ESPN's Football Power Index released

[Silver&Black]

Never too early to talk some college football IMO. Now these are just "projections".....keep that in mind.

Top 20 in FPI: (Texas is #29 for all you Longhorn Fans)

http://i.imgur.com/170oJWV.png

Top 20 hardest schedules:

http://i.imgur.com/1I6XNMX.png

Top 5 easiest schedules (among the power 5 schools): :lmao Big 10

718118756195647488

Conference winners:

Big 12- Oklahoma
SEC- LSU
Pac12- USC
ACC- Clemson
Big 10- Michigan

[Blake]

Okie St at #10 is high.

[Silver&Black]

Okie St at #10 is high.

Yeah...probably. But, it's just a "projection". I think Ole Miss was #1 in the ESPN FPI last year.

[Obstructed_View]

(Texas is #29 for all you Longhorn Fans)

Yet they had a top ten recruiting class. Again.

[Avante]

Gotta hand it to my Trojans, they don't play no Weber State or Blufton.

As we can see the mighty SEC on top again. So many big athletes with speed, that's what seperates the conference.

[pgardn]

Tennessee and Okl St.

Gotta laugh.

[pgardn]

Yet they had a top ten recruiting class. Again.

QB?

That is all.

Most important position on the field and we have failed.
Hmmm... How in the world did we beat Baylor... Yep~~~

[Ghazi]

WTF? The 5 easiest schedules come from the Big 10?

;lol Big 10

[Blake]

WTF? The 5 easiest schedules come from the Big 10?

;lol Big 10


Rutgers shouldn't count as playing a P5 school

[Obstructed_View]

QB?

That is all.

Most important position on the field and we have failed.
Hmmm... How in the world did we beat Baylor... Yep~~~

Because they had a backup wide receiver playing quarterback? Or that UT has twice as much talent as Baylor does and actually played hard for a change?

[pgardn]

Because they had a backup wide receiver playing quarterback? Or that UT has twice as much talent as Baylor does and actually played hard for a change?

Exactly. You kill us with a QB.

The most important position on the field is our weakness. And will be this year unless Buchele grows up in an unheard of Manzeilian fashion.

And we don't have twice the talent anymore. Not with the Briles Magic.

[Obstructed_View]

Exactly. You kill us with a QB.

The most important position on the field is our weakness. And will be this year unless Buchele grows up in an unheard of Manzeilian fashion.
Ugh. The mindset here is UT's biggest weakness. You guys are lost back in the days when 11-2 was a failure. It's how they end up taking a chance on Chris Sims instead of just letting Major Applewhite drive the bus.

Texas targets talent, with no regard for work ethic, and then they let the loudest members of the fanbase do the coaching for them. That's a bad mix, and it's toxic when it's allowed to continue for years.

Circumstances sometimes force you to have to play a quarterback sooner than you'd planned. Welcome to fucking football. The rest of us have had to deal with it forever and UT fans are offended that it happens to them. Teammates are supposed to step up. How is it that a fucking 5-7 team physically dominates Oklahoma? Where's that team been?

There's no telling how good or bad a quarterback should be when he's thrust into the starting role and running for his life. Yet the illiterati judging from the stands has already pronounced him terrible and is looking to move on to the next shiny recruit.


And we don't have twice the talent anymore. Not with the Briles Magic.

Yeah, you guys have been on the "lack of talent" train for a couple of years now. I remember UT fans telling everyone that Houston had more talent. The panic when your recruiting class is in danger of falling outside the top ten is comical.

Thanks to Briles' Magic, Texas has slipped to the point that they ONLY have twice the talent now. Seriously, when's the last time UT didn't lead the Big XII in recruiting?

Baylor, with their recent success, still doesn't have the luxury of just collecting 4- and 5-star recruits like Texas does. Briles and his staff, along with everyone else in the conference not named UT or OU, have to try to find people that fit. I imagine that he appeals to a certain mindset of player as well, the guys with something to prove.

UT fans complaining about a lack of talent is like someone dying of thirst in their house because their corkscrew broke.

[pgardn]

Ugh. The mindset here is UT's biggest weakness. You guys are lost back in the days when 11-2 was a failure. It's how they end up taking a chance on Chris Sims instead of just letting Major Applewhite drive the bus.

