Texas is Officially Bowl Eligible, But There is Now Much More at Stake
Saturday night's win over the No. 13 Kansas State Wildcats might be the biggest win in Steve Sarkisian's Texas Longhorns career.
Not only did it make them bowl-eligible for the first time under Sark, but it also gave the Longhorns their first road win since October of 2021 vs. the TCU Horned Frogs in Fort Worth.
"It's great. I'm really happy for our seniors because we didn't have that opportunity a year ago," Sarkisian said after the win. "To solidify that, that was awesome. But like I told the guys, we're not done."
It was a win that, as we have said multiple times before during this season, Texas likely does not get in 2021.
But this time the Longhorns did. And that, in and of itself, is a major relief for both Sarkisian and Texas fans everywhere.
“We definitely - I guess - got over a block," Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers. "A lot of credit to the defense and (Keondre) Coburn coming up with that big fumble. That was just huge.”
However, all of the sudden, there is now something much more important at stake - something that seemed unattainable as the Longhorns walked to their locker room two weeks ago after a loss in Stillwater.
A conference title.
Yes, with the win, as well as some help from the Kansas Jayhawks against Oklahoma State, the Longhorns are now within striking distance of a Big 12 conference championship berth.
Quite the turn of events right?
No matter what, Texas needed - and likely still needs - to win out to make it to AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Luckily, thanks to the Oklahoma State loss and the win over the Wildcats, Texas has moved into a tie with the Baylor Bears for second place in the Big 12 standings, with a big matchup with the Horned Frogs looming next Saturday.
That matchup now automatically becomes the biggest game the Longhorns have played this season.
Yes, even bigger than the free shot against Alabama. At least in terms of standing.
"Every game is a championship game for us," Longhorns defensive tackle Keondre Coburn said.
A win for Texas against the Frogs would mean they are one step closer to Arlington, while they remain in second place in the Big 12.
A loss, while not season-killing, however, would be very tough to overcome in terms of the conference race.
The turnaround will be difficult.
It would be for any head coach, much less one like Sark, that is still trying to build his program and its culture.
No, Texas is not back.
But now, for the first time since its loss to Texas Tech in September, it is at least back in control of its own Big 12 destiny.
"All in all, it's a really cool win for us in a tough environment," Sarkisian said. "But we've got more to do."
You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan
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