College Football Top 25: 10 non-ranked teams who could crack the late-season polls

Dec 29, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks in the 2014 Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

No. 2: Texas Longhorns

2014 Finish: 6-7, 5-4 Big 12

Texas is the team-forgotten in the Big 12 this season. After the fanfare of Charlie Strong’s arrival, the Longhorns limped to a sub-.500 record and losses to every Big 12 rival that mattered. Being stomped by former Southwest Conference rival Arkansas in the Texas Bowl didn’t help the confidence of the Longhorn nation.

Texas Longhorns

All that in mind, this is Charlie Strong, and a 7-loss season isn’t going to be something Texas will experience much during his tenure. There won’t be a battle between the Longhorns and Sooners for the Big 12 title this season, but rest assured Texas will approach double-digit wins.

Where the Longhorns have got to make strides this season is on offense, where they finished a paltry 109th nationally in scoring offense at only 21.4 points per game. If this team wants to move up in the Big 12 standings, the Texas quarterbacks must step up, in particular Tyrone Swoopes., who was named the starter earlier this week. Running back Johnathan Gray will be the bell cow for this offense, and should take some pressure of Swoopes.

Texas won’t be fighting for a top 10 spot, but when November rolls around they will be lurking somewhere in the 20-25 spots.

Next: Memphis