Skinny - The difference in the Red River Rivalry is very minimal this year and should come down to how the teams play each other, unless of course Oklahoma State has something to say about that. Colt McCoy could be the best quarterback in the country and may be the reason Tebow or Bradford are not the second two time winners of the coveted trophy. Jordan Shipley returns for the Longhorns giving McCoy a go-to target. Texas' achilles heel in the Texas Tech game, the secondary, has a full year of experience under their belt and should be better. The team has a legit shot at the national championship, but the must gain some offensive balance first by finding a running back that can gain more yards on the ground than McCoy.
Strength - Colt McCoy
McCoy was my first team All-Big 12 quarterback last season. Keep in mind the feat that is in a conference with quarterbacks of the names of Bradford, Harrell, Robinson, Reesing, Robinson, Griffen, and Daniel. McCoy returns with a ridiculous statline from last season.
76.7 completion percentage
3859 passing yards
34-8 TD-INT ratio
On top of those numbers he is also the team's leading returning rusher with 561 yards and 11 TDs. McCoy should be able to replicate those numbers behind an experienced line that includes two All-Big 12 second teamers from last season (Ulatoski and Hall), but also a total of 4 returning starters. McCoy also has his favorite target from last year back in Jordan Shipley, who had over 1000 receiving yards last season. McCoy will be at the top of many Heisman lists and rightfully so, but can the rest of the team help him enough to get them to where McCoy wants them to?
Weakness - Running Back
Its obvious what this team lacks, a proven back. McCoy led the team in rushing last season and somebody must step up to relieve some of the pressure off McCoy. Having McCoy rushing for 561 yards means putting him in harms way and a McCoy injury would be devastating to this team. The three backs with the best chance of stepping into into this role are Vondrell McGee, Cody Johnson, and Foswhitt Whittaker. They each had a few hundred yards last year, but a running back by committee is not the approach this offense needs to take. A two running back system would be fine, but they both must be capable of 1000 yards seasons or at least close to that. McCoy is an All-American, but not a miracle maker.
Key Game - 10/31/09 @Oklahoma State
The Oklahoma game precedes this game and if Texas could somehow get past them, they face one more obstacle before a trip to the Big 12 Championship game. Oklahoma State returns a lot of firepower behind the offensive trio of Robinson, Hunter, and Bryant. The Texas defense must step up to the challenge if they want to take this game.
Key Player - Cody Johnson
He probably has the best chance of being the go to back after rushing for 12 TDs last year. He must step up his yardage output and prove he can play away from the goal line. He's 255 pounds, so his strength will be running between the tackles which is a good thing for a team that likes to spread out the defenses with their passing game. He would be the complement Texas needs to McCoy. If Johnson steps up look for Texas to be in the thick of the National Title hunt.
Impact Freshman - Chris Whaley
Predicted Big 12 finish - 2nd (South)
Top 5 Players
1. QB Colt McCoy
2. DE/LB Sergio Kindle
3. WR Jordan Shipley
4. C Chris Hall
5. T Adam Ulatoski
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