So Texas Is #21?

Sorry but to me this is complete absurdity. # 21? And Iowa State is # 7? This would suggest that the writers think very little of Sark, very little of his staff, and very little of our roster.

I don’t believe it. Guess we will see.

 

Duke,

I'll be bitterly disappointed in #21, which would seem to translate to 8-4/7-5. Losing to OU is a probability, but not because I didn't yell loud enough.

Is Iowa State that good even at home? They may win, but they are not top ten good.

Tech & oSu are in Memorial Stadium, which I hope is worth something.

TCU at Amon Carter needs to revert to being a "sure thing".

We have to prove we are Top Ten worthy, and that opening stretch can do that if the Horns show up.

 

Makes no difference where you start. Where do you end? I quit following preseason rankings years ago.

 

Since the 2009 season, the Horns have been lackluster. Starting with 2010, we are 3-9 against Oklahoma (counting the loss in the Conference Championship in 2018), we've posted 3 losing season records, and with the exception of one season, posted rather drab results during Hermans tenure. Since TCU joined the conference in 2012, the Horns have won only 2 games against the toads. Last season we lost to ISU at home (ISU has been improving the last couple of seasons). The Horns did beat the snot out of KSU and won the Bowl game.

We've not had a Conference Championship since 2009, played for one once versus OU, but lost. So, looking at the recent history and the fact we have a couple of green QBs this season, it is understandable that we would not be ranked very high. This is an opportunity for the guys to go out and show they are a higher quality team than the #21 ranking and put a beat down on every opponent. Hopefully, thay do just that.

 

Correct, @BevoJoe. Maybe when Texas does something they will start getting the benefit of high preseason rankings again.

 

I felt the same way. it is always hard to pick pre season. But I also think based on the last ten years and our last two coaches, 21 is probably a pretty safe bet. The top 5 are the same old same old and the next 5 are mostly teams that did well last year in the 5 games they played. After that there really isn't any real rhyme or reason.
I do have hopes we will do better but we always get everyone's best shot and this year it will be worse. If the horns don't take hostile crowds out of the game early we could have a very long season. Add new everything, g force distractions and other wild cards and it really will be a crap shoot.

 

I don't even know why they would base their prediction on past years. That's kind of ridiculous to me. We have a completely different coaching staff. Now if this current coaching staff was the staff of the past years then It might make some sense. Plus we've got returning players that were 8 and 3 last year.

 

It pisses me off (I am one of those emotionally retarded & narcissistic middle-school intellect types that gets angry at the horns-down thing).
However,
Making lemonade here; if #21 helps motivate the team to get past LA on 9/4 and the piggies the following week, come at me, ese.

 

preseason rankings are mostly BS...........until we prove on the field week in and week out then we dont deserve anything...........if we are 6-0 after Oct. 9th then we might have something to talk about.

 

I'd put us higher to start the season, but not that much higher. We've got to prove it on the field. And we very well might do just that!

 

I'd say we're pretty lucky to be ranked that high based on last year's results and what we have coming back. We usually get ranked higher based on pedigree alone and that seems to come back to bite us. 21 is OK. Keeps us out of the spotlight and gives the team something to work for. Better not overlook Louisiana or we'll be fighting the rest of the season to get back in the Top 25. Rankings aren't what they used to be. The only one that matters is the one that comes out on Nov. 2.

 

I'm far more comfortable at #21 than like #9 or something absurd that we haven't earned.

The first step to getting that kind of credence is to stop playing down to the mediocres of the college football world. If we're losing to TCU and needing a couple miracles to beat Tech, neither of whom deserves to be anywhere near the rankings, then saying that we're #21 is kind of a slap in the face to the teams that are #22-#25 or "others receiving votes."

Secondly, we'd be ranked higher if we stopped toying around with tackling and indecisiveness. My assumption is that PK is dealing with this on a daily basis. But every pundit in the country sees us as the team that can't stop the better opponent when the chips are down. Finishing #64 in the country in Total Defense would have been ok in the Mackovic years. We need to make strides to improve with visible signs of it.

 

It has been a long time since Texas dominated shat teams from beginning to end.

Beating the heck out of La. and Arkansas would set the table. We will see. At this point I think we could lose to both.

 

Yep. I long for the days of destroying The School For The Blind by 20 touchdowns and then beating anyone with a pulse on a last second field goal.

 

I have us at about #15-17 on the year with o/u 3 losses regular season. Defense will be stout....offense will be hit and miss.
Unless Sark is superhuman....with a new staff, scheme and QB.......There will be growing pains and patience will be needed. Oline shuffling , WR depth, every team gunning for you, one of the harder schedules in the country...

