2 reasons Texas can win the Big 12 this year
By John Buhler
Steve Sarkisian’s Texas football team has a great shot at winning the Big 12 this season.
For the first time in years, it feels like the Texas football program is on its way towards being back.
The last decade-plus has been painful for Longhorns fans. Texas has floundered since losing the national championship to Alabama in 2009. The Tom Herman era did not pan out, and the Charlie Strong era in Austin was a huge mistake. With former Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian taking over this year, Texas isn’t the betting favorite, but there is a chance the Longhorns can upset Oklahoma and/or Iowa State to win the Big 12.
Texas football: 2 reasons why Longhorns can win Big 12 championship
2. Texas can beat either Oklahoma or Iowa State in Big 12 Championship Game
One of the biggest advantages to playing in the Big 12 is the round-robin regular-season slate: You play everybody once. While Texas has a big non-conference game vs. Arkansas, how the Longhorns perform in Big 12 play will decide their playoff fate. The best part for them is they don’t have to go 9-0 to get to Arlington. They can lose to a rival team but can win the rematch to get in.
Texas is in a group of about four or five Big 12 teams, including Iowa State and Oklahoma, who will be ranked at some point throughout the regular season. Even if Texas loses to the Sooners in Dallas or to the Cyclones up in Ames, they could conceivably have a shot at redemption. It is so difficult to beat a conference foe twice in one year. Just ask Iowa State about that last season…
Though teams like Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma State or West Virginia could be borderline Big 12 championship-caliber, Texas should be a top-three team in the conference alongside Iowa State and Oklahoma. Expect two of those three teams to get to Arlington with a College Football Playoff berth on the line. Sarkisian and his staff may have what it takes to win the title bout.
While you can argue this for any top-four team in the Big 12 annually, it does serve Texas in 2021.