Texas Longhorns Football: Early Predictions for Every Conference Game

Change is afoot in the Big 12 Conference. Nebraska is now a part of the Big Ten. Colorado has looked west and joined the Pac-12 (formerly Pac-10) Conference.

Each conference team will now play a nine game round robin slate. No longer will some teams be able to put together a special season simply because they got to play Baylor rather than Oklahoma.

The biggest change, though, might be the hierarchy of the teams in the conference. For years, the conference was Oklahoma, Texas and the little ten. Now, Oklahoma is still tops, but Texas has fallen on some hard times and teams like Oklahoma State, Missouri and Texas A&M will be battling to take their place at the top. 

The Longhorns will have a real fight on their hands to prove that they aren't just a program of the past, but also a program of right now and the future. They certainly have the talent on the roster to come back in a big way and with overhauled offensive and defensive schemes, the program has been rejuvenated. 

With all the jockeying for position at the top of the conference, the 2011 Big 12 season promises to be highly competitive and entertaining.

October 1 at Iowa State

I don't think I'm sticking my neck out there too far by saying that the Longhorns will avenge the loss they suffered last season at the hands of the Cyclones.

Last season, the Cyclones intercepted Garrett Gilbert three times and got a season-best performance out of running back Alexander Robinson. Texas scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late.

Put simply, the Longhorns were caught off-guard by the Cyclones and that won't happen again. With a better running game, Texas won't be asking Gilbert to go to the air as often and the Texas rushing defense that struggled all last season won't have to deal with the graduated Alexander Robinson.

All added up, it equals a big Texas win, even with the game being in Ames, Iowa.

October 8 vs. Oklahoma in Dallas

Coming off a comfortable win over Iowa State, Texas will come back down to Earth with a loss against the hated Oklahoma Sooners.

The Sooners will be among the preseason favorites to win the national championship and they will play like it in their biggest rivalry game.

Landry Jones will light up the scoreboard with passes to top returning receivers Kenny Stills and Ryan Broyles and linebackers Tom Wort and Travis Lewis will lead a workman-like defense.

The final score will probably be closer than most would expect as Texas generally plays Oklahoma close, but the Longhorns just won't have the horses to stay with the Sooners.

October 15 vs. Oklahoma State

This game will go a long way toward determining if Texas is ready to get back to competing in the Big 12 Conference.

Oklahoma State beat the Longhorns last season in Stillwater 33-16 just as the wheels were really beginning to fall off Texas' wagon.

The game won't be any easier this season. The Cowboys' prolific quarterback Brandon Weeden returns as does future first round draft pick Justin Blackmon.

With the game being in Austin this year, I think this one is a real toss up. You know Brandon Weeden is going to be on his game. Texas' success, as it will be all season, will be based on not turning the ball over and getting quality production from their running backs. If they can stay on the field on offense, they can keep the Oklahoma State offense off the field and out of rhythm.

October 29 vs. Kansas

This will be the game where Malcolm Brown breaks out. I'm sure he will have ample opportunities earlier in the season, but up until now, he will probably still being sharing carries pretty heavily with other backs.

By this point, though, it will be obvious that Brown is the most talented back in the rotation and a game against Big 12 doormat Kansas will be just what the doctor ordered for a breakout.

Texas will have the game in hand early on and that will force them to run the ball to try to avoid running up the score.

Brown will be the chief recipient of all those late carries and the numbers (and his confidence later in the season) will show it.

November 5 vs. Texas Tech

Here I think the Longhorns will lose their first conference game they should have won. Given how things played out last season and what each team has returning or coming in, you'd assume the Red Raiders would be the favorites

I'm just not sold on Texas Tech quite yet. As inconsistent as Taylor Potts was in his career, he would be a marked improvement over any of the unproven quarterbacks they have on their roster. Seth Doege has some experience, but if he couldn't outplay Potts last year, I'm not sure he's the answer.

Tech's defense will also probably still be Tech's defense. With Tommy Tuberville at the helm, they are sure to be better, but the personnel has not had time to turn over yet.

All that being said, I think Texas Tech will win this game. Much like Texas when they play Oklahoma, Texas Tech always finds a way to play Texas close. They are due for a win in one of their signature close games.

October 12 at Missouri

Missouri will answer a lot of questions about their readiness to be a contender in the Big 12 with their win over Texas in this game.

The Tigers will be without Blaine Gabbert at quarterback, but there are many that feel that Texan James Franklin will be just as good.

The crowd in Columbia, Missouri is always raucous and head coach Gary Pinkel has quietly built a program that averages between nine and ten wins per season.

It's games like this that will really remind Longhorn fans of how far they have fallen. Missouri isn't as talented as Oklahoma, but they have more than enough talent to handily defeat Texas.

November 19 vs. Kansas State

Texas will come away victorious in a big way in this Big 12 grudge match. Last season, Kansas State caught Garrett Gilbert at his worst. Gilbert threw five interceptions in a 39-14 loss.

No matter how things go for Gilbert next season, it's hard to imagine him duplicating that performance. Texas will be improved overall and hopefully Gilbert won't be put in a situation to throw as much.

That coupled with the fact that KSU played over their heads to get to a bowl game last year means that Texas won't have too much trouble winning this one at home.

November 24 at Texas A&M

Texas will be an unwelcome visitor in College Station on Thanksgiving. The Aggies were winners last season in Austin and bring back a ton of talent on both sides of the ball.

Cyrus Gray will test what was a shaky run defense last year for Texas and Ryan Tannehill and Jeff Fuller will lead a passing game that will keep the Longhorns from being able to key in on Gray.

Hopefully for Texas, Garrett Gilbert will have matured or they will have broken in another quarterback by this point of the season. If neither of these things are true, it could be a long day for Texas quarterbacks in what is one of the most hostile stadiums in college football.

December 3 at Baylor

The Longhorns will get a win over the Baylor Bears, which they might need to become bowl eligible. Assuming wins over non-conference opponents Rice and either BYU or UCLA, plus the conference wins over Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State, the win over Baylor will be the sixth win.

Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III is an elite athlete, but the athletes that Texas has on defense will be able to keep him from running wild.

With nose tackle Phil Taylor now in the NFL, finding running room will also be easier for Malcolm Brown and whatever other running backs find their place in the rotation.

Finishing 7-5 or 6-6 certainly isn't going to excite anyone, but it would be a step in the right direction.