ESPN Analyst Blasts Texas Longhorns: 'Haven't Played Anyone'

The Texas Longhorns are once again at the center of College Football Playoff controversy.

Jon Alfano | Nov 20, 2024

Nov 16, 2024; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) celebrates after the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Texas won 20-10. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

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Texas Longhorns

Tuesday night marked the reveal of the newest College Football Playoff rankings, and subsequently, more obnoxious debates about what should be different. This time around, the Texas Longhorns are at the center of one such debate.

First, some context. Texas held firm at No. 3 in the latest rankings, keeping it as the highest-ranked SEC team. The Longhorns, along with No. 4 Penn State and No. 5 Indiana, have become the target of some fans and analysts due to their pereceived easy schedules. Most of that criticism comes from those supporting other two-loss SEC teams, namely No. 7 Alabama, No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 10 Georgia and No. 11 Tennessee.

During the ranking show, ESPN's Joey Galloway argued for thos teams to be higher due to the "gauntlet" that is the SEC. He specifically called out Indiana, whose strength of schedule ranks last among power conference teams at No. 106 in FBS.

“The SEC is a gauntlet,” Galloway said. “It isn’t who you play, it’s who you have to play after you’ve played a Georgia, a Texas, an Alabama, an Ole Miss.”

This prompted fellow ESPN analyst Booger McFarland to take a shock at Texas, whose strength of schedule ranks last in the SEC at No. 38 in the FBS and has no wins over currently ranked teams.

“It’s such a gauntlet that Texas hasn’t played anybody,” McFarland said. “It’s such a gauntlet, Texas’ best win is Vanderbilt.”

Here's a wild idea: the games have to matter. Strength of schedule can only go so far, it didn't save Alabama from losing to Vanderbilt, or Ole Miss from losing to Kentucky, or Tennessee from losing to Arkansas, etc. Texas and Indiana may not have the best set of wins, but they also haven't lost to teams they should've crushed.

The good news is that everything will sort itself out by the end of the season. Indiana plays at No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday, while Texas plays at No. 15 Texas A&M on Nov. 30. If they win those games, all (or at least most) of the concerns about their resumes will fall by the wayside. If they lose them, then those concerns would've been validated.

Until then, these debates are just obnoxious and exhausting.