 

Do teams really gun for Texas anymore or do they just think Texas sucks usually for the last decade?

 

I thought #21 was an indictment on Sark and staff as well. However, I was listening to a preview of Iowa State and heard ISU returns almost all of its starters so each unit should be at least as good or better than 2020. It got me thinking about whether Texas will be better or worse than last year for each unit.

Offense:
QB - worse - I believe in the talent, but Sam was a 3+ year starter with a lot of moxie and won us several close games
RB - better - Bijan, that is all
O-line - same - lots of returning starters but we lost Sam Cosmi
WR - worse - lack of depth and loss of Smith and Eagles will hurt
TE - better - no losses and added Sanders
Overall - worse - a new QB and thin WR corp looms large for the offense

Defense:
interior d-line - better - no losses, more experience
edge - same - I think this is a team strength but Ossai is hard to replace
LB - same - Overshown is improved and Mitchell wasn't great but we are so very thin its hard to call it improvement
DBs - improved - Sterns had a bad year and the secondary in general did not perform well, even with largely the same players I think improved coaching will pay dividends
Overall - better

Overall grade to start the season is about the same as the end of 2020. We finished #20 in 2020, so #21 in 2021 seems fair for now. I hope Sark can be the difference in going 7-3 to going 9-3. Only 13 points separated us from being undefeated. Hopefully Sark can make up some of those points.

 

P_town if you rate our offense is worse than last year and are correct, we’re in for a looong unpleasant season because so many times we prayed the defense would hold us in the game until the offense could get something going. How many games did we score only with a turnover or other break.

 

Preseason polls are a near copy of the previous year's final poll. We finished 2020 at #19 and ISU at #9. Is ISU that good this year? They have a returning coach and QB so seems possible. Is Sark and a new QB great out of the gate? Who knows so I much prefer starting at #21 than #7 this season. Less pressure and media harassment so they can focus on over-performing.

 

Arkansas and La. will want to beat the heck out of us. So will every Big 12 team. Won't matter if we are winless they will all bring it. Arkansas could lose half their population to Covid, they will bring it.

 

Why? What players at Arkie know or care about any rivalry from over 30 years ago? La. will want to be at Texas, but not anymore than they want to beat OU or any other big conference opponent.

 

We are in their heads. It’s taught from day one.

 

You're probably right, HIC...though people still like to beat us -I think- because they think we are arrogant.
I was mostly referencing what some including myself have speculated here....that with the SEC move announcement the sights will be set on us all the moreso.

 

Good point.

 

And I don't get how we keep making overrated lists. Who has us so highly rated?
Seems like butthurt jealousy from those who just hate us to begin with and despise any attention we get. Overrated based on name and likeness play vs wins on field lately? Fine..
But overrated based on football expectations? I don't see justification for that. Seems our "ratedness" and expectations remain about the same...meh....
like a sandwich that set out and looks edible but not really that yummy.

 

If everybody didn't want to beat Texas...if we aren't in everybody's head...then there would be no discussion of making the Horns down a taunting penalty.

 

1) i believe we are an improvement at quarterback.
2) i believe we will be better at WR. We still have Moore and Whittington and the speed of Worthy. Plus lets not forget Dixon and his speed. Omeire will be a positive factor. We won't miss Smith and Eagles. And then there is the genius of Sark to make the WRs better and better routes. Offense will be better!

I agree the defense will be better.

So i believe this team to be better than last years team. A higher ranking should be ours. I'm not saying we beat the pants off everybody but i am saying we finish the regular season at least 10-2 maybe 11-1. But we probably lose to OK twice. And beat somebody in a bowl game. So we finish 12-2 or 11-3.
And then i didn't even mention J Sanders nor K. Robinson who i think is going to be a star in his own right. Can't wait to see him catching passes out of the backfield.
There it is my fellow longhorn fans!

 

I agree with your assessment with the exception that the ranking will come when we show those results. I feel like #21 is about right to start the season, and believe we will be higher after non-conference and beyond. 10-2 feels like a great season all things considered, with a bowl win and huge momentum going into 2022.

 

I am happy with the #21 ranking. I will enjoy seeing us climb the ladder.

 

Just a thought:
When Casey Thompson came into the bowl game he had nothing to lose he didn't have any pressure (real pressure) he could just wheel and deal and that he did. Impressed me, especially that jump step and throw to Brewer.
But now coming into a game, knowing that you are the starter, and knowing that the weight of the team is on you that's a whole nother ballgame. I believe he can handle it. At the same time, though, I think that Card is going to be the man. We'll just see how it plays out.
Oh, I'm not saying that Thompson is going to be the starter game 1. I'm just saying that he's got the goods even though he will be facing greater pressure.