3 most important games for Texas football in 2024

It's still weird to say that Texas football is a member of the SEC and it's going to take a lot of getting used to, especially after the Longhorns won the Big 12 title less than nine months ago.

Texas enters the 2024 season as one of the top favorites to win the SEC which is slightly surprising given the years of "back" that the Longhorns claimed to be only to fall short of expectations the following campaign. But this time, it feels different.

Steve Sarkisian has built a winning roster and the Longhorns just made the College Football Playoff in 2023, losing to Washington in a thrilling semifinal matchup.

If Texas wants to get back to the playoff and win a national title for the first time since Vince Young was under center, it needs to win these three important games.

3. at Michigan (Sept. 7)

Is Texas a legit national title contender? That's the question that everyone wants answered and we may get that on Sept. 7 when the Longhorns take the trip up to Ann Arbor to take on the defending national champs at the Big House.

If Texas is a legit title contender, it needs to beat a team like Michigan on the road. It took down Alabama in Tuscaloosa last year, so why not a Michigan team that lost JJ McCarthy, Blake Corum, and Jim Harbaugh?

Michigan will take a step back this season, but Texas needs to show it has taken a step forward and this game is the perfect test.

2. at Texas A&M (Nov. 30)

Believe it or not, there aren't a ton of incredibly difficult SEC games on the schedule during Texas' first year in the conference which is why a road game against a rebuilding Texas A&M team comes in at No. 2.

College Station is a tough place to play, but I think this rivalry matchup will be more important to the Longhorns this season than the Red River Rivalry because of what could be at stake.

If Texas is in position to make the SEC title game and earn a playoff berth, winning this game at one of the most hostile venues in the nation will be a must. And that's how I see it playing out.

1. Georgia (Oct. 19)

The toughest game on Texas' 2024 schedule also happens to be the most important as the Bulldogs will present the Longhorns with a potential playoff elimination in mid-October.

OK, so both of these teams could technically still make the playoff as well as the SEC title game even if they lose this one, but this matchup is more important for Texas because it needs to take advantage of the fact that it has home field. Beating Georgia would send shockwaves throughout the nation.

Texas could even take over the No. 1 spot in the rankings if it wins this game.