College Football Playoff odds: Now is the time to buy low on Texas
Two things can be true at the same time.The Texas Longhorns have been a bitter disappointment this season.
But they are still a contender for the SEC title and National Championship. Sitting at 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the SEC, the Longhorns need to win out to have any hope of getting into the College Football Playoff.Running the table would also put them in a good position for a spot in the conference championship, which they wouldn’t necessarily need to win, depending on how things shake out with the other contenders. Going 4-0 from here is a tall task considering their remaining schedule looks like this: Vanderbilt, at Georgia, Arkansas, and Texas A&M.
It’s worth a reminder, though, that Texas was the preseason favorite to not only win the sport’s toughest conference, but also the national title. The Longhorns, even with Arch Manning dealing with a concussion, are good enough to pull this off. According to SP+, a catch-all metric developed by ESPN’s Bill Connelly, Texas is the 13th-best team in the country, powered by the No.3 defense in FBS, at least according to SP+.
The offense, which grades out at No.53, certainly leaves a lot to be desired, especially given the hype around Manning, but there are reasons to take the glass-half-full approach with Texas.The most important thing is that there is a path.
It may sound counterintuitive, but the fact that Texas has to take on three of the best teams in college football to close out the season is a good thing.If they had a soft runway down the stretch, the selection committee could easily write them off, even at 10-2. Wins over Vanderbilt, Georgia, and Texas A&M would make it nearly impossible to leave Texas on the sidelines, especially since one of their losses came against Ohio State.You can also spin Texas’ struggles on offense into a reason for optimism.
The Longhorns have been able to stay alive despite an uninspiring attack, so any improvement on that side of the ball would go a long w...