Texas Football: Ranking the Toughest Games of the 2015 Schedule

Could Charlie Strong go 2-4 to start his second season at Texas? Four of his toughest contests come in the first six games of the season, so it's entirely possible.

Texas still has a lot to prove on the offensive side of the ball. The offensive line was bad in 2014, pushing for just 3.8 yards per carry while Tyrone Swoopes chucked 11 picks against 13 touchdowns.

Jerrod Heard will get his chance to take the reins and the line should improve, but this is an offensive conference. The best Big 12 teams score a lot of points—it's as simple as that.

Making matters worse, the Horns can no longer lean on the conference's best defense to keep the lid on. Of its 10 lost starters (per 247Sports), six were every-down players on that side of the ball, and many of them will be replaced by first-year Division I players.

You can't count out Strong, and there are a lot of winnable games on the schedule. But his team will have to play some good football to win these games.

5. 10/10 vs. Oklahoma (Dallas, TX)

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Samaje Perine will be a big problem for Texas' depleted front seven.

Teams with a true No. 1 receiver and elite running back will give Texas trouble in 2015. Even with uncertainty at quarterback, the Sooners check those boxes.

It's a tough road ahead for the Longhorns, who lose five starters from the Big 12's top defense in terms of yardage. Their elite pass defense loses two starting corners, while their front seven will be without stalwarts Malcom Brown, Jordan Hicks, Steve Edmond and Cedric Reed.

With all of that shutdown ability off the field, Sooners tailback Samaje Perine and Sterling Shepard each could have huge days in Dallas. Perine led the conference in rushing as a freshman, while Shepard probably sees a freshman in coverage for most of the day.

Still, this is a winnable game for the Horns if their offensive line can play up to par. Protecting the quarterback and being able to extend drives on the ground will be essential in taking pressure of the defense, especially at this stage of the season.

Do that, and the pressure shifts to Oklahoma's quarterback spot, which bodes well even for a depleted Strong defense.

4. 9/26 vs. Oklahoma State

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Mason Rudolph's emergence makes Oklahoma State dangerous in 2015.

Following a brutal midseason stretch, Oklahoma State picked it up to close the season. The Cowboys will be tough on everyone this season, and especially in Texas' conference opener.

Having a reliable quarterback makes a major difference in the Big 12. The Pokes found theirs late last season in Mason Rudolph, who led the team to clutch victories over Oklahoma and Washington to close out 2014.

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Mason Rudolph is stater for #OKState. Walsh will be backup, but have offensive packages for him.

@scottpfeil, 9 Mar 2015

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Also working in Mike Gundy's favor is the experience he returns. The Cowboys return 16 starters from last season's squad, including the entire receiving corps and budding star Emmanuel Ogbah.

Unless the Horns have some solid quarterback play by this point, this will be a tough win to come by.

3. 9/5 @ Notre Dame

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Winning his probably debut in South Bend won't be easy for Jerrod Heard.

Regardless of whether they can make good on their circumstances, the Irish return undeniable experience in 2015. On the road in their season opener, the Longhorns will have their hands full.

This another contest where Texas will really miss what it had on the front seven last season. Notre Dame returns four starting offensive linemen and its five leading rushers from last season, including dual-threat quarterbacks Everett Golson and Malik Zaire.

Meanwhile, there's a good chance Jerrod Heard makes his first collegiate start in this one. On the road against an experienced and well-coached team, he's going to have to be way ahead of schedule to pick up a debut victory.

2. 12/5 at Baylor

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Shawn Oakman is back to lead a Baylor defense that will pack a lot of punch up front.

Texas gets a late-season run of five winnable games in a row before it hits Baylor. It better hope whatever confidence it picks up in those games helps it out in its regular-season finale.

Even without All-Big 12 quarterback Bryce Petty, Art Briles' offense won't miss a beat in 2015. The Bears return all but two starters on that side of the ball, including the entire offensive line.

The Bears return similar depth on a defense that was surprisingly effective last season. They'll miss stud linebacker Bryce Hager, but the front line of Shawn Oakman, Andrew Billings and Beau Blackshear is as good as it gets in this conference.

The Horns have been waxed by at least 20 points three of the last four times they've played the Bears. It'll be tough to improve on that with such a young secondary and quarterback this time around.

1. 10/3 at TCU

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With a full complement of weapons, Boykin will pick up right where he left off in 2014.

It's close, but TCU and Heisman candidate Trevone Boykin lead the pack as the best team on Texas' schedule.

Seth Russell will put up big numbers for Baylor, but the Big 12 belongs to Boykin in 2015. He gets eight of his offensive teammates back for his final season, putting him on a clear path to improvement on a 4,600-yard, 41-touchdown season.

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Trevone Boykin was just 3rd QB s/'09 to average 300 ypg pass and 50 ypg rush in '14. The other two RGIII and Manziel both won Heisman.

@philsteele042, 7 Mar 2015

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Where the Horned Frogs will run into trouble is on defense, where they lose both talent and leadership. Like Texas, they will see a dropoff as they try to replace their best players from that side of the ball.

Still, this is a team that's going to put up 45 points every week, and Texas just isn't built to hang with that kind of firepower barely a month into the season.