Tag: big 12 football news

Longhorns Wire fall camp Big 12 power rankings

We kick off our 2023 Big 12 power rankings for the upcoming season.

Fall camp is underway across the Big 12. After contemplating what each team brings back we have solid opinions of where each team will land in 2023.

We’ve shared record predictions over the offseason. Relative to each team’s schedule, that gives some idea of what we expect from each team. Even so, sometimes teams are not what their record might indicate.

Texas, Texas Tech and Baylor are due to face among the tougher schedules in the Big 12. We believe the Longhorns are up to the task of facing their opponents, but there upset opportunities seemingly every other week.

Other teams like Oklahoma State face easier schedules. While the Cowboys should be a consistent Big 12 contender in 2024 and beyond it seemingly lost too much this offseason. The record may not show how where the team really is for 2023.

Here’s an initial Big 12 power ranking for the upcoming season.

Texas Football: Record scenarios for the first six games

We look at how we feel about Texas if they start as well as 6-0 and as poorly as 3-3.

The first four games are crucial to the success of the 2023 Texas football team. We noted that the worst nightmare for the team is a completely possible 2-2 start.

We are ruling out losses to Rice and Wyoming although those would certainly be catastrophic. Nevertheless, a 2-2 start would effectively slam the door on feeling good about the team moving forward.

The schedule after the first four games isn’t exactly easy. Texas will face Kansas, Kansas State, and Texas Tech at home with brutal road games against TCU and Iowa State and a neutral site matchup with Oklahoma. To suggest anything other than two losses in that stretch feels incredibly optimistic.

Extending the sample size to the first six games, let’s look at a few scenarios.

Phil Steele joins On Texas Football to preview the Longhorns’ season

“Across the board I have Texas No. 1 or tied for No. 1 (in the Big 12) at every single position.”

College football analyst Phil Steele has Texas winning the Big 12. He jumped on the On Texas Football podcast to discuss his reasoning. According to Steele, it all comes down to talent.

Steele has the Texas offense making a significant leap in the upcoming season. He said the following about why he is buying the Longhorns to win the conference.

“I looked at Texas’ schedule and I said, you know, everybody’s gonna be gunning for Texas this year. I don’t want to pick Texas No. 1. I’ll be flat out honest with you. And they play, of the top six teams in the Big 12, they are the only one that plays each of the other five. The Big 12 schedule maker didn’t do them any favors. But it comes down to talent.

Steele then went into roster specifics he likes about this team.

“You start with quarterback. Quinn Ewers comes in. I loved what I saw (against Alabama). … I don’t think he was 100% (after injury). I think he was one of the most improved players. After talking to Coach Sark, he’s highly confident. … Receiver corps is amazing. Bringing in Adonai Mitchell from Georgia to team with Whittington, Worthy, one of the best tight ends in the country in Ja’Tavion Sanders. … (The offensive line is) bigger, stronger, better. So they’re gonna be potent offensively.

Many of Steele’s talking points revolved around the same areas of strength we have been touting this offseason. An interesting nugget Steele shared involved the Texas defense. According to Steele, the unit held opponents on average 70 yards below their season average. That really pokes a hole in the notion some are asserting that the Longhorns defense isn’t all that great.

Steele spoke highly of a number of Texas defenders including Arkansas transfer Jalen Catalon. When healthy, Steele asserted, Catalon is among the nation’s best at the safety position.

Road games at Baylor, TCU and Iowa State were mentioned as tough battles for Texas. I have the Longhorns losing to TCU and Iowa State despite my 10-2 prediction for the team.

Notably, Steele’s projections have Texas scoring over 39 points per game while allowing just under 22 points per game. If his success at projecting past seasons is any indication, the Longhorns are in store for a huge season.

Texas is all confidence, no stress entering 2023 fall camp

Texas knows it can meet expectations if it puts in the work in fall camp.

