Greg McElroy Taking the ‘Over’ on Texas’ 9.5 Win Total for 2023
The Texas Longhorns are coming into the 2023 season as the favorite to win the Big 12 for the first time since 2009, and are also a trendy pick to make their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.
For years we’ve watched Texas underachieve, as the Longhorns have been under three different head coaches since parting waits with Mack Brown after the 2013 season, and have had just one 10-win season in that stretch, under Tom Herman in 2018.
In fact, Herman is the only head coach that has led UT to a bowl win since Mack Brown left, going a perfect 4-0 in bowl games during his tenure from 2017-2020.
However, the hype hasn’t been as intriguing as it is now, with Steve Sarkisian entering Year in Austin. The Longhorns have the most talented roster in the Big 12, and perhaps by a wide margin. The question still remains: can Sark get to double-digit wins?
ESPN’s Greg McElroy certainly believes so.
During a segment of “Always College Football,”
“The Texas Longhorns? They come in at 9.5,” McElroy said. “Everybody and their brother is hot on the Longhorns this year, right? So hot.”
“Think about where they were last year. How close they were in so many games? Lost five games last year all by one score. And you think about a couple of those games? They had some leads that they just couldn’t hang on to,” explained McElroy. “Think about the Texas Tech game, think about the Oklahoma State game. They had significant leads in both games. They just could not hold on.”
Texas made a ton of progress along the line of scrimmage in 2022 though, both offensively and defensively, and McElroy believes that the Longhorns are headed in the right direction to exceed that 9.5 win total in 2023.
“A big boost is coming for the Longhorns this year. I am very optimistic about it. I think they’re a Top-10 football team coming into the season,” McElroy said. “A lot of it has to do with the progress made offensively, progress made on the front seven defensively. But, given the strides made from ’21 to ’22, I think they’re going to continue to ramp it up. I’m taking the over on 9.5.”
The Texas Hype Train is fully charged up once again, and will be at an all-time high come September 9, when the Longhorns face McElroy’s alma mater in Tuscaloosa.
