How Razorbacks Could Wreck Longhorns 'Easy' Schedule at Very End
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It's interesting to see these new SEC teams. Of the two, Oklahoma didn't get any favors, unlike Texas. There are people saying Texas got one of the easiest schedules in the league their first year.
Just looking at it, the first part that jumps out is the Sooners don't get to play Arkansas. The Longhorns get the lightly-regarded Razorbacks at the end of the year, which means it's almost impossible to guarantee any prediction this far in advance.
Sorry, Hog fans, but when nobody except some in the Arkansas media are painting a very bright picture around this year. things start looking dim in July. That will get brighter after media days in less than two weeks when someone will absorb a knock to the head and somehow start seeing a path to 10 wins. In actuality, there doesn't appear to be a clear path to five wins.
Most of the hope for Hogs' fans to salvage the season is that Nov. 16 matchup against the Longhorns. That's not paying attention to the facts as they currently exist and somehow thinking the last 32 years of under-achievement at Texas is going to continue.
Now, it is a more likely scenario Texas is too confident coming to Fayetteville and just blows up entirely. With the exception of a two-game stretch in October against arch-rival Oklahoma, then Georgia the next week, the Longhorns' schedule looks manageable right now.
Especially at the end. They finish with Arkansas, Kentucky and Texas A&M. Unless it's the Sooners, Longhorns' fans (and the players) expect to be the "super bowl" against every opponent they play and have for 60 years. They don't even view the Hogs as that big of a rivalry. 'Horns' fans have always been more excited for Oklahoma and Texas A&M.
However, Arkansas could be a big thorn in their side. Texas has games against Michigan and Georgia ... and that's it for highly-ranked teams right now. The Longhorns even get Vanderbilt and Mississippi State on the schedule in the same year. It will be interesting to see how much of the Texas band fits in that small stadium in Nashville.
Walking into a stadium full of fans cheering and giving their all with what's remaining in the tank on Nov. 16 probably isn't anything the Longhorns don't deal with every time they play on the road (they have actually embraced the "Horns Down" gesture opposing fans do).
Some fans have expressed the importance of Arkansas having Bobby Petrino back because Texas will have a problem with that offensive scheme. However, the only time he played the Longhorns ended badly with a Hogs loss, 52-10.
If it comes down to state of mind, Texas may be playing for seeding in the college football playoffs. Arkansas may be playing out the season. If things play out the way they look now, that looks like a much more likely scenario.
But there is hope. That may be all the Razorbacks' faithful can have ahead of this season.
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ANDY HODGES
Sports columnist, writer, former radio host and television host who has been expressing an opinion on sports in the media for over four decades. He has been at numerous media stops in Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi.