Tag: Texas Tech Football

Looking at what will hold each Big 12 title contender back in 2023

We explore each Big 12 contender’s weakness including unpredictability from the Texas offense when off Sarkisian’s script.

There are several Big 12 contenders heading into the 2023 season. We have identified nine teams who could compete for the title.

Texas and Kansas State lead the list of contenders as the safest picks after last year’s performance paired with what each team returns. The Longhorns and Wildcats are two of the more experienced teams in the conference to go with the talent each team presents.

Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Kansas and TCU could probably comprise another tier of challengers. All four had good offense and bad defense last season. We expect the Oklahoma defense to be much improved. The other three have significant defensive question marks across the board.

Central Florida, Baylor and BYU are wild cards who command plenty of mixed reviews heading into the 2023 season. The three teams had up and down moments last year, but all have high upsides.

Let’s look at every Big 12 contender’s primary area of concern.

Predicting which Longhorns make the All-Big 12 team

Six Longhorns make our first-team all-conference list.

We’re ramping up toward the Big 12’s media day sessions and various predictions are rolling in for the 2023 season. As you might expect, Texas is seeing the most acclaim.

The league’s deadline for media to submit league predictions just passed with a handful of media members sharing their picks. The first-team all-conference selections are the next noteworthy item under consideration.

We’ve shared superlative predictions and discussed others’ predicted conference standings this week. One common theme from the projections is that the Texas Longhorns appear head-and-shoulders above competition in what they return and the roster they field.

Several Longhorns have the ability to secure all-conference accolades. Wide receiver Xavier Worthy seems almost certain to win first team honors, while AD Mitchell could win Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. Ja’Tavion Sanders joins the receiving trio as one who should make the first team list as well.

Here’s a look at our preseason first-team all-conference prediction for the 2023 season.

Texas target, five-star WR Micah Hudson projected to commit to Texas Tech

Texas Tech has a chance to land their first five-star recruit.

The Micah Hudson saga continues to be one that has many Texas fans scratching their heads. Continue reading “Texas target, five-star WR Micah Hudson projected to commit to Texas Tech”

What to make of 2024 five-star WR Micah Hudson’s canceled Texas visit

The Longhorns would love to have Micah Hudson, but the wide receiver room can handle a recruiting loss.

Texas target and five-star wide receiver Micah Hudson has canceled his visit to Austin. The move is widely viewed as a big deal in regard to the Longhorns’ chances in his recruitment.

At one point in his recruiting process, Hudson was seen as a likely Texas commit. Now it appears the talented receiver has shifted his focus from Austin to Lubbock and the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

To be sure, Texas will be fine regardless of whether or not Hudson elects to ultimately sign with the team. The 2024 wide receiver room is set to be led by AD Mitchell, Isaiah Neyor, Johntay Cook, DeAndre Moore and Ryan Niblett. The latter three could all take over the starting receiver roles in 2025.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian and company would greatly benefit from adding a player of Hudson’s caliber. Certainly, they should do everything they can to sway the talented receiver. Even so, Texas can win with him or without him.

We’ll continue to monitor the Hudson recruitment as the 2023 season approaches.

Five-star WR Micah Hudson cancels official visit to Texas

The five-star wide receiver has opted to cancel his official visit to Texas.

After taking an impromptu unofficial visit to Texas last week prior to taking an official to Texas Tech, five-star receiver Micah Hudson has opted to cancel his scheduled official visit to Austin this weekend.

According to On3, Hudson was originally supposed to take a trip to Texas A&M on Thursday before partaking in a 7-on-7 tournament in College Station with his Lake Belton team. Following the conclusion of the tournament, he was then scheduled to return to Austin for his official visit.

The Temple, Texas native ranks as the No. 6 player in the country, No. 2 wide receiver, and the No. 2 player in the state of Texas according to On3’s industry ranking.

As it stands right now, On3 views Texas Tech as the favorite to land Hudson.

On the bright side for Longhorns fans, they are in good standing with another five-star receiver in Ryan Wingo.

Ranking the five most complete teams in the Big 12

Texas is one of the five teams that has a well-rounded roster in the Big 12.

Talented teams win games. Complete teams win championships. Texas fans know that to be true from the last fifteen years of Longhorns football.

Most Texas teams in recent seasons have been incomplete while smaller schools like TCU, Iowa State, Baylor, Oklahoma State and Kansas State have sent their teams to the Big 12 championship.

Texas has flipped the script this season as the team has one of the more complete rosters in the conference. Where once the team lacked along the offensive line and at corner and receiver, the Longhorns are fairly well stacked across their depth chart.

Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Kansas State are viewed as conference title contenders for much of the same reasons. While we’ve nitpicked many of the teams, there’s more to like than not for all the aforementioned teams.

Heres a look at five of the most well-rounded rosters in the Big 12.

Where each Big 12 team lands in Brett McMurphy’s college football bowl projections

Brett McMurphy is higher on Texas Tech than Texas this season and there’s several intriguing matchups he projects.

ESPN will be announcing the 2023 college football bowl dates and kickoff times later this afternoon. Continue reading “Where each Big 12 team lands in Brett McMurphy’s college football bowl projections”

Which football teams have a legitimate chance to win the Big 12?

We share a list of every legitimate Big 12 title contender for 2023.

Who can win the Big 12 in 2023? That’s what we want to determine as we approach the final months of the college football offseason.

The upcoming season has plenty of unknowns, especially in regard to the Big 12 Conference. For starters, we’re unsure how the four newcomers will adjust to their new league.

UCF and BYU stand out to me as teams who could be ready to win now, while Houston and Cincinnati have plenty of uncertainty. Much of the confidence in the first two teams revolves around having seen their starting quarterbacks have success at the college level.

Last season, John Rhys Plumlee led a prolific Central Florida offense. And while it’s been awhile since we’ve seen good quarterback play from Kedon Slovis, he had a strong freshman campaign not long ago at USC.

TCU and Kansas State made surprise appearances to the Big 12 championship game last year. We’ll try to account for how they got there and pinpoint the teams who could legitimately win the conference. Here’s a look at the most likely title winners.

USA TODAY Sports chooses the favorite, dark-horse teams for Big 12 title race

Two programs in the state of Texas got the nod for the favorite and dark horse team in the Big 12 title race this season.

There’s always unexpected chaos in the conference when it comes to Big 12 football teams. Continue reading “USA TODAY Sports chooses the favorite, dark-horse teams for Big 12 title race”

Where each Big 12 team football team falls in ESPN’s initial FPI rankings for 2023

Texas is the only Big 12 team to land among the top 10 nationally, while Kansas sits at the tail end of the conference.

ESPN released their initial Football Power Index (FPI) rankings on Tuesday. Continue reading “Where each Big 12 team football team falls in ESPN’s initial FPI rankings for 2023”