Texas Football: 3 takeaways from big-time win over TCU in Week 4

1. Texas is back in the national spotlight as legit Big 12 contender

Let’s face it, college football is a lot more fun when legendary programs like the Longhorns are performing up to their potential. Tom Herman’s squad is now 3-1 after back-to-back wins over ranked opponents, and they will vault up into the polls this week as a result.

Now they have to back up the hype by continuing to play up to that potential. The trip to face Kansas State in Manhattan next week stands out as a potential trap on the schedule, especially leading up to the Red River Shootout against Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on the first Saturday in October.

But if they get past both of those two tests, the Longhorns would be 5-1 at the midway point of the season and among the top 10 teams in the country. A win over Oklahoma, especially, would propel the Longhorns into the discussion for the College Football Playoff.

Of course, there is still the matter of that inexplicable loss to Maryland hanging on the record for Texas. But after passing the first major test in conference play, the Longhorns are now in good shape to get through the round robin of the Big 12 among the top two teams in the table. Then it will all come down to the resurrected Big 12 title game to see whether Texas gets into the College Football Playoff for the first time in its five-year existence.