Phil Steele says horns #10 in the country
Quote:
10. TEXAS
Steele: "When I talked to head coach Tom Herman, he was very unhappy with the performance of 2017's RBs and OL (Texas avg. 3.6 YPC). He has talent to work with and if he gets that turned around, he has a top-notch defense and two veteran QBs. Texas was much better than its 7-6 record last year and the Longhorns were in my ESPN Vegas Top 25 power ratings all year long. The Horns' toughest road games are Kansas State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State and they are my No. 2 surprise team (behind Florida)."
247Sports take: We like Texas, too, and are picking the Longhorns to finish no worse than second in the Big 12 this season.
USA Today says
Quote:
7. Texas
It would probably be more accurate to have Texas essentially tied with Oklahoma State and Iowa State in the Big 12 pecking order. Seeing the Longhorns in seventh is jarring for two reasons: one, this is a talented roster infused with one of the nation's top recruiting classes, and two, this is Tom Herman's second season. Good things happen for good coaches in Year 2. But the Longhorns are young in spots and unproven in others. The defense loses its two most impactful starters in Malik Jefferson and DeShon Elliott. Quarterback play needs to take a significant step forward. This is the boom-or-bust team in the Big 12 in 2018: Texas could explode in Herman's second year or remain an unpredictable bowl team that fails to crack the league's top three or four.