Texas Longhorns Football: What Are Reasonable Expectations for the 2011 Season?

The knee-jerk reaction among Texas football fans has been that the 2010 season was an anomaly and things will be "back to normal" in 2011.

Normal, in terms of Texas football, means winning 10-plus games and competing for both a Big 12 and National Championships. In the eyes of most, anything less is considered failure.

If the 2010 season was an anomaly, why were wholesale changes made to the coaching staff and why is there now a quarterback competition underway in spring practice?

Due to the winning tradition which has been established under Mack Brown during his time on the Forty Acres, its difficult to believe that 2010 was anything other than an oddity, and perhaps it was.

The Texas Longhorns are no longer the only show in town. With the emergence of Gary Patterson's TCU Horned Frogs, it could be argued that Texas is no longer the premiere collegiate program in its own state.

TCU is actively recruiting areas which were thought in past years to be lost to Texas and have been successful in doing so, resulting in consistent performances and BCS appearances over the past few years.

Given Texas' struggles, the question has to be asked, What are reasonable expectations for the Longhorns' 2011 season?

Texas fans and supporters of the program likely expect (even if it is unreasonable) for the team to return to form in 2011, win 10 or more games and compete for a national championship.

For this to be possible, the Longhorns would have to play at a level which was not reached in 2010. Winning 10 games requires consistent and, at times, dominant performances. 

A more reasonable expectation for the 2011 Longhorns given the wholesale coaching and scheme changes is eight wins.

An 8-4 season may seem to be a failure on the surface by those who hold high expectations of Mack Brown and the Texas program, but it would be a small victory considering the youthful nature of the team and coaches, which must gel immediately without any cushion being provided for struggles or failure.

Eight wins would probably increase the volume of those already calling for Mack Brown's head.

This is where the bar has been set at Texas.

Right or wrong.

In your opinion, what is a reasonable expectation for the 2011 Texas Longhorns?