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Texas Football: Way-too-early game-by-game predictions for 2020

By Jake Mitchell

HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 14: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns prepares to lead the team onto the field before the game against the Rice Owls at NRG Stadium on September 14, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 14: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns prepares to lead the team onto the field before the game against the Rice Owls at NRG Stadium on September 14, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
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AUSTIN, TX – NOVEMBER 17: Brock Purdy #15 of the Iowa State Cyclones looks to pass under pressure by Malcolm Roach #32 of the Texas Longhorns in the second quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX – NOVEMBER 17: Brock Purdy #15 of the Iowa State Cyclones looks to pass under pressure by Malcolm Roach #32 of the Texas Longhorns in the second quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

Year after year, there is speculation that Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell will leave for greener pastures. Year after year, he proves that speculation wrong. He’s been in Ames for four years now, and he’s compiled a 23-16 record in the last three.

He’s made Iowa State a consistently tough out for even the best of the Big 12. This is going to be a tough November matchup for Texas, and the pressure will be tenfold if they do have a conference loss on their record and their backs against the wall.

The Cyclones are led by Brock Purdy, who has had some huge moments for Iowa State and still hasn’t quite gotten the love he deserves for it. He came just 18 yards shy of the 4,000 mark through the air a year ago, and he also accounted for 35 touchdowns, with eight of those scores coming on the ground.

The theme in the back half of the Longhorns’ schedule will be avenging the collapse of a year ago. It was, in fact, the Cyclones who gave Texas one of its five losses in 2019. A 36-yard field goal off the foot of Connor Assalley gave Iowa State the walk-off win in that matchup.

Herman and company will play host to this game in 2020, and it will be the home finale at Texas. The Longhorns will be headed to Stillwater for their last regular season game.

Can Texas head into the regular season’s final week with a shot to play in the Big 12 title game? Can they, with just a single loss, keep their playoff hopes alive?

This is a prime opportunity for the Longhorns to slip, but they’ll avoid disaster here. Purdy and company will give Texas a tough test, but Tom Herman‘s team will enter Week 12 with a chance to make serious postseason noise.

Prediction: Texas 34, Iowa State 24 (10-1, 7-1)

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