Texas trending up in latest College Football Playoff odds

Second-year Texas football head coach Steve Sarkisian is in a position this coming season to try and be one of the most improved teams in the Big 12, if not amid the entirety of the Power Five. Texas was one of the most disappointing teams in the Power Five last season, finishing up Sark’s first year at the helm as head coach with a record of 5-7 (3-6 Big 12).

That was also the first time that the Longhorns failed to reach bowl eligibility since 2016, in what was the final season under former head coach Charlie Strong.

But it is starting to look like the Longhorns could be a team that has their stock on the rise once again in 2022. There is still a long way to go for Sark and the Longhorns to prove they can contend with the top teams in the Big 12 this fall. A solid start to spring ball is the best way for Texas to get back on track, though.

Moreover, the signs are starting to emerge that there is still some building hype for this Longhorns team in 2022. And one of those leading indicators shows in the fact that a number of the oddsmakers have Texas’ chances to make the College Football Playoff on the rise.

Texas football trending up in Steve Sarkisian’s second year at the helm entering spring ball

Some even have the Longhorns with odds that place them inside the top 20 or 25 contenders to make the College Football Playoff during the 2022-23 season. That is a lot of faith to place in a young team that is coming off a five-win campaign.

We will start to get a feel of how this young Texas team will be able to contend on the national scene right away this fall. Texas has a difficult non-conference schedule that will put them to the test very early on during the regular season. That includes matchups with the likes of the UTSA Roadrunners and Alabama Crimson Tide in the first three weeks of the season.

The goal for Sark and the Longhorns will be to at least come out of the non-conference slate with two wins. Beating the Crimson Tide will obviously be a very tall task. But if Texas can just keep it close with Alabama and put head coach Nick Saban on upset alert in Week 2, that should be considered a positive stride for this team.

Texas will open up the 2022 regular season at home at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Sep. 3 against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks. Alabama and UTSA will then round out Texas’ non-conference slate in the following two weeks.