AUSTIN, Texas — A longtime college football reporter shocked fans with his prediction heading into the new season.
On Monday, former ESPN reporter Brett McMurphy predicted the Texas State Bobcats would make it to the expanded 12-team playoff.
One school from a smaller conference is guaranteed a spot, but the real controversy is who McMurphy left out of his prediction: the Texas Longhorns.
The Bobcats could make the College Football Playoff thanks to a rebuilt quarterback room featuring last year's Sun Belt Player of the Year Jordan McCloud and Westwood High School alum RJ Martinez.
"To get where we want to go, I think you as a quarterback, you got to play at a certain level," Texas State head coach GJ Kinne said. "We challenge those guys ... Jordan and RJ both demonstrated that they can go out there and do that."
Oddsmakers tend to agree.
Betting odds have Texas State as a favorite in the Sun Belt Conference, just behind Appalachian State. They also have Texas trailing Georgia as the top team in the SEC.