Texas targets talent, with no regard for work ethic, and then they let the loudest members of the fanbase do the coaching for them. That's a bad mix, and it's toxic when it's allowed to continue for years.

Circumstances sometimes force you to have to play a quarterback sooner than you'd planned. Welcome to fucking football. The rest of us have had to deal with it forever and UT fans are offended that it happens to them. Teammates are supposed to step up. How is it that a fucking 5-7 team physically dominates Oklahoma? Where's that team been?

There's no telling how good or bad a quarterback should be when he's thrust into the starting role and running for his life. Yet the illiterati judging from the stands has already pronounced him terrible and is looking to move on to the next shiny recruit.



Yeah, you guys have been on the "lack of talent" train for a couple of years now. I remember UT fans telling everyone that Houston had more talent. The panic when your recruiting class is in danger of falling outside the top ten is comical.

Thanks to Briles' Magic, Texas has slipped to the point that they ONLY have twice the talent now. Seriously, when's the last time UT didn't lead the Big XII in recruiting?

Baylor, with their recent success, still doesn't have the luxury of just collecting 4- and 5-star recruits like Texas does. Briles and his staff, along with everyone else in the conference not named UT or OU, have to try to find people that fit. I imagine that he appeals to a certain mindset of player as well, the guys with something to prove.

UT fans complaining about a lack of talent is like someone dying of thirst in their house because their corkscrew broke.

You have conveniently mixed different coaches and different mindsets into a big generalization.

If you want generalizations, I guess the mindset that Briles appeals to is that of a criminal. I do agree that Mack got very lazy and did just look at 40 times and powerlifting records. I did not post anything about "lack of talent" But to say UT has twice as much as Baylor? That's silly.

You need a QB to fit a system in college FB. We have utterly failed at both the last 5 years or so. It really is not that difficult to see in hindsight.

[Kermit]

Because they had a backup wide receiver playing quarterback? Or that UT has twice as much talent as Baylor does and actually played hard for a change?

Lolthefuck?

[Obstructed_View]

You have conveniently mixed different coaches and different mindsets into a big generalization.
The coaches may have changed but the mindset of the fans is exactly the same. The mindset of the boosters is exactly the same. Proof: Texas finishes 107th in the nation in defense and it's the quarterback's fault.


If you want generalizations, I guess the mindset that Briles appeals to is that of a criminal.
Unsure how that's anything but lashing out. Moving on...


I do agree that Mack got very lazy and did just look at 40 times and powerlifting records. I did not post anything about "lack of talent" But to say UT has twice as much as Baylor? That's silly.
Number of ESPN top 300 recruits 2012-2016:

Baylor: 21
Texas: 54

Number of 4-star recruits 2012-2016:

Baylor: 21
Texas: 54

Number of 5-star recruits 2012-2016:

Baylor: 0
Texas: 4

Weird that the ESPN numbers and the 4 star numbers are exactly the same. Double checked them from two sources. Pretty sure they're correct.

[pgardn]

The coaches may have changed but the mindset of the fans is exactly the same. The mindset of the boosters is exactly the same. Proof: Texas finishes 107th in the nation in defense and it's the quarterback's fault.
?? Do you think the inability of the offense has anything to do with a statistically bad defense? Anything?

Unsure how that's anything but lashing out. Moving on...


Number of ESPN top 300 recruits 2012-2016:

Baylor: 21
Texas: 54

Number of 4-star recruits 2012-2016:

Baylor: 21
Texas: 54

Number of 5-star recruits 2012-2016:

Baylor: 0
Texas: 4

Weird that the ESPN numbers and the 4 star numbers are exactly the same. Double checked them from two sources. Pretty sure they're correct.

?? Excellent. So this means the players are twice as good? Ok. This is your system. By this system UT is more than twice as good. I'm gonna remember this system to determine how much better Alabama is during these same years.

[Silver&Black]

?? Excellent. So this means the players are twice as good? Ok. This is your system. By this system UT is more than twice as good. I'm gonna remember this system to determine how much better Alabama is during these same years.

