Texas Football: 10 reasons to be excited for the Big 12 Championship Game

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DALLAS, TX – OCTOBER 06: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns smiles as he runs into the endzone for a touchdown against the Oklahoma Sooners in the second quarter of the 2018 AT&T Red River Showdown at Cotton Bowl on October 6, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

9. Current vs. future Heisman contenders

This year, the Heisman Trophy winner comes down to two contenders. West Virginia’s star quarterback Will Grier made a valiant effort, as did Washington State’s upstart quarterback Gardner Minshew. Grier and Minshew ultimately fell short of their ultimate goals of getting to their respective conference championship games in key Week 13 battles.

It was West Virginia falling short to the Sooners that effectively eliminated Grier from winning the Heisman Trophy. Minshew experienced a similar occurrence when Washington State couldn’t top the Washington Huskies in a snowy Apple Cup showdown in Pullman. Those losses for each quarterback doesn’t take away from their huge years.

The elimination of Minshew and Grier leaves Oklahoma junior quarterback Kyler Murray and the superstar sophomore quarterback from the Alabama Crimson Tide Tua Tagovailoa. Murray is fighting an uphill battle in trying to catch up with the odds on favorite for the Heisman Trophy right now. If he beats Texas and Tagovailoa loses to the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game, it opens the door for Murray to take the lead in the Heisman race.

On the opposite sideline from Murray in this game is sophomore Texas football quarterback Sam Ehlinger. The Heisman Trophy is far past the clutches of Ehlinger this fall. Next season presents a huge opportunity for Ehlinger to make a legitimate run at the Heisman Trophy during his junior campaign. This is a nice matchup between two talented dual-threat quarterbacks in Murray and Ehlinger.

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