Dan Mullen puts Texas on upset alert vs. Arkansas: 'They have to be very careful'

When the second College Football Playoff rankings dropped this week, Texas came in as the projected No. 2 seed in the 12-team bracket. The Longhorns are one of three teams tied atop the SEC standings, but as the highest-ranked team in the league, came in as the projected conference champion.

A matchup with Arkansas awaits this week as Texas looks to continue its strong start to its time in the SEC. But to ESPN analyst Dan Mullen, the Longhorns could be on upset alert.

Mullen called Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green an X-Factor for the Razorbacks and said he could present a challenge for the Texas defense. Add in an old rivalry between the two teams, and it might add some juice to the game – which is why Mullen said the Longhorns need to be “very careful.”

“I’m gonna go with Texas because of Taylen Green and Arkansas,” Mullen said on SportsCenter Thursday evening. “Arkansas already pulled a huge upset over Tennessee earlier in the year. They’ve played really good football. They have a strong defense. When you have an athlete like Taylen Green at quarterback, he can come in and change a game – and especially at home in an old Southwest Conference rivalry. Arkansas would love nothing more than to ruin Texas’ season. I think they have to be very careful.

“Now, the loss to Georgia [has] woken them up. I’d be a little more nervous if they were undefeated coming into the game. But they know their backs are against the wall a little bit in this game if they want to compete for the SEC Championship.”

Green has become the focal point of Bobby Petrino’s offense in Fayetteville this year after transferring from Boise State. Through nine games, he’s averaging 291.7 yards of offense, which ranks third in the SEC.

Texas and Arkansas last played in 2021 – a 40-21 Razorbacks victory in Steve Sarkisian’s first season in Austin. But the Longhorns have become one of the top teams in the country since then, led by Quinn Ewers and a strong offensive line, as well as a staunch defense.

Texas takes a 9-1 overall record into Saturday’s matchup, with the lone loss coming to Georgia at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium last month. Since then, they got a grind-it-out victory against Vanderbilt before getting a blowout win over Florida last week as Ewers set a new career-high with five touchdown passes.