The season is still young. Nothing is written on stone. No one-loss teams are already eliminated from playoff contention. But the way that Steve Sarkisian's Texas Longhorns have opened the season is leaving plenty of room for concern.
Arch Manning won't be winning the Heisman Trophy this season, which is a challenging pill to swallow considering he stood as the odds-on favorite to take home the award before the season began. But with the Longhorns offense still seemingly dormant through four contests, there is (rightfully so) tremendous concern that once this team is neck-deep into the SEC gauntlet, defense alone won't keep the season afloat. Taking into account early returns from Manning -- he was ranked 41st among power four quarterbacks in a recent listing -- he'll have to improve substantially to keep his team considered contenders.
And per ESPN's projections, the Longhorns are standing from the outside of the playoff picture.
The SEC is, unsurprisingly, loaded with competitive programs this season, with four teams currently projected to slot into the postseason bracket, including three at-large bids. Having the conference's logo on your uniform is a right of passage in the modern age of college football simply because to have a strong resume means overcoming what is likely the most grueling and unforgiving in-conference schedule of any league across the FBS.
Texas understood this when they joined hands with Oklahoma and made the leap from the Big 12 Conference. But having a challenging schedule is, well, challenging, and the first quarter of the season has included some of the Longhorns' most straightforward opposition on the entire slate. Looking forward, this team still has to battle Oklahoma, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Georgia, and Texas A&M. The margin for error is razor-thin.
Fortunately, the Longhorns' destiny still remains largely under their control. Win out and play in the SEC title game, and it's hard to imagine they miss out, even with a loss. Lose two or more during the regular season, however, and there are no promises for a 3+ loss Longhorns squad.
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