Sirhornsalot
**The Official Horn Sports Landscaper and Landscap
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2013
- Messages
- 33,288
Texas 2018 Schedule and Way Too Early Predictions
1. @ Maryland Terrapins (4-8 in 2017) – After the debacle in 2017, you'd think Tom Herman and the Horns will have this one penciled on the calendar already. Its the first game of a new season and its on the road. Plenty to worry about for Herman and staff. That said, we're not the same team we were last year. We no longer start a freshman QB and now have an OL worthy of game planning for. Orlando's defense should get a test here with some new faces in the secondary and in the interior.
Texas 42
Maryland 21
2. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (2-8 in 2017) – Tulsa will hope to rebound from a dismal season last year. But even last year, they had the potential to do great things as evidenced by their convincing win over Houston. So Texas can't dismiss this as a gimmie game. The Horns will have to work for it. Its the home opener.
Texas 56
Tulsa 17
3. USC Trojans (11-3 in 2017) – Texas will be looking for payback after the heartbreaker last year in LA. And I think they'll get it. USC is no doubt a talented team every year. But they will be looking to replace an AA at QB, AA at TB and many other notable departures. Texas will have home field advantage, as well. Everything spells a Texas win here as USC appears to be rebuilding at the skill positions. This will be USC's second road game in a row, following their conference opener at Stanford.
Texas 34
USC 14
4. TCU Horned Frogs (11-3 in 2017) – What a way to start conference play. Gone is TCU QB Hill and now we have Shawn Robinson. He's athletic and dangerous both in the air and with his feet. This might be our toughest conference game. Its at home though and TCU plays Ohio State the week before.
Texas 17
TCU 14
5. @ Kansas State Wildcats (8-5 in 2017) – KSU is one of the few teams in the Big 12 not breaking in a new QB. They have Ernst back and plenty of weapons around him. Defense appears to be the same Snyder tough standard they usually have. I believe this is Snyder's last season at KSU and I even think he announces prior to the Texas game at some point. Its tough to beat KSU, even tougher to do that in Manhattan.
Kansas St 27
Texas 24
6. Oklahoma Sooners (12-2 in 2017) @ Dallas – Gone is the Heisman winner. Gone is his AA left tackle Orlando Brown, and a host of other big players on both sides of the ball. Texas matched up well with OU last year despite being very young. The tables are much more even if not tilted in Texas' direction this time. By the way, don't be surprised if OU comes into this game with a loss in their opener against FAU.
Texas 36
OU 14
7. Baylor Bears (1-11 in 2017) – The only way Texas loses this game is if we come into it sleepwalking and looking ahead. I don't think that happens.
Texas 54
Baylor 25
8. @ Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-3 in 2017) – Stillwater is never an easy place to play, especially at night. But gone are a number of their primary weapons, including their AA QB. Nevertheless, the Mullet seems to have established a plug and play system that works for them. OSU will be down, but should not be taken lightly.
Texas 24
OSU 21
9. West Virginia Mountaineers (7-5 in 2017) – Returning arguably the best QB in the Big 12 and possibly a Heisman candidate, the Mountaineers are going to contend for the title in 2018. Their weakness is their depth. If they stay healthy, Texas will have their hands full.
West Virginia 32
Texas 30
10. @ Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-7 in 2017) – I expect Tech to struggle, even offensively, in 2018. Another new QB must emerge and at other key positions. While Kingsbury has a knack for finding QBs, he's not in a position to not have success. I expect this will be his last season in the panhandle if the season heads south for them, again. Texas won't save him this time.
Texas 45
Texas Tech 16
11. Iowa State Cyclones (8-5 in 2017) – The Cyclones always play Texas tough. Any time they win, its a signature win for their program. They established some momentum last year that I expect to carry over, despite their losses to graduation. Still, this one's at home and we're finding ourselves by this time in the season.
Texas 47
Iowa State 18
12. @ Kansas Jayhawks (1-11 in 2017) – Texas will not overlook KU this time, especially with a possible date in the conference championship on the line. Herman convinces his team KU is primed to upset us and his team will believe him.
Texas 57
Kansas 10
Obviously, my predictions reflect a belief in resolving many of the issues we had last year. In 2018, we'll have depth and options along the OL. We'll have depth at QB and WR. We'll have two TEs who are going to be VERY good. Brewer is already showing glimpses of David Thomas. At TB, I think Ingram starts soon after the season begins. He's that good. He just needs to stay healthy. Hopefully, Johnson can return and log some time without injury.