C'mon now pgardn.....you know what he's trying to say.

You're taking the "twice as good" part of his post and running too far with it. What he's simply saying is that UT gets waaay better recruits and waaaay more of them (that's a given right?)...yet still somehow under performs against their competition that has considerably less "talent". The "twice as good" is irrelevant. You're not saying it yet, but you're 1 or 2 posts away from saying that Baylor and UT's recruiting classes are closer than most people think.......and it's not.

I think most ppl here will admit that UT has got the talent to compete with the big boys, but somehow they're still not there yet. I don't know if the problem is more on the coaching or the defense...actually I'll let you UT fans tell me. I value your opinions more than mine considering you guys watch them a lot more than I do.

[Obstructed_View]

?? Excellent. So this means the players are twice as good? Ok. This is your system. By this system UT is more than twice as good. I'm gonna remember this system to determine how much better Alabama is during these same years.


Why? UT finished seventh in the Big 12. It obviously doesn't take talent to be better than UT these days.

[pgardn]

C'mon now pgardn.....you know what he's trying to say.

You're taking the "twice as good" part of his post and running too far with it. What he's simply saying is that UT gets waaay better recruits and waaaay more of them (that's a given right?)...yet still somehow under performs against their competition that has considerably less "talent". The "twice as good" is irrelevant. You're not saying it yet, but you're 1 or 2 posts away from saying that Baylor and UT's recruiting classes are closer than most people think.......and it's not.

I think most ppl here will admit that UT has got the talent to compete with the big boys, but somehow they're still not there yet. I don't know if the problem is more on the coaching or the defense...actually I'll let you UT fans tell me. I value your opinions more than mine considering you guys watch them a lot more than I do.

Waaay better no. Not now. No way.

And the point you guys simply fail to recognize is how important good QBs are in the RIGHT system.

We have failed. When our offense can't move the ball it's very disingenuous to automatically deem our defense as bad. It was some games but others it was quite good. Look, Macks house is almost gone. We got rid of loads of kids that could have played because Strong cleaned house.

Did you take this into account S&B? We had good freshman last year. Freshman. Cmon.

This year is clearly the pivotal season. And we don't have a QB. That's not good.

[pgardn]

Why? UT finished seventh in the Big 12. It obviously doesn't take talent to be better than UT these days.
Give us YOUR starting QB in your system and NO WAY we finish 7th.
Do you disagree?

[pgardn]

Oh I must say.

This is fun. It's nice to have conversation with sane posters.

[Silver&Black]

And the point you guys simply fail to recognize is how important good QBs are in the RIGHT system.

That's a given. Having a good/great QB is always preferable....and the right system. NOBODY will ever say otherwise.

But, this isn't the NFL where it's "essential". Look at Alabama last year (National Championship winners). Not saying you can't, but take the average College Football fan...like an Oregon Ducks/USC fan....you think they can name the QB who won the National Championship for Bama right now without googling it?

It's always better to have a good QB, but you can still win with an average QB in college. Alabama won it all because their QB didn't give the games away....that and they've got stud after stud backing up stud after stud on defense.

[pgardn]

That's a given. Having a good/great QB is always preferable....and the right system. NOBODY will ever say otherwise.

But, this isn't the NFL where it's "essential". Look at Alabama last year (National Championship winners). Not saying you can't, but take the average College Football fan...like an Oregon Ducks/USC fan....you think they can name the QB who won the National Championship for Bama right now without googling it?

It's always better to have a good QB, but you can still win with an average QB in college. Alabama won it all because their QB didn't give the games away....that and they've got stud after stud backing up stud after stud on defense.

They have pro athletes siting on the bench. And honestly Saban has put Lane Kiffin exactly were he belongs. He can run an offense using the talent available. We got two guys from mighty Tulsa we hope work out. We are in seriously shaky water. But because we out recruit ATM we get ranked 29? We are still very young Without a QB... Mind boggling.

[Obstructed_View]

Give us YOUR starting QB in your system and NO WAY we finish 7th.
Do you disagree?
Yes, I disagree. None of the guys before Stidham were super highly recruited. Nick Florence didn't even get an offer from Kansas. Robert Griffin followed Briles from Houston to Baylor and probably wouldn't have if they didn't have a good track team.

