Greg McElroy makes case for Texas to reach College Football Playoff

Greg McElroy made the case for the Texas Longhorns to make the College Football Playoff in 2023. Before you say, “here we go again,” McElroy is already ahead of the curve.

The ESPN analyst like what the Longhorns have on paper this season. So this might finally be the year where Texas gets back over the hump and emulates the glory days of the early 2000s.

But it’s a lot of ifs and assumptions, as McElroy put it on Always College Football.

“Now, a lot of people are gonna say, every year, every year we do this, why,” McElroy said. “Why do we continue to force Texas at everybody in the preseason? Believe me, as a media member, (I) do fall victim to the occasional Texas fatigue. They’re pretty good, y’all. They’re pretty good. 

“And I think when you look at their roster, assuming significant growth at the quarterback spot, assuming the wide receiver group can stay healthy, which they couldn’t do last year, assuming their tight end becomes a major difference maker, assuming, given the fact that it’s the Texas Longhorns, assuming they have a pretty dang good running back.” 

Quinn Ewers will be the biggest difference if he is healthy and plays at a high level consistently. At running back, Texas lost Bijan Robinson to the NFL.

Not a worry for McElroy.

“I would imagine, based on the group of guys that are competing for carries, they will be adequate at that spot,” McElroy said. “Defensively, Pete Kwiatkowksi, as the defensive coordinator, runs a really good system and if you look at their defensive personnel along the line of scrimmage, they are not the Georgia Bulldogs.

“They’re not the Ohio State Buckeyes of yesteryear. They’re not the Michigan Wolverines, but they are pretty good and they have grown in that area.”

McElroy plead his case for Texas and cited last year’s TCU team as an example of team in a similar situation.

“Remember who won the Big 12 last year and ultimately punched their ticket,” McElroy said. “Who was the best team in the big 12 last year and ultimately punched their ticket to the college football playoff? It was TCU. Answer me this? Did TCU have game changing defensive difference makers?”

Can Texas officially and finally be “back?” That’s one of the biggest questions in college football going into the fall.

Buckle up because it’ll be a fun ride if Texas can make it to the College Football Playoff.