Predicting the Longhorns' 2011 Season

Attempting to guess the Texas Longhorns' record for 2011 may seem a bit like trying to guess how many more times Lindsay Lohan will be arrested this decade. But I am prepared to perform the impossible. Being a 100% orange-blooded Longhorn alumnus, I'd love nothing more than to guarantee we'll go 13-0 with a national title (Oh, and that little game on Oct. 8th would be a crimson-colored bloodbath). But, unfortunately, I'm here to be rational.

We all know that the Texas Longhorns' 2011 season ultimately depends heavily on two factors: How the eventual QB (and who is that?) will perform, and how the running game develops. The Longhorn Faithful know that Texas' defense is generally outstanding every year. Despite the departure of defensive coordinator demigod Will Muschamp, the Longhorns return many key defenders in the backfield, including senior safety Blake Gideon, veteran Keenan Robinson at linebacker, and defensive end terror Alex Okafor, just to name a few. Others, like DE Jackson Jeffcoat, have a lot of promise if they are able to stay healthy and continue improving over last year.

One of the obvious questions comes down to QB play. We are all still unsure whether our starter will be Gilbert, McCoy, Ash, or Wood. Rumors are that Gilbert has still been struggling, particularly in Saturday's first team scrimmage, while true freshman David Ash has shown strong leadership and improvement in August. All of this mixes in with Case McCoy's strong showing in the spring game. Regardless, whoever starts will have to demonstrate poise, athleticism, and leadership to help re-kindle the fire that the Longhorns usually possess every year, and erase the anomaly of 2010 from our minds.

The other big question comes with the running game, where Longhorn fans have patiently waited for someone to take the reigns at the RB slot ever since the 2007 departure of Jamaal Charles. Senior Fozzy Whittaker always seems promising at the beginning of each season, but will have to stay healthy to finally make a big impact. D.J. Monroe always seems to show explosiveness every time he touches the ball, and could be another big contributor. But every person that bleeds orange is really just waiting for the opportunity to see true freshman Malcolm Brown. If he is as talented as the hype suggests, and if the Bryan Harsin/Major Applewhite (Harpple?) offense is able to develop some more friendly schemes for RBs, Texas could finish with a great 2011 season, even with mediocre play at QB.

Anyway, enough backdrop and fiddling around, and onto business. With all the previous said, I'm anticipating some combination of factors will emerge early this season: Texas will find its established QB, develop a fairly improved running game with the help of co-offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin and freshman RB Malcolm Brown, and perhaps win a game or two that most do not expect. Here's the prediction:

Sept. 3rd vs Rice: Win
Sept. 10th vs BYU: Loss (close game)
Sept. 17th vs UCLA: Win
Oct. 1 vs Iowa St: Win
Oct. 8 vs Oklahoma: Loss (close game)
Oct. 15 vs Oklahoma State: Win (close game)
Oct. 29 vs. Kansas: Win
Nov. 5 vs. Texas Tech: Win
Nov. 12 vs. Missouri: Win
Nov. 19 vs. Kansas State: Win
Nov. 24 vs. Texas A&M: Loss (close game)
Dec. 3 vs. Baylor: Win

Final Record: 9-3

If the Longhorns finish the 2011 season 9-3, everyone should view this as a major success. We just want to get back to our winning ways after last season. But I not only think the Longhorns will get back to a winning record, but that a 9-3 season is entirely feasible. I think the Longhorns will lose one game they maybe shouldn't (BYU, but watch out for UCLA). But I equally believe they will win one game they maybe shouldn't, which I take as Oklahoma State at home on Oct 15th. And even if OU enters Oct. 8th as the undisputed #1 in the polls, I wouldn't write off the possibility of an upset.

Oh, and that game against the Aggies could go either way. Lets hope the Longhorns will send them packing like we did with the Cornhuskers. But even if our 'Horns fall short, at least we'll know Texas is still up 75-38-5 all-time as the Aggies likely scamper off to become an afternoon snack in the SEC.