It seems as though we have strolled into an alternate universe this week.
None other than Kirk Herbstreit, a long-time doubter and naysayer of the Texas Longhorns, has shockingly expressed belief in what the Horns can accomplish this season.
Herbstreit, who played quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes, recently joined The Pat McAfee Show and even went as far as to say that he has "confidence" in the Texas offense.
"I've got a lot of confidence in Sark, I've got a lot of confidence in what this [Texas] offense can do," Herbstreit said. "I think Arch [Manning]... in those last eight or nine games, he played really good football... and now has experience of dealing with that kind of pressure."
Throughout history, Herbstreit has been one of Texas's biggest haters, holding an almost unparalleled skepticism about what the Longhorns can pull off year in and year out. Suddenly, that long-held doubt has vanished.
Of course, it is a huge tip of the hat to Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, who brought in one of the most impressive recruiting classes and transfer portal groups in the entire country.
Steve Sarkisian's recruiting efforts have the Horns' biggest doubters in their corner
Even as a former Buckeye, Herbstreit believes in the Longhorns, despite Ohio State visiting Texas in Week 2 of the regular season.
Over the years, Herbstreit has gone on tirades and tantrums about Texas not only being overrated, but failing to live up to the expectations that most people hold for the perennial program. He has obviously shown OSU favoritism throughout his career as a football analyst, but he has also shown an undeniable distaste for the Horns.
Now, he apparently has all of the belief in the world that Sarkisian and Manning can put on a lights-out performance.
However, despite his "confidence" in the Horns, he also said that he's not picking Texas to win it all this season. In fact, when he joined McAfee's show earlier this summer, he picked the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to win the National Championship, placing his belief in their quarterback, CJ Carr.
Making matters worse, when he hopped on a podcast with Joey Galloway, a fellow Buckeye and ESPN analyst, he didn't even have Texas advancing to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff, choosing the Fighting Irish, the Georgia Bulldogs, the Buckeyes (shocker), and the Indiana Hoosiers as his final four teams.
So, it looks like Herbstreit's confidence, while a nice break from his consistent nay-saying, only goes so far.
Even taking all of that into consideration, if you ask me at least, he isn't exactly someone I trust when he talks about the Horns. Why should we? He has rained on Texas's parade for the better part of three decades, and suddenly he's on our side. Even when the Longhorns play his alma mater?
When Ohio State comes to Texas in Week 2, Herbstreit will be in attendance as ESPN's College GameDay kicks off in Austin that morning. That game, no matter which team Herbstreit has more confidence in, will have a season-altering outcome.
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