Texas has spent most of this season looking like a team that could go anywhere, and nowhere, all at once. Injuries hit.
Upsets piled up. The offense lost key pieces in left tackle Trevor Goosby and running back Hollywood Smothers.
And yet here the Longhorns are, sitting at No. 6 in the CFP rankings and heading to Baton Rouge with a real chance to turn a chaotic year into something much bigger.
Steve Sarkisian’s team has won three straight, including last week’s road victory at Missouri, and that surge has put Texas in position to host a first-round playoff game. If the bracket breaks right, there’s even a path to a first-round bye. That’s the backdrop for Saturday night’s trip to LSU, where Texas is somehow a 4-point underdog against a Tigers team that was beaten by 18 in Baton Rouge last week.
“I could argue this is the most talented defense we're going to go against this year and arguably the most talented team,” Sarkisian said this week. “It's hard to say how they lost three games.”
Texas has had its own version of that same question hanging over the season. The Longhorns’ losses to Oklahoma and Florida came after they had leads, and those blown chances have kept the conversation around this team messy.
Still, the path ahead is suddenly clear enough to matter. A win at LSU would give Texas a major road result and set up a finish that looks manageable on paper, with Arkansas and Texas A&M left on the schedule.
Those two opponents are a combined 2-10 in SEC games.
The rankings also got a boost from chaos elsewhere. Texas moved up from No. 7 to No. 6 this week, and that climb would have been even steeper if not for the collapse of two teams that had once looked like strong wins on the resume. Ohio State and Ole Miss both got blown out last week and fell well out of the 12-team field.
For a season that has already taken plenty of strange turns, Texas now has a chance to make the final stretch count in a very different way.
In Other News...
Texas May Be Getting Healthier Right Before Its Toughest Test Yet
Texas is heading into its matchup with LSU with some encouraging health news at just the right time. Several key starters are trending back into the mix, giving the Longhorns a better chance to be close to full strength for one of the biggest tests on their schedule. Defensive lineman Hero Kanu is still listed as questionable, but he is expected to play despite dealing with a partial bicep tear.
The rest of the injury picture also looks cleaner for Texas, with cornerbacks Kade Phillips and Graceson Littleton, defensive end Colin Simmons, and wide receivers Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo not listed with injuries for the game. For a team about to face an LSU offense that can punish any weakness, getting healthier across both sides of the ball matters almost as much as the opponent itself. The only real question now is how close to full speed Texas can be when the lights come on. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Just Got An Early Test Without Madison Booker
Texas got a clear look at how deep its womens basketball roster can be in a 93-63 win over South Dakota State, but the bigger concern came when senior forward Madison Booker left with a lower back injury and did not return. The Longhorns still rolled behind sophomore guard Jayda Clark, who led the way with 24 points, and the performance offered an early glimpse of how the offense can hold up when one of its most important players is sidelined.
Vic Schaefer has leaned on Bookers toughness before, and this was the kind of early-season moment that can test a teams depth before the schedule gets any heavier. The encouraging part for Texas was the way its freshmen continued to develop while the game stayed in hand, giving the Longhorns something to build on even as they wait to learn more about Bookers status. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Heads To LSU With One New Reason For Concern
Texas heads into Saturday nights showdown at LSU with plenty on the line, and not much margin for error. The Longhorns have the better record and the kind of momentum that usually travels well, but this one comes with College Football Playoff implications and a hostile setting that will test every part of their profile. ESPNs Football Power Index adds a little more intrigue, giving LSU a slight edge in what figures to be a tight game.
For Texas, that kind of projection is hardly a deal-breaker, but it is another reminder that the road ahead is still full of questions. A win in Baton Rouge would strengthen the Longhorns case in a major way, while a loss could complicate the path they have built so carefully. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Eastern on ABC, and it is the sort of matchup where every possession can reshape the conversation. [Read more 🡒]