Texas is officially back … in the Sugar Bowl. Remember what Sam Ehlinger said the last time they were here? For the first time in over a decade, the Horns are where they feel like they belong: competing for a national championship. Despite a rocky October and early November in which it took a loss to Oklahoma and had close shaves in conference play, Texas has arrived under Steve Sarkisian. In many ways, their season mirrors Washington (besides the loss) as the Huskies had to grind out results in the back half of the season. Dominant displays from both on conference championship weekend have landed them in New Orleans for a New Year’s showdown.
Storyline you’re already tired of: Washington as the underdog
Despite the fact that the Huskies have a plausible claim at the No. 1 ranking, they enter the Sugar Bowl as an underdog, with early betting lines featuring Texas as a 4.5-point favorite. It will be the second game in a row in which they’re a dog as Washington went into the Pac-12 title game as a 9.5-point underdog to Oregon. Washington is going to play the “nobody believes in us” card heavily from now right up until Jan. 1. Get used to it.
