Longhorns Country

'Oh, The Hype': What Happens if Texas Beats Alabama in Week 2?

The Texas Longhorns could have a chance to be special in 2023.

Matt Galatzan

Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

After an impressive spring camp this offseason, confidence around the 2023 Texas Longhorns is beginning to skyrocket. In fact, some 'experts' even have the Horns as a top-10 team heading into next season. 

So the cliche question heading into next season of course will be, "Is Texas back?"

Well, there is one major obstacle, in particular, standing in the way of the Longhorns and shaking that proverbial monkey off of their back - Nick Sabana and the Alabama Crimson Tide. 

Last season, the Tide came to Austin as 21-point favorites, escaping with a controversial one-point win. In 2023, the Longhorns will be a much better football team and will head to Tuscaloosa with revenge on their minds. 

But what happens if the eight-point underdog Longhorns manage to upset Nick Saban on his home field? According to one analyst - a hype unlike anything the Longhorns have seen in over a decade could ensue. 

“If Texas beats ‘Bama in Week 2… Do you think you’ve seen hype? You have never seen hype. If they go in there and Quinn Ewers outduels (Alabama’s quarterback)? If they carve up Alabama’s secondary? If they take ‘Bama down in their own building and then they enter Big 12 conference play undefeated? oh, the hype.”

Obviously, a lot will have to go the Longhorn's way for this to become a reality. 

Yes, Bryce Young, Will Anderson and Jamyr Gibbs are all gone. But as we all well know, Alabama doesn't rebuild, they reload. And Nick Saban will have his team ready to play. Not to mention, Tuscaloosa - when it wants to be - can be a very tough place to play. 

That said, if the Longhorns and Steve Sarkisian do pull off the dream scenario of beating Nick Saban on his home field, the sky could be the limit. 

You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Longhorns? Click Here to Subscribe to the Longhorns Country Newsletter

Want even more Texas Longhorns? Check out the SI.com team page here

Follow Longhorns Country on Twitter and Facebook.

Make sure to subscribe to the Longhorns Country Podcast today! Click here To Listen.

Published
Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.

Home/Football