Roundtable: Texas vs Alabama, Quinn Ewers, and Texas Baseball

Kick-off time for Texas vs Alabama has been released - with the final meeting between the two schools as non-conference opponents kicking off at 6 pm CT on ESPN. Does this timeslot favor Texas or Alabama?

Daniel Seahorn (@DanielSeahorn) - I say Alabama since it’s at their place. It’s going to be a wild Gameday environment and I wish I could be there to see it in person. Tailgating begins around 6 AM down in Tuscaloosa. My advice is to pace yourselves if you want to make it to kickoff.

Gerald Goodridge (@ghgoodridge) - Night games always seem to favor the home team. The fans have had all day to tailgate and get adequately inebriated ahead of the game, so they’re usually in peak form. I hate going on the road at night, especially against a team like Alabama. They still have some questions, but Nick Saban is still on the sidelines.

Cameron Parker (@camerondparker) - Just as the early noon kick-off and heat favored Texas last year, the later start definitely favors Alabama but it’s not like this game is being played at Lambeau or Cameron Indoor. It’s a slight edge but Texas should have the overall edge in terms of roster talent.

With the 2023 NFL Draft behind us, we turn out attention to 2024. There’s been a mixed bag of projections for Quinn Ewers, with some mock drafts having him going in the 1st round and others not. What does Quinn have to do next year to be the first QB drafted in the opening round since Vince Young?

Daniel Seahorn - He will need to stay healthy and have a Heisman-worthy season to have a chance at going round one next year. He has a lot of mechanical stuff that he is going to have to clean up over the next 12 months and one of the bigger issues is the footwork that results in poor throws. If he can fix those issues and put together a good year on the field then he has a shot.

Gerald Goodridge - It’s honestly pretty simple: fix the footwork issues that caused him to miss on some easy throws. Texas got better at WR so there are more targets that he can go to, rather than relying on a guy who’s having an off night. Complete the easy ones, build momentum, and I think the physical tools will speak for themselves.

Cameron Parker - This last season was a come-to-Jesus year for Quinn Ewers. Reading what he’s said and what Sark has said publicly since the Alamo Bowl, Quinn has started to put in overtime on his craft. If he avoids a major injury, I think he’ll be the 3rd QB off the board.

Texas Softball earned the 13th seed under Mike White - hosting Seton Hall, Texas State, and Texas A&M. What do you make of their regional and can the Longhorns advance to another WCWS?

Daniel - Seems like a bracket that the Longhorns can win, but they need to show up and take care of business. Mike White’s squad has shown they can get hot at the right time, so we will see if they can rekindle that same magic again this time around.

Gerald - It honestly feels like a well-balanced region and one with a really strong regional identity. As far as RPI goes, Texas is leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the crew, with the Aggies the next-best team and they’re 30 spots behind the Longhorns. It really seems like a matter of if Mike White can get this team to play like they did against Oklahoma State rather than Baylor, they should definitely make it out of the regional.

Cameron - Remember last year the Longhorns didn’t even host a regional and still found a way to reach the WCWS Championship. The committee wasn’t as impressed with the Longhorns, delegating them as the 13th seed despite coming in at No. 10 in the RPI but it sets up for a fun Super Regional match-up against Tennessee.

It might be too little too late for Texas Baseball to capture the regular season Big 12 Championship and host a regional, but what do you want to see this weekend against the conference-leading West Virginia Mountaineers?

Daniel - Win two of the three and take the series over West Virginia. I want to see that this team is continuing to trend in the right direction as we head down the home stretch of the season and head into the conference tournament.

Gerald - While the Thursday-night shellacking was encouraging, when the lineups were released it seemed like WVU was really leaning into this being a one-game series for them. Their normal Friday starter was replaced and Sunday is a TBD, with their normal Saturday starter slotted in on Friday. It seemed clear to me that WVU is putting eggs in the Friday basket and will break the glass on their normal Game 1 guy on Saturday if need be. All of that being said, Texas did a good job keeping a potent offense from going off on Friday night and if LBJ can pitch at or near his roof on Friday, Texas going into the finale with a chance at a conference championship is a great place to be.

Cameron - I’m very surprised at how Randy Mazey and the Mountaineers are playing this series, going for the conference championship over the series win. I understand wanting to clinch the Big 12 crown, but a series loss to Texas hurts their RPI while it helps the Longhorns. However, Blaine Traxel has been one of the best pitchers in the country and will be a challenge for Texas. Take 2 out of 3 and help your resume is what I want to see.