COACH ON THE HOT SEAT Texas’ Tom Herman
RANKING THE BIG 12 GAMES
Tom Herman arrived in Austin as seemingly the perfect fit. Texas ties. Great pedigree. Confident. Sharp. Then the Longhorns played Maryland and lost 51-41 in a fiasco of a game.
Herman, who had the reputation of a players’ coach at Houston, where before every game he kissed each player on the cheek, was popped by his former boss, Urban Meyer, for making excuses.
Since then, the Longhorns have played better, including taking Southern Cal to double overtime in the Los Angeles Coliseum. But still, Texas is 2-2 going into a Saturday home game against Kansas State.
The Big 12 seems top heavy, with four teams in the AP top 25. If Texas loses to K-State, the Wildcats claim the last remaining spot in the upper half of the league, and Herman’s first season in Austin continues on a rocky path.
1. West Virginia at TCU, 2:30 p.m., Fox Sports1: Horned Frogs lead the series 3-2 since both joined the Big 12 in 2012.
2. Kansas State at Texas, 6 p.m., Fox Sports1: Big 12 rarities — both teams rely on their defenses.
3. Texas Tech at Kansas, 11 a.m., Fox Sports1: Red Raiders are 17-1 alltime vs. KU, losing only in 2001, 34-31.
4. Iowa State at Oklahoma, 11 a.m., Fox: Only three OU coaches have lost to the Cyclones — Ad Lindsey and Bud Wilkinson each lost twice, Gary Gibbs once.