Texas suffered their first loss of the season to TCU on Oct. 3.
Nothing appeared to be working out in their favor last week. The Longhorns looked unprepared for the Horned Frogs and were outcoached in every phase. Although it was a terrible officiating job, the mistakes that Texas made were too steep to overcome.
It was a conference loss to an unranked team. It’s a tough pill to swallow for Texas fans, but the season is still young. If the Longhorns can rebound to defeat the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Rivalry on Oct. 10, they’ll again become favorites in the Big 12 title race.
Unfortunately, the loss to TCU bumped Texas out of ESPN’s updated college football power rankings. Four other programs from the Big 12 were included.
25. TCU (1-1)
24. Iowa State (2-1)
20. Kansas State (2-1)
10. Oklahoma State (3-0)
Texas only has one loss like several of their counterparts included on the list, but their two wins have come from low quality opponents. The Longhorns narrowly squeaked out of Lubbock the week prior due to a successful onside kick and 15-point thriller comeback in the final three minutes of the game.
Texas Tech is one of the worst teams in the Big 12 this year and Texas’ only other win was against the UTEP Miners from Conference USA.
If Texas can run the table, they’re certainly capable of hoisting the Big 12 title this season. There’s plenty of football left. However, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Iowa State and Oklahoma provide an uphill battle.
It’s now a must-win game for Texas head coach Tom Herman at the Cotton Bowl this Saturday.