The Longhorns are poised to take back the top of the conference again
Big 12 preview: Time for Texas
Aug 22, 2019, 12:14 am
Tim Warner/Getty Images
I will be writing about the Big 12 this season on SportsMap. I welcome all your comments and takes about the conference and college football. I will have my big college football bold predictions article and Heisman trophy preview next week.
Texas is back...on the right track
ÂSam Ehlinger and the Longhorns are having themselves a day đ¤
â Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 6, 2018
(via @TexasLonghorns)pic.twitter.com/E26OJzjG9b
The Longhorns are poised for success this season. The most success they've had in a long time, in fact. I believe they are the team to beat in the Big 12. Not the Oklahoma Sooners.
Sam Ehlinger is the best quarterback to play for the Longhorns since Colt McCoy. Let that sink in. It has been ten years since Texas entered a season with this much talent and ability at the quarterback spot. Ehlinger is legit. He has a little more Baker Mayfield in him than he'd like to admit. The attitude and mentality, he's tough as nails and not afraid, is something the signal callers of the last decade have lacked. Sure, I could spout off how he was one of the most impressive quarterbacks in the nation statistically, but what you need to know is he can be better and if he is, watch out for the Horns.
The rest of their offense has potential in some areas and plenty of question marks too. A few new starters on the offensive line will be a hurdle Texas has to get over fast with LSU coming up quick on the schedule. I believe in this group of offensive linemen more than previous incarnations. They feel tougher even if they were an average pass blocking group when it comes to sacks and poor when it comes to the rushing game. They need some help and good luck with the running backs. Keaontay Ingram hurt his knee recently leaving Daniel Young and Jordan Whittington as the backs next up. If Ingram gets all the way healthy soon, he has a chance to be special. Collin Johnson is a huge target and could be one of the best college wideouts this season.
On defense, they're one of the deepest teams in the nation in the secondary. Stud safety Caden Sterns hurt his knee recently but should be back in time for to help lead the defense with Brandon Jones. They have to be solid there with so many starters to replace. The front seven is a mix of young talent and players with some experience. Defensive coordinators Todd Orlando and Craig Naivar have a tall task but if they can pull it off Texans should roll through a lot of teams.
Players to watch
ÂOklahoma WR CeeDee Lamb has a PhD in route-running. Terrific understanding of releases and angles. Arguably the best hands in the 2020 class as well.
â Jordan Reid (@JReidNFL) August 14, 2019
Scouting ReportsâĄď¸: https://t.co/iwifHzt9ca pic.twitter.com/kBHM9QquhX
Lamb will be a first round pick next year. Calaterra made a ton of catches in big moments. They're a freaky duo for Sooners quarterback Jalen Hurts to reach his full passing potential.
Impressive stats last year with quarterback play leaving plenty to be desired. If the Frogs get some consistency at quarterback this is potentially a Biletnikoff Award winner.
A defensive player from Texas Tech? You're damn right. Five interceptions as a freshman last year and this year with a different defense, hopefully better, and some experience under his belt he will try to repeat his freshman all-american season.
Brewer isn't getting a ton of love ahead of the season, likely considered the fourth or fifth best quarterback in the Big 12, but he might end the season as the most statistically impressive passer. This could be a very top heavy Big 12 group of quarterbacks and Brewer has a chance to stand out among them.
Bold Predictions
The winner of the Red River Rivalry game loses the Big 12 Championship rematch
Baylor is the third best team in the conference
Matt Campbell is coaching his last season with Iowa State
Matt Rhule is coaching his last season with the Baylor Bears
Oklahoma State is the fourth best team in the conference and knocks off multiple ranked opponents
Texas Tech's Alan Bowman throws for the second most yards in the conference, behind Baylor's Charlie Brewer
The state of Kansas only wins two Big 12 games and Les Miles and his Jayhawks win neither of those
The Big 12 produces eight bowl teams
Key Games
Âđđpic.twitter.com/NDyPdbZs1b
â Tiger Bandit (@TigerBandit1) August 18, 2019
Sept. 7 LSU at Texas
This is a game that will determine if the Longhorns will have enough juice to get into the college football playoff. I believe a win here would allow the Longhorns a loss on their schedule and still keep them in the hunt for the national title.
Oct. 12 Red River Rivalry
This is a huge game for both schools. It will matchup likely two top ten teams and would be one of the best wins on anyone's schedule hoping to be in the college football playoff.
Nov. 9 Iowa State at Oklahoma
The Cyclones play in Norman and then host Texas the following week. Splitting those could drastically affect the Big 12 race. Winning both and suddenly the Cyclones have one of the best resumes in the nation. They could very well be a speed bump of the Big 12 elite.
Nov. 29 Texas Tech at Texas
This will be the last game on the Texas schedule before I believe they will play in the Big 12 Championship game. This potentially will be the game that decides if Texas Tech plays in a bowl game or not. The bowl game for the Red Raiders if you will. Not the easiest finish to the schedule.
Nov. 30 Oklahoma at Oklahoma State
Bedlam will always be one of the most important games on the Big 12 schedule. Oklahoma's tough task before a potential Big 12 Championship game. It could be a really nice win for Oklahoma's playoff resume, or a great spoiler victory for the Cowboys.
Projected finish
Texas (Big 12 Championship game winner and best record)
Oklahoma
Baylor
Oklahoma State
Iowa State
Texas Tech
TCU
West Virginia
Kansas State
Kansas
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
ÂDepth finally runs dry
ÂIt would be easy to point to a âDodger hangoverâ as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But thatâs not the story here.
Houstonâs energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesdayâs finale.
But scoring isnât everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
ÂCracks in the pitching core
ÂAnd the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasnât spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles werenât isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpenâs collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
ÂInjury handling under fire
ÂHoustonâs injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesdayâs finale. He didnât even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astrosâ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
ÂPressure mounts on Dana Brown
ÂAll eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act â and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. Heâs been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio DubĂłn stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthewsâ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipelineÂÂ
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
â FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
Thereâs also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers donât jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
ÂA final test before the break
ÂBefore the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio â Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown â to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold âStros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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*ChatGPT assisted.
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