Texas Longhorns

Has honeymoon ended for Charlie Strong and Texas?

Published Jul. 2, 2015 2:56 p.m. ET

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No one expected Charlie Strong to be Nick Saban and instantly vault the Texas football program back to national prominence in Year 1.

But be sure, Longhorns fans and the Texas administration do expect Strong to return Texas to the pinnacle of college football before long.

Heading into Year 2 of the Strong era, the Horns certainly do not appear to be positioned to make a run at the national playoff. They're probably still a year or two away from competing for the Big 12 championship, seemingly behind Baylor, TCU, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State entering the 2015 season.

Strong arrived at Texas with his five core values and anybody who wasn't ready to abide by them, he let walk out the door. Strong suspended nine players last year. He lost starting quarterback David Ash after one game. Then just when things looked to be turning a corner, reality slapped Texas in the face with beatings by TCU and then Arkansas in the bowl game. 

Strong's club finished 6-7, and there's genuine concern about reaching a half-dozen wins in 2015. Lacking a proven quarterback and an overload of inexperience on both sides of the ball, the Longhorns will tackle a demanding schedule that might not be forgiving.

It all begs a question that Horns Digest recently posed: Is Strong's honeymoon already over?

Indeed, the honeymoon might well be over, but that doesn't mean Strong and Texas won't have a long, meaningful marriage. Fans and the Texas administration must show patience and refrain from knee-jerk reactions that don't accurately reflect the real situation in which the program finds itself. Meanwhile, everybody should understand by now that the Big 12 is a new world, with teams that were once lesser programs like Baylor and most recent Big 12 addition TCU, now acting like powerhouses.

If Texas athletic director Steve Patterson, who hired Strong, and Texas fans are expecting a 10-win season, both will probably be sorely disappointed.

Number of wins might not be the best indicator of improvement for this team in 2015. An outright failure to compete would be an entirely different story. But that's too far off in the distance. There are games to be coached, and played.

Sure, the honeymoon might be over, but it's way too early to make a call on the strength of the marriage.

(h/t Horns Digest)

Photo Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

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