Pretty much this.
Honestly, with all the insane amounts of talent that has been coming into the program for the past 15 years, UT should have won 4-5 NCs AT LEAST, and should have experienced a run similar to what Alabama is currently in. Imagine if Nick Saban or Bob Stoops had access to all that talent, and had the fortune of coaching incredibly talented QBs like Major Applewhite, then Vince Young, then Colt McCoy? I'm sure they would have came out of that stretch with more than just 1 NC. Mack singlehandedly screwed up several of those opportunities, and Brad McCry screwed another one up by babying his son and keeping him out of the game against Bama.