Longhorns Country

Longhorns Facing a 'College Football Playoff' Team at Alamo Bowl vs. Washington, Says Sarkisian

The Texas Longhorns will get quite the end-of-season test when they face the Washington Huskies in the Valero Alamo Bowl.
Zach Dimmitt|
Longhorns Facing a 'College Football Playoff' Team at Alamo Bowl vs. Washington, Says Sarkisian
Longhorns Facing a 'College Football Playoff' Team at Alamo Bowl vs. Washington, Says Sarkisian

The Texas Longhorns might've missed out on a chance to play for a Big 12 title this season, but in their mind, they were probably four one-score losses away from maybe qualifying for the College Football Playoff.

But as the No. 20 Longhorns get set to take on the No. 12 Washington Huskies in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Thursday, Dec. 29, they'll be facing a team that, in the mind of Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, was a few plays away from potentially making it to the CFP.

It'll be quite the end-of-season test for the Longhorns to prove they can beat a potential championship-level team.

"To play the University of Washington and all that they've accomplished this season and a team that -- you know, I'm watching the tape and a couple plays here or there, they're in the College Football Playoff," Sarkisian said.

With quarterback Michael Penix Jr. -- who finished as the nation's leading passer (4,354 yards) and was eighth in the Heisman voting -- the Huskies finished the regular season 10-2. Their only two losses came in one-score defeats in back-to-back games to unranked UCLA and Arizona State. Aside from that two-game slump, Washington went undefeated the rest of the season.

A team that clearly has a record worthy of a New Year's Six Bowl will instead have to settle for a bowl game that is just outside the tier of NY6. But for the Longhorns, it serves as a unique opportunity to end the season with one of the best wins in the Sarkisian era.

The Longhorns and Huskies will kickoff from San Antonio at 8 p.m. CT on Thursday, Dec. 29.

You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. He originally started with SI’s Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball. In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases. You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7

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