Texas Football: Longhorns Won't Survive Brutal Big 12 Schedule

Texas has earned their No. 23 ranking so far this season. A narrow victory over worthy adversary BYU justified Texas' spot in the Top 25. Their luck will continue, as they should be able to handle UCLA and Iowa State fairly easily in their upcoming games.

After that, things get tricky.

This isn't the year for Texas to be having a slightly above-average season. The Big 12 brought it in 2011, putting forth three teams in the top 10, all of whom are ranked higher than the Longhorns.

Oklahoma is the best team in the nation. In a few short weeks, Texas is going to stand toe-to-toe with them in an effort to prove that they aren't just going to compete in the Big 12, they're going to win it.

Unfortunately, they stand no chance against Oklahoma, who has all the makings of being a national championship team this season.

To make matters worse, they follow their game against the Sooners with a tough matchup against No. 8 Oklahoma State. It presents an opportunity for a signature win, but the more likely scenario will see the Longhorns being fed big losses in quick succession.

Fortunately, they have an opportunity to catch their breath. They have a four-game stretch in which their toughest opponent is Missouri, who was dropped from the rankings after losing to Arizona State last week.

Unfortunately, they could very well pick up a couple losses to close out this season, as they play No. 9 Texas A&M and No. 19 Baylor. Texas is going to walk away with too many losses to remain in the rankings when this season is out.

That's no knock on Texas. They're one of the top 25 teams in the nation, but their schedule just makes it impossible for them to excel.

A big win against any one of the four ranked opponents in front of them might change the entire complexion of their season, but the Longhorns can't be thrilled about jumping into the unforgiving schedule that lies ahead of them.

Texas has been a bully in this conference for years, keeping up-and-coming bubble teams in their place time and time again. The Longhorns need to deal with having the shoe on the other foot while other programs undergo peak years, but don't expect them to make a habit out of being a bubble team in the future.