There’s a different vibe in Austin. Texas doesn’t hope it wins anymore. It knows it will win if the team puts in the work. Continue reading “Texas is all confidence, no stress entering 2023 fall camp”

Report: Colorado to join the Big 12 as Texas and Oklahoma depart

The Big 12 and Colorado always seemed to make sense.

The Big 12 got better on Thursday. The league appears to have found its money maker. The Colorado Buffaloes and head coach Deion Sanders appear to be moving toward joining the Big 12 conference.

There aren’t a whole lot of things the Big 12 and Texas faithful can agree on after the league lived several years rent free on the Longhorns’ and Sooners’ dime. After all, Oklahoma and Texas for several years drove ratings and relevance for the league. What we can all agree on is that Colorado belongs in the Big 12.

It’s unclear where the program will go with Deion Sanders though it certainly appears to be in better hands. There is an opportunity for the Buffaloes to capitalize on momentum and become the dominant team of the conference. They will presumably battle with this year’s Week 1 opponent TCU for that distinction.

Colorado has a historic football program. While it more often than not played third fiddle to Oklahoma and Nebraska in the Big Eight conference, the team at times won at the highest level. The Buffaloes’ crowning achievement is their 1990 national title in football.

TCU will look to give the Buffaloes an early welcome to the conference in what should be a significant event for the league. Colorado will open the season at TCU on Sept. 2.

Legendary coach Gary Patterson could be “mulling return” to Texas

Gary Patterson may not be done at Texas after all.

Gary Patterson might not be done working with the Texas Longhorns. According to Bobby Burton of Inside Texas, the legendary former TCU head coach could return to the Texas coaching staff in 2023.

It’s important to note that Burton is not saying Patterson to Texas is a done deal or that it is likely. He simply suggests it is a possibility. If head coach Steve Sarkisian is able to convince the defensive genius to return, our confidence in the team will only continue to grow.

The Texas defense was solid last season. We believe it can be very good and perhaps even dominant this year. Albeit, while we think highly of defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski it would be foolish to dismiss Patterson’s fingerprints on last year’s defense.

Forgotten in a huge offseason for Texas is it added former Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst to help with the offense in advisory role along with two other advisors to the coaching staff. Add Gary Patterson back, and the Longhorns’ brain trust is about as dangerous as its loaded roster.

I have been pushing back against any playoff hype for the Longhorns this offseason. Should Patterson return to the Texas staff, you have to start entertaining that hype. We’ll keep an eye on it as the season approaches.

Substantive Hype: What you can count on with this Texas football team

While most Big 12 teams tout potential this offseason, it’s actually Texas’ roster that is proven.

Texas is different. It’s different in so many ways under current head coach Steve Sarkisian. The offensive guru has clearly changed the culture. More than that, he’s built and developed a complete team.

Save for a few holdouts, Big 12 media outside of Austin can see the difference. It’s not the same culture. It’s not the same talent waster. And if you can’t see it, you’ve got your head in a hole.

The 2023 roster is stacked with players of varying recruiting pedigree that developed into the Big 12’s best. Jaylan Ford went from three-star linebacker and the second-lowest rated player in his class to the undisputed best linebacker in the Big 12. Xavier Worthy, Ja’Tavion Sanders and Kelvin Banks took their elite status and delivered on their recruiting ratings.

Players of every level of talent are being developed in Austin. It’s leading to a more predictable on field product. Let’s look at a few certainties you can count on with the 2023 squad.

Should Texas consider more five-receiver “empty” sets in 2023?

If passing ends up as easy as handing off this season, could Texas move to more empty formations?

Texas has a terrifying collection of receiving threats heading into its final season in the Big 12. It has us thinking, “how does Texas get its best playmakers on the field?”

The Longhorns’ best playmakers this season are its pass catchers. That group includes Xavier Worthy, Ja’Tavion Sanders, AD Mitchell, Jordan Whittington and Isaiah Neyor.

