No. 11: Texas Longhorns

After beating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, is Texas ready to be an elite program again?

**--Last season: 10-4, 7-2 Big 12; lost to Oklahoma 39-27 in Big 12 championship game; beat Georgia 28-21 in Sugar Bowl.

**--Strength: Sam Ehlinger (41 touchdowns last season) has become one of the elite quarterbacks in college football and the unquestioned leader of the Longhorn team. There will be three new starters on the offensive line but scoring points will not be a problem.

**--Biggest concerns: If Texas is going to catch Oklahoma in the Big 12 the Longhorns are going to have to get better on defense. They gave up 25.9 points per game last season, which was fourth in the Big 12. But only two starters return. The entire front seven has to be replaced.

**--Analysis: After beating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, Ehlinger proclaimed that Texas is back. Not quite. But the Longhorns and Tom Herman are headed in the right direction. We’ll find out a lot when they host LSU on Sept. 7.

**--Projection: 10-3, 7-2 Big 12.