Horns and Horned Frogs have a lot on line at DKR
Texas A&M has uphill battle against Saban’s powerhouse Tide.
American-Statesman columnists Kirk Bohls and Cedric Golden address 10 hot-button topics about Texas, the Big 12 and national college football:
1. Does Texas or TCU have more to lose Saturday?
Bohls: Depends. The Horned Frogs still have an outside shot at the College Football Playoff because the loss to Ohio State gives TCU brownie points for playing the Buckeyes toe-to-toe and even scheduling them. But Texas is fighting for survival, and Tom Herman is striving for consistency
and an improvement on last year’s 7-6 record to enhance recruiting and keep himself off any hot seat. I’m looking for a 35-24 Frogs win.
Golden: The Longhorns, no question. TCU would survive a loss to the Longhorns, who are still trying to climb that mountain that is the rebuild. The Horns should be emboldened at the opportunity to win three straight for the
first time since 2014, but it won’t happen. The Frogs continue their recent reign of terror on the Bevos with a 34-24 win.
2. Which is the second-best football conference so far?
Bohls: Big 12, baby. With the Big Ten teams tripping all over themselves and losing five games to teams from the American Athletic, Mid-American and Sun Belt conferences and an independent in a 2-5 week, including Troy over
Nebraska and Akron over Northwestern, I’ll actually make a case for the Big 12, which has four teams ranked in the top 17. Only the SEC has more with five. TCU can play with Ohio State, Oklahoma’s look- ing like a legit playoff contender as is West Virginia, Texas dominated Southern Cal, and Oklahoma State drubbed CFP hopeful Boise State.
Golden: Give me the Big Ten by a hair over the Big 12 minus two. The Big Ten has six teams ranked in the AP Top 25 poll, including No. 4 Ohio State , which has embattled coach Urban Meyer back at the helm, and No. 10 Penn State, which is fast becoming a sexy CFP dark horse pick.
3. Biggest surprise team in college football at this point?
Bohls: Has to be undefeated LSU at No. 6. Ed Orgeron seems to be fighting for his job every week, but his Tigers have gotten past Auburn and Miami and are thriving with a typical jackhammer LSU defense and solid run game.
Golden: Florida State. No way the Seminoles are this bad on
offense with eight starters back, including QB Deandre Francois who tore an ACL last season. Coach Willie Taggart just got to ’Hassee, and he’s already under fire.
4. Pick a winless team that could still turn it around.
Bohls: I’m sticking with Purdue even though the Boilermakers are 0-3 for the first time in 22 years and face a ranked team in Boston College this week. But quarterback David Blough threw for a school-record 572 yards in last week’s loss to Missouri, and Purdue has three losses by a total of eight points.
Golden: Iowa State. The Cyclones gave Oklahoma all it could handle in Ames, Iowa, after struggling in the opener against Iowa. David Montgomery is an elite running back and 6-foot-6 wideout Hakeem Butler is one of the toughest matchups in the country.
5. Do you give Texas A&M any shot at upsetting Alabama?
Bohls: I do not. But that’s no slam on the Aggies. Some- how Nick Saban has created what some are suggesting is his best Crimson Tide ever despite a raw (but gifted) quarterback and a brandnew secondary. A&M will be doing good to stay close for a half before losing 48-20 in Tuscaloosa.
Golden: Not really. The Tide are j ust play ing at another level at this point. The Aggies are a program on the move, but that move doesn’t include a win in Tus- caloosa, something that hasn’t happened since Johnny Manziel’s magical performance back in 2012. Give me the Tide 38-14.
6. How do you feel about nonconference neutral-site games?
Bohls: Hate ’em. There are 17 neutral-site games this season, and four are conference contests. (I hope Texas-OU never leaves Dallas.) Those big intersectional clashes belong on campus. I under- stand the size of the paydays for games at Jerry World make those very appealing — Ohio State got a $5 million payout — but this ain’t the NFL. Play ’em on campus for your stu- dents and your season tick- et-holders.
Golden: I like (neutral-site games) when they’re heavily layered in tradition like Texas-Oklahoma, but beyond that, home-and-home is much better for the fans. For exam- ple, the TCU-Ohio State game at AT&T Stadium would have been much cooler had it been in a packed Amon Carter Stadium on TCU’s campus.
7. What Texas player has the biggest target on his back?
Bohls: I’ll go with defensive end Breckyn Hager, who has just seven tackles, zero sacks and one quarterback pres- sure. He’s a senior. It’s time.
Golden: It has to be young Sam Ehlinger. The sophomore QB has played really clean the last couple of ballgames, but he has to be even better Satur- day because TCU coach Gary Patterson has Texas’ num- ber defensively. The Little General won’t admit it, but nothing does his heart more good than handing Texas its hat year after year.
8. Which inactive coach should some school hire?
Bohls: I’ll go ahead and nominate Les Miles, our podcast guest this week. Sure, he may be 64, but he’s a young 64 and did win a national championship. He’s still got energy, loves eating grass (natural kind), is a healthy vegetarian and can coach up a lot of teams. I’d hire him in a second. Texas Tech?
Golden: Bob Stoops. He’s happy in retirement, but he would be such a huge upgrade for some of the better programs out there. Stoops is a winner who could still have that coaching fire in his belly. Plus he’s only 58, nearly a decade younger than Saban.
9. How would you shorten college games?
Bohls: I would end the automatic timeouts after every first down. I’d severely cut down on those incessant, unnecessary, time-wasting reviews.
Golden: I would leave the road school’s band back at home except for bowl games and neutral-site games and limit the amount of time the home band plays. That would shorten halftime. Also, keep the clock running when a first down is made inbounds. That might shave 10 more minutes off the game time.
10. Besides Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State, name the next dynasty.
Bohls: Look no farther than Norman. Under prod- igy Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma not only has not slipped but may have actually gotten better. His record in just his sec- ond year is 15-2. Is it possible the Sooners are better after Stoops?
Golden: Oklahoma. Riley successfully navigated a smooth transition from Stoops and has already coached a Heisman Trophy winner in Baker Mayfield and appeared in the College Football Playoff his first season. If the Sooners can put it all together this season under QB Kyler Murray, Riley will be off to a tremendous start in his head coaching career, and the Sooners could be back in the dynasty business.