2015
Texas Longhorns
College Football
Betting Preview
Schedule and Odds
Texas somewhat salvaged its season last year with three straight wins late in the year, which got the Longhorns to a bowl Game. Unfortunately, that resulted in a 31-7 loss to Arkansas and a losing record for the year. After losing tons of talent from that squad, Charlie Strong has his hands full in his second year.
5 dimes sportsbook lists the Longhorns at odds of 67 to 1 to win the National Championship and 9 to 1 to win the Big 12. Texas is also listed as a 13.5 point underdog at Notre Dame on September 5th.
The first order of business will be selecting a viable quarterback for the season. Tyrone Swoopes had a slight edge after the spring, but only because of experience. Redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard played better in the spring Game and will likely be on Swoopes’ tail all season long. The backfield loses leading rusher Malcolm Brown, but senior Johnathan Gray is back and should have the biggest role of his career. Gray is also a threat as a receiver and with a better offensive line, will put up nice numbers. The line didn’t lose too much and they’ll have three seniors leading the way, which is always a good place to start.
OUtside of quarterback, the next biggest problem for the Texas offense is at receiver, which doesn’t help the quarterback situation. They lose their top two guys from a year ago (127 combined receptions) and Marcus Johnson is their most experienced guy returning (27 receptions in 2014). It’ll be interesting to see who steps up and takes the top receiving role, Dorian Leonard and Jacorey Warrick had solid springs.
The Longhorns were stout on the defensive side last year, only allowing 23.8 points per Game, which is a great rate for a team that lost seven Games. However, the loss of multiple NFL players could be problematic.
The line is the main area for concern after losing Cedric Reed and Malcom Brown. Texas is still working out the pieces, but have some guys that can step into those spots, like DT Poona Ford, who had a solid spring while senior DT Desmond Jackson dealt with a foot injury. Linebacker may still be a question for Texas with Jordan Hicks gone. A couple seniors are there to start, but it was the freshmen that played best in the spring Game. In the secondary, Duke Thomas has a big role to play as the team’s top cornerback. This group is probably the deepest of the defense with a number of freshmen that could see time.
An immediate problem with all of these new faces in the starting lineup is that Texas has to travel to Notre Dame right out of the gates. After losing two non-Conference Games last season, the Longhorns won’t want to repeat that fate. Rice and California should be wins, but neither will be walkovers as long as Texas has an unpredictable offense. The problem with the Longhorns’ offense will probably rear its head in road Games against Baylor and TCU again. Texas was outscored 76-17 against those teams last year, and those Games were at home. The Game against Oklahoma will be telling as neither one of those teams is expected to be in the Top 3 of the Big 12 this season.
If the Longhorns take a step back at all on the defensive side, it could mean trouble because the offense doesn’t have much to work with again. Six or seven regular seasons wins could be expected again from Texas, which isn’t enough for Charlie Strong.
2015 Texas Football Schedule
Sept. 5 at Notre Dame
Sept. 12 vs. Rice
Sept. 19 vs. California
Sept. 26 vs. Oklahoma State
Oct. 3 at TCU
Oct. 10 vs. Oklahoma (Cotton Bowl)
Oct. 24 vs. Kansas State
Oct. 31 at Iowa State
Nov. 7 vs. Kansas
Nov. 14 at West Virginia
Nov. 26 vs. Texas Tech
Dec. 5 at Baylor