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That didn’t take long.
Shortly after the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday, Texas was mentioned as one of the top five overrated teams listed. The Longhorns landed at No. 19 in the poll, which is fairly realistic considering the situation that they’re in.
Texas hasn’t yet accomplished enough to be listed higher, nor do they know who the starting quarterback will be, but the Longhorns certainly have the talent and a promising coaching staff to be mentioned within the Top 25.
Here’s why USA TODAY Sports’ Erick Smith believes Texas is overrated:
Expectations are always high for the Longhorns, so don’t expect much of a honeymoon for coach Steve Sarkisian. Difficulties come right away.
First, he must figure out his quarterback situation with four-year starter Sam Ehlinger off to the NFL. Neither Casey Thompson nor Hudson Card have seen significant action except for Thompson’s impressive second half of last year’s bowl game. Add to the equation that Sarkisian’s offense isn’t an exact fit for what was run the past four years under Tom Herman and there are some expected growing pains. The problem is that there isn’t much time for that with No. 23 Louisiana-Lafayette visiting in the opener and a trip to Arkansas the following week.
New defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski has his own challenges. Texas hasn’t broken the top 50 in scoring defense in the past three years. With all the other Big 12 contenders returning starting quarterbacks, more will be expected out of this group to possibly contend in the league. – Erick Smith
Notre Dame, USC, Miami, and Ole Miss were the other four overrated programs mentioned.
While Texas certainly has their work cut out for them this season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Longhorns finish the 2021 season ranked higher than No. 19.