Read the Bleacher Fan’s argument that Penn State is the team most that will most likely be undefeated at season’s end and Loyal Homer’s argument that the Florida Gators will go undefeated.
We have a format we write to here at The Sports Debates. Without our format we would each write 2,500 word articles that would bore the crap out of our readers. And, we could do that every day. So, we had to throw in some guidelines to prevent things from getting out of hand. Therefore we try and keep each article we publish between 750-1000 words.
The follow could easily be a 4,000 word post. But, because of our stupid format (which was actually my idea… dang), I’m forced to limit my litany of reasons that the University of Texas Longhorns are the team most likely to undefeated and win the 2009 BCS National Championship. Perhaps it would have been smarter to not waste a bunch of space explaining how I didn’t want to waste space. Oops, did it again.
Here are five reasons why the Texas Longhorns have the best shot to finish the 2009 season undefeated.
Schedule
With respect to the non-conference teams on Texas’ schedule this year, Texas has a weak schedule. The four non-Big 12 teams are Louisiana-Monroe, Wyoming, UTEP, and Central Florida. Not impressive at all. Normally this is not a good point to raise about a team. But, when judging which team is most likely to end 2009 undefeated, a weak schedule sure helps. The Big 12 is believed to be good again this year, but Texas Tech – the lone blemish on their win-loss record last year – lost their top receiver and nation-leading quarterback from last season. While Oklahoma State and Oklahoma both present a challenge this season, the Longhorns handled them last year and bring a more balanced, experience offense to the field this season.
Players
Texas is always long on talent at the skill positions, and 2009 will be no exception. Sixth year wide receiver Jordan Shipley – roommate to quarterback Colt McCoy for several seasons – returns again to provide McCoy with his favorite receiving target. Shipley delivered 89 catches for over 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns last season… and showed plenty of toughness when fighting for extra yards. McCoy obviously has skills too, throwing for nearly 4,000 yards and 34 touchdowns against just eight interceptions. The forgotten McCoy fact is his rushing ability. He scampered for nearly 600 yards last season on 136 carries, scoring 11 touchdowns on the ground including a long of 35. He can run the ball and presents a real dual threat that opens the field up for the spread offense he runs so adeptly. Sophomore running back Cody Johnson returns from last year where he notched a team-high 12 rushing touchdowns and 4.4 yards per carry. The running game remains explosive and is poised to give McCoy’s passing attack the balance it has lacked in recent seasons.
Leadership
While Texas has plenty of leadership at in the coaching ranks, they have a good bit of leadership on the field. Shipley and his sixth year of eligibility are obviously part of that equation, but the biggest leader in the locker room for Texas is newly insured quarterback Colt McCoy. His statistics are obviously very good and he is a legitimate Heisman Trophy front runner before we crack August on the calendar. But, he is also the consummate leader on the field given three consecutive years of starting experience. There are few defenses McCoy hasn’t seen, few huddle questions he won’t know the answers to, and few surprises awaiting McCoy between the hashes. His competitive nature and physical ability only strengthen his emerging vocal leadership presence. Oh, and he LITERALLY saves kids from danger without a thought to his personal well being. Sure, Tim Tebow has deservedly earned a lot of press, but McCoy is understated with the media and respected by his teammates. He shows poise under pressure on and off the field, and is the right leader to understand past mistakes and take the necessary measures to keep from repeating them.
Coaching
Mack Brown has coached Texas for 12 seasons and only lost 26 games, including a 12-1 record in 2008. Brown is known for his incessant clapping and seemingly weird times AND for knowing which buttons to push on his team. He places a special emphasis on limiting turnovers on offense. Brown told The Sporting News, that limiting turnovers was “a true emphasis” in the Spring. This, from a coach who placed a similar emphasis on limiting turnovers last year and ended with a team that allowed a mere 14 turnovers all season in 2008. Offensive coordinator Greg Davis, in his 12th year in Austin, is guiding a very experienced QB-WR tandem that was seventh in the nation last year in passing offense thanks to over 4,000 passing yards and 36 touchdowns. “Head-coach-in-waiting” (which is another debate in and of itself) and defensive coordinator Will Muschamp has been impressive in guiding a defense that only allowed two teams – high-powered offenses from Oklahoma and Texas Tech – to score more than three touchdowns all season.
Wild Card Stat
The most important AND overlooked reason Texas will go undefeated this year – the offensive line, which has 90 combined returning starts. An experienced offensive line is crucial to winning the battle at the line of scrimmage and allowing McCoy to have the time necessary for the spread offense to get receivers open. The better the offensive line is, the better the running game is. Barring injury (which can happen to ANY team), a strong offensive line blocking for a four year starting quarterback is hard to beat, no matter how good a college defense is (read: Florida).
