The Texas football team had a stellar season in 2023. The Longhorns won the Big 12 Conference, as head coach Steve Sarkisian has the Texas football team in the College Football Playoff, with a chance to win the national championship for the first time since 2005. The Longhorns got in with a 12-1 record ahead of an undefeated Florida State team, that went 13-0 in the ACC. While some may feel Texas wasn't worthy of a trip to the CFP, there are several reasons to show why the Longhorns are not only worthy, but have a great chance at winning the national championship.

TEXAS HAS THE BEST NON CONFERENCE WIN

Texas football defeated Alabama in September, in a 34-24 game that flexed the muscles of the Longhorns' offense. That win in September traveled for the Longhorns, and they are the only team in the CFP with a victory over another team in the CFP. That's a big advantage for this Texas team.

In that game, Texas amassed 21 points in the fourth quarter alone. The Longhorns gained 454 total yards, including 349 passing yards. That's impressive, without a doubt. The Longhorns also played a disciplined football game, committing four penalties in total against 10 for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Texas has shown that they can beat anyone in the country, as Alabama went on to run the table after that game and win the SEC Championship. Texas has arguably the most impressive victory of any of the four teams remaining in the national championship picture.

QUINN EWERS IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS

Quinn Ewers is a huge reason why the Longhorns won the Big 12 Championship. Ewers enters the national semi-finals with video game numbers. He's completed 71 percent of his passes this season, throwing for a total of 3,161 yards. He's got 21 touchdown passes and only 6 interceptions on the year.

Ewers is also entering the semi-final game against Washington coming off of a red-hot performance against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 championship game. He threw for 452 yards in the championship game and four touchdowns, guiding Texas to a 49-21 blowout victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys. It was his best performance of the season, in a year filled with great performances. Ewers had five games this season throwing for more than 300 yards.

Quinn Ewers also has something to prove. At Sugar Bowl media day, Ewers found himself overshadowed by freshman sensation Arch Manning, who got the attention from the reporters. Ewers has extra motivation to play well in the national semi-finals, as he's perhaps been under appreciated by the press and some fans.

HAVE DEFENSE, WILL TRAVEL

The Big 12 was better than most people realized this year. While the league got criticized by some for not having as many top-heavy teams as in the past, the Big 12 has put together an impressive record in this year's bowl games. The Big 12 is 5-3 in bowl games this season, showing that they are still a strong league.

Texas proved to be the best team in that league, by having the best defense in that league. The Longhorns finished the season with the best scoring defense in the Big 12, giving up a total of 17.5 points per game. The Texas defense gave up only 26 touchdowns this season in 13 games, the fewest in the Big 12. The defense gave up a total of 228 points on the year, again the fewest in the Big 12. To put that into perspective, the second team in the conference was Kansas State, who gave up a total of 273 points.

Texas has the elements and formula needed to win a national championship: a strong defense, and a powerful scoring offense. Time will tell if they have enough of that formula to actually get the job done.

The Longhorns play Washington in a national semi-final game on New Year's Day. The game kicks off at 8:45 Eastern. The winner goes on to play the Michigan-Alabama game winner in the national championship.