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The No. 3 Longhorns beat the Tigers