Blame the UT public relations machine. All hype. Every year since 2000, they've geared us up for a national championship run and every year we've been disappointed. Excuses and broken promises. I've had enough. We're a coach away from the title, I feel it.
Meanwhile the other programs win titles or far exceed expectation. Where is the issue? We once thought that Tom Penders was the guy to make the basketball team a contender.
Oh, UT is a season away every year, how tired is this statement. And as for Mack's two wins in Nebraska, Nebraska had down years in 1998 (they went to the Holiday) and in 2002. You do remember that Mack's biggest game against Nebraska was the 1999 BIG XII Championship in which UT got drubbed by them. Keep in mind this game was also in San Antonio, and yet UT still lost it. And Cohen, if you are satisfied with 11 win seasons and the annual trip to the Cotton Bowl or Holiday Bowl, then something is seriously wrong with you. Fans like you are the reason that Mack and Greg Davis can keep their jobs even though their game plans constantly backfire against teams with equal talent. The goal is to get to the mountaintop, not to get 3/4ths the way there and then stop. Mack Brown and Greg Davis certainly will not lead UT to the top, so UT needs to go in a different direction.
A great point was made on this thread Texas under Mack was compared to A&M under Slocum 10 years ago. A&M was kicking a$$ and taking names on the weak sisters of the SWC, but when they played someone with similar talent (FSU, ND, etc.) they would get beat. The '95 season was the crushing blow for A&M. They were one of the early favorites for the MNC (I believe Playboy had them #1), but they had a disappointing season, and a 6-6 season in '96. By that time recruiting was toast, and the team was running on fumes from the early 90s (the '98 Big XII championship was won with players who were in high school when A&M was good.) Once the recruiting stopped coming, RC was exposed as a bad game day coach, look what happened as recruiting tailed off: '89: 8-4 *(recruiting players for '90-'94) '90: 9-3-1 (recruiting players for '91-'95) '91: 10-2 *('92-'96) '92: 12-1 * '93: 10-2 * '94: 10-0-1 * '95: 9-3 ('96-'00) '96: 6-6 ('97-'01) '97: 9-4 * '98: 11-3 '99: 8-4 * '00: 7-5 '01: 8-4 '02: 6-6
*'s are A&M wins over UT and vice versa. Here are Mack's first five years (look familiar?): '98: 9-3* '99: 9-5 '00: 9-3* '01: 11-2* '02: 11-2* Now, Mack has been in a better conference, but he has also had better talent. But there comes a point when that talent will start to disappear, just like it did for RC. Recruits will say: If he can't win a Big XII championship with those players, he can't win with anyone." I honestly think right now is the time for a regime change if I'm the AD. There are plenty of great young X's and O's coaches out there (like Jim Tressel) who would tear it up with the talent wearing burnt orange. However, beginning with Simms last year, the "Big 3" this year, and more in the future, that talent will leave. This year could be like '95 was for RC. A swing in momentum for a coach that had done well but reached his ceiling. And for those of you who say Mack is a great coach because of recruiting, that is false. Eventually, recruiting will stop if you're a bad game day coach, while the reverse is true of a good game day coach who starts off recruiting badly. Do you honestly think he can continue going 11-2 forever and eventually the players will find a way to win a championship? I'm sorry, if you can't do it with the studs UT has right now, you can't do it.
Wow, get a new coach and all of a sudden the Longhorns are championship contenders...whaddya people think you are, Rockets fans?
Very well said, P. Moon. Definitely something to think about. As far as UT fans "expecting" a national championship every year, I don't really understand the criticism. Granted, UT fans can be very over the top but isn't the goal for any 'top tier' football program to win the national championship? Do you think the fans at Notre Dame, Michigan, OU, OSU, Miami et al are any different? If you don't expect greatness, you won't get it...
UT has had a top 10 recruiting class for the last 4 years (including the top Sophmore class this year) why would you not expect them to be in the running for a championship?
What sucks is Mack is so entrenched in the job that it is going to take a RC like fall for him to be fired. That means we are going to suffer through more Cotton, Holiday, Alamo, or even worse bowl games for several years before someone makes a move. All we need is a coach. If we wait, we'll have to rebuild.
Exactly. Look at what Bob Stoops did in his second year with Blake's recruits. Imagine what a half-decent coach could do with Mack's recruits. Yeah, it took a change of AD before RC was forced out. It is hard to remove someone who has had a lot of success, and who has a good ol' boy personality, even when they're obviously on their way down. Honestly, I think people will look back at UT teams of the early 00s like people look at Oiler teams of the early 90s and say, "How the hell did they not even reach one championship game, let alone win one???"
