The Texas Longhorns fell just short of another BCS Championship last year. They lost Colt McCoy and several other stars, but this team is still loaded with talent at just about every position on the field. One thing you don’t have to worry about at a school like Texas is depth. Mack Brown takes his fair share of criticism, but the man has made Texas one of the powers in today’s college football world. Brown has never won less than nine games at Texas and the Longhorns have gone on a roll, winning 10 or more games for nine straight seasons.

Brown has continued his terrific job of recruiting, which means that despite the loss of several key players, this team is stocked full of talented athletes. Garrett Gilbert will assume the starting quarterback role, and hopes are quite high for him. Expect the team to shift to more of a run-oriented offense this year, which will take some pressure off the young quarterback. The defense has new faces, but should dominate once again.

Texas Offensive Predictions

The Longhorns offense was extremely reliant on Colt McCoy last year, which could cause this year to be a bit of a challenge for the offense. In 2009, they averaged just 4.0 yards per carry, which was their worst average per carry since 2002. The tailback tandem of Tre Newton and Vondrell McGee must improve on that average this season if Texas is going to stay among the elite teams in the nation. The Longhorns must also replace Jordan Shipley, who was a game changer on the outside for this team. Malcolm Williams appears ready to step up and be the main receiver, but he’ll need some of the other guys to help out. Garrett Gilbert has the potential to be a good quarterback for Texas in the long run, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him struggle a bit as he matures.

Texas Defensive Predictions

The Longhorns defense was one of the best in the country in every facet of the game in 2009, and I don’t expect that to change in 2010. The defensive line is strong, and I fully expect Sam Acho to step up as a leader on this defense. The linebackers are fast, and they will stuff the run as good as anyone. Keenan Robinson and Emmanuel Acho are the leaders at the linebacker spot, but the depth is there for plenty of substitutions in this unit. While the front seven will be very effective, the strongest part of this defense will be the secondary. Curtis Brown, Aaron Williams, and Blake Gideon are all super players in the secondary that will cover the field and jump the passing lanes on a consistent basis. Will Muschamp is one of the best defensive coordinators in the country, and with the talent he has available in 2010, this Texas defense should be great.

Texas Question Marks

The Longhorns have to be a little bit worried about their offense counting on Gilbert since he has very little experience at the quarterback spot. He will be a solid player, but some growing pains are likely.

The running backs are talented, but they must do more for this team to win the Big 12 and contend for a national title. Texas will rely on their line and the running backs to control the football this year; we’ll see if they can make a successful transition.

Texas Futures Odds

The oddsmakers at 5Dimes have listed Texas at +2,000 to win the BCS Championship in 2010. What about the Big 12 race? The oddsmakers aren’t sure what to think of who will take it in 2010. Texas is listed as the third favorite to win the Big 12 Championship at +250. Oklahoma is listed at +200, and Nebraska is listed at +220. The Big 12 is a top-heavy conference this year, with these three teams clearly standing out as the best in the league. Sportsbook.com lists the team total for wins at Texas this year at 9.5 games. The ‘over’ is currently listed at -180 and the under is at +150.

2010 Texas Longhorns Football Schedule: Key Games

The 2010 Texas Longhorns football schedule is an easy one when it comes to nonconference foes, but the Big 12 games will be difficult. The key stretch that will make or break this Texas team is Sept. 18 at Texas Tech through Oct. 16 at Nebraska. During that time they will play the Red Raiders, UCLA, Oklahoma, and the Huskers. The Red River Shootout will be a battle as it always is, and you know Nebraska will be looking for revenge after last year’s last-second loss in the Big 12 Championship Game.

2010 Texas Football Predictions

Texas is going to have a solid team this year, but it seems unlikely that this is a team that will get as far as last year’s squad. The defense will be great, but the offense has several question marks. I’m going to pick Nebraska to take out their frustration on Texas and get some revenge in Lincoln this year. Still, Texas will win at least 10 games and be playing in major bowl game. This is a team that is a year or two away from being a title contender once again.

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