You're a smart person. There's no way you think that the quarterback the reason the fucking Longhorns got beat 24-0 by fucking Iowa State.

Let me put it this way: If UT played as hard every week as they did against Oklahoma, they'd have had a winning record. Do you disagree?

[pgardn]

Yes, I disagree. None of the guys before Stidham were super highly recruited. Nick Florence didn't even get an offer from Kansas. Robert Griffin followed Briles from Houston to Baylor and probably wouldn't have if they didn't have a good track team.

You're a smart person. There's no way you think that the quarterback the reason the fucking Longhorns got beat 24-0 by fucking Iowa State.

Let me put it this way: If UT played as hard every week as they did against Oklahoma, they'd have had a winning record. Do you disagree?

Yep.

Olahoma was unprepared for us. We changed style and went to a grinding game that kept the ball in with the offense. D did not have to work as hard. This is not an effort issue. It's a coaching issue. We still have no idea if Strong is just a recruiter.

Teams after got a view of our offense and solved it easily. Make us pass. Baylor of course was dead in the water as their wide receiver QB could not move the ball. You Guys would have murdered us with the a QB.
Do you disagree? Seriously the Baylor UT game was horrid. So you guys decided you could beat us with two legs cut off, and an arm . 4 th string QB and the outcome was in doubt. We were crap.

[Obstructed_View]

Yep.

Olahoma was unprepared for us. We changed style and went to a grinding game that kept the ball in with the offense. D did not have to work as hard. This is not an effort issue. It's a coaching issue. We still have no idea if Strong is just a recruiter.

Teams after got a view of our offense and solved it easily. Make us pass. Baylor of course was dead in the water as their wide receiver QB could not move the ball. You Guys would have murdered us with the a QB.
Do you disagree? Seriously the Baylor UT game was horrid. So you guys decided you could beat us with two legs cut off, and an arm . 4 th string QB and the outcome was in doubt. We were crap.

The UT game was probably the one I enjoyed the most this year just because they played so hard to try to win. And of course Baylor would have won by 30 if they'd been able to complete a pass. Hell, if they'd had an extra week to prepare they would have won easily. It's still not because they have superior players.

I totally agree that we don't know if Strong is a coach yet. Great teams are more than the sum of their parts. Texas hasn't shown that yet.

[Vito Corleone]

A great coach is much more important than great talent. I can take great talent and overwhelm any other team with any offense or defense, but a great coach can take much lesser talent and beat great talent with lesser talent by execution and determination. Houston beating FSU last year and ISU beating Texas last year are prime examples.

[Blake]

A great coach is much more important than great talent. I can take great talent and overwhelm any other team with any offense or defense, but a great coach can take much lesser talent and beat great talent with lesser talent by execution and determination. Houston beating FSU last year and ISU beating Texas last year are prime examples.

TCU is a great example of that. Gary Patterson is the best coach in the conference, imo

[Obstructed_View]

A great coach is much more important than great talent. I can take great talent and overwhelm any other team with any offense or defense, but a great coach can take much lesser talent and beat great talent with lesser talent by execution and determination. Houston beating FSU last year and ISU beating Texas last year are prime examples.

Unless you're at UT, apparently.

[Obstructed_View]

TCU is a great example of that. Gary Patterson is the best coach in the conference, imo

I'd have to give the nod to Oklahoma State. Gundy's teams always seem to be punching above their weight class.

[Silver&Black]

:lol Big 10
:lol Top 5 easiest schedules

[Blake]

I'd have to give the nod to Oklahoma State. Gundy's teams always seem to be punching above their weight class.

Good argument. But moving TCU from small conference to Big 12 to national title talk is incredible

[pgardn]

TCU is a great example of that. Gary Patterson is the best coach in the conference, imo

I will never forget the UT TCU game in Austin when Boykin was QB and a freshman. I told some TCU fans welcome to the Big 12 and we want your coach. They said but, but, Mack Brown...? I said in order for you to stay in the Big 12 we will require you give us Patterson.

Of course they beat us. ANd this was before Patterson decided he needed OC help.

I know those TCU fans understood after that game.