Texas Football: What is the Longhorns’ biggest home game of 2023?

There are so many intriguing storylines with the Texas football 2023 schedule. There are the big games against Alabama and OU, challenging road trips to Fort Worth and Ames, and even new conference foes in BYU and Houston. Yet, the schedule lacks a big home game for Longhorn fans to circle on their calendar.

However, with the Big 12 having so much parity this upcoming season, there will almost inevitably be a game that ends up being much bigger than it seems to be in the preseason.

One of the games with this potential that has flown somewhat under the radar (or did until the recent Micah Hudson recruiting saga) is Texas Tech coming to Austin on Black Friday.

What is the biggest game at DKR for Texas football in 2023?

The Red Raiders showed signs of life in Joey McGuire’s first season last year, including an overtime victory over Texas that we would all like to forget. They finished the season with an 8-5 record, a bowl win over Houston, and momentum on the recruiting trail.

There is no debate that McGuire has things trending up in Lubbock, but can he turn this program into a contender as early as Year 2? I like what McGuire is doing and think Tech has a chance as a dark horse Big 12 title contender.

What if Tech comes to Austin as a Big 12 Title Contender?

If the Red Raiders do put together a run in 2023, and the Longhorns live up to their expectations, the regular season finale in Austin suddenly becomes one of the year’s biggest games.

Tech’s upside in 2023 will come from the offense led by returning QBs Tyler Shough and Behren Morton. With an experienced offensive line and talent at the skill positions, a Red Raider offense that is firing on all cylinders could be a great matchup for a Texas defense that is expected to be great.

Specifically, the matchup between the Tech passing game and the Texas secondary is intriguing. I expect the Longhorn secondary to be a real strength in 2023, but a Tech offense operating at its ceiling will have more weapons to test them than most other teams on the schedule.

This would be such a fun game for a packed house in DKR with a potential Big 12 championship game appearance on the line. Texas Tech will be fired up to send Texas to the SEC with a loss, while the Longhorns will be hungry for revenge after last year’s loss in Lubbock.

And for Texas football fans, it would mean one last great Big 12 conference game in DKR. It’s no Alabama in 2022 or LSU in 2019, but if this game has something at stake on top of the in-state rivalry, it could produce the top home game of the year.