Bohls, Golden: Just what ascending Texas needs — No. 24 Kansas, No. 14 OU back-to-back
Saturday's Texas vs. Kansas game at Royal-Memorial Stadium is a head-scratcher. The Longhorns and Jayhawks have split their last two games, with Kansas having won the last time it played in Austin, and oh, yeah, it's a Top 25 matchup between two undefeated teams. Huh? We begin to unravel this week:
What should the Longhorns be expecting Saturday?
1. Are the prognosticators and oddsmakers right in saying Texas will blow out Kansas?
Bohls: I don’t think so. I see a Longhorns win by 34-24, but the Jayhawks are so much better on defense than they’ve been in the past, going heavy on those players in the transfer portal. The Longhorns are facing one of their top three challenges of the rest of the season but can’t be looking ahead to next week.
Golden: They are not, but Texas will take care of business, just not by 17 or more points. The Jayhawks are the best offense the Longhorns will have played thus far, and quarterback Jalon Daniels will make some plays — especially with his feet — but the Texas defense will get some key stops in a 34-24 win.
Well, it's OK for US to look ahead, though
2. If Texas and Oklahoma both win Saturday, what will next week's point spread be?
Bohls: I’d say the Longhorns would be favored by a touchdown. The Sooners haven’t been able to run the ball with much success yet, and their easy schedule to date will have some skeptical of just how good OU really is.
Golden: Texas would enter the game as a six-point favorite. The Sooners are still smarting from that 49-0 shellacking last season, and the oddsmakers will be sure to make the spread nice and juicy to get money coming in from both fan bases and all gamblers in between.
More: Texas players remember Kansas' 2021 overtime shocker all too well
For Lance Leipold, is there no place like home?
3. Where will Kansas' Lance Leipold be coaching five years from now?
Bohls: In Lawrence. Where else? His mature age of 59 works in the Jayhawks’ favor. Were he 10 years younger, he’d probably be receptive to tempting offers from bigger Power Five programs with more resources. But a contract extension through 2029 guaranteeing him an average of $5.3 million should secure his address where he is.
Golden: He signed an extension through the 2029 season, but he won’t be in Lawrence for the duration, even if he told us on this week's "On Second Thought" podcast that he intends to stick around. I can see Leipold, a Wisconsin native, landing in the Big Ten, somewhere like Michigan State or Purdue.
Oh, how the mighty will fall
4. Pick a Top 25 upset.
Bohls: Kentucky makes it three in a row over Florida as the tougher Wildcats slow the No. 22 Gators’ running game and, with a heavy dose of running back Ray Davis, who’s averaging 6.3 yards a carry, grind out a 27-24 upset.
Golden: No. 17 Duke continues its magical season by taking down No. 11 Notre Dame.
They're not ranked but still dangerous
5. What's the best unranked football team in the country?
Bohls: I’ll go with accomplished quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa and unbeaten Maryland (4-0), which has run roughshod over inferior opponents and is the only Big Ten team to score 31 points or more in every game.
Golden: Kansas State. The Wildcats would be a top-15 team had they figured out how to avoid losing on a walk-off 61-yard field goal at Missouri. K-State will make plenty of noise in this Big 12 title chase. Contrary to popular opinion, this isn’t a two-horse race between Texas and Oklahoma. The Wildcats will have to be dealt with eventually.
New quarterback, new possibilities for Aggies
6. Is Texas A&M a legitimate threat in the SEC West with Max Johnson at quarterback?
Bohls: I’d say a fringe threat if the Aggies win Saturday. However, I think Arkansas will nip the Aggies 28-27 in Arlington because the Razorbacks are extremely frustrated after close losses to LSU and BYU and losing 10 of the last 11 to A&M in this highly competitive series.
Golden: Sure. The Aggies had finally found a real dude at quarterback, but Conner Weigman is lost for the year with a foot injury. Johnson grew up at the dinner table of Super Bowl-winning quarterback Brad Johnson and won’t shrink at the challenge.
The more things change, the more they stay the same
7. Who's your pick right now for the SEC West winner?
Bohls: Sigh. I’ll stick with Alabama because of its better defense (18th in scoring defense at 13.5 points a game) than LSU (73rd at 25 a game), its home game with the Tigers and a slightly easier schedule. They may tie recordwise, but the Tide will have the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Golden: That early 45-24 loss to Florida State woke up LSU to the point where the Bayou Bengals will take the West title. Quarterback Jayden Daniels and wideout Malik Nabers are one of the most explosive combos in the conference. Picked to finish second behind Alabama in the division, the Tigers appear to be the team to beat in the West.
Death of a conference? Or will the Pac-12 hang on?
8. Will the Pac-12 exist in two years?
Bohls: Yes, it will. The 10 departing teams have no grounds to deny Washington State, Oregon State and the Mountain West the rights to the Pac-12 brand name. But — and it’s a big but — that should not entitle them to an automatic College Football Playoff berth.
Golden: I don’t see it. I know Oregon State and Washington State are attempting to hold up what’s left of what’s ironically the deepest league in 2023. The smart move would be to pack up and move to the Big Ten or the SEC.
Does Mack Brown have another big season ahead?
9. Will Mack Brown's 4-0 North Carolina win the ACC and play in a New Year's Six bowl?
Bohls: No. As impressive as they’ve been, the Tar Heels have difficult games at Clemson and North Carolina State to end the season along with tough home dates with Syracuse, Miami and Duke. Florida State, 2-0 out of the gate, has those same three Heel opponents at home, wiill bypass Carolina, has already whipped Clemson and will win the league.
Golden: Nothing makes me laugh more than Mack dancing in the locker room after a win. Now that Clemson has fallen off, the league is wide open. Florida State has the most juice, and Duke is surging, but I see his Tar Heels and Seminoles playing for the conference title. The Noles will win in what will feel like a road game in Charlotte. The Heels will finish 9-3 with a good shot at playing in a New Year’s Six bowl.
Overlooked, but not forgotten
10. What Group of Five team has impressed you the most this season?
Bohls: Look out for Fresno State. The 4-0 Bulldogs have won their last 13 games, a streak bettered only by Georgia’s string of 21 straight. Fresno touts the nation’s ninth-most-prolific receiver in Erik Brooks (448 yards) — remember Davante Adams is an alumnus — and a top quarterback in Mikey Keene.
Golden: I like Air Force. The Falcons are sitting at 4-0 for the first time since 2016 under coach Troy Calhoun and have won nine straight games dating back to last season. The schedule is friendly. I expect the Falcons to be ranked by season’s end.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas football team now must play ranked Kansas, Oklahoma back-to-back
