College Football Analyst Picks If Aggies or Longhorns Win SEC Title First
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Who wins a Southeastern Conference title first; Texas A&M or Texas? It's a question each side will be up in arms over until the world inevitably meets its demise.
With fans of both the Aggies and Longhorns hell-bent on raising a national title banner within the coming years, everything starts by winning one's conference. A&M is coming off its worst season since joining the SEC in 2012. Texas, meanwhile, might have all the pieces to win a Big 12 title, but will it transpire in 2024 once joining a conference where it "Just Means More."
Josh Pate of 247Sports said that entering the 2022 season, his money would have likely been on the Aggies to hoist up a trophy in Atlanta come early December. Now, his attention has turned to Austin and the roster being assembled under third-year coach Steve Sarkisian.
"I look at Texas, I think they have massively fortified their lines of scrimmage," Pate said on an episode of "That SEC Podcast" with Michael Bratton. "You can't go wrong with the way they're acquiring quarterbacks. Even if they were to have — God forbid — a season-ending injury to their frontline quarterback right now. They got one more immediately ready in [Maalik] Murphy, who half the SEC wanted to transfer, and long-term, you have Arch Manning there, and they'll just keep acquiring quarterback talent."
The Longhorns quarterback room should be a strength under Sarkisian in Austin. Quinn Ewers, the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, left fans wanting more following a career-best 361-yard passing performance against No. 12 Washington in the Alamo Bowl. He also threw four TDs and led the Longhorns to the most lopsided win in Red River Showdown history against Oklahoma.
Murphy, a 2022 four-star who missed all of last season with an ankle injury, dazzled in the Orange-White game, throwing for 165 yards and a TD. Several fans on the Forty Acres believe Murphy's physical play style and arm strength could provide more upside than Ewers for the immediate future.
A&M looks to be in good hands under center with the return of both Conner Weigman and Max Johnson. Neither passer committed a turnover in six combined starts and completed roughly 60 percent of their passes. Weigman, a five-star from Cypress (Texas), seemed poised to return to the starting role after leading the Aggies to a 38-23 upset win over then-No. 5 LSU in the season finale.
Johnson, who played in 18 games for the Tigers before transferring to College Station, has always been Mr. Consistency. He graded out with a higher completion percentage and passer rating than Weigman, but his floor could eventually hold him back from retaining the starting job. The final verdict will not only come down to sixth-year coach Jimbo Fisher but also first-year offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino.
Pate cites that while the Longhorns look to be in a prime position, they too could fall into a similar trap to that of the Aggies from a season ago. A&M finished with the No. 1 recruiting class in league history, yet stumbled out of the gate to a 5-7 finish. The offense ranked 91st in total yards and 101st in scoring behind Fisher's play-calling.
One of the more broad differences between the Longhorns and Aggies is offensive production. Pate says there are few offensive minds he has more respect for in the country than Sarkisian, who produced one of the more potent scoring offenses in recent memory during his time as Alabama's offensive coordinator.
"I have a feeling that the 2020 season he had with Alabama is the best-called season I've ever seen from a coordinator," said Pate. "Yes, he had all the pieces in the world, but there have been folks with talent at this disposal before; I've never seen the assassin-type level of precision and execution that they had that year."
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