Texas Longhorns:

Texas is coming off a trip to the College Football Playoff. Steve Sarkisian’s team ended up losing to Washington in the semifinals, but he’s going to feel pretty good about getting back — even with his team moving to the SEC. Quinn Ewers is back under center and Sarkisian did a good job of piecing together talent around him. The Longhorns also have eight players with starting experience back on defense. 

The Longhorns are undoubtedly facing tougher competition throughout the year now, as they’ll take on Oklahoma, Georgia and Texas A&M as part of their SEC schedule. That will take some getting used to. Texas also has to play Michigan on September 7th. But this team is absolutely loaded on both sides of the ball. 

 

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Offense

Last year, Texas averaged 35.8 points per game and averaged 478.0 yards of total offense. Things shouldn’t be all that different with Ewers back under center. Last year, Ewers threw for 3,479 yards with 22 touchdowns and only six picks. This season, Sarkisian will be expecting bigger numbers. Sure, Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell are gone, but Texas brought in transfers Isaiah Bond, Silas Bolden and Matthew Golden. DeAndre Moore Jr., a high-level recruit who didn’t play much last year, will also be expected to step up as a sophomore. There’s no reason this group can’t turn into a strength. 

The Longhorns also return four starters along the offensive line, which should help Jaydon Blue and CJ Baxter run wild out of the backfield. 

Realistically, with Sarkisian scheming things up and Ewers knowing the system like the back of his hand, nobody will feel good about stopping this offense. 

Defense

Not only was Texas’ offense explosive last year, but the Longhorns also gave up only 18.9 points per game. They were elite on both sides of the ball. This year, Sarkisian will have eight players with starting experience on defense. That should give defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski what he needs to build another great unit. 

The Longhorns did lose quite a bit along the defensive line, so they might not be as impenetrable against the run. But they did add some transfer bodies and should be solid in that regard. Texas also happens to be rather loaded at linebacker, and the Longhorns like their defensive backs. Malik Muhammad looks like a shutdown corner in the making, Jahdae Barron has already played good football for them and Clemson transfer Andrew Mukuba will be an instant-impact safety. 

Outlook 

There’s really no reason to believe that Texas can’t compete with anybody, but the Longhorns have a gauntlet of a schedule. Games against Michigan, Oklahoma, Georgia and Texas A&M will all pose challenges. Do you really want to bet that Texas will go 3-1 in those games? The Longhorns are also playing the Wolverines in Michigan. With that game being early in the season, Texas might not be playing its best football yet. 

Pick: Under 10.5 Wins 

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