When Texas announced plans to enter the SEC, the Longhorns immediately embarked on a 5-7 season in 2021 that was historic for all the wrong reasons. Since that moment, Texas has truly brought itself back from the brink and now stands alone as the only SEC team remaining in the first 12-team College Football Playoff.
On paper, the Longhorns are the highest-ranked team remaining in the field as the No. 3 team in the rankings and 5-seed in the bracket. Texas narrowly beats out No. 4-ranked and 6-seed Penn State for the honors. Regardless, Vegas is bearish on their chances, giving them odds behind heavy favorite Ohio State and even Notre Dame. The Longhorns are 6-point underdogs against the 8-seed Buckeyes despite playing in their home state of Texas for the Cotton Bowl.
Granted, Texas surely didn't look the part of a national champion during a double-overtime win against Arizona State in the Peach Bowl. But since the 2023 season, the Longhorns have simply kept winning. A bit of skepticism is fair, but the Texas Longhorns have no business flying under the radar into the semifinals.
Here's why Texas still has a very serious chance to win the College Football Playoff, led by the defensive playmakers that have carried the team.
1. Stifling defense
For all the praise of Texas coach Steve Sarkisian as an offensive wizard, the defense has carried the team. The Longhorns rank No. 3 nationally in total defense and allow only 4.28 yards per play. The number matches Michigan's 2023 national championship defense, and the Longhorns are even more disruptive against the pass.
Texas allows a nation-leading 5.5 yards per pass attempt and 166.1 passing yards per game total. More astonishing, the Longhorns have allowed only eight touchdown passes … and nabbed 21 interceptions. Versatile defensive back Jahdae Barron is the best of the bunch and lined up all over the field en route to winning the Thorpe Award. Michael Taaffe and Andrew Mukuba were also All-SEC performers.
While the secondary is elite, the front seven might be even better. Linebacker Anthony Hill led the way with 107 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles. Four different players cleared 10 tackles for loss and five sacks, including true freshman Colin Simmons. There's no individual place to stop; the Longhorns come from everywhere.
Texas held six of its eight SEC opponents to 17 points or fewer. Arizona State reached 500 yards against the 'Horns, but it took double-overtime and 97 offensive plays. Front to back, this is arguably the best defense in the country. Ohio State certainly provides a unique challenge, but Texas provides its own unique challenge to the Buckeyes. It goes both ways.
2. Offensive line depth
For most of the season, Texas has leaned on its talented offensive line to deliver consistent success on offense. Right tackle Cameron Williams did not play in the Peach Bowl win against Arizona State but is improving and will have a chance to see action on Friday. But, more importantly, Texas boasts perhaps the most complete offensive line in the playoff.
Left tackle Kelvin Banks is a superstar and was named a unanimous All-American after a stellar three-year career in Austin. He allowed only one credited sack all year against Georgia, and gave up only nine pressures. Center Jake Majors is a proven commodity and has been a major impact player both as a blocker and leader on the roster.
The Longhorns boast the best pass blocking grade as a unit in college football at 89.4, according to Pro Football Focus. More importantly, the unit is coming along as other lines in the CFP struggle with injuries. Notre Dame lost two projected starters to injuries across the season. Two of Ohio State's top three starters went out.
For Texas to win the national championship, it has to survive the onslaught of Ohio State defensive stars Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau. If they win, Abdul Carter, Howard Cross or Dani Davis-Sutton wait in the wings. Luckily, they're positioned as well as anyone to run a drop-back passing game thanks to the sheer ability of their offensive line.
3. Steady quarterback
Facing fourth-and-13 with a season on the line against Arizona State, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers delivered the biggest moments of his career. Ewers dialed into a protection and went over the top of the defense for a historic 28-yard touchdown to force double overtime. On his very next throw, he found tight end Gunner Helm for a 25-yard touchdown that ultimately proved to be the game-winner.
"There were some moving parts to that where Quinn had to change the protection on the play and he did," Sarkisian said after the game. "He got us to a max protection. But even at that, there were some intricacies to handle the pressure the way it was coming inside; there were layers to that whole thing."
For so much of the season, the focus has been on what Ewers can't do compared to high-profile backup Arch Manning. But at this point in the College Football Playoff, no quarterback remaining has more talent and experience than Ewers.
The junior has thrown for more than 8,800 yards and 66 touchdowns in his productive career. Over the past two seasons, Ewers is 21-4 as a starting quarterback with the Longhorns' first Big 12 title since 2009. In the biggest moments, Ewers deserves our trust above every other signal-caller in the field. And, by the way, he still oozes talent. Ewers was rated the No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2021 for a reason.
