Kirk Herbstreit sees value in Texas’ national title odds

The idea of Texas football being “back” is going a little more mainstream.

During a Wednesday morning SportsCenter panel discussion about college football national championship gambling odds, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit made it clear he sees value with Texas at 20/1 to win the title.

“I love to go to the Kentucky Derby and I’m a horse racing guy, so I hate the favorite.

So in this case, I’m trying to beat the favorite. Because of that, I see value with Texas at 20/1. With (Sam) Ehlinger coming back, he’s got enough weapons led by Collin Johnson. I think this team can make some noise and there’s very good chance they go to Dallas against Oklahoma undefeated.

If they’re able find a way to win it, look out, because Texas can be one of those teams to keep an eye on

While Texas is replacing a number of starters on defense, the Longhorns do have a favorable schedule in comparison to years past. Most notably, Texas plays 10 of its 12 regular season games without having to leave the state. In fact, the Longhorns don’t have to board a plane until a trip to West Virginia on Oct. 5.

Texas does have a tough non-conference opponent in LSU on Sept. 7 — but the Longhorns get a tune-up game against Louisiana Tech on Aug. 31. It’ll be the first time Texas opens against a non-Power Five school since 2015 when the Longhorns hosted North Texas in Charlie Strong’s inaugural season.