The Texas Longhorns face the Washington Huskies, with both teams having the national championship in mind.
The Longhorns advanced and became the no. 3 seed after their 49-12 Big 12 title game win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday, December 2. Now, Texas is looking to avenge its Alamo Bowl loss last year against the Huskies.
"Another rematch," linebacker Jaylan Ford said. "Our biggest thing all this year, I think was teams that we lost to last year, giving them our best shot."
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Also, this will be special for the Longhorns. It will be their first trip to the College Football Playoffs since its inception in 2014. Now, Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian and his players are raring to take on any team and gauge if they are good enough against the best of the best, SI.com reported.
"I feel very comfortable if we get into this tournament, we'll play anybody. We'll find out if we're good enough or not. But I feel like we have the team, the culture, the scheme, and the versatility of this team to play against anybody," Sarkisian said.
Here are reasons the Longhorns can win their Sugar Bowl matchup with the Huskies set on New Year's Day, January 1, 2024.
Longhorns are peaking at the right time
At the rate they are peaking, the Huskies and the teams they could face if they win on New Year's Day need to be ready.
The Longhorns are peaking on offense and defense at the right time, not to mention showing how dominant they can be if everything goes accordingly.
One problem that they had in the past has been resolved. That is about allowing opposing teams a chance to get back into games.
Longhorns rematch with Huskies provides added motivation
Although the Huskies are ranked no. 2, that may not matter for the Longhorns. While rankings matter, it is the fire that burns inside of them that cannot be measured.
The upcoming Sugar Bowl clash will be the fifth and final opportunity for the Longhorns' Revenge Tour. And compared to last year, Texas is entering this game with a healthy lineup.
Last season, the Longhorns faced the Huskies without linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and star running backs Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson. There were players like Jonathan Brooks and Xavier Worthy playing despite injuries. In the end, the Huskies proved too much and won 27-20 via ESPN.
Longhorns are odds-on-favorite over Huskies
Even if they are ranked no. 3, the Texas Longhorns are undoubtedly humming right now. They are 4.5-point spread favorites ahead of their Sugar Bowl clash with the Huskies in New Orleans, Louisiana, per NBC 15.
However, that is less than a touchdown and something the Huskies can easily cover. Washington has a credible lineup that Sarkisian has to figure out. He admits that it will be a heck of a game, a challenge he is not afraid to oblige to.
"Washington's a very good team and they're going to be healthy, too. They've had their own injury bug that they've been dealing with, so it's gonna be a great challenge, gonna be a heck of a game," the 49-year-old said via SB Nation.
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