Texas Longhorns football X-factor can decide national title, and it isn’t Arch Manning

As the Texas Longhorns football team gears up for the 2-25 season, the hope is to make another run to the College Football Playoff. 

All eyes will be on superstar quarterback Arch Manning, and rightfully so. 

However, a recent post from ESPN laid out an x-factor for all of the top 25 teams, and Manning was not named as the x-factor. Instead, it was the Texas defensive line, and they have a lot of work to do in the tough SEC. 

Specifically, it was the middle of the defensive line, and here's what ESPN's Dave Wilson wrote. 

"Texas has been loaded the past two seasons, but one of the reasons it made back-to-back CFP semifinal trips were the big men in the middle of the defensive line. Giant, athletic space-eaters such as T'Vondre Sweat, Vernon Broughton, Byron Murphy II and Alfred Collins made it tough to push the Longhorns around and freed up others to make plays when they weren't."

Texas did address the defensive line, bringing in Syracuse transfer Maraad Watson, Purdue's Cole Brevard, North Carolina's Travis Shaw, and former Ohio State player Hero Kanu. 

The Texas recruiting class is strong as always and is led by five-star Justus Terry. 

But, still, opening against the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes will be an early test, and the SEC slate is never easy. 

So, while all the attention is on Manning and how he will perform, it is the defensive line that could make or break the season for the Longhorns. 

SN QB RANKINGS: Top 25 | Big Ten | SEC | Big 12 | ACC