What say you?
1. @ Maryland Terrapins (4-8 in 2017) – After the debacle in 2017, you'd think Tom Herman and the Horns will have this one penciled on the calendar already. Its the first game of a new season and its on the road. Plenty to worry about for Herman and staff. That said, we're not the same team we were last year. We no longer start a freshman QB and now have an OL worthy of game planning for. Orlando's defense should get a test here with some new faces in the secondary and in the interior.
Texas 42
Maryland 21
2. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (2-8 in 2017) – Tulsa will hope to rebound from a dismal season last year. But even last year, they had the potential to do great things as evidenced by their convincing win over Houston. So Texas can't dismiss this as a gimmie game. The Horns will have to work for it. Its the home opener.
Texas 56
Tulsa 17
3. USC Trojans (11-3 in 2017) – Texas will be looking for payback after the heartbreaker last year in LA. And I think they'll get it. USC is no doubt a talented team every year. But they will be looking to replace an AA at QB, AA at TB and many other notable departures. Texas will have home field advantage, as well. Everything spells a Texas win here as USC appears to be rebuilding at the skill positions. This will be USC's second road game in a row, following their conference opener at Stanford.
Texas 34
USC 14
4. TCU Horned Frogs (11-3 in 2017) – What a way to start conference play. Gone is TCU QB Hill and now we have Shawn Robinson. He's athletic and dangerous both in the air and with his feet. This might be our toughest conference game. Its at home though and TCU plays Ohio State the week before.
Texas 17
TCU 14
5. @ Kansas State Wildcats (8-5 in 2017) – KSU is one of the few teams in the Big 12 not breaking in a new QB. They have Ernst back and plenty of weapons around him. Defense appears to be the same Snyder tough standard they usually have. I believe this is Snyder's last season at KSU and I even think he announces prior to the Texas game at some point. Its tough to beat KSU, even tougher to do that in Manhattan.
Kansas St 27
Texas 24
6. Oklahoma Sooners (12-2 in 2017) @ Dallas – Gone is the Heisman winner. Gone is his AA left tackle Orlando Brown, and a host of other big players on both sides of the ball. Texas matched up well with OU last year despite being very young. The tables are much more even if not tilted in Texas' direction this time. By the way, don't be surprised if OU comes into this game with a loss in their opener against FAU.
Texas 36
OU 14
7. Baylor Bears (1-11 in 2017) – The only way Texas loses this game is if we come into it sleepwalking and looking ahead. I don't think that happens.
Texas 54
Baylor 25
8. @ Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-3 in 2017) – Stillwater is never an easy place to play, especially at night. But gone are a number of their primary weapons, including their AA QB. Nevertheless, the Mullet seems to have established a plug and play system that works for them. OSU will be down, but should not be taken lightly.
Texas 24
OSU 21
9. West Virginia Mountaineers (7-5 in 2017) – Returning arguably the best QB in the Big 12 and possibly a Heisman candidate, the Mountaineers are going to contend for the title in 2018. Their weakness is their depth. If they stay healthy, Texas will have their hands full.
West Virginia 32
Texas 30
10. @ Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-7 in 2017) – I expect Tech to struggle, even offensively, in 2018. Another new QB must emerge and at other key positions. While Kingsbury has a knack for finding QBs, he's not in a position to not have success. I expect this will be his last season in the panhandle if the season heads south for them, again. Texas won't save him this time.
Texas 45
Texas Tech 16
11. Iowa State Cyclones (8-5 in 2017) – The Cyclones always play Texas tough. Any time they win, its a signature win for their program. They established some momentum last year that I expect to carry over, despite their losses to graduation. Still, this one's at home and we're finding ourselves by this time in the season.
Texas 47
Iowa State 18
12. @ Kansas Jayhawks (1-11 in 2017) – Texas will not overlook KU this time, especially with a possible date in the conference championship on the line. Herman convinces his team KU is primed to upset us and his team will believe him.
Texas 57
Kansas 10
Obviously, my predictions reflect a belief in resolving many of the issues we had last year. In 2018, we'll have depth and options along the OL. We'll have depth at QB and WR. We'll have two TEs who are going to be VERY good. Brewer is already showing glimpses of David Thomas. At TB, I think Ingram starts soon after the season begins. He's that good. He just needs to stay healthy. Hopefully, Johnson can return and log some time without injury.
What say you?
Last edited by a moderator:
