Texas Longhorns To Play In Three Of CFB's Most Important Games In 2024

The Texas Longhorns will very much decide the College Football Playoff picture in 2024 due to a handful of marquee matchups.

Following a wave of conference realignment that has since gotten rid of a power conference in the West, college football has two absolutely loaded conferences.

The Texas Longhorns were a part of the first wave of movement that started it all, as they will officially head to the SEC in 2024. Being that they are now in the same conference as programs such as Alabama, LSU, and Georgia among other powers, fans should expect some absurd regular season games. 

In 2024, Texas already had a loaded schedule as is, but with the move, they are now playing in three of college football's most important games according to 247Sports.

Texas Longhorns versus the Georgia Bulldogs / © Chuck Cook, USA TODAY

While the move to the SEC added one of these key games, the Longhorns were expected to play two vital games regardless. 247Sports' Brad Crawford put the Red River Showdown as the No. 10 most important game of the season. Even with Oklahoma not expected to be in the playoff picture, it is a meeting that always draws the eyes of college football fans. Not to mention, the Sooners very well could derail Texas' season by putting a blemish on their record as they did in 2023.

Crawford slated their Week 2 matchup at Michigan as the No. 4 most important game. Texas will head to Ann Arbor and play in one of the most hostile environments the sport has to offer, and will be looking to send a message by beating the champs. This would be a major win for Texas' resume regardless of whether they win the SEC or not, and a loss for either team that early could really hurt their playoff chances.

Coming in at the No. 2 most important game was Texas' SEC meeting with the Bulldogs. The Longhorns will host the projected No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs just one week after playing against Oklahoma, which may be the biggest two weeks of their season. Assuming both teams are unscathed, the winner would surely assume the No. 1 ranking if they don't have it already.

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As for Texas, ideally, they would win all three of these matchups but at worst 2-1 will still keep them where they need to be. The early-season panic button would be slammed on if they lose two or even worse, all three. This would force them to then have to win out and hope they are in line for an at-large bid which is still very possible.

The Longhorns have a chance to make a major statement on three separate occasions next season, which could either be a testament to where this program is, or show us that they are again close, but not at the top of college football.