Texas Football: ESPN gives Longhorns an ‘outside chance’ for CFP

With a ton of predictions pouring in from the media concerning the upcoming season, the Texas football program is starting to see some expectations form for the first year under new head coach Steve Sarkisian. Texas is likely to be one of the better teams in the Big 12 this fall, and that’s how most in the media feel about this team.

Realistic expectations for the Longhorns are likely to place them somewhere between the 10-20 ranking in the preseason polls. Despite that, Texas was ranked in the top 10 in the latest edition of the ESPN Football Power Index this week. But that does seem a tad high for the Longhorns before they have really proven anything under this new coaching staff.

However, a more realistic outlook for the Longhorns in the Big 12 this fall came from a conference breakdown from ESPN earlier this week (insider content). This preview conference-by-conference ahead of the start of the 2021 season projected the Longhorns and Oklahoma State Cowboys as the two teams in the Big 12 with an “outside chance” to make the College Football Playoff.

A more realistic outlook from ESPN for Texas football in the Big 12?

And the two teams in the Big 12 that ESPN unsurprisingly gave the best shot at making the College Football Playoff were the Oklahoma Sooners and Iowa State Cyclones. The TCU Horned Frogs were also a team that was noted as a deep sleeper to make the Playoff this fall.

In the Big 12 preseason poll from the media, Texas was projected to finish in third place, behind the likes of Oklahoma and Iowa State. Oklahoma State and TCU were the two teams projected to round out the top five. So ESPN’s preseason Big 12 breakdown lined up pretty much the same as the conference’s preseason poll.

Texas does come into the 2021 season with expectations that remain high, despite a complete change in coaching regime and a new starting quarterback. Instead of Tom Herman as head coach and star Sam Ehlinger as the starting quarterback, Texas will likely be sporting Sark and Casey Thompson in those spots this fall.

Herman and the Longhorns finished up last season with a record of 7-3 (5-3 Big 12), good for 19th place in the final AP Poll. Texas is set to open up the 2021 regular season on Sep. 4 at home against Louisiana.