College Football: Surprises and Snubs from the Coaches Poll

Surprise: Texas at No. 23

There is plenty of buzz around the Texas Longhorns this offseason. The Horns have been ranked as high No. 13 in some preseason polls and unranked in a lot of others. It was hard to know what to expect from the voters in the Coaches Poll in regards to the position of Texas. The AP Poll could be completely different from the Coaches Poll as to where Texas is ranked as well.

Texas is the only team ranked in the top 25 for 2017 that had a losing record in 2016. The addition of first-year head coach Tom Herman could change that around in the blink of an eye. Sophomore quarterback Shane Buechele is one of the btter young quarterbacks in the nation. Buechele had an up and down freshman campaign but he has the opportunity to put up big numbers in 2017.

More: Could Texas actually win the Big 12 in 2017? It’s possible.

Most of Texas’ success depends on the changes that Herman makes along with the overall cohesion of the offense. It seems like the offense and defense were solid at points during Charlie Strong’s tenure. However, the two never seemed to coincide at the same time.

The best player from Texas last year is gone. Running back D’Onta Foreman was a First Team All-American and that will tougher than anything for the Horns to replace. Texas’ success this season is ultimately anyone’s best guess.