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College football 2021: Most underrated, overrated teams by P5 conference

By John Scimeca

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 02: Kellen Mond #11 of the Texas A&M Aggies is tackled out of bounds by Trey Morrison #4 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half of the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on January 02, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 02: Kellen Mond #11 of the Texas A&M Aggies is tackled out of bounds by Trey Morrison #4 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half of the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on January 02, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /
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People make a yearly habit of overrating Texas football, normally at the expense of teams like Kansas State. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
People make a yearly habit of overrating Texas football, normally at the expense of teams like Kansas State. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /

Big 12

Most Overrated: Texas Longhorns

The “most overrated” designation could be an annual award handed to the Longhorns during this time of year. It just comes with the territory — Texas has a habit of underperforming after an offseason filled with high expectations from the fanbase, media, and from, well, just about everybody.

Texas is listed as No. 21 by ESPN and No. 20 by Athlon Sports in preseason rankings, and I just don’t see it. The Longhorns lose their longtime, stable starting quarterback in Sam Ehlinger in addition to some standouts on defense like defensive end Joseph Ossai and defensive tackle Ta’Quon Graham, all of whom went in last spring’s NFL draft.

This squad lost three Big 12 games last year and won two others (against Texas Tech and Oklahoma State) in overtime.

TCU has won seven of nine against the Longhorns since joining the Big 12, and Iowa State has beaten Texas two years in a row. New head coach Steve Sarkisian might be fun when the Longhorns presumably join the SEC soon in an official capacity, but he can’t transform a toxic culture in Austin all by himself.

Most underrated: Kansas State Wildcats

Kansas State started 4-1 in 2020, including wins over then-No. 3 Oklahoma and TCU, before ending the season on a five-game skid that included bottoms-up losses to West Virginia (37-10), Iowa State (45-0), and Texas (69-31). Clearly, the Wildcats hit a midseason wall after some key injuries and never could recover.

Look for the Wildcats to surprise a few teams this season. Third-year head coach Chris Klieman, who went 8-5 in 2019, is doing a solid job to replace the legendary Bill Snyder. The Wildcats also return senior quarterback Skylar Thompson, who has started 30 games under center. Kansas State is picked to finish seventh place in the Big 12 this season.

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