Getty Image / Kevin Sabitus
College GameDay, Amazon Thursday Night Football, and ESPN Saturday Night Football analyst Kirk Herbstreit is known for having solid analysis. Usually he’s a pretty positive guy, but one team he is not high on this season is the Texas Longhorns.
Texas is coming in with major expectations this year, following a year when they looked to be on the doorstep of returning to the elite early before injuries and inconsistency derailed their season. They finished 8-5, 6-3 in the Big 12.
But, many, including myself, have high hopes for the Texas Longhorns this year. I called them the most underrated team in the AP Poll.
I think quarterback Quinn Ewers will take a huge step forward towards fulfilling his potential behind a great offensive line and elite weapons. The defense will be improved too, and I trust head coach Steve Sarkisian to get it right.
But, Kirk Herbstreit doesn’t agree that the Texas Longhorns are due to a breakthrough back into the elite. Here’s On3 with more.
During the “Herbie Awards” on Thursday, Herbstreit argued Texas will hover around that nine or 10-win mark. However, he ultimately thinks the Longhorns will fall short of the 9.5 win total considering a tough stretch in the schedule.
“You’ve got to add up, do you see three losses to go with the under?” Herbstreit said. “The game against Alabama, obviously, is a challenge. At Baylor, Oklahoma in Dallas. Tricky games like at Houston, you’ve got BYU, at TCU. That’s a challenging run. 9.5’s very, very fair. I’m going to say close, I’m going to say under. I’ll say right around nine or 10 wins. I’ll say close, but not quite over.”
The Texas Longhorns start the season next Saturday against Rice, before traveling to Tuscaloosa for a massive game against Alabama.