As a CFB fan you will definitely know the team Texas Longhorns gets hatred from everywhere because of their “John Wick mentality,“. Even their head coach, Steve Sarkisian, laid out the motto for the team in 2023, “Embrace the hate.” Alongside, he accepted that fact to ESPN that “they’ve kind of assumed this mentality of, ‘Embrace the hate.’ We get it. We’re the University of Texas, we get it. “

Therefore, it’s quite obvious hatred does not make upset Longhorns as they take it as a spur. Moreover, they accepted this fact and started dominating. Not to forget, last year the University Co-op promoted a shirt where the phrase “Embrace the hate,“ emblazoned across the chest. So, you can understand the on-field motive of the team: it’s like they can sit there and be a punching bag, or they can go attack the people that they’re going to play. Now the question is, will they play the role of ‘Villain’ in the competitive world of CFB?

The story behind ‘Villain’ tag

On September 4, 2024, @orangebloods shared a video clip on their official X account with a bold caption, “Texas Almost Likes Playing the Part of the Villain 😈“. In that video clip, Texas’s columnist Anwar Richarson discussed the chances of the Longhorns to win a game against Michigan this year. In support of this question, he explained the fact that last year 46 players of Texas were in Tuscaloosa to play against Bama and they got success with a record of 24-34. So the question was, “Will the success help Texas to go on the road against Michigan this year?”

Following this question, @JasonS replied, “I think it helps quite a bit.” Moreover, he mentioned, “I mean, especially Texas’ key players, Quinn and the offensive line, those guys are important in the road environment. But Texas is playing the part of a ‘Villain‘. They know they are hatred everywhere they go and I think they kind of feed into that,” making the example of Notre Dame, where players and coaches were coming out of the tunnel and they all fired up. It seems like the Longhorns exemplify that acceptance is the only key to success. Let’s concentrate on Texas’ success story.

Texas Longhorns’ achievements till date

Texas emerged victorious in the NCAA National Championships of 1963, 1969, 1970, and 2005 while also securing runner-up positions in 1914, 1918, 1941, 1947, 1950, 1968, 1977, 1981, 2008. Their success extended to winning the Heisman Trophy: Earl Campbell (1977) and Ricky Williams (1998) as well. For the last 16 years, this team won the Big 12 Conference. Although the list of achievements does not end here.

Longhorns earned labels in several major bowl games such as the Rose Bowl (2005, 2006), Sugar Bowl (1948, 2019), Fiesta Bowl (2009), Orange Bowl (1949, 1965), Cotton Bowl (1999, 2003), and so on. Currently, the team is preparing for their next battle so that they can keep their dominance in the world of college football despite all the hatred they are getting. Will they be able to do that? What do you think?