bowl. It will be the second year in a row the two schools face each other.
Despite not looking their greatest this season, the Texas Longhorns have pulled off three consecutive victories against Baylor, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia.
Head coach Tom Herman has been able to turn the season around after starting 0-2 in conference play.
While a Big 12 championship appearance is still not out of the question, Texas still has two difficult matchups in Iowa State and Kansas State after facing Kansas in two weeks. Because of this, ESPN’s bowl projections still do not have the Longhorns in a top tier bowl game.
Instead, ESPN projects Texas will finally get their rematch against the LSU Tigers in the Texas Bowl. The Tigers beat the Longhorns in Austin 45-38 in one of the games of the seasons in 2019. The two teams were scheduled to face each other in Sept. at LSU, but COVID-19 had other ideas.
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The Tigers have had a rough beginning to their 2020 season. Trying to replace over 20 starters from their national championship roster, the turnover has caused struggles for head coach Ed Orgeron. Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson, and Ja’Marr Chase were all players who tore up Texas and are no longer with the program.
LSU currently sits at 2-3 with wins over Vanderbilt and South Carolina. The losses have come against Mississippi State, Missouri, and Auburn.
ESPN throws in a second projection, saying Texas will face another SEC opponent in Arkansas. Old Southwest Conference rivals, if the Longhorns and Razorbacks face each other, it would be a tune-up game for 2021’s matchup in Fayetteville.
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Texas still has an opportunity to move up into a more prestigious bowl game with wins in their final three games. As things stand, the best scenario for Texas is still a New Year’s Six bowl as Big 12 champions.
However, a more realistic scenario is the Longhorns ending up exactly where they are right now. In the Texas Bowl against a decent to below average SEC opponent.
Bowl games are all about fun matchups. Facing off against either LSU or Arkansas would provide plenty of headlines.
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The annual bowl games are one of the biggest draws for many networks in the annual postseason games. Their dates and times announced.
As the season moves on we edge ever so much closer to Bowl Season.
Continue reading “2020-21 Bowl Games: Times and dates announced”
Texas will compete in the Texas Bowl against a familiar foe in ESPN’s latest bowl projections.
On Monday, a short clip surfaced on Twitter of Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman stating that Texas is more widely viewed as their main rival than Texas A&M is. Continue reading “ESPN Bowl Projections: Texas to face their apparent ‘rivals’ from the SEC”
There were multiple links between the Texas A&M Aggies and Houston Rockets during Friday’s college football bowl game at NRG Stadium.
Houston Rockets center Clint Capela is doubtful for Saturday’s game versus Brooklyn due to a right heel contusion, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have some fun as his foot heals.
On Friday night, Capela served as the honorary coin toss captain for the Texas Bowl football game at Houston’s NRG Stadium between Texas A&M University and Oklahoma State University.
Besides being on the field for the coin toss, those duties also allowed Capela to watch the game from the sidelines. Though the 25-year-old grew up as a soccer fan in Switzerland, he seems to be entertained by American football as well.
Clint Capela (@CapelaClint) is the honorary Coin Toss Captain for the @TexasBowl tonight between Texas A&M and Oklahoma State. #Rockets
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) December 27, 2019
Hmm 🤔 @TexasBowl pic.twitter.com/t6nMYHwHLZ
— Clint Capela (@CapelaClint) December 28, 2019
Judging by videos posted to the stories section of his Instagram page, Capela seems to have been cheering for Texas A&M — whose campus in College Station is less than 100 miles from the Rockets’ home at Toyota Center in downtown Houston.
The Aggies (8-5) ultimately won the game over the Cowboys, 24-21, with the football program’s Instagram account acknowledging Capela’s support as the game drew to a close.
Aggies had the Clint Capela blessing tonight. #TexasBowl #Rockets pic.twitter.com/ATRDtRqxJF
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) December 28, 2019
On the basketball court, Capela is averaging 13.9 points (64.2% shooting), 14.4 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 33.6 minutes per game for the Rockets (21-10) this season.
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Capela wasn’t the only link between the Rockets and Aggies, though. Braden Mann — a punter and kickoff specialist who won the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s top collegiate punter a year ago — did his pregame workouts on the field wearing a new James Harden City jersey.
Depending on travel schedules, it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if some within the Texas A&M program enjoy an extended weekend in Houston and take in the home Rockets game Saturday night at Toyota Center against the Nets. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. Central.
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There are seven players that the Los Angeles Chargers will likely be watching at the Texas Bowl.
The Los Angeles Chargers were one of several teams confirmed to be in attendance for the Texas Bowl between the Texas A&M Aggies and Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Scouts in attendance for #TexasBowl according to the media press box chart:
Los Angeles Chargers
Oakland Raiders
Pittsburgh Steelers
Buffalo Bills
WashingtonKickoff will be at 5:45 p.m.
— Cole Thompson (@MrColeThompson) December 27, 2019
Here are a few players in this game that will likely be on the Chargers radar:
QB Kellen Mond
WR Quartney Davis
WR Kendrick Rodgers
WR Jhamon Ausbon
RB Chuba Hubbard
WR Tylan Wallace
CB A.J. Green
ESPN is projecting Texas to face Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl. It would be the first time they would play since the rivalry ended in 2011.
In ESPN’s latest bowl projection, Mark Schlabach projects one of the country’s best rivalry not only to come back but to be played in Houston, TX. Schlabach thinks the Longhorns will face off against former in-state rival Texas A&M in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl on Dec. 27.
A historic matchup that has been played 118 times, Texas has double the number of wins the Aggies do, leading the series 76-37-5. It was played for the final time in 2011 when Texas A&M decided to join the SEC. In the final game, Justin Tucker hit a game-winning field goal to give Texas a classic 27-25 win.
Since that moment, there have been continuous questions of when these two teams will play again. Either in a bowl game or scheduling a home and home series, the fans agree the Longhorns and Aggies need to play each other.
“Us not playing Texas A&M is not good for college football,” Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said. “We’d love to play A&M.”
There were reports that Texas reached out to Texas A&M to renew the series with a home and home series in 2022 and 2023, but the Aggies “were already booked,” said Texas A&M athletic director Scott Woodward said.
Since being in the SEC in 2012, the Aggies have only had less than four losses once. Before leaving the Big 12, it had been since 1998 since they only had three losses. They agreed to play against Kansas State in the 2016 Texas Bowl but lost to the Wildcats 33-28.
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While the basketball teams will play each other on Dec. 8, this rivalry will remain all talk until the two meet again on the football field. With both teams expected to end their season 7-5, the opportunity for the two schools will be there to play in the Texas Bowl. While there have been rumors that the Aggies would turn down that opportunity, the two schools need to find a way to face off against each other.
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