From the second last season was over, the questions arose and the expectations were set.
In order for the Longhorns to improve upon last season, and the past three seasons, achieving 10 wins, including a win over Oklahoma, are the expectations for the Texas football program. And in order to reach these goals, the question marks lie with David Ash, the defense, and the offensive line.
But since the conclusion of the bowl game, I’ve seen many articles stating what the Longhorns must do.
How it’s time for “so and so” to step up. That it’s now or never for the Longhorns to rally together. Â All of those articles are nice to read, often optimistic, and can usually get most Longhorn fans excited for the upcoming season.
But what if the Longhorns don’t meet their lofty standards ?
What if David Ash has the same ups and downs we saw last season? What if the defense stills struggles to stop the run, and the secondary continues to miss tackles? And what if the offensive line still struggles to become the dominant force UT fans are hoping they can be? Could we be looking at another 4 loss season?
Luckily for the Longhorns, their schedule appears to be one of the easier ones around. The Big-12 is in a bit of a down year due to roster turnover, specifically at the QB position. But with that said, there are three games that stand out to me as potential losses and four additional teams that are wild cards.
Oklahoma, TCU, and Oklahoma State are the three games that stand out as potential losses.
Oklahoma: Sure OU may not be as strong as they were last season, but until David Ash and Texas beat the Sooners, you can’t write them off. Plus, this game is a rivalry game, it can never be taken for granted.
TCU: The Horned Frogs are in an interesting situation at quarterback with Casey Pachall returning to the roster. If he ends up winning the job over Trevon Boykin, TCU’s passing game would be elevated from last season. On top of that, you know a Gary Patterson-led football team always plays tough.
Oklahoma State: Plug whoever you want in at quarterback, the Cowboys seem to have a handful that can get the job done in Gundy’s offense. The Longhorns got the best of them last season, but it was a close game. You better believe OSU will be fired up to come to Austin, ready to take down the Longhorns.
Other than those three teams, I’d say Baylor, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, and BYU are all wild cards. Each have potential to perform better than expected. And if the Longhorns have a performance where the defense can’t seem to slow down the opposing offense and consistency lacks from Ash and the offensive line, the Longhorns could find themselves in another depressing situation.
Personally, I see the Longhorns having a 10-win season. Or I may just be hoping it all comes together on both sides of the ball… But the Longhorns do have a friendly schedule and a lot of returning players compared to most teams. The expectations are a 10-win season and a win over Oklahoma. But questions still remain.
Is it football season yet?
Hook’em
