Where Texas football ranks in the post-Week 12 ESPN FPI
Week 12 was good for head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Texas football program as this team dominated head coach Lance Leipold and the Kansas Jayhawks on the road on November 19. Texas controlled this matchup against Kansas end-to-end, beating the Jayhawks by the final score of 55-14.
Sark and the Longhorns got a massive day from star junior running back Bijan Robinson, who had a career game in Week 12. Bijan went off for a career-high 243 rushing yards, 9.7 yards per carry, and four rushing touchdowns (also a career-high).
The defense also rose to the occasion for the second straight week for the Longhorns. Texas’ defense has held Kansas and the TCU Horned Frogs in the last two games to just a combined 31 points.
This dismantling of the Jayhawks on Nov. 19 actually keeps the Longhorns alive in the running for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game against the Horned Frogs. And it gets Texas one step closer to rounding out the regular season slate with eight wins.
If Kansas can take down its in-state rival Kansas State Wildcats in Week 13, and Texas is able to beat the Baylor Bears on Nov. 25, that would put the Longhorns in the Big 12 Championship Game in a couple of weeks.
Steve Sarkisian and Texas football move back up into the top 5 in the post-Week 12 ESPN FPI
Moreover, the win over Kansas moves Texas to a mark of 7-4 (5-3 Big 12) on the season. Texas now has the opportunity to win two straight and three of its last four heading into the postseason if it can beat Baylor at home in Week 13.
So, where does Texas sit in the latest edition of the ESPN Football Power Index coming out of Week 12?
The most recent ESPN FPI coming out of Week 12 moved the Longhorns up two spots, to No. 5. Texas moved up past the Tennessee Volunteers and Utah Utes after both of those teams lost in Week 12.
Texas also remains the highest-ranked team in the FPI in the Big 12, seven spots ahead of Kansas State.
dark. Next. 4 takeaways from Bijan Robinson's decimation of Kansas
After Sark and the Longhorns were able to dismantle the Jayhawks, thanks to Bijan’s career day this weekend, only the regular season finale remains before postseason time. Texas will host Baylor at home at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin on Nov. 25, with the kickoff time set for 11 a.m. CT to round out the regular season.