Texas Football: The Ins and Outs, Highs and Lows of the 2012 Schedule

Is this the season the Texas Longhorns are able to turn things around?

They return 16 talented starters from a year ago, and many believe this could actually be the season they return to a BCS bowl. They still need to find an answer at the quarterback position, but seven starters from that tough defense are coming back, along with nine players on the offense.

But before we crown them as one of the top teams in the Big 12, it's important we breakdown their schedule and see just how difficult things will be for the Longhorns.

Here is your 2012 Texas Longhorns complete schedule breakdown.

Easiest Game

While the Longhorns try to prove they're once again one of the top teams in the country, beating up on the New Mexico Lobos shouldn't be a problem. This is a team that's won a combined three games in the last three seasons.

If the Longhorns somehow lose this game, there will likely be hundreds of people jumping off buildings in Texas.

Toughest Game

You could put several different teams in this category, as the Big 12 has gotten a lot stronger over the years. But if I had to pick one, I'd go with the West Virginia Mountaineers, mainly because of that defense that has so many different weapons and returns eight starters. Led by quarterback Geno Smith, this is a team that can score with the best of them (just look at the BCS Orange Bowl against the Clemson Tigers).

We know that Texas displays a much better defense than the Tigers did on that brutal night, but do the Longhorns have the offense to answer the bell?

Potential Blowout

Kansas does have a couple of solid quarterback prospects coming in to help their program, and they have a great offensive mind in new head coach Charlie Weis. That should help out an offense that averaged less than 23 points per game. I'm still not sure what's going to help a defense that ranked dead last in the country last season, though.

That's good enough reason to believe this game should be a blowout.

Potential for Disaster

Kansas State was one of college football's surprise teams last season. They finished with 10 wins when nobody had them winning half of that. Now that they know what they're capable of, they should be able to build on that success, especially with them returning 14 starters, including eight on offense.

This game is the last game of the season, so a loss would cripple the Longhorns' season if they're in the running for a BCS bowl. But Texas has lost the last four meetings against the Wildcats, and with Bill Snyder as head coach, he'll have this underrated team ready to play ball.

Most Intriguing Matchup

This rivalry goes back to 1904, and they've played a total of 78 times. This will be the first meeting since 2007, and it should be a fantastic matchup. The Longhorns are by far one of the more talented teams in the country, whilw the Horned Frogs have dominated the MWC over the years and will be out to prove that they're worthy of their new conference.

This game should feature great defense and a lot of hard hitting, which is something you usually don't see much of in the Big 12. There should also be BCS implications on the line, with both of these teams likely being ranked in the Top 25. Make sure this game is circled on your calendar.

Trap Game

Iowa State was not a good football team at all last season. They struggled to put points on the board, and they struggled to play defense. Yet, they were still able to upset the Oklahoma State Cowboys, destroy Texas Tech and stay in the game against Kansas State.

The Cyclones lose six members of their defense, but they do return seven starters on offense, including their quarterback and underrated running back James White. With this game leading up to the huge TCU matchup, the Longhorns can't afford to overlook a team that knows has upset potential.

Rivalry Game Prediction

Last year's meeting against the Oklahoma Sooners did not end very well for the Longhorns, as they lost by 38 points. This season, Texas should be a much better squad now that these youngsters have another year of experience under their belt.

With that said, though, I still don't see the Longhorns winning this game. Oklahoma is the more polished team, it has a true answer at quarterback and it should be getting running back Dominique Whaley back from injury.

The Longhorns, meanwhile, are moving in the right direction and should have one of the better seasons they've had in years, but it's hard to pick against a more complete team that has championship goals right now.

Oklahoma wins: 36-21

Upset Special

Texas has beaten the Red Raiders in eight of the last nine meetings, including a 32-point victory last season. But there aren't many teams in the country that are returning 20 starters like Texas Tech is heading into the year. That includes nine starters on offense and quarterback Seth Doege, who completed 68 percent of his passes last season.

Now, the defense wasn't that great (ranked 117th in the country in scoring defense), but returning 10 starters from that unit has to make anyone think they'll be slightly better in that department.

Bottom line, when you can score in the high-30s, you have a chance to win ball games.

Heisman Highlight Game

The Heisman candidate for Texas is obviously running back Malcolm Brown. He rushed for over 700 yards as a freshman, and that's with missing three games. The Heisman game that he'll need to make a difference in is the Red River Rivalry. It will take a huge game from him for the Longhorns to pull off the upset, and doing it against a solid overall defense would really put his name in the Heisman conversation.

In last year's meeting, Brown only rushed for 54 yards, and he failed to get into the end zone. It'll take a much bigger effort from him this time around.

Must-Win Game

Oklahoma State has lost the key offensive weapons that have made it extremely successful the last two seasons.

But the reason the Longhorns must care of business in Boone Pickens Stadium is what awaits them after the showdown against the Cowboys.

Once the Longhorns are done with their trip to Stillwater, they take on West Virginia, Oklahoma and an underrated Baylor team. Pick up as many wins as you can before October rolls around, because things get a lot tougher moving forward.