Two years ago, the Texas Longhorns made their first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff, losing to the Washington Huskies in the Sugar Bowl as part of the national semifinals.
Then, one year later, the Horns returned to the CFP after losing to Georgia in the SEC Championship game, knocking out the Clemson Tigers and the Arizona State Sun Devils on their way back to the semis.
There, they lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes, once again missing out on the National Championship game.
While they didn't make the playoffs last year, the hopes are high for this season. Texas feels primed for a third appearance in the College Football Playoff. However, one publication already has the Longhorns suffering a loss that is becoming all too familiar.
Athlon Sports recently released its way-too-early bowl game predictions, and it included all of the College Football Playoff matchups. Athlon projected the Horns to have a first-round bye before defeating the Oregon Ducks at the Cotton Bowl in the quarterfinals. Then, the prediction has the Longhorns losing in the semifinals, once again, to none other than Georgia.
Texas projected to make CFP return in way-too-early bowl prediciton
While a projected return to the playoffs is a great nod for the Horns, falling short of the National Championship for yet another season stings beyond belief.
CFP First Round projected matchups
- No. 5 Indiana vs. No. 12 Boise State
- No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 11 Texas Tech
- No. 7 Miami vs. No. 10 LSU
- No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Texas A&M
The projected matchups have the Indiana Hoosiers defeating the Boise State Broncos, the Oregon Ducks beating the Texas Tech Red Raiders, the Miami Hurricanes upending the LSU Tigers, and the Oklahoma Sooners ending the Texas A&M Aggies's season.
CFP quarterfinal projected matchups
- Fiesta Bowl: No. 4 Notre Dame vs. No. 5 Indiana
- Peach Bowl: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Miami
- Cotton Bowl: No. 3 Texas vs No. 6 Oregon
- Rose Bowl: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Oklahoma
Athlon predicted that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will defeat Indiana, the Georgia Bulldogs will beat Miami, the Horns will end Oregon's season, and the Ohio State Buckeyes will knock off Oklahoma.
CFP semifinal projected matchups
- Orange Bowl: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Notre Dame
- Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 3 Texas
CFP National Championship projected matchup
- No. 1 Ohio State over No. 2 Georgia
With a win over the Ducks, Athlon Sports has the Longhorns advancing to the semifinals, where they would face the Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl in Atlanta. The site has Georgia defeating Texas to advance to the National Championship game, where the Ohio State Buckeyes are projected to win the national title.
All projections are courtesy of Athlon Sports.
If Texas loses to the Dawgs, it won't just be deja vu for the Horns' recent loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship game, but it will also be yet another loss in the College Football Playoff semifinals for head coach Steve Sarkisian.
Also read: Minuscule update to Texas football jerseys will have Longhorn fans fearing the worst
A lot of people are saying that this season could define Sarkisian's tenure on the 40 Acres, and falling short of the National Championship game once again could be the threshold that the Horns can reach with him at the helm.
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