Power ranking the SEC after week 4 - #6: Texas Longhorns
What are the Longhorns? It’s still really difficult to say. We have yet to see them play some really quality competition—though Michigan has possibly figured something out with the QB who didn’t play against Texas, they’re still probably not very good.
Aside from the Wolverines, all of Texas’s opponents inhabit the triple digits in the rankings according to most advanced statistical profiles. Sark, like Kiffin and Petrino, runs a system that is elite at running up the score against less talented (or less cohesive) squads, so the mystery continues.
It will continue this weekend, since Mississippi State is really not much better than UTSA, CSU, and ULM. But for a squad that struggles to run the ball effectively as Texas has, the matchup with OU could get really interesting. If the Sooners can stop the Longhorns up front without dedicating too many men to the box, how effective—or ineffective—will the passing game be?
These are the kinds of questions that we still don’t know the answers to, given that Texas has yet to face a real test. We’ll know more October 12 at the earliest. Until then, I just can’t move them any higher than this.