No. 11 Texas @ No. 3 Alabama: Texas Tech fans will hope to see the Tide roll
Kicking off at the same time that Texas Tech and Oregon do (6 PM Central), the Longhorns’ trip to Alabama is the game of the week in the NCAA. Of course, it is a future conference matchup but more importantly, this is a game that will likely eliminate one of these teams from playoff contention.
Last year, Texas surprised most people by nearly toppling Bama in Austin. However, eventual Heisman Trophy winner, Bryce Young, pulled a late rabbit out of his hat and led his team on a FG drive to win the game in the final minute, 20-19.
That game was supposed to buoy Texas with confidence and send them on an upward trajectory but the opposite happened. Two weeks later, the Horns would lose in Lubbock in overtime on their way to a mediocre 8-5 mark that was far below preseason expectations. (Shocking; I know.)
This season, the schedule after the Bama game sets up for Texas to make a run. With games against Wyoming, Baylor, and Kansas (with only the Baylor game being on the road) before the annual showdown with Oklahoma in Dallas, Texas would likely be a top-5 team heading into the Red River Rivalry if they can come out of Tuscaloosa with a win.
ESPN’s matchup predictor doesn’t give that a great shot of happening though. Putting Alabama’s likelihood of winning at 80.9%, that metric is bullish on the Tide.
We will learn quite a bit about both of these heavyweights on Saturday. One will take a huge step toward a potential playoff spot while the other will have plenty of doubters heading into week three. Here’s hoping that Nick Saban’s usual mastery over his former assistants continues and the Tide rolls.