Imagine the storylines this bowl game would bring.
On Sunday, ESPN released their weekly bowl projections which have Texas and LSU facing off in the Texas Bowl. Prior to the Longhorns dominating Rice in Week 3, they were projected to take on Rutgers in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
Many remember Texas and LSU’s most recent meeting on Sept. 7, 2019. College Gameday traveled to Austin and the highly anticipated matchup certainly lived up to the hype. Quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Sam Ehlinger battled it out to the final minute. The Tigers ultimately won by a score of 45-38 and then proceeded to win the national championship that same year.
The two programs were scheduled to face off in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic eliminated nonconference schedules.
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura also brought up the storyline of Steve Sarkisian and Ed Orgeron’s past. USC opted to hire Sarkisian as Lane Kiffin’s replacement rather than the interim coach at the time, Ed Orgeron.
As USC begins its search for a new head coach, the idea of seeing Ed Orgeron (LSU) and Steve Sarkisian (Texas) on opposite sidelines would be appealing. Considering what both coaches have been through since, it’s hard to believe it was only seven years ago when USC passed over Orgeron to hire Sarkisian as Lane Kiffin’s replacement.
While the Longhorns are expected to be on the rise with Sarkisian running the show, many Tigers fans have been disappointed in Orgeron since the departure of offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
Regardless of how each program finishes the regular season, if the two were to meet in the postseason, it’d likely be one of the most-watched games.