Prior to an offseason injury, Isaiah Neyor was seen as the offensive piece that would unlock the best of head coach Steve Sarkisian’s offense last year. Neyor’s ability as a downfield threat could have helped Texas separate from opponents last season. Unfortunately, the Wyoming transfer never enjoyed a 2022 season of play and Texas’ offense took a hit.

Now that Sarkisian has added AD Mitchell to the fold, he has several plus players at the receiver position. Mitchell, Whittington, Sanders and Neyor are all big and sure-handed players who provide wide targets to which quarterback Quinn Ewers can throw.

We have discussed just how automatic passing could be this season. I have opined that passing could at times be as easy as handing off for Ewers with these receivers. Perhaps Texas should get all five of its best on the field as much as possible.

To be clear, Texas has good running backs. Jonathon Brooks, who averaged 6.6 yards per carry last season, is an excellent running back. Even so, five-wide formations could create a nightmare scenario for defense.

We know Steve Sarkisian loves tight ends, but this year’s group outside Ja’Tavion Sanders doesn’t command playing time over its wide receivers. Xavier Worthy has already proven he can get open with little room to operate. Sanders, Mitchell and Neyor are big enough to snag high passes on hot routes if the blitz dictates that Ewers gets rid of the football quickly.

Empty formations often telegraph the offense intends to pass the ball. With a receiver group this good, it may not matter. Texas has an opportunity to attack defenses in empty more often in 2023. Doing so could help the Longhorns offense hit a new gear.

Forecasting the best players Texas will face at every position in 2023

We predict the best player Texas will face at every position this season.

The Texas Longhorns’ 2023 schedule is loaded with talent across the board. The high end talent is mostly present at the top recruiting schools on the Longhorns schedule. Alabama, Oklahoma, TCU and Texas Tech present perhaps the most talented rosters.

Each opponent will present its own unique challenges. Rice and Wyoming probably present the least matchup concerns for Texas.

Outside of the above teams are solid players across the board. Iowa State, Kansas State and Kansas feature well-developed players with plenty of experience. Both Kansas schools are particularly good at quarterback, tight end and perhaps even at offensive line. The Wildcats certainly bring back a top three offensive line in the conference while Kansas has proven commodities up front.

Let’s look who will be the best players and position groups Texas will face in 2023.

The Athletic: Big 12 could be “in peril” without Texas and Oklahoma

Ari Wasserman says the Big 12 could be in peril without Texas and Oklahoma recruiting.

Texas and Oklahoma are leaving the Big 12. They could take recruiting and relevance with them to the SEC according to one national writer.

Ari Wasserman of The Athletic discussed what losing Oklahoma and Texas could mean for Big 12 recruiting. He described the loss of the two powerhouse programs as one that could put Big 12 recruiting “in peril.”

Those who follow the league closely are probably more optimistic than that. Last offseason, we looked at the Big 12 as a sinking ship. Albeit, what TCU accomplished on the field last season makes it appear like the league might be just fine. It is, however, losing several top end players with the Longhorns and Sooners leaving the conference.

What is the Big 12 losing? Both Oklahoma and Texas earned Top 4 recruiting classes in the last cycle. The next best class came from last season’s national runner up, TCU. The best the Horned Frogs could muster following a title appearance was the No. 20 class in the country. The next best recruiting class in the conference was Texas Tech at No. 28.

With the addition of Texas and Oklahoma, the top six recruiting classes in the country for 2023 included five SEC teams in Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma and LSU. Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State came in at No. 5. The SEC had nine of the Top 20 recruiting classes with TCU standing as the Big 12’s lone Top 20 class.

The blue chip ratio doesn’t lie. You need 50% or more of your team to be comprised of four-star or better players to win a national championship. It’s why, barring a surge in talent acquisition by the Horned Frogs or Red Raiders, the Big 12 won’t be winning any national titles any time soon. If they get there we could see more results like last season’s title game.

The Big 12 isn’t in peril. Nevertheless, it will never be the same.