Texas Football: 3 likely bowl game scenarios for the Longhorns

In less than one week, we will know the fate of the Texas football program both in terms of where it will fall in the race to land a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game and its bid for a New Years Six Bowl.

Both may seem out of reach, or unrealistic, for head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns to attain at the moment. But Texas could work itself into the Big 12 Championship Game and the New Years Six Bowl conversation with just two things coming to fruition during the upcoming holiday weekend.

What must first happen for Texas to stay alive for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game is the Longhorns need to beat the Baylor Bears in the regular season finale on Nov. 25. That would then put the remaining spot in the Big 12 Championship Game up for grabs, and the Kansas State Wildcats would control its own destiny.

If Texas does beat Baylor, Kansas State would then need to beat the in-state rival Kansas Jayhawks in its finale in Week 13.

But if Kansas can top Kansas State this coming weekend, along with a Texas win over Baylor, that would pit the Longhorns against the TCU Horned Frogs in the Big 12 title game.

It’s nice to say that Texas technically still has a shot at the title game coming out of Week 12. Texas’ dominant win over Kansas in Week 12 made that possible.

Likeliest bowl game scenarios for Texas football heading into Week 13

With that in mind, here’s a look at three of the most likely bowl scenarios for Texas after the win over Kansas on Nov. 19.

Worst case scenario: Cheez-It Bowl

Matchup: Big 12 vs. ACC

It’s not the worst thing in the world that the worst-case scenario for Texas for the postseason at this point seems to be the Cheez-It Bowl. The Cheez-It Bowl is the second-best non-New Years Six Bowl for Big 12 teams to participate in.

Texas going from missing out on bowl eligibility last season to getting the Cheez-It Bowl this season is still pretty good for Sark and his staff.

The Cheez-It Bowl would pit Texas against a team from the ACC. ESPN projected the North Carolina Tar Heels and former Texas head coach Mack Brown to face head coach Mike Gundy and the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Cheez-It Bowl this season.

But if Texas falls short of Baylor in Week 13, it is very possible that the Cheez-It Bowl against a team like North Carolina or the Florida State Seminoles could come to fruition.