Nick Saban picks Texas to make the SEC Championship and CFP

Texas football is not in action during Week 0 of the 2024 college football season this weekend. But Texas was mentioned frequently as the ESPN College GameDay crew made their official preseason picks for the 12-team College Football Playoff during their set in Dublin, Ireland, on Aug. 24.

Former Alabama HC Nick Saban includes Texas football in his preseason CFP predictions

Nick Saban gave his picks for the 12-team College Football Playoff and the National Championship Game before the kickoff of the Florida State-Georgia Tech ACC opener in Ireland on Saturday morning.

The legendary former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Saban put Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns in his 12-team CFP bracket as the five seed. Pat McAfee also said that Saban has the Longhorns making it to the SEC Championship Game against the Georgia Bulldogs.

Judging based on Saban's bracket for his projected 12-team CFP for this upcoming postseason, he has Georgia winning the SEC Championship over Texas and getting the one seed for the Playoff.

In this preseason 12-team CFP prediction, Texas as the five seed faces the No. 12 Liberty Flames, who would be the highest rated non-P4 conference champion this season.

Saban also picked Georgia to win the National Championship Game.

Kirk Herbstreit predicts Texas to make the CFP as a single-digit seed

Saban new broadcasting teammate on the set of College GameDay on ESPN, Kirk Herbstreit, joined in with picking the Longhorns as a single-digit seed in the expanded 12-team CFP projections today. Herbstreit had the Longhorns making the CFP as a six-seed. He also had Texas as the second-highest-rated team in his CFP projection from the SEC, behind only No. 1 Georgia.

All four predictors from College GameDay on ESPN this morning picked the Longhorns to make the 12-team CFP as a single-digit seed. But none of them picked Texas to win the National Championship or as the SEC Champion this fall.

Texas opens up the regular season next weekend at DKR against head coach Jay Norvell and the Colorado State Rams on Aug. 24 at 2:30 p.m. CT.

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