Spring football is over. The transfer portal is closed. The calendar reads June. You know what that means? College football is almost here. It has now been five months since Michigan took down Washington in the national championship game in Houston, and we have made it through the hardest part of the offseason. We are well past the halfway point, and now, there's nothing but excitement to get us to the finish line. We are less than three months away from the start of the college football season, and Texas football is ready. Longhorns fans can't wait to see their team take the field for the first time.
The 2024 college football season is shaping up to be one of the most exciting seasons in a long time, and it's because of all the changes that are coming to the game in 2024. Let's start with the expanded College Football Playoff.
It's going to be interesting to see how the first year of the new 12-team College Football Playoff goes. The four-team playoff era is over, and having eight more teams make it is going to make a huge difference.
First of all, college football fans can breathe a little bit easier during the regular season. There's no worse feeling as a fan than seeing your team lose a huge game in the first weeks of the season before conference play even starts. In the four-team playoff era, that's as demoralizing as it gets. You know that one more loss is the nail in the coffin, and even with one loss (or in Florida State's case, zero), there is no guarantee that you will make it. Now, power five teams that go 10-2 should be pretty safe, and even some 9-3 teams will likely be able to make it.
The other big change is more football and a longer season. The College Football Playoff committee recently released the schedule for the 2024 playoff, and it is going to be an exciting month. Instead of three total playoff games played in the span of a week, we will get to see 11 games spread out over the span of a month. That is going to be a lot of fun.
Another huge change to the college football world this year will be with the new conferences. The Pac-12 is gone as everyone except for Oregon State and Washington State found a new home. USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington are now in the Big Ten, Cal and Stanford moved to the ACC, and Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah are in the Big 12.
The Big 12 did lose two teams, however, as Oklahoma and Texas are making the move over to the SEC.
All in all, big changes are coming to college football, and it should make for an exciting season. Things are going to look different, and not everyone is a fan of the new changes, but there is going to more football and more good matchups. That's a plus.
Texas football should once again be a national title contender
The Texas football team is back. The Longhorns finally put together the type of season that their fans expect each year in 2023, and they are expected to come back even stronger next year. Steve Sarkisian led his team to a Big 12 title last season and a trip to the College Football Playoff. Their semifinal matchup against Washington came down to literally the last play, but the Longhorns came up just short and failed to make it to the national title game. Still, it was a great season for Texas, and they are expected to be one of the best teams in college football in 2024.
A big reason why Texas football is expected to be so good is because of their quarterback. Most people expected Quinn Ewers to depart for the NFL after last season, but he decided that he wants to play for the Longhorns for one more season. He was one of the best QBs in college football last season, and with a lot of the others leaving for the NFL, Ewers has a shot to be the best of the best this season.
This Texas football roster is loaded with weapons, it isn't just Ewers coming back that makes them a dangerous squad. He is going to have a lot of talent to work with offense, and the defense is returning a lot from last year as well. However, the Longhorns only have so many starting spots that can be filled. This is a good problem to have. Anytime there is a team that is this loaded, it can be difficult to figure out who the best options are at each position. The spring game showed us a lot about where things stand, but there is still a lot of offseason left.
One thing that happens with a team like Texas that is loaded with talent is transfer portal departures. The Longhorns are returning a lot of their starters from last season, and that means that a lot of starting jobs from last year are likely already going to be taken. Obviously, there will be position battles throughout the offseason and the best player will win them no matter what, but a lot of players realize that they likely aren't going to earn those spots, and they hit the portal.
Still, having too much talent is a good problem to have. Texas has a lot of good returners, but they also have some first-time starters that will turn some heads. Here is one player poised for a breakout season.
CJ Baxter, RB
CJ Baxter was the starting running back for the Texas football team last year, but he was just a true freshman and he didn't get as many carries as a typical starting RB gets. That is also because of the fact that the Longhorns were loaded with talent in the passing game. Quinn Ewers was one of the best quarterbacks in college football, and he had a lot of talent wide receivers to work with. They were a pass-heavy offense, and they likely will be in 2024 as well.
Still, don't be surprised if CJ Baxter has a breakout season. Texas football can't solely rely on their passing game and become a one dimensional team. They need to have a strong rushing attack as well, and Baxter is going to be their guy.
Last season, CJ Baxter carried the ball 138 times for 659 yards and five touchdowns. It was a great freshman season. Now, he has another offseason under his belt, and he is ready to take a leap as he prepares for his second season as the starter. A lot more people are going to know the same CJ Baxter this season.
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