Tag: Big 12 football predictions

Ranking the eight most dominant Longhorns for the 2023 season

Pound-for-pound these Longhorns should be the most dominant against the opponents across from them.

The Texas Longhorns are going to dominate opposition at times in 2023. They have the personnel to get it done. Several physical and experienced players return for the Longhorns with a couple of significant portal additions.

Defensive tackle has been a strength for the team in recent seasons. Despite losing Keondre Coburn and Moro Ojomo to the NFL draft, the same should be true for the Longhorns this season. Byron Murphy, T’Vondre Sweat, Alfred Collins and Minnesota transfer Trill Carter make for a solid two-deep rotation up front.

Many view the Texas offensive line as one that cannot get a push. That isn’t necessarily the case. Certainly, the team’s most physically imposing players are simply on the outside at offensive tackles. The interior linemen are more technically savvy players.

Players on the outside can dominate, too. Texas saw that firsthand with Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Collin Johnson at receiver in 2018.

Here’s a look at eight Texas players who should be able to impose their will on opponents this season.

Does Oklahoma HC view Sooners as Big 12 favorite over Texas, K-State?

Brent Venables says better defense will give Oklahoma “a chance to hang a banner” in 2023.

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables is speaking with a lot of bravado after going 6-7 in his first season as head coach. On Thursday, Venables declared the Sooners as a team who could “hang a banner” at the end of the season.

Venables said the following about his team ahead of its last season in the Big 12.

“If we just get better on defense we’re going to win 10-plus games and have a chance to hang a banner up at the end of the year.”

It is within reason that Oklahoma could win 10 games in 2023, but bold for a head coach to project with certainty after a losing season. The proclamation is reminiscent of what former Texas head coach Charlie Strong said after similar underachievement. According to Venables, simply getting better on defense is all it takes.

The reality is, there are better Big 12 teams than Oklahoma in 2023. It is doubtful the Sooners would beat Kansas State, Texas Tech or Texas in Arlington for a Big 12 title. Then again, if they can just get better on defense Brent Venables believes they have a good chance.

Josh Pate discusses what makes Texas football so dangerous in 2023

National college football analyst details what makes Texas so different this year than in past seasons.

Several college football analysts are buying into the Texas Longhorns heading into the 2023 season. Late Kick podcast host Josh Pate continues to hype the team ahead of a monumental season for the program.

On Tuesday, Pate shared that the heavyweight fight between Texas and Alabama is “pay-per-view’esque.” That’s not all that he has to say about the Longhorns ahead of the season.

Pate said the following about Texas’ ability to combat depth concerns other teams face.

“They’re not going to be one of those programs that is vulnerable to QB1 going down and poverty elsewhere in the room. If it happened this year, they’d have Maalik Murphy and Arch Manning there waiting to play.”

Maalik Murphy is a huge reason why Texas might be immune to the falloff the rival Oklahoma Sooners endured last season when Dillon Gabriel went down. Murphy is a big piece of the Longhorns’ championship puzzle. If he is as cerebral and accurate as the spring game indicated, Texas has perhaps two of the five best quarterbacks in the Big 12.

The Athletic discusses Texas QB Quinn Ewers and a 10-win season

The Athletic discusses the state of the Texas football program.

Texas hasn’t won 10 games in a regular season since 2009. Even so, that’s the expectation for the football program this season. Several impact players  return for what should be one of the 10 best rosters in college football.

The Longhorns last reached 10 wins through 14 games in 2018 after finishing 9-3 and winning a bowl game over Georgia. Other than that lone bright spot, most seasons have fell below expectation in recent history. The Athletic discussed whether or not Texas is capable of finally living up to its monumental hype.

College football analyst Ari Wasserman discussed the difficulty past failures bring in regard to projecting the Longhorns. The expectations are usually high for Texas, which creates a boy-who-cried-wolf phenomenon for the program. National media tells us that Texas is somehow back only for the team to finish 7-5 or 8-4.

There’s reason to believe this team is different. Here’s a sample of what writers from The Athletic are saying about the Longhorns.

Texas WR AD Mitchell is viewed as “uncoverable” this offseason

Those close to the team view AD Mitchell as “uncoverable” ahead of the 2023 season.

Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell is “uncoverable.” That is, if those close to the team are to be believed. Continue reading “Texas WR AD Mitchell is viewed as “uncoverable” this offseason”

Predicting the Big 12’s all-breakout team for the 2023 season

It’s the year of the Longhorns and Sooners for breakout stars in the Big 12.

