ESPN Analyst Sends Warning to Texas Longhorns Ahead of Final Regular Season Stretch

According to one ESPN analyst, the Texas Longhorns have zero margin for error

Matt Galatzan | Nov 20, 2024

Nov 16, 2024; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian reacts during the first half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

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The Texas Longhorns are one of the few teams in the SEC that control their own destiny to get to both Atlanta for the SEC Championship game, and to the College Football Playoff.

Win, and they're in.

However, according to most national pundits, their margin for error is razor-thin. If they drop one of their next two games against Kentucky or Texas A&M, most believe that Texas will fall out of the discussion for the CFP completely.

However, of the two games left on the schedule, Texas A&M is the one that looms larger. Not just because of the rivalry, but also because of the quality win it could provide to the Horns' resumé.

On Tuesday, ESPN analyst Greg McElroy emphasized just that, warning the Longhorns that if they don't beat their arch-rival, their season could ostensibly be over.

“I think Texas, with their strength of schedule... they can beat Kentucky. But if they lose to A&M, I think they’re going to fall behind Tennessee,” McElroy said. “(Tennessee) is the first team out according to the committee. So, Texas-Texas A&M could not just be a playoff game to get to the SEC Championship game, it could be a playoff game for Texas to keep their playoff teams alive in the 12-team playoff.”

All that being said, the facts remain the facts.

The Longhorns have one loss. If they take care of business over the next two weeks, they will be in Atlanta. And if they get there, they will almost certainly have punched their ticket to the CFP.

That will be easier said than done, of course. College Station is going to be a rocking environment, the likes of which no one on the Longhorns roster - or anyone for that matter - has seen in recent memory.

But if they do survive their remaining tests, they will have proven their standing, and be on their way to the post season.

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Published Nov 20, 2024

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.