Paging through the preview mags: Lindy's Sports

One of print’s last strongholds is the college football preview magazine, light versions of encyclopedias on every Football Bowl Subdivision team. Each one claims to be the BEST or the MOST ACCURATE or the DEEPEST, and the amount of hard work that goes into each one is worthy of a salute for the role these magazines play in satiating the appetite of college football fans starving for morsels as the season gets closer and closer.

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Is there anything notable in these 200-plus page previews? Inside Texas will help determine that, today looking at Lindy’s Sports 2024 college football preview.

On the cover

Grabbing the first preview you see from the checkout line, a June rite of passage for CFB fans pic.twitter.com/qoyM248LS5

— Joe Cook (@josephcook89) June 14, 2024

The cover of the edition I picked up from the local HEB featured Quinn Ewers and Texas A&M’s Conner Weigman. These two also will be on the cover of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.

The top 25

1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Texas
4. Oregon
5. Ole Miss
6. Michigan
7. Alabama
8. Notre Dame
9. Missouri
10. Florida State
11. Penn State
12. Oklahoma State
13. LSU
14. Clemson
15. Tennessee
16. Utah
17. Miami
18. Oklahoma
19. Texas A&M
20. Kansas
21. Kansas State
22. NC State
23. Arizona
24. Iowa State
25. Liberty

When describing the Longhorns, Lindy’s says that the Texas “transition to SEC ain’t no thing.” It mentions the wins in the portal at WR and DL but also notes how there are questions in the secondary.

Lindy’s expects Texas to “make a run at the SEC championship.”

Rankings, lists, otherwise

Most impactful non-QB transfers: No. 6 – Isaiah Bond: “The speedy replacement for Xavier Worthy.”

Most impactful non-QB transfers: No. 14 – Trey Moore: “Sorry, the Group of Five can’t keep nice tings for long.”

Ten players who wowed us this spring: No. 1 – Arch Manning: “Lived up to his name and showed UT has a wildly talented option behind Quinn Ewers.”

FCS vs. Power Four Conferences: 2024: SEC – “Texas didn’t get the memo. Every other team in the league is facing an FCS opponent, which is normal scheduling practice in the SEC.”

Top 15 Conference games: No. 1 – Georgia at Texas, Oct. 19: “Consider it SXSW in the fall — It’s the hottest ticket of the season.”

Top 15 Conference games: No. 12 – Oklahoma vs. Texas, Oct. 12: “Red River Shootout/Showdown/Rivalry is a must-watch in its SEC debut.”

Top 15 Non-Conference games: No. 1 – Texas at Michigan, Sept. 7: “An early ‘prove-it’ for last year’s playoff teams trying to book a return visit.”

Twenty toughest schedules: 20. Your Team: “We never recognize just how tough your team’s schedule is, so you have our approval to consider it one of the 20 toughest in America.”

Heisman Watch: No. 2 – Quinn Ewers: “He stiff-armed golden recruit Arch Manning and kept him on the sideline, drove the Longhorns to their first Big 12 title since 2009, battled in the College Football Playoff… and now he just might be the interloper to take down the mighty, mighty SEC.”

Position rankings

• Quinn Ewers – No. 3 QB
• CJ Baxter – No. 22 RB
• Isaiah Bond – No. 11 WR
• Kelvin Banks – No. 2 OT
• Trey Moore – No. 6 DE
• Anthony Hill Jr. – No. 9 OLB
• Andrew Mukuba – No. 10 S
• Bert Auburn – No. 3 K

Unit rankings

• Top 10 backfields: No. 1 Texas
• Top 10 receivers: No. 3 Texas
• Top 10 offensive lines: No. 1 Texas
• Top 10 linebackers: No. 2 Texas

All-Americans and All-SEC

OL Kelvin Banks: first-team All-American, first-team All-SEC, SEC Honor Roll for “best pass blocker,” No. 5 in the league in NFL talent

DL Trey Moore: first-team All-SEC, SEC Newcomer of the Year

S Andrew Mukuba: first-team All-SEC

QB Quinn Ewers: second-team All-SEC, SEC Honor Roll for “strongest arm,” No. 8 in the league in NFL talent

WR Isaiah Bond: second-team All-SEC

K Bert Auburn: second-team All-SEC

LB Anthony Hill Jr.: second-team All-SEC

RB CJ Baxter: third-team All-SEC

TE Amari Niblack: third-team All-SEC

C Jake Majors: third-team All-SEC

DL Ethan Burke: third-team All-SEC

DB Jahdae Barron: third-team All-SEC

Tidbits from the Texas page

MVP: Quinn Ewers

Emerging Star: Anthony Hill Jr.

Top Newcomer: Isaiah Bond

Three big questions

• Can the offense improve on 3rd down and in the red zone?
• Can the run defense remain so stout?
• Can the pass defense improve?

Projected Starters

• QB Quinn Ewers
• RB CJ Baxter
• WR Isaiah Bond
• WR Silas Bolden
• WR Johntay Cook
• TE Gunnar Helm
• LT Kelvin Banks
• LG Hayden Conner
• C Jake Majors
• RG DJ Campbell
• RT Cam Williams

• BUCK Barryn Sorrell
• NT Bill Norton
• DT Alfred Collins
• JACK Ethan Burke
• LB Anthony Hill Jr.
• LB David Gbenda
• STAR Jahdae Barron
• CB Gavin Holmes
• CB Malik Muhammad
• SS Michael Taaffe
• FS Andrew Mukuba

*the transfers of Jay’Vion Cole and Jermayne Lole took place after the magazine’s May 3 deadline

Conference, playoff picks

Lindy’s picked Georgia to win the SEC title and receive a first-round bye after winning the SEC Championship Game over UT. The Longhorns were projected to be the No. 5 seed and host Conference USA champion Liberty at home for a first-round game. The Longhorns are predicted to advance to face Big 12 champion Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl, and move on for what could be a second (or third) matchup with Georgia. This is where Lindy’s believes Texas’ season ends.

For more information on how to order the Lindy’s College Football preview, click here.