Surprising results make college football most interesting. Breakout players certainly fit that billing. There should be a handful of Big 12 players who break out in 2023.

Last season, the Texas Longhorns had several breakout players. We were all over the potential breakout of linebacker Jaylan Ford and left tackle Kelvin Banks. Even so, tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders exceeded expectations becoming the best tight end in the league.

The two conference championship representatives certainly had their breakout players. Kansas State quarterback Will Howard quickly elevated the Wildcats from above average to conference title contender. The team went on to beat the TCU Horned Frogs and cut short their opponent’s bid for a perfect season.

TCU’s Max Duggan went from benched and unheralded to arguably a top three quarterback in college football last season. His running back, Kendre Miller, saw his stock rise as the season progressed.

Let’s look at who makes this season’s all-breakout team.

Experienced defensive backfield is advantageous for Texas in 2023

Jerrin Thompson, Jahdae Barron, Ryan Watts and Jalen Catalon are all seniors. That bodes well for quality secondary play.

Experience is perhaps the No. 1 predictor of success for a defensive backfield in college football. That bodes well for Texas in the upcoming season. The Longhorns are set to have four seniors start at defensive back in 2023. Each of them has multiple years of starting experience.

Ryan Watts and Jahdae Barron are set to fill two of the three cornerback spots after their emergence led to a wholly improved secondary for Texas last year. Both players possess high football intelligence with athleticism to match their ingenuity.

We expect Jalen Catalon and Jerrin Thompson to start for the team at safety. If healthy, both players are among the more dependable safeties the program will have featured in recent seasons.

The other cornerback role will be filled by one of three impressive starter candidates. The position will either feature an elite underclassman coverage prospect like Terrance Brooks or Malik (Manny) Muhammad or proven Wake Forest transfer Gavin Holmes.

When the program brought over defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, it probably wanted a product like his Washington defense that earned the nickname “Death Row.” With this secondary, you might finally see that vision come to fruition.

Predicting the style of every game on Texas’ 2023 schedule

We look at which games with be rock fights, blowouts and track meets.

One of the more fascinating aspects of football is how various playing styles clash with the style of opponents. It goes without saying that the Air Raid plays differently than the Triple Option. The wide array of schemes in the conference will make for mix of high and low scoring games.

Iowa State, West Virginia and Cincinnati are teams most likely to want to hold opponents to 20 points or less if possible. The lack of offense on those teams puts them at a disadvantage against the higher scoring teams in shootouts.

Houston, Kansas, TCU and Oklahoma State are a few of the teams that are simply going to need to outscore their opponents in high scoring games to have any success this season.

The Texas roster is constructed in a way that can adapt to the varying styles within the league. Let’s look at what you might expect in each game this season.

Ranking the top offenses in the Big 12 conference for 2023

We rank every Big 12 offense for 2023.

Offense is back in the Big 12 this season. For the most part the league should have among the most dynamic offenses in the nation this year.

Houston head coach Dana Holgorson brings his Air Raid offense back to the league after leaving West Virginia not long ago. UCF and BYU bring their own unique offenses to the conference in what could be the most diverse offensive league in college football.

TCU figures to be one of the top offenses despite losing several contributors. Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Kansas State will bring their own dynamic offensive attacks to the forefront of the Big 12 conversation.

Baylor is a sneaky good offensive team in its own right. The team’s collection of solid role players make for a consistent scoring threat in 2023.

Here’s a look at our ranking of the top Big 12 offenses for 2023.

Breaking down Athlon Sports’ Preseason All-Big 12 team

Several Longhorns are tabbed as All-Big 12 players by Athlon Sports.

How does the Texas roster stack up from a national perspective? Athlon Sports shed light on how talented the team should be in 2023.

The respected sports publication listed its Big 12 all-conference selections on Monday. Texas saw its team receive several selections.

It’s easy for the national media to recognize bigger programs like Texas and Oklahoma or surging teams like Kansas State and TCU. Even so, it appears Athlon did its homework with a thorough list that accounts for several teams.

Kansas headlines the first team with top quarterback Jalon Daniels and running back Devin Neal.

For Texas, defensive tackle Byron Murphy and safety Jalen Catalon make surprising first-team nominations. The two easily possess that ability but have plenty to prove on the field. Murphy will be asked to play starter snaps after Texas lost two defensive tackles to the NFL. Catalon needs to prove he can be healthy.

Here’s a look at Athlon Sports’ all-conference nominations.