Roundtable: Which result did you take the most from this past weekend?

[caption id="attachment_25141" align="alignright" width="350"]Texas_vs_Baylor-088 Photo by Artie Guerrero[/caption] It’s time for our Week 3 roundtable, and let’s talk about early returns. Everyone at DCTF does their best to temper expectations and not read too much into the first game or two of the season, but with that disclaimer out of the way, we’re looking for which result you took the most from this past weekend.

Participants: Max ThompsonGreg TepperMatt SteppMike CravenThompson: I’m starting this off with Texas for a couple reasons. Look, I’m as impressed as anyone by the way the Longhorns played on Sunday night, but I think some people have taken it a step too far. The AP poll already has Charlie Strong’s team at No. 10 in the country, and the coaches’ poll has them at No. 20. I think what we saw on Sunday is the return of a Texas team that will truly be a threat to every team it plays going forward. Texas isn’t back to being a Top 10 team with title aspirations. Not just yet. Could that happen this year? Totally, sure. We’re just not there yet, not after one win. But I think there’s still plenty to be excited about on the 40 Acres even if the Burnt Orange is just back to being a threat to anyone on the other sideline every week. That’s good enough considering everything the program has gone through the last few years, and every valley into which it’s fallen. That’s my big takeaway, and I think it’s plenty without blasting the Longhorns up the rankings. Tepper: The answer in the college ranks has to be Houston, right? Facing a Top 3 team on a “neutral site” and with questions surrounding whether or not they are a one-hit wonder, the Coogs flat-out outplayed, out-schemed and out-coached Oklahoma to an emphatic win. This was no accident — Houston was the better team on Saturday, and they’re rightfully riding the hype train. That said: now the pressure actually begins, and there are plenty of landmines left on the schedule — at Cincinnati, at Texas State (who also looked great), at Navy, at Memphis and against Louisville. Houston will almost certainly be favored in every game this year, but how do the Coogs handle an unfamiliar situation — that of the favorite? Stepp: I’m going to start out in West Texas with Odessa Permian. On paper, the Panthers looked to be way down after last year, graduating 20 starters will do that. But Coach Feldt indicated to multiple outlets this spring that he felt very good about his young team in 2016. After a shaky start at Vandegrift, Permian has outscored opponents 82-6 in the past seven quarters of football. I know El Paso Franklin isn’t a state title contender, but Permian did what a good team should do last week, they went on the road and DESTROYED an inferior opponent. Going into this year, I thought Permian would have to scratch and claw just to get into the playoffs in District 2-6A, thus far MOJO has the makings of a team that can contend for a district title despite great starts from San Angelo Central and Amarillo Tascosa. If you are a Permian fan you’ve got to feel great about your team after two weeks. Craven: The biggest surprise to me was how poorly TCU played on defense against South Dakota State. This is a Horned Frogs team with conference championship aspirations and the 2016 defense looked too much like the 2015 defense. Quarterback Kenny Hill and the offense looked fine after an inconsistent fourth quarter. Gary Patterson is known for coaching up a defense and he's got his work cut out for him if Week 1 was any indication. [caption id="attachment_25143" align="alignleft" width="350"]Katy head football coach Gary Joseph Photo by Diana Porter[/caption] Thompson: The second result I took the most from was Katy needing to fight and claw to get its first win, a 50-49 overtime result over Klein Collins. Now, don’t get me wrong, Drew Svoboda’s bunch can bring it. It’s just that Katy is an offseason removed from a squad that allowed 62 points all year. The Tigers have already allowed 81 points in two games, and sure, lost a lot of key, tremendous pieces. But Katy also returned some huge stars, and hasn’t met nearly the same success early on. The problem is this is starting to look like a wide-open 6A year, but a wide-open year with an emerging top tier. When’s the last time 6A had a top tier battling it out and you weren’t sure Katy should be included in that conversation? Feels pretty weird for things to be shaping up that way already. I know, I know, it's early. I'm just surprised. Tepper: 6A’s such a Charlie Foxtrot right now. In the past few years, we’ve gotten used to a relatively small group of contenders emerging. Now? Now, I’d bet against us having an undefeated 6A state champion, and we’ve had at least one of those every year since 2008, when 15-1 Allen and 13-3 Katy teams brought home the then-5A titles. We’ve got DeSoto as No. 1 in our rankings, and there’s good reason to believe they’re an elite team. But are they the best team in the state? Suffice to say, I’m not as convinced of our No. 1 team this year as I have been in the past few years. Stepp: Going the same route Max went, I am a little concerned about San Antonio Reagan. The Rattlers went 10-0 last year and then were stunned in the first round of the playoffs by Smithson Valley.  They start the year off barely getting past what looks to be a down Brennan team, and then they get beat last week by a Laredo United squad who got hammered by San Benito the week before. I see some major red flags from Reagan. Craven: Would Westlake be everyone's choice for the top of Class 6A if Sam Ehlinger wasn't out at quarterback? The win against Katy isn't looking as impressive with the Tigers not playing up to last year's standards through Week 2. Maybe Cedar Hill's comeback last week sparks the Longhorns. Something tells me we're avoiding the obvious and Allen emerges as the favorite by the time we reach playoffs. It may turn out to be the most consistent team, and that might be enough to win it all in a year without a clear favorite.