Texas Football: Ranking the 12 games on the 2021 schedule by toughest matchups
For how much pressure there is on Texas to have a successful season, it will not be a cakewalk by any means.
The Longhorns are in the midst of a new era, with head coach Steve Sarkisian taking over after a stellar career as Alabama’s offensive coordinator. He is tasked with taking on what 247Sports ranked as the No. 9 toughest schedule in the nation, and is responsible for deciding who will take over as the Texas’ next quarterback. Hudson Card and Casey Thompson are in the middle of what sounds to be the closest quarterback battle in the nation.
Texas, who will be starting the season ranked as the No. 21 team in the country according to the AP Poll, is looking to make their first Big 12 championship appearance since 2018, and hoping that Sarkisian and Co. can win their first conference title since 2009.
It is a tough task, especially with Oklahoma in the conference. The Sooners are looking to win their seventh consecutive Big 12 title, and may have their most complete team under Lincoln Riley this season.
Texas has a very talented roster, even with questions surrounding who will start at quarterback, and whether or not the receivers can be consistent playmakers. The Longhorns still arguably have the best running back in the nation, a veteran-led defense, and one of the top defensive coordinators in the nation in Pete Kwiatkowski.
With the season only a little over two weeks away, I’ve ranked the 12 matchups for Texas this season from easiest to toughest. It’s obvious that each game during the season should be respected and holds equal importance, but not every game is as tough as the others.
Rice
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Kansas
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
Baylor
Ricardo B. Brazziell-USA TODAY NETWORK
Kansas State
Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports
Texas Tech
Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Arkansas
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
West Virginia
Tim Warner/Getty Images
Oklahoma State
Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports
TCU
Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images
Louisiana
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Iowa State
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
Oklahoma
Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports
1
1
1
1
1
1
