The Texas football team has waited a long time to be back, but after the season that the Longhorns had this year, I think it's safe to say that they were back. However, the big question is whether or not Texas is here to stay, or if they will fall back into the abyss after joining the SEC this season. The Longhorns finished the regular season 11-1 this past season and earned a trip to the Big 12 Championship game against Oklahoma State. Texas cruised past the Cowboys in that one to win the Big 12 title and improve to 12-1, and it also earned them a berth into the College Football Playoff. This was the season that Texas fans had been hoping for for a long time, and it finally happened. Now, they have to continue to build on that momentum.
Obviously, things didn't go as planned for Texas football in the College Football Playoff. The Longhorns took on Washington in the Sugar Bowl, and it was a great game, but, the Huskies ended up finding a way to win the matchup. The game was tied at halftime, but the Huskies really started to impose their will in the second half. It was clear the entire game, especially in that second half, that Washington was the better team, and Texas looked dead in the water in the late stages of the game. However, a couple big plays completely turned the tide, and the Longhorns found themselves with a chance to erase a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit. They got down into the red zone with a chance to win it with a touchdown, but the Washington defense stepped up and got the stop to seal the win. Texas was outplayed in that game, but they were still just one play away from competing for a national title. This was a really good team this season.
Texas is back, and now they have to stay back. There are a couple of good things going their way in that regard, but things will also be more difficult because of their conference schedule. One thing that will help Texas is that the College Football Playoff is expanding to 12 teams. Every team has the same goal in college football: make the College Football Playoff. That goal will be much easier to achieve with the 12 team format. Teams that lose two or even three games in the regular season will have a chance to make the playoff. That will be crucial for teams in the SEC and Big Ten with conference realignment as well.
The most important thing for Texas football, however, and the biggest piece of news regarding the team this offseason, is that quarterback Quinn Ewers will be back next year. This is absolutely massive for the Longhorns. QB in the most position on the field in football, and with their difficult schedule next season, it will be a luxury that they won't have to break in a new QB. Not only will they not have to worry about breaking in a new QB, but Quinn Ewers will also be one of the best QBs in college football next season. That is huge for Texas, but it has people wondering what Arch Manning should do.
Should Arch Manning transfer?
Arch Manning is one of the hottest names in college football, and he hasn't even become a starting QB yet. If he stays at Texas football next year, he will have to wait even longer to become a starting QB. Manning is the nephew of former NFL star QBs Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. He was a five-star prospect out of high school, and when his time does come, he is expected to be a sensational QB. However, with Ewers returning to the Longhorns next year, that will add another year of being a backup to Manning's career. A lot of players of his caliber wouldn't like that.
When Manning came to Texas, most people were under the assumption that he would go the NFL after the minimum amount of time that he has to spend in college, which would be after his junior year. Well, he is two years away from that now after completing his freshman season, and if he doesn't transfer to a different school, that would give him just one year of playing experience before going to the NFL. That could be an issue for Manning.
Even the best of the best take a little bit of time to get acclimated to playing D1 power five college football compared to high school football. Different sport, but take a look at Bronny James playing for USC basketball as an example. He's an outstanding player, but high school to college is a difficult adjustment. The point being, when Manning does eventually become the starter of a college football team, there will probably be some growing pains. It would be better to get those growing pains out in a season that isn't his last instead of the one that's right before the NFL Draft that he will enter.
At this point, it seems like Manning does want to stay at Texas football, and it's honestly nice to see a player sticking to their commitment even though everything probably isn't going as planned for Manning so far with the Longhorns. However, no one would blame him for wanting to go somewhere where we would immediately start this upcoming season. We'll see what the decision ends up being.
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