Governor Greg Abbott has publicly expressed his support for his alma mater, the University of Texas (UT), in the upcoming College Football Playoff. The No. 3-seeded Longhorns are scheduled to compete in a New Year's Eve Sugar Bowl game against the University of Washington (UW). Interestingly, UW was once home to UT's current head coach, Steve Sarkisian.
According to Axios, UT spent much of the 2023 season within the Top 10 rankings. This period saw the Longhorns secure an upset victory over the perennial powerhouse University of Alabama at their home ground in Austin, and suffer a loss against the University of Oklahoma (OU) in Dallas. A commendable performance in UT's final Big XII title game enabled them to surpass an undefeated Florida State University and secure a spot in the four-team College Football Playoff.
The Austin Journal reports that UT perceives the forthcoming Sugar Bowl as an opportunity for redemption, especially considering their defeat by UW in 2022.
Abbott completed his undergraduate studies at UT before obtaining his law degree from Vanderbilt University (VU) in Tennessee. He has expressed hopes that the Longhorns will make Texas home to two champions within less than a six-month span, joining ranks with the Texas Rangers who clinched victory at the 2023 World Series at the beginning of November.