The Longhorns will once again face a tough out of conference schedule in 2019 as Texas will play host to LSU Saturday, Sept. 7 when the Tigers make their way to Austin for the big-time matchup. And as it currently stands, some prediction analysts are under the assumption that the Tigers will take down the Longhorns by more than a touchdown.

As Brett McMurphy pointed out on Twitter Wednesday morning, The Athletic's 'predictive analyst' Collin Wilson believes LSU will enter the game as an eight point favorite over Texas.

The early prediction may throw some Texas fans for a loop considering the last time the Longhorns took the field, they upset No. 5 ranked Georgia, also an SEC powerhouse, to be crowned champions of the 2019 Allstate Sugar Bowl. The win over the Bulldogs has given Texas added momentum this offseason, and has even helped the Longhorns' recruiting efforts. Third-year head coach Tom Herman and his staff currently sit with a Top 10 recruiting class in 2020, according to 247Sports Composite Team Rankings, and the Longhorns only have five verbal commitments in the next recruiting cycle.

Texas will look to continue its momentum gained from the 2018 season this year and have been among the talks of being in a prime spot early to potentially contend for a Big 12 title in 2019. But according to Herman, the Longhorns have some work to do in order to make a point that they are a national championship contender.

"We've got to win our conference," Herman previously said of the next step for Texas football. "Our goal each and every year is to be in position to win our conference in the months of November and December, and we did that this year. Now we've got to take that last step to winning it on the field.

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"So I think what has been proven by our conference champ the last three years, that puts you in a pretty good position to then compete for a National Championship.

"So I think recruiting is headed in the right direction. I think we've got the right players, we've got the right coaches, we've got the right support system. We've got the right athletic director. Now certain things have to go your way in this game, obviously. There is the youth factor that's going to play a part with this team, and we know that. But, you know, all of that.

"You've got this facility that's going to be, I think May is when the ground breaking is for this facility to get completely redone. Then you add in two years a facility that's we've got the right facility. So I think all of the pieces are in place to be successful."

Texas will soon return to the field next month when the Longhorns kick off spring practice come March 11, which concludes April 13 with the annual Orange-White Spring Scrimmage.