Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Score predictions from a variety of national media sites for No. 8 Texas vs. Houston this week.
No. 8 Texas travels to Houston to face the Cougars in Week 8. Continue reading “Score predictions for No. 8 Texas vs. Houston in Week 8”
On3’s JD PicKell recently predicted each conference champion.
Despite the heartbreaking loss to Oklahoma last week, Texas still controls their own destiny the remainder of the season. Continue reading “On3’s JD PicKell predicts Texas to defeat Oklahoma in Big 12 title game”
Kansas cornerback Cobee Bryant leads an impressive and opportunistic Jayhawks secondary.
The Kansas secondary poses a daunting task for Texas this week. It is perhaps the most concerning of all strengths that the Jayhawks present because it is likely to go unnoticed.
Much can be made of the team’s improvement in run defense, tackling and physicality this season. All of those points are legitimate given statistics and the eye test from last week’s game and the team’s other three games. That said, the Kansas secondary is perhaps the scariest part of its defense. It could be on full display Saturday.
Kansas cornerback Cobee Bryant headlines the group statistically thus far. He has secured two interceptions, forced a fumble and earned one pass breakup this season. He is joined by fellow big name Kenny Logan Jr. at safety, with boundary cornerback Mello Dotson and free safety Marvin Grant rounding out the unit.
The group is aggressive and physical in addition to its playmaking ability. They pose a real risk of ending Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers’ streak of pass attempts without an interception. More than that, the unit could frustrate receivers and stall the Longhorns offense by forcing receivers off their spots.
The Texas offense is capable of an offensive explosion on Saturday but it might need to over-prepare to make that happen. It cannot take this secondary lightly.
Texas is in for a battle Saturday afternoon. The game will reveal if the Longhorns wide receiver room is up to the task.
Texas Monstars at WR will have a good test against a physical group of Kansas DBs
High-risk, high-reward matchup
Full game breakdown: https://t.co/qU0vQy5M1H pic.twitter.com/3llQuQ8Za8
— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) September 28, 2023
Bold predictions this week feature Texas continuing a few impressive streaks.
The No. 3 Texas Longhorns have a pivotal matchup with the No. 24 Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday. It marks what could be the final Top 25 matchup between Texas and the hateful eight, the eight Big 12 teams that remain after Oklahoma and Texas announced their departure from the league.
We anticipate next week’s game to be a Top 15 matchup, but Kansas should command all attention from Texas this week. It’s the kind of matchup that could determine whether or not the Longhorns are playing for a College Football Playoff berth at season’s end.
Kansas is a good football team, but like most anybody else in college football it has identifiable flaws. The Longhorns need to attack those flaws on Saturday.
Here are a few of our bold predictions for Saturday’s game.
Brett McMurphy has Texas Tech winning the Big 12 in these projections.
Most of the national media is in agreement that the Texas Longhorns are the favorite to win the Big 12 title this season. Continue reading “Brett McMurphy has Texas returning to Alamo Bowl in latest projections”
“This appears, on paper, to definitely be the team to beat in the Big 12.”
ESPN’s College Gameday made waves on social media with its Big 12 predictions. The show’s college football analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee and its host Rece Davis all picked the Texas Longhorns to win the conference.
The panel made light of the pick after each selection was revealed. Kirk Herbstreit quipped that the graphic on the screen could haunt the crew later should the Longhorns lay an egg in 2023. Nevertheless, it still seemed enough like a slam dunk selection that the whole crew opted to vote in favor of the team.
Rece Davis pondered whether or not the upcoming season is a referendum on the football program.
“Is it now or never for Texas? … This seems to be the year they need to make that step forward. They’re a game over .500 under Sarkisian, they haven’t been good on the road. This is a big opportunity.”
The trio spent much of the time answering the question by discussing the improved culture and talent in Austin. Even so, the task of facing an SEC schedule looms large for the program. Winning the conference would go a long way toward proving Texas’ legitimacy as it heads to its new conference.
The expectations for a successful season are clear for Texas: Win 10 games or win a Big 12 championship. It will aim to live up to those expectations on the field.
Is Texas overrated ahead of 2023?
Texas is believed to have the best roster in the Big 12 and one of the most talented rosters from top to bottom in all of college football. Continue reading “CBS Sports analysts views Texas as most overrated team in Big 12”
We give Texas the highest ceiling among Big 12 teams as we set ceilings and floors.
It’s time that we discuss Big 12 teams and their ceilings and floors. Those designations are much more difficult to make for the Texas Longhorns than others.
The ceiling is always there for the Longhorns. When you recruit the high volume of talent the team recruits, there is going to be high potential. However, when you underachieve as much as Texas has over the last decade, the floor is always there, too.
I have stayed steadfast in predicting Texas will go 10-2 this season, but there’s a higher ceiling and certainly a lower floor there to be discussed. The ceiling is 12-0. It’s an unrealistic ceiling and the least likely outcome for the team from seven wins and higher. Even so, the sky is still the limit. Given how good Texas’ three-deep looks and the fact that they have a legitimate three-deep, there’s a world in which this team wins 12 games.
There’s another world where Texas goes 7-5. That’s probably the next least likely outcome under consideration. Getting there would involve head coach Steve Sarkisian losing the team. We don’t expect that to happen.
Here’s a look at our ceiling and floor for each of our Big 12 contenders.
Texas was one of three FBS squads not to have a 50-yard pass play in 2022. The team looks to change that.
The Texas Longhorns were not explosive in the passing game last year. While it’s likely the offense improves dramatically in 2023, the passing game is still an area with room for improvement.
Last season, Texas was one of three FBS squads not to have a 50-yard pass play. That’s not the list in which you want your team to find itself.
Much of the blame goes to the quarterback, but offensive line coach and offensive coordinator Kyle Flood believes its a team effort. He said the following to the media about developing more explosion in 2023.
“I don’t see it as a responsibility of the quarterback or a responsibility of the running back, I think that’s the responsibility of all 11 players on the field to create those types of opportunities. We are certainly going to call those types of plays, there is no question about that.”
The lack of converted deep shots were not for lack of attempts. Several downfield passes from quarterback Quinn Ewers to receiver Xavier Worthy fell to the turf. While both Ewers and Worthy both bear responsibility for those incompletions, both look primed to bounce back based on offseason performances.
Texas will look to add plenty of 50-yard pass plays in the upcoming season.
Don’t tell us about your starting five linemen. Tell us about your best eight. Texas has eight good ones.
Conference championship contenders need eight offensive linemen to realistically compete. Texas offensive line coach Kyle Flood believes he has his eight. It’s part of what makes this roster more fortified against a late-season falloff than past Longhorns teams.
You need eight quality offensive linemen to safeguard against injury. Having a strong top five doesn’t matter all that much if one or two get injured. Due to the physical nature of the position and the inherent lack of balance in pass protection, it’s difficult to go a full season with five healthy linemen. Texas might not have to worry about that.
We feel strongly about the starting five and its ability after last season. The line is perhaps the best pass blocking unit in the conference. The backups are ready to make impact as well led by DJ Campbell, Cam Williams and Neto Umeozulu.
The 2022 offensive line class illustrates that one good offensive line class can transform the entire unit. Texas will look to maximize its collection of four- and five-star linemen to a 10-win season in 2023.
