Texas making the College Football Playoff would be 'huge for the sport,' Joel Klatt says

Make no mistake about it, Texas being “back” would be great for the sport. What does “back” look like?

Making the College Football Playoff fresh off a Big 12 title, according to Joel Klatt. This team is talented enough to do it, so says the Fox Sports analyst.

With Quinn Ewers under center, talent around him on offense, an improving defense and head coach Steve Sarkisian in Year 3, the blueprint is there for a tremendous season.

“Yes, it would be huge for the sport,” Klatt said on The Herd. “Texas is the most underachieving roster in college football over the last five years … I saw Quinn and chatted with him just a couple of weeks ago in Dallas. And, you know, that’s why I was making fun of you because like, listen, he cut his mullet … It wasn’t necessarily grown up. There was a sense of urgency about the way that he was talking about the season. It wasn’t so much ‘I’m happy to be here. And isn’t this great?’ As much as it was like ‘I’ve got a mission to accomplish.’” 

Host Colin Cowherd referenced a question of maturity in quarterback Quinn Ewers. Klatt dismissed the notion entirely and expects a big season.

“That’s the sense that I got from our conversation,” Klatt said. “And I was intrigued by that, to be quite honest with you, because this is a team as you suggested and I would back this up, they have a roster that should win the conference and compete for a playoff spot.”

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian addresses perception of Quinn Ewers’ cut mullet

Steve Sarkisian addressed Ewers’ decision to change his hairstyle, adding a little insight and perspective as to why his quarterback made the change.

“I didn’t mind the mullet. But I also know what perception is,” Sarkisian said.. “And like we talked about with him, right now, the perception of you is preceding you before you meet anybody. So, sometimes, you need to change the perception so that people really get to know you.

“I think that Quinn has worked at that over the last 7-8 months. I think he’s starting to see the value in who he is. Quinn’s a great guy, super coachable, a really good teammate, very humble, hard-working, (and) he cares for the people around him. I don’t know if everybody knew that about him a year ago. But now, I think people are starting to understand that about him.”

The Texas quarterback is arguably the biggest key to a huge moment in program history. If he delivers, the college football world will draw more attention than recent memory because might just be “back.”