Texas’ detractors have the dumbest argument against the Longhorns’ College Football Playoff resume
Winning SEC games is no longer good enough, to hear some tell it
Texas’ detractors have to pick a lane when it comes to the strength of schedule argument.
Either the SEC is the toughest conference in college football or it’s not.
Somehow, the Longhorns’ schedule has become internet fodder for derision because they have yet to beat a top-25 team.
Before the season, Texas was lined up to play the defending national champions on the road and join the toughest conference in America. Well, the Horns are 8-1, and suddenly, that’s not good enough to warrant a top-five spot in the College Football Playoff rankings?
Look, I know the Horns are new here, but this is confusing.
This week’s CFP rankings will come out Tuesday night, and Texas is likely to move up to the No. 3 overall spot with Georgia and Miami losing last weekend.
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Is that fair? Is that accurate? It’s all subjective, to be sure, but this much is true — the Horns appear to be the best one-loss SEC team going at the moment. They are the nation’s only team ranked in the top 10 in scoring offense (38.9) and scoring defense (12.1).
What about Tennessee, which also has one loss? Texas’ only loss came against Georgia, currently ranked 11th, while Tennessee lost to Arkansas, currently unranked.
Has this team played a string of future NFL Hall of Fame quarterbacks? Are some of them even future NFL clipboard holders. No and probably not. But is that Texas’ fault? Is Steve Sarkisian supposed to hold and wait for teams to develop future first- and second-rounders?
Let’s dive into Texas’ supposed weak schedule. Let’s start with the three non-conference games.
Texas beat Colorado State, UTSA and Louisiana-Monroe by 52, 49 and 48 points, respectively. The Horns were big favorites and won big. They looked good, got to flex their depth and never had any problems against any of those three teams. Never heard anybody complain about Alabama or Georgia’s non-conference wins during their glory days.
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What about that big road game at Michigan? Texas won 31-12 in the Big House back on Sept. 7. Well, that no longer counts, allegedly, because the Wolverines’ season spiraled into .500 oblivion in October due to quarterback problems.
What’s that? Come again? So winning at Michigan is no longer good enough? Hmm, Ooooo-K.
Let’s dive into the SEC, you know, where It Just Means More.
Texas opened league play against Mississippi State and had to play backup quarterback Arch Manning. No problem, as evidence by a 35-13 win. Yeah, but the Bulldogs are 2-8 after losing their starting quarterback. So… it doesn’t count, I guess.
Texas then beat rival Oklahoma 34-3 in the Cotton Bowl. Yeah, but Brent Venables doesn’t know what he’s doing, supposedly, and the Sooners have quarterback problems. It’s a mess north of the Red River. Maybe so. But that one definitely counts. It’s a W.
Then comes Georgia. Finally, a legit SEC blueblood! Now the Horns will get taught a lesson. No question the Dawgs were terrific that night, but it appears Kirby Smart’s team put everything into its mid-season Super Bowl.
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How has Georgia done since? Florida sure put up a fight and Ole Miss put up a win. Georgia will have its hands full this week against Tennessee. Let’s keep monitoring that situation.
Vanderbilt was a three-point win, but everybody beats Vandy, right? RIGHT!? Not so much. Go ask Alabama and Kentucky how it turned out. Vandy has LSU and Tennessee left on the schedule, and something tells me they’ll get one or the other.
Florida turned out easier than Texas fans probably thought, but that won’t be the case forever.
Next comes Arkansas, a team with a fan base that hates Texas with a passion, followed by Kentucky and Texas A&M. Are those three pushovers or can Texas count those as quality wins, provided they do indeed win them?
Do you see how crazy this all sounds? Again, I know Texas is new here and all, but can someone explain the last time the SEC champion was ridiculed as having an easy schedule?
For the third time, new here, just asking questions for informational purposes only. Does SEC commissioner Greg Sankey give out trophies that say “SEC Champion (oh, but it’s bogus because they had easy schedule)”? Hmm, seems doubtful.
Maybe the SEC isn’t as good as Texas officials thought. Too late to turn back? It is? Rats.
Oh dear. Sorry, Longhorns. I guess you’ll just have to keep winning. And stay off the internet.
