Do the Texas Longhorns have unreasonable expectations?

The Texas Longhorns do indeed have an expectations problem in Austin. It isn’t one of being unrealistic, it is one of underachieving.

As the Texas Longhorns prepare for the two weeks of practices leading up to the eventual bowl game, there is a time for some self-reflection. Do the Longhorns and their fans have unreasonable expectations?

To say that the burnt orange faithful have unreasonable expectations is quite a statement. Who exactly are they unreasonable to? Given the success the Longhorns have seen on and off the field, they shoot for the stars. At minimum, this team should be in contention for the Big 12 Championship, year in and year out. That isn’t to say they should win every year but they should be right at the top.

“It’s unrealistic expectations,” Kirk Herbstreit stated on ESPN Gameday. That comment struck me as one of hypocrisy. Prior to the season, that same analyst sat on the set and put the Texas Longhorns in his College Football Playoff prediction. Is it unrealistic when you’re the man who put them on that pedestal?

Many analysts, editors, and writers around the industry thought this was going to be the year for the Texas Longhorns. Present company included in that regard. Before the season was dwindled down to a 10-game schedule, my prediction was 11-1 this year. When the new schedule was announced, it became 9-1. That lone loss would be Oklahoma State, turns out they needed overtime to pull off the victory. It was a game to be worried about.

Given that the team would be led by senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger and the team was coming off a third-straight top 10 recruiting cycle, the expectations were high. Up and down the roster, they were a talented bunch. The Longhorns were suiting up the No. 5 most talented roster in the country according to 247Sports. So were the expectations too high?

Team Ranking W-L
Georgia 1 7-2
Alabama 2 10-0
Ohio State 3 5-0
Clemson 4 9-1
Texas 5 6-3
Louisana State 6 3-5
Florida 7 8-2
Notre Dame 8 10-0
Oklahoma 9 7-2
Southern California 10 5-0

Two teams on here look odd, with the LSU Tigers and the Texas Longhorns. They are the only two teams that lost three or more games. The Tigers saw a huge chunk of their National Championship winning team selected in the NFL Draft. You could say they do indeed have an excuse for a five-loss team as they need to replace a lot of talent. The Longhorns don’t have an excuse for dropping three games.

As the season went along each team with the exception of the two teams listed above were within striking distance of a College Football Playoff berth or at the very least a conference championship appearance. The Longhorns were as well if they had beaten the Iowa State Cyclones. They were put in that position due to a loss to Texas Christian in the third game of the season. A team they shouldn’t have struggled with, a team they should never lose to.

Some might call that a cocky attitude, or an arrogant one to think that they shouldn’t lose to a team like Texas Christian. The point is that they shouldn’t. They have the talent, they the facilities, they recruit in an area that is a hotbed for collegiate talent. The team should give it their best shot each time they take the field. Apparently, 247Sports’ Josh Pate shares a similar viewpoint.

It appears that there is an expectation problem at Texas, but it isn’t unrealistic. Point blank, they have an achieving expectation problem.

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