It’s no secret that Texas head coach Tom Herman has his back against the wall this season.
While Herman has been able to bring in several highly-rated recruiting classes, the results on the field just aren’t good enough. Believe it or not, Texas athletic programs hold themselves to higher standards than fans do. Compete for championships or move in a new direction.
Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte has expressed his viewpoint on Herman’s one chance to reshape his coaching staff. Herman already had his lone shot at that this offseason, hiring new offensive and defensive coordinators along with numerous new position coaches.
Now what?
If Herman is able to compete in the Big 12 Championship game this season and become a legitimate contender for the college football playoffs, it’d no doubt be a successful year. He’d likely become one of the top coaches within the Big 12 and cement his future in Austin.
However, he’s not even a top four coach within his own conference at this point. Let’s discuss where CBS Sports put Herman in their Big 12 head coach power rankings.
Out of 10 coaches, Herman landed at the No. 5 spot. Fairly realistic, considering Baylor has a new unproven head coach in Dave Aranda and a few other programs are in the process of rebuilding.
What’s interesting is that Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell is ranked ahead of Herman. It’s unclear at this point whether this is due to Campbell’s success or Herman’s lack thereof, considering Iowa State lost six games last season. However, Campbell has quickly turned their program around in a positive direction and appears to be an up-and-comer. The Cyclones defeated the Longhorns in 2019 by two points, so that says something.
Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley is more than deserving of the No. 1 spot, while Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy and TCU’s Gary Patterson have a strong resume to round out the top three.
Herman’s squads seemingly lack consistency and have not lived up to expectations enough to be considered an elite coach. The talent on the field is clearly present, they just have to put it together. Will this be the year?
Take a look at the full rankings below.
- Dave Aranda – Baylor
- Matt Wells – Texas Tech
- Neal Brown – West Virginia
- Les Miles – Kansas
- Chris Klieman – Kansas State
- Tom Herman – Texas
- Matt Campbell – Iowa State
- Gary Patterson – TCU
- Mike Gundy – Oklahoma State
- Lincoln Riley – Oklahoma