Rumors continue to run rampant across the college football landscape in regards to Tom Herman’s future in Austin.
While many believed Texas was deflated after their heartbreaking loss to Iowa State the week prior, the Longhorns rebounded in impressive fashion to defeat Kansas State 69-31 last week.
It was enough to take some of the heat off of Herman, but it appears to be a little too late to right the ship. Well, that depends who you ask. There’s still some who believe that was a crucial win for Herman’s job security.
Although the majority of winners and losers are centered around a particular football team as a whole, USA TODAY Sports college football analyst Paul Myerberg specifically listed Tom Herman among one of the biggest winners last week.
“Herman’s best chance at returning to Texas in 2021 demands the Longhorns run the table from here and develop momentum after a spotty regular season. (All the other stuff, including whether or not Texas can convince a certain ex-coach to return to the sidelines, is out of Herman’s control). Texas played its best game of the year in a 69-31 dismantling of Kansas State, which has plummeted from Big 12 contention to the bottom half of the conference standings. Now 6-3, Texas will move to 7-3 against Kansas next week and enter the postseason with a shot at winning eight games for the third time in Herman’s four seasons.”
The overall winning record for Herman is certainly respectful and worth applauding, but the standard expectations at Texas are set much, much higher. If you’re not able to consistently compete for the Big 12 title, how will this program ever reach the College Football Playoff?
This was considered a down year for the Big 12 conference as a whole. Texas continued to struggle against lesser quality opponents each season and oftentimes looked completely undisciplined and unprepared.
Only time will tell how serious the Texas administration is about winning championships. Regardless, crowning Herman a winner for defeating a team that Texas was clearly more talented than feels like a backhanded compliment.