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Texas Football: Five reasons why the Longhorns will stink in 2017

By Andrew Miller

AUSTIN, TX - NOVEMBER 25: Paul Boyette Jr. #93 of the Texas Longhorns sits on the bench as his team defeated by the TCU Horned Frogs 31-9 at Darrell K Royal -Texas Memorial Stadium on November 25, 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX - NOVEMBER 25: Paul Boyette Jr. #93 of the Texas Longhorns sits on the bench as his team defeated by the TCU Horned Frogs 31-9 at Darrell K Royal -Texas Memorial Stadium on November 25, 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /
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Following three straight losing seasons under Charlie Strong, Texas football could disappoint again in 2017. Why could it be a rough year for the Longhorns?

Head coach Tom Herman has his work cut out for him. Nothing less than an eight win season will be enough in the eyes of Texas fans. Sophomore quarterback Shane Buechele needs a consistent season in 2017 or he could be replaced by freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger rather quickly.

The talent is there for Texas to make a real run at the Big 12 Championship in 2017, but there’s nearly a half-dozen Big 12 schools that seem more proven and ready than the Horns. There’s too many question marks surrounding Texas to be certain that they can compete at a high level this season. Moreover, Texas has not made a bowl game since 2014 and has not posted a winning record since 2013.

It gets very old to talk about programs like Texas, Tennessee, Notre Dame, etc. that get hyped up every single year and very rarely the expectations. Most of the players that people are talking about for Texas have not experienced any consistent success for an entire season, but have the ability to succeed (i.e. Shane Buechele, Devin Duvernay, Chris Warren III, etc.).

Things do not start off easy for Texas as they take on two Power Five conference programs in the first three weeks of the season. The Maryland Terrapins will not be as tough of an opponent as the USC Trojans, but the Horns need to take both games seriously. A 1-2 start to the year would put Texas trending in the wrong direction to even make a bowl game.

More: Snubs and surprises from the 2017 preseason Coaches Poll

The Big 12 has five ranked teams in the Coaches Poll, and one of those teams is Texas at no. 23. The Horns are the only team ranked in the top 25 that had a losing record in 2016.

Now, let’s take a look at why the Texas Longhorns will stink in 2017.

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