The College Football Playoff (CFP) is set to culminate in the National Championship at NRG Stadium in Houston. This follows a thrilling series of games where the University of Texas (UT) Longhorns lost a close 31-37 match to the University of Washington (UW) Huskies, and the University of Michigan (UM) Wolverines clinched a 27-20 overtime victory over the University of Alabama. The stage is now set for Michigan and Washington to compete on January 8 for the coveted title, currently held by the University of Georgia (UGA). Despite their loss, the UT Longhorns maintain their pride in their performance throughout 2023.
The UT program expressed gratitude towards its supporters in a tweet dated January 1: "Thank you Longhorn Nation for your support this season,"
In what was dubbed as 'the Michael Penix Show', the 2024 Sugar Bowl saw Washington's quarterback and Heisman Award finalist Michael Penix put up an impressive performance with a 430-passing yard evening. ESPN reported that this was the fourth-best passing game in CFP history. UW's defense successfully thwarted UT's attempt at a comeback in the final moments of the game, thereby denying them a chance at advancing to the national championship.
Austin NBC station KXAN News reported that despite throwing for 318 yards and scoring one touchdown, Longhorns quarterback Quin Ewers could not secure a winning touchdown pass in the closing moments of the game. Reflecting on their journey, Ewers said: "I’m proud of the way we attacked each week, and the opportunity to have even played here, we’re all thankful for this opportunity."
The game held significant importance for both UT's program and head coach Steve Sarkisian. It presented an opportunity for redemption not only for Sarkisian who had previously coached UW before Texas but also for UT's program, which had been on the losing end in their 2022 matchup against UW.