1. Texas Longhorns
2019 Preseason
AP 10, Coaches 10
Final record: 8-5
What Went Wrong?
Injuries. They were a problem all season long on both sides of the ball – particularly the defense – as every game seemed like a struggle.
The Longhorns get a free pass for a loss after giving LSU its toughest battle of the season, and the Oklahoma defeat was more than acceptable, but other than that, they just couldn’t get the season going.
The secondary was abysmal, no one in the Big 12 committed more penalties, and the offensive line almost got QB Sam Ehlinger killed.
Even so, the team kept battling, it destroyed Utah 38-10 in the Alamo Bowl, and it was an okay run – it was the second-best season since 2013 – but the Longhorns didn’t build on the breakthrough 2019 run.
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Why 2020 Will Be Better: Returning Talent
Ehlinger is back.
He might not be Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields, but he’s a rock-solid college quarterback with next-level upside. A few years of fantastic recruiting has built up the depth and the skill around No. 11, and now there’s no excuse.
Only two teams on the slate have the talent to hang around with the 2020 Longhorns. More on that in a moment.
Eight starters – almost all of them underclassmen last year – are expected to be back on D after taking their lumps last season. The offense can’t be any worse on the line, and the skill parts are great despite losing receivers Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay.
Why 2020 Will Be Better: Schedule
– 2020 Texas Football Schedule Analysis
Oh yippee, there’s a trip to LSU in the second week of the season. That’s obviously an issue, and so is the date in Dallas against Oklahoma, but if Texas is really going to be a thing, the rest of the schedule can’t be a problem.
There aren’t two true road games in a row – the Oklahoma game comes after a trip to Kansas State, and both come after a week off – and two of the Big 12 road games are at Texas Tech and Kansas.
For a great team, this is an 11-1 schedule.
It’s time for Texas to be a great team.
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