ESPN tabs Texas football as one of 20 teams that can make the Playoff

A little more than five days away from the start of the 2022 regular season for the Texas football program, we can feel the excitement about what lies ahead. Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian are getting ready for a regular season that will put them to the test pretty quickly during the non-conference slate.

That difficult September schedule for the Longhorns will show if Sark’s squad is ready to compete on a national level this fall. Sark and the Longhorns will face the No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide and defending Conference-USA Champion UTSA Roadrunners in the last two weeks of the non-conference schedule.

Yet, ESPN thinks that Texas is one team that has the ability to create some real hype this fall. A piece from Heather Dinich of ESPN (insider content) mentioned the Longhorns among the 20 teams they believe can make the College Football Playoff in 2022.

Dinich mentions how telling it will be for the Longhorns in how they show out against head coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide in Week 2. If Texas can find a way to put Alabama on upset alert on Sep.10, that will go a long way to putting the College Football Playoff Selection Committee on alert this fall.

Steve Sarkisian and Texas football tabbed as one of the 20 teams that can make the Playoff

But if Texas gets blown out in that meeting against Alabama, it could create a situation where Sark and the Longhorns lose some confidence ahead of Big 12 play and have some inconsistencies to finish the season.

It is worth noting, though, that ESPN gives Texas a pretty good shot to make the College Football Playoff this year. ESPN gives Texas better than a 17 percent chance to make the Playoff, which seems pretty high.

If Texas does want to have a shot at the College Football Playoff, though, they will need to at least win the Big 12 Championship. That in and of itself will be a tall task for Sark and the Longhorns as there are some pretty solid teams that Texas will have to stave off this fall.

The Big 12 has three teams ranked inside the top 15 of the preseason AP Poll. The No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners, No. 11 Baylor Bears, and No. 12 Oklahoma State Cowboys will present tough challenges for Texas throughout Big 12 play this season.

Interestingly enough, only three of the four teams out of the Big 12 that we’ve mentioned here were included by Dinich and ESPN as part of the 20 that can make the Playoff. Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, and Texas were the only three teams from the Big 12 given a chance to make it on this list.

Texas finished up last season with a record of 5-7 (3-6 Big 12), missing out on bowl season for the first time since 2016. Sark and the Longhorns will open up the 2022 regular season at home on Sep. 3 against Louisiana-Monroe, with kickoff time set for 7 p.m. CT.