The Texas Longhorns travel to Baton Rouge to face LSU in a contest that has sparked significant debate regarding its impact on the College Football Playoff, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
Columnist Cedric Golden suggests that while the Longhorns should treat the game as a must-win, it is not strictly necessary for their playoff hopes, according to the Golden and Bohls column.
Golden noted that the team has earned enough wiggle room through previous victories, stating that the team will make the playoff if they win, provided they handle subsequent games against Arkansas and Texas A&M.
Kirk Bohls offered a similar perspective, characterizing the matchup as a need-to-win game to remove postseason uncertainty, as noted in the analysis from Yahoo Sports.
Both analysts identified the offensive line as the critical factor for the Longhorns, with Bohls emphasizing that the group must protect quarterback Arch Manning, who was previously sacked seven times in losses to Oklahoma and Florida.
The conversation also shifted to the wider landscape of college football, including the struggles of Texas A&M, which faces a challenging game against Tennessee this week.
Golden described the Aggies as a broken team, reporting that Mike Elko has been helpless to stop the bleeding.
Conversely, Bohls expressed optimism for the Aggies, predicting that they will pull off a 19-14 upset.
Regarding the Heisman race, the analysts identified Miami quarterback Darian Mensah and Notre Dame’s C.J. Carr as top contenders, while noting that the race remains complex and strange.
The columnists also discussed the potential for Houston to make a playoff run, highlighting the confident play of Conner Weigman.