Predicting the Outcomes of Texas Longhorns 2024 Games

© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

It should come as no surprise to any college football fan that the Texas Longhorns find themselves in the national championship chatter. The Longhorns put together a solid 2023 season, ending in a 37-31 Allstate Sugar Bowl loss to No. 2 Washington. Head coach Steve Sarkisian enters his fourth season with eyes on another College Football Playoff spot.

He’ll be asking junior quarterback Quinn Ewers to match, if not improve, on last season’s numbers. Get a load of these statistics. Ewers completed 272-of-394 passes for 3,479 yards, 22 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Ewers also showed off his running ability, too. He had 59 carries for 75 yards and 5 touchdowns. It was good enough to help Texas beat Oklahoma State for the Big 12 Conference Championship.

But that Texas offense was looking to have a solid running attack with CJ Baxter in the backfield. Baxter, though, was injured during fall practices and will miss the season. True-freshman Christian Clark also suffered a season-ending injury. All eyes now turn to Jaydon Blue to take up the slack. Blue totaled 407 yards and 3 touchdowns on 65 carries. He also caught 14 passes for 135 yards and 1 touchdown.

The Longhorns return five starters on offense, including offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr.

What about Texas’ defense? It also returns five starters, including two seniors in EDGE Barryn Sorrell and defensive back Jahdae Barron. Sorrell works along the defensive front with fellow EDGE Ethan Burke. Sorrell, who has 24 starts in his college career, had 11 pressures, 4 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. Burke led Texas with 5.5 sacks and finished second with 9 tackles for loss. 

Look for former UTSA star Trey Moore, who came to Texas via the Transfer Portal, to make a big impact. For the Roadrunners last season, Moore had 45 total tackles and a school-record 14 sacks. Talk about a monster. Moore might just find himself with some defensive awards when the season ends.

At linebacker, freshman All-American Anthony Hill returns. He led the Longhorns in tackles last season with 67. Toss in 5 sacks and 8 tackles for loss for good measure. Seniors David Gbenda and Morice Blackwell Jr. will be there to help Hill out, too.

Bert Auburn returns in his kicker’s role for Texas. He’s joining an elite list of kickers that have made their mark while playing for the Longhorns. Auburn set UT single-season records last season for field goals made (29) and points scored by a kicker (143). He also posted Texas and Big 12 Conference records with 19 consecutive field goals made.

This season, Texas will be going up against Southeastern Conference competition. There will be tests along the way, yet the Longhorns just might find themselves with an amazing regular-season record. 

Week 1: Colorado State Rams

Colorado State comes into Austin, Texas, for the Longhorns’ opener. Wide receiver Tory Horton, who previously played for the Nevada Wolf Pack, will be highlighted in the Rams’ offense. Yet it’s tough to see how Texas would come up short against Colorado State. Sarkisian will have the Longhorns ready to rock in front of a raucous home crowd. 

Record: 1-0

Week 2: at Michigan Wolverines

This second-week matchup at Michigan Stadium will draw a lot of scrutiny. The Michigan Wolverines lost 13 players to the NFL Draft and head coach Jim Harbaugh to the Los Angeles Chargers. Still, new head coach Sherrone Moore does have some players to work with this season. They include defensive lineman Mason Graham, cornerback Will Johnson, tight end Colston Loveland and running back Donovan Edwards. Do you think Texas would look past Colorado State to this Michigan game? Hardly. It’ll be a battle at the Big House, but the Longhorns take the win.

Record: 2-0

Week 3: UTSA Roadrunners

Senior running back Brevin Randle and offensive lineman CJ James are two players worth watching for UTSA. But the Longhorns will just have too much firepower and take down the Roadrunners. The last time these teams played one another, Texas won 41-20 in 2022. Look for a similar score this time around, too.

Record: 3-0

Week 4: Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks

Texas gets one more tune-up game before starting SEC play. Wide receiver Tyler Griffin Jr. will lead his team into Austin. But, yeah, this will be another Longhorns rout. Texas beat Louisiana-Monroe 52-10 in 2022. Again, don’t be surprised if second stringers find the field for Texas in the second half. 

Record: 4-0

Week 5: Mississippi State Bulldogs

First-year coach Jeff Lebby is working hard to implement an uptempo offense for Mississippi State this season. There are 11 new starters on offense for the Bulldogs. Yeah, it would be cool to see a close contest here in an SEC opener. Texas is too deep. Give this one the Longhorns. 

