MZONE MISERY LOVES COMPANY SCHOOL: TEXAS
In a tight race, Texas edges out Florida thus far as the biggest shocker of the 2010 college football season.
LAST YEAR:
After going a pefect 12-0 in the 2009 regular season, the Longhorns started 2010 playing for the National Title against Alabama. However, in a cruel twist of fate, Colt McCoy - a 4-year starter for UT and the winninest QB in college football history - got hurt early and was replaced by true freshman, Garrett Gilbert.
While (unsurprisingly) shaky early, Gibert rallied his team late in the game, pulling Texas to within 3 points with just over six minutes left before the Horns eventually fell 37-21.
EXPECTATIONS HEADING INTO 2010:
Losing a QB like McCoy was going to be a blow to any program. But the Horns had only had more than 3 losses in a season once in coach Mack Brown's first 12 years at the helm and that came way back in his second season in '99 when his squad went 9-5, 6-2 in the South and still won the division.
With a track record like that, at a "rebuild not reload" school, and with a highly-touted 5* son of an NFL QB at QB - whom fans hoped got any jitters out on the biggest stage in the game last January - Texas was ranked #4 and #5 in the preseason polls.
WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED:
After starting the year 3-0, Texas got crushed 34-12 (?!) at home to whatever the hell that thing is Rick Neuheisal is building at UCLA. A 28-20 loss to Oklahoma was followed by a surprising 20-13 victory at 5th ranked and future Big 10 school, Nebraska. The ship appeared to be righted.
Not so fast, my friend.
Texas somehow next went out and lost 28-21 - at home (?!) - to an Iowa State team (yes, we said Iowa State, not Iowa) that had been sodomized by the Sooners 52-0 the week before and was pantsed 68-27 by Utah the week before that.
Worse became worser for Longhorn fans when Baylor - the school nobody wanted which was probably going to end up in something like the Sun Belt Conference had the Big 12 imploded after Nebraska and Colorado left - beat Texas 30-22 seven days after the Iowa State debacle. Oh, and that was in Austin, too! (?!?!).
Texas now stands at 4-4, 2-3 in the South, with a road game at K-State under the lights Saturday followed by Big 12 games against 19th ranked Okie State and the traditional season ending game vs. the Texas A&M
WHAT THE HELL ARE TEXAS FANS SAYING:
As can be expected, they're pissed. Message boards at Burnt Orange Nation, HornFans.com and other big Texas sites are filled with UT fans facing off against their own, often split between those urging patience and ridiculing the "haters," while the more frustrated folks post the sort of "Fire somebody!" threads now commonly found on Michigan message boards. Much of the "Fire somebody!" anger appears to be directed at OC Greg Davis as illustrated by this Xtranormal video.
MISERY INDEX:
On a Misery Index of 1 to 5 with 1 being "Oh, come on, you're Michigan State - I know you lost to Iowa but did you really think you were going to play for National Title this year? Seriously?" to 5 being "If Michigan really is the winningest program in college football, how come they now sweat out wins against UMass and make Penn State walk-on QBs into ESPN highlight clips?"
TEXAS MISERY: 3.5
It ain't Michigan bad yet. But the lofty expectations for the season coupled with inexplicable losses to teams Texas traditionally pulverizes has Horn fans feeling like their balls are being squeezed by one of those Aggie Nad Grabbers. Yet if they end up with a losing record this year, it's gonna be a long off-season with lotso pressure on 2011.
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| The Texas Longhorn 2010 Season in a Nutshell |
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