(Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

The best college football team in Texas played in North Texas on Saturday. 

But the team did not play in Dallas in the middle of the Texas State Fair at the old Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma. 

Instead, they played in Fort Worth.

That's right.  I am calling it like I see it and this year Longhorns football is behind its fellow former Southwest Conference member TCU. It's the case not only now, but maybe for years to come.

Texas may have been the best team in college football last year, no matter what the BCS said.  This year, the Horns have seriously regressed and look extremely beatable.

TCU, on the other hand, has built on last season's No. 7 finish to create another dominant team that looks like it will end the season undefeated.

While both teams possess superior defenses, Texas seems to lack the intangible qualities that make a team great. 

Colt McCoy seems much worse as a QB this year as compared to last year. 

Texas has been hurt by injuries on offense, but a team of such superior recruits should have enough depth to overcome such obstacles.

Of course, Mack Brown has seriously underperformed with his talent, having only one Big 12 championship in his 11 seasons.

TCU, kicked to the curb by Texas with the demise of the Southwest Conference, is poised to win its fifth conference championship since Brown has been at Texas.

Speaking of the Southwest Conference, ranking the teams from the old conference is very interesting today.  I would put it like this:

1. TCU

2. Texas

3. Houston

4. Texas Tech

5. Baylor

6. SMU

7. Texas A&M

8. Rice

If Arkansas is added back into the mix, they would jump in at No. 5.

Too bad the SWC did not expand instead of imploding.  How nice would it be if the old SWC had kept Arkansas and added a few out-of-Texas teams for a solid 12-team conference. 

It is not like the old Big Eight was any better than the old SWC anyway.  With OU, Oklahoma State, and, say, a Colorado in the mix, it would have been a top conference.

Oh, well, the Frogs are on top of Texas football today and look to continue on this track for some time. 

I guess then, for the Longhorns, it's good that they're in a different conference.

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