With the Big 12 Conference standings so tight right now, it’s hard to predict who will be in the title game at the end of the year. Here are five ways Texas football can qualify for that game.
Sam Ehlinger
Ehlinger must lead this team and play well the rest of the season. Texas doesn’t get to the Big 12 Championship without him. Ehlinger for the most part has played great this season, but there were times he didn’t. He must play like the quarterback we saw from the first four weeks. If that guy doesn’t show up, Texas’ dreams of getting to that game go out the window.
He doesn’t seem too happy with his performances against Baylor and Oklahoma State. He more than likely watched film all this week and has been practicing hard to correct these mistakes. It needs to be a team effort all around, but the Longhorns need him if they hope to qualify for the Big 12 Championship.
Texas defense
This defense played amazing this past Saturday and has shown improvement since coming off the bye week. This defense needs to play good on a consistent basis if Texas is going to reach the Big 12 Championship. It doesn’t need to play like it did this past Saturday because it would be hard to repeat that.
To accomplish the goal, it must force a couple of turnovers, get at least three sacks and make key stops throughout the game. The defense was the main reason Texas won its game last weekend. Now the Longhorn defense must show that its performances the last two games weren’t flukes.
Running game
If you keep the ball out of the opposing offense’s hands you’ll win, right? That remains true for the most part. The running game is an important part when trying to accomplish that goal. It also helps you control the clock and keep the opposing defense tired.
Texas has a running back committee when running the football. Ehlinger is the leading rusher and for Texas. The other main running backs are Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson and Keaontay Ingram.
Ingram has been the main guy this season and received the bulk of the carries until last week. Unfortunately, Ingram went down with an ankle injury, and the Longhorns will be without him for a few weeks. Johnson and Robinson were the main guys last week against Oklahoma State, and the strategy worked. Tom Herman should use Johnson and Robinson again in preparation for the game against West Virginia this weekend.
Win out
It’s plain and simple Texas must win out to reach the Big 12 Championship. It has a tougher schedule than the first half of the season. It must play team ball, and everyone must step up and play well consistently. If Texas loses even one game, that’s it. It’s way too tight in that conference for either of these teams in contention to lose. It sets up a pretty exciting and nerve-wracking end to the season if you’re a fan of one of these teams in the Big 12.
Luck
Texas not only needs to win out, it needs a bit of luck. The Longhorns need at least one or more losses from the rest of the teams ahead in the Big 12 standings. It’s tough when you have to rely on other teams to decide your future, but Texas put itself in this position. Now, it must focus only on what it can control.
Texas will win out but then it comes down to possible tiebreakers, mainly referring to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. It should be a fun, next few weeks for college football fans.
