On Monday evening, the Texas Longhorns saw themselves fall behind the Washington Huskies by two scores in the Allstate Sugar Bowl and never quite recovered.
They had a late chance following an odd sequence that saw a Washington running back Dillon Johnson get hurt when the Longhorns had no timeouts, interference on a punt return catch, and a highlight-reel catch by Jordan Whittington. In the end, it was Washington's defense that was able to hold on to the victory and help the Huskies advance to the title game in a 37-31 win.
After the game, much of the discussion, while it still stings for Texas fans, is the fact that the program is in a great place. They were able to bounce back from adversity with the Oklahoma loss and finished strong down the stretch of the season.
Many feel that Texas is officially "back" after making it to the big stage, something that former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel believes the Aggies will disprove next season.
Following the Sugar Bowl, Manziel took to the app formerly known as Twitter to call out the Longhorns ahead of their matchup with the Aggies in College Station on Nov. 30.
In their first year in the SEC, the Longhorns will rekindle their old flame with Texas A&M. The two programs at one point played every year, but were unable to keep that tradition alive once the Aggies moved to the SEC.
Unlike the Longhorns who are coming off a great season in 2023, the Aggies fired head coach Jimbo Fisher, turning to former Duke coach Mike Elko to lead the program.
It may seem like a ways away, but the Longhorns are officially members of the SEC which will only make programs come after them even more.
More must-reads: