Coming off a bye week, Texas will host Baylor for matchup No. 108 between the two schools. The Longhorns are 2-2 this season, while the Bears have played only two games and are 1-1.
With back-to-back losses to TCU and Oklahoma, Texas’ potential bowl options have fallen below expectations. Going into the season, a Big 12 championship and New Year’s Six bowl at a minimum was the goal of head coach Tom Herman.
According to USA TODAY Sports’ latest projections, the Longhorns will be nowhere near accomplishing their goal.
For the second consecutive week, the Cactus Bowl against Northwestern is the projected site and opponent for Texas. In the history of the two programs, they have faced off once, with Dana Bible’s team losing in Evanston.
Related: USA TODAY Sports Bowl Projections: Texas Longhorns to face Northwestern in Cactus Bowl
The Wildcats will kick off their season on Saturday when they host Maryland. Northwestern is coming off a 3-9 season and will look for a bounce-back year in the Big Ten.
Despite not playing last week, Oklahoma State remains in the Cotton Bowl against Penn State. The Cowboys had their game against Baylor rescheduled due to COVID-19. It would be the first New Year’s Six bowl for Mike Gundy since the 2015 loss to Ole Miss.
Here are the rest of the projected conference bowl matchups:
- Oklahoma vs. USC in the Alamo Bowl
- West Virginia vs. South Carolina in the Liberty Bowl
- Baylor vs. SMU in the First Responders Bowl
- Kansas State vs. Miami (Florida) in the Cheez-It Bowl
- Iowa State vs. Arkansas in the Texas Bowl
If Texas wants to avoid the Cactus Bowl and move toward a better matchup, moving up the standings in the Big 12 is a must. As things stand, the Longhorns are below seven teams in the standings. Luckily, five of them remain on the schedule.
With readjusted expectations after the 2-2 start, even the Cactus Bowl would be deemed a failure for Herman. Working toward getting back into the Alamo Bowl would help the fourth-year head coach’s job status.
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