Arguably the most intriguing game of the weekend is taking place in Austin when the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0) take on the upstart Texas Longhorns (1-0). Alabama is a huge favorite, which means there isn't a lot of pressure on Texas, who is looking to rack up a huge program changing victory. The Tide, on the other hand, are looking to keep rolling as the nation's best team.

I'd love to see Texas give Alabama a game if for no other reason than it would make for a good game. It's easy to point to the 2019 game between the Longhorns and eventual national champion lSU, when Texas battled the Tigers for four quarters before falling 45-38. Unfortunately, Quinn Ewers isn't Sam Ehlinger, who was in his third season as a starter when that game took place, while Ewers is going into just his second start.

Texas wasn't overly impressive during its win over Louisiana-Monroe, but we'll see if the game of experience helps Ewers make a jump in production. He was forcing things early but settled in and played solid football. Texas certainly has weapons, and the reality is wide receiver Xavier Worthy and running back Bijan Robinson are two of the best players in this game for either team. 

The problem, however, is Texas is still a developing team up front, and the combination of edge players Will Anderson and Dallas Turner will be just too much for the Horns. If Texas can somehow give Ewers time to throw and create a little bit of room for Robinson this game could be much more competitive than my prediction.

The final piece to this for me is Texas still has to prove to me it can stop people. Texas gave up at least 30 points eight times last season, and Pete Kwiatkowski's squad never faced anyone like Alabama. If he can get this Texas defense on track early he'll have a chance to keep it competitive, much like he did when he held the Tide to just 17 points in a playoff game while he was running the defense at Washington back in 2016.

I do like what Steve Sarkisian is doing down in Texas but I am NOT a fan of Quinn Ewers, at all. This will be his first test. Can he put his team on his back and make some big plays in a big moment? I don't think so .... at least not yet. The only question for me at this point is not whether Alabama will win but by how much. This is a well oiled machine that just keeps reloading. As the Irish found out last week and we were shown around the country, there are the three teams at the top and then everyone else. Texas is still everyone else.

Texas will have its moments offensively with Steve Sarkisian, Quinn Ewers and Bijan Robinson leading the way, but Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide have so many ways to answer and counter. Texas will have to step up defensively to make this one interesting in the second half and they played a lot of young players last year on that side of the ball that are not expected to take a major step forward. The energy from the home crowd and preparation should keep this one close early, but Bryce Young shines and the Saban's boys pull away in the second half.

Two of college football’s brand names go head-to-head in Austin, but the Longhorn brand has been found more frequently in the bargain aisle since Texas and Alabama last played in the BCS Championship Game in January, 2010. Steve Sarkisian’s success coaching Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones under Nick Saban at Alabama spring boarded him to the Longhorn post. The only advantage Texas has in this matchup is playing it at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. Alabama is a 20-point favorite and if the Longhorns cover that number, there may actually be reason to whisper Texas is back. 

The Crimson Tide travel to Austin to play a rare non-conference road game, and expect the Longhorn fan base to bring plenty of noise. That won't be enough to stop the Tide from rolling, as Bryce Young, Will Anderson, and company will use the energy in the stadium to start fast and blitz a young Texas team. Both teams cruised to easy victories last week, with Alabama beating Utah State 55-0 and Texas topping UL Monroe 52-10. 

While we didn't learn much about Alabama other than the fact they're still really good, we did learn that despite the 52 points, the young Longhorns team has talent, but still plenty of work to do. They only gained 383 yards, went 5-13 on third down, and had just 24:34 time of possession against a team picked to finish last in the Sun Belt. That's not going to cut it against arguably the best team in the country. 

Texas keeps the game close for awhile but Alabama is just on a different level right now. The Longhorn defense still has a ton of work to do and the offensive firepower is young and improving. They’ll be a better team down the stretch of the season. 

T-1. Vince DeDario - 3-1 T-1. Sean Stires - 3-1 T-1. Bryan Driskell - 3-1 T-4. Sean Stires - 2-2 T-4. Andrew McDonough - 2-2

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