Best Case/Worst Case in 2017: Texas Longhorns

All of our Best Case/Worst Case scenarios:Texas / Texas A&M / Texas Tech / TCU / Baylor / Houston / UTSA / SMU / UTEP / Rice / North Texas / Texas StateWill this season be a dream or a nightmare for your favorite FBS program in the state of Texas? In this series, we take a look at the best and worst case scenarios for all 12 teams.Texas 2016 record: 5-7Best Case The general feeling among those who follow college football closely is that the roster Charlie Strong put together over the last few seasons wouldn’t be ready to really make a lot of noise until this season. Strong is out the door now, and Tom Herman has taken over. There is a lot of excitement surrounding Herman’s arrival in Austin, and for good reason. Herman won and won right away at Houston, leading the Cougars to a 13-1 record and a win in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl in his first season back in 2015. Can Herman reach similar heights in year one with the Longhorns? The answer will likely depend on how quickly the Longhorns can improve defensively under defensive coordinator Todd Orlando. The Longhorns were extremely young last season, and that youth showed throughout the year. But with starters returning on the four offensive line and talent throughout the offensive skill positions, including a sophomore quarterback who should be improved in Shane Buechele, Texas could be ready for a breakout year offensively. Strong set the expectations high on his way out when he said the roster was ready to win 10 games for whoever took over. The Longhorns will find out just how good they can be on Sept. 16 when they travel to take on USC. Texas should be 2-0 with wins over Maryland and San Jose State entering that game, and an upset over the Trojans would be huge. The four game stretch of Oklahoma (Dallas), Oklahoma State, Baylor (road) and TCU (road) will be important. In order to reach that 10 win threshold the Longhorns will need to win at least three of those games. Worst Case Texas fans have bought into varying levels of hype for years only to be disappointed by three straight losing seasons since an 8-5 finish in 2013. Herman hopes to put an end to that. But if the Longhorns struggle early in the season and aren’t able to build any momentum going into back-to-back games against OU and OKST, things could unravel quickly. A loss against Maryland in the opener would be a big blow to the team’s momentum and confidence, and any major hiccup – see Sept. 19, 2016 vs. Kansas – could derail Herman’s inaugural season. The mindset has to be bowl or bust in Austin to begin the new era, so anything less than six or seven wins would be a major disappointment among those hoping Herman can return Texas to college football elite status.

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