Record: 5-0 (1-0 SEC)

Week 6: Bye week

Look for Sarkisian and his coach staff to use this time wisely. Players who were dinged up in these early-season games will have time to heal a bit. Also, any offensive and defensive adjustments can be made. This bye week couldn’t come at a better time. Next up for the Longhorns is their annual trip to Cotton Bowl Stadium.

Week 7: Oklahoma Sooners (Dallas)

Don’t ignore people paying attention to Boomer Sooner on a national scale. Deion Burks, Billy Bowman and Danny Stutsman provide the core nucleus of Oklahoma’s team. Keep an eye on Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold, too.

OU head coach Brent Venables will have his team ready to go. These games either turn into back-and-forth clashes or a rout in either direction. Look for Auburn to win it with a late field goal in the 102nd neutral site meeting. 

Record: 6-0 (2-0 SEC)

© Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Week 8: Georgia Bulldogs

Smart vs. Sark. That would be Georgia head coach Kirby Smart against Texas’ Sarkisian. Oh man, these coaches are going to have their teams ready. Ewers should have some pretty awesome numbers by this time. He goes up against Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck, safety Malaki Starks and guard Tate Ratledge. This will be a tough one. Georgia did kick Rara Thomas off the team. It will take a Herculean effort for the Longhorns to win this one. Give the win to Georgia.

Record: 6-1 (2-1 SEC)

Week 9: at Vanderbilt Commodores

Texas heads back out on the road, this time squaring off against Vanderbilt. It’s been many years since these teams played one another. So, there’s no recent history to base a result off of at all. CJ Taylor and Diego Pavia are two players worth watching on Vanderbilt. But the Commodores have struggled in recent years. Texas won’t put up with much on-field foolishness here and should win easily. 

Record: 7-1 (3-1 SEC)

Week 10: Florida Gators

Here’s another SEC team that last played the Longhorns decades ago, so throw out all-time records. Florida head coach Billy Napier looks to improve on his 11-14 record in Gainesville, Fla., in his first two seasons. He’ll have quarterback Graham Mertz, running back Montrell Johnson Jr. and cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. as key players for the Gators. While Napier hopes his team puts up a fight, the Longhorns’ depth just might be the deciding factor.  

Record: 8-1 (4-1 SEC)

Week 11: at Arkansas Razorbacks

Let’s not dismiss Arkansas so fast here. Texas saw the Razorbacks get the best of the Longhorns in 2021, when Arkansas won 40-21. Bobby Petrino takes over at Arkansas as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He’ll oversee quarterback Taylen Green, wide receiver Andrew Armstrong and tight end Luke Hasz. Can the Razorbacks push the Texas defense around? If they can do it, then an upset is in the making. Still, Texas gets the edge here on the road.

Record: 9-1 (5-1 SEC)

Week 12: Bye

Again, this falls at a good time for Texas. They’ll have two games left in the regular season, one at home and another in Aggieland. Sarkisian will use this time to make sure the Longhorns are rested and ready for a late push.

Week 13: Kentucky Wildcats

So, the last time Texas played Kentucky was in 1951. No games between the Longhorns and Wildcats until now. In SEC play, this could be an easy one. Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops and first-year offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan will do their best against Texas. Defensive tackle Deone Walker, cornerback Maxwell Hairston and wide receiver Barion Brown deserve attention. Look for Texas, though, to unleash its offensive firepower on Senior Day.

Record: 10-1 (6-1 SEC)

Week 14: at Texas A&M Aggies

Yes sir, it’s time to rumble in College Station, Texas. The last time the Aggies and Longhorns played, it was in College Station in 2011 where Texas won 27-25. These old-school Southwest Conference rivals have tangled plenty of times. Since 2000, the Longhorns have won nine of the past 12 games between them. Quarterback Connor Weigman and wide receiver Noah Thomas will anchor the Texas A&M offense. First-year Aggies head coach Mike Elko puts his stamp on his team. Ewers and his cast of offensive weapons better be on their game. The same goes for Texas’ defense, too. It’ll be a close one in Aggieland, but UT will make 100,000-plus fans mad and escape with a victory

Record: 11-1 (7-1 SEC)

Texas Overview

Looking at a final projected record for Texas, fans might believe that this college football season will be a cakewalk. Rest assured, it’s not going to be that way for the Longhorns. They have depth, of course, across offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Ewers will show the nation that he’s a top-flight quarterback. Yet there will be tests. Should the Longhorns pass them, then look for Texas to earn a College Football Playoff berth again. Maybe, just maybe, Sark gets them into the CFP National Championship game. Cross your fingers, Longhorns fans. 

Come back to College Football Dawgs throughout the season for the latest on Texas Longhorns football.