Tom Herman might be out of time

The strangest part about Tom Herman’s tenure at Texas is not that his teams have been bad – in fact, his . No, the most bizarre part is that every single one of the losses in the Herman era have been absolutely confounding. 

Naturally, Sam Ehlinger’s potential final game at Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium lived up to that. The Longhorns didn’t trail for almost the entire game against the Big 12’s top team. They drove down the field with ease and seemed ready for a game-winning field goal. Then the senior Ehlinger bafflingly took a sack to make it a 57-yard field goal, which Cameron Dicker missed. 

Texas’ Big 12 title dreams are dead. Ehlinger’s career will have peaked as a sophomore, assuming he doesn’t come back. The ‘Horns won’t win 10 games again. There are still games left, but it’s going to be a long offseason for the Texas faithful. 

SMU has given up

The last time the Mustangs took the field, it was a disappointing loss to Tulsa that effectively ended their conference championship hopes. Still, no one could have predicted the incredible letdown coming. 

The Mustangs incredibly went down 45-7 at the half against a terrible 2-6 East Carolina squad. It wasn’t even like you could point to one thing in particular, SMU just kept punting and ECU kept scoring. 

We saw something similar last season when the Mustangs laid a massive egg against FAU in the Boca Raton Bowl. It’s not unusual for a team to have a letdown once their ultimate goals are dashed. But still, struggling in every phase of the game is not how we hoped SMU would end its season. Can they get it back together before the Houston game? 

Matt Wells needs to flip his luck

Every single week, it seems Texas Tech has something happen that we never, ever could have expected. This week, Matt Wells called an onside kick after taking the lead against Oklahoma State, and the kick bafflingly bounced just right and was returned for a touchdown. 

It was just another case of bad luck derailing what could have become a signature win for Wells and his staff. The Red Raiders kept fighting, but it wasn’t enough down the stretch. 

There are some really nice things happening in Lubbock. Young playmakers like Tahj Brooks and Loic Fouonji are emerging. The defensive culture is setting in. But if these little mental mistakes haven’t disappeared after two years, when will they? 

Texas State is ready for 2021

Somehow, miraculously, Texas State just played a full, uninterrupted football season. The Bobcats completed 12 football games without losing a single one to postponement or cancellation and are the first Texas FBS team to head into the offseason. 

It was a mixed bag for Jake Spavital in his second season with the Bobcats. Quarterback Brady McBride looks like the quarterback of the future, but also had a few stinkers. The defense under the elder Zac Spavital showed flashes, but struggled to maintain consistency. Ultimately, it meant Texas State finished with a 2-10 record that – in our humble opinion – is not representative of the potential of this team. 

The good news? Spavital did not hold Senior Day activities because the majority of seniors are planning to return in 2021. Hopefully, that means the growth that the Bobcats made across a season will finally pay off with a bowl season in 2021. We believe it can happen. 

Sincere McCormick is the class of Texas

We’ve been beating the Sincere McCormick drum as the best running back in Texas since the offseason. Sitting here on Nov. 28, we might have been selling him short. 

McCormick was – once again – otherworldly against North Texas. On just 23 carries, McCormick exploded for a program-record 252 yards and two scores. He’s up to an absurd 1,345 yards and 11 touchdowns in just 10 games. More impressively, on an offense completely built around him, McCormick is averaging nearly 6.0 yards per rush. 

It’s time to say it: Sincere McCormick is the most valuable player in Texas. His production has been the difference between a losing UTSA team and one that’s on the cusp of a Conference USA Championship Game. All 46 other college football programs in Texas should be kicking themselves for not landing him. He’s that good.