The Longhorns have been a roller coaster of a team this year. Every time we start to take this team seriously they go right back to their losing ways. The Longhorns have consistently gotten better and better in recent years, and they came out rolling this year. If you take out all the games played with a backup QB, Texas would be in a prime position for a playoff spot. Sure they lost this weekend against Oklahoma State, but that wouldn’t completely take them out of contention. Not to mention if Quinn Ewers stayed healthy, we can start to wonder if that game could have gone differently.
Looking at the Alabama and Texas Tech losses, they were both. very close games. If the Texas defense hadn’t given up a game-winning drive against Bama and a late field goal against Tech, we would be looking at a different record right now. Against Bama healthy quarterback would have easily won them the game. With how defensive that game was, another touchdown from Ewers would have sent the Crimson Tide home with a loss. The same thing can go for their battle against Texas Tech. A little more offense would have gone a long way and secured the win for the Longhorns. Now you give them both of those wins and there is a little more confidence in this team as they take on OSU.
While I am not saying this game could have been flipped just because Texas won two games, I am saying it was possible. The Longhorns would be red hot at this point, beating every team in their way and likely having a top 5 rank in the country. Take that confidence and maybe Xavier Worthy doesn’t drop a deep touchdown pass late in the game. Maybe the defense plays a little better and forces a field goal late in the game. The list could go on and on, but the fact of the matter is Texas lost this game. I think the biggest takeaway is that they would still be in the playoff hunt even though they lost this game. Sitting at one loss with wins against Bama and Oklahoma still gives Texas an edge. Not to mention they still can get plenty of resume quality wins down the stretch.
This brings us back to the original question, and the answer has to be yes. If Quinn Ewers didn’t get hurt then Texas would be in the playoffs this year. This team has shown they have enough to make a run, but early mistakes cost them their season. While their loss to Oklahoma State could have occurred either way, they would still be in the mix to make it. A revenge win in the Big 12 championship would likely push the Longhorns into the top 4 when the season finally ends. It is truly a disappointment to see so much potential lost for the Longhorns, but that is the unfortunate reality.
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