What matters when evaluating a team for the upcoming season? Talent, obviously. Whether you prefer to proclaim that stars matter or you are a bit more old school in saying that Jimmys and Joes beat X’s and O’s, the adage remains the same. College football is ruled by the quality of players on the roster. What else, though? Coaching, schedule; how about culture?
The truth is, all of that matters and much more. We are talking about billion dollar operations comprised of a group of one hundred or more 18-23 year-olds that cycle in and out every couple of years (sometimes sooner). They are managed by hundreds of coaches, staffers, trainers, teachers, and administrators. They live amongst and represent many thousands of peers, forming distinct communities full of pride, passion, and promise. This is all just a very long winded way of saying that there are many variables involved. We all sit around every summer just yapping about what the future might hold. We follow the recruiting rankings and the training camps and the many storylines they produce. We treat these programs like the stock exchange, charting their progress up and down with each morsel of news that hits our feeds. Once it’s time to make a prediction for the upcoming season, however, things get interesting. You might hear things like “they haven’t done this since then.” or “that’s just what happens to this team.” All of the evidence we have acquired seemingly goes out the window and is replaced by anecdotal prognostication based mostly on familiarity.
I can’t blame people for thinking like this. College football invokes a certain type of nostalgia that is downright addicting. Programs form an identity that we are used to. Year in and year out we expect them to perform a certain way and when they do it feels like all is right in the world.
This is what seems to be happening right now with the 2023 Texas Longhorns. After the hype train reached it’s peak earlier in the summer, the narrative has started to turn. Although everything is pointing to a breakthrough season, many are starting to say things like, “that’s just what happens to Texas.” or “I’ll believe it when I see it.”. That’s the easy way out; the revisionist method. The same people that won’t take the leap aboard the bandwagon right now will be the ones overreacting if and when the good times roll just like they will be there to say they knew all along if this season doesn’t live up to expectations. But they don’t. They just feel like that’s how it’s supposed to go.
Entering the third year of the Steve Sarkisian era, the Horns have climbed from 5-7 to 8-5 in the first two. They have risen from 15th to 5th to 3rd in the recruiting rankings, per 247 Sports. They return a second year quarterback who was once the number one recruit in Quinn Ewers, building off an up and down first season, but one that showed flashes of greatness before injury derailed his progress. He is backed up by not one, but two, potentially capable quarterbacks, an under-the-radar stud in Maalik Murphy as well as the most recent number one recruit (you may have heard of him). After losing superstar running back Bijan Robinson to the NFL, Texas will feature a stable of young and talented backs. The receiver room is stacked with returning production (Xavier Worthy), proven transfers (Adonai Mitchell), and elite young talent, as well as a tight end in Ja’Tavion Sanders who sneakily might be the most dangerous threat of them all. Last year’s youthful but solid offensive line comes back with another year of experience under their collective belts. The surprisingly strong 2022 defense returns a core of talent up front that are the true fruits of the recruiting success, a conference DPOY candidate at middle linebacker (Jaylan Ford), and an experienced secondary led by a former SEC star transfer (Jalen Catalon).
What’s not to like? Oh yeah that’s right: a bunch of stuff that happened when none of these players were on the roster and the team was led by another coach.
I’m not falling for that one. You can find me drinking the burnt orange Kool-Aid all the way to Arlington and maybe even the College Football Playoff.
Superior CFB 