In my article on the decision for the Texas Longhorns to name Hudson Card as the starting QB (link) I stated that the choice of Card would lead to a broader range of likely results. In short,
Thompson is more likely to lead them to 8-4 or 9-3
Card is more likely to lead them to the Big 12 championship game OR
Card is more likely to lead them to 7-5 or 8-4
I approximated the possible results as
Now that we know it is Card at the helm, which extreme will it be? What will the Longhorns do in 2021?
I am going to go out on a limb here. I believe the Longhorns will be an early season surprise success. Unlike most of my analyses, I don’t have reams of data to support this optimism. I am more of a fan in the college football world. That will be clear before we are done with this article. My predictions here are a gut feeling based on several beliefs:
1. Bijan Robinson- The primary reason to believe in the Longhorns this season is their star running back. By December, every college football fan will know his name and every high school running back will want to come to Texas to be the next Bijan
2. Steve Sarkisian- Sark is an offensive play calling genius and developer of quarterbacks. If he can make Mac Jones into a Heisman finalist, he can make Hudson Card into a great college quarterback. Expect the Longhorns offense to be surprisingly good.
3. Pete Kwiatkowski- PK is a defensive genius and is not better known because he was in the Pacific Northwest. This too will change in 2021. Sark’s decision to hire PK will be the best decision as head coach of the Longhorns.
So how good will it be for the Longhorns in 2021? I have listed my official predictions game-by-game below.
I believe the Longhorns finish with
· Regular season 10-2 record
· Not going to the Big 12 Championship game (Oklahoma and Iowa State)
· Going to a New Year’s Six Bowl
Let’s pause here and fill out my full CFP and New Year’s Six Bowl predictions
That’s right. My official prediction is that the Longhorns with shock the College Football world and BEAT Texas A&M in the Fiesta Bowl 27- 21. You heard it here first.
Tell me what you think in the comments and share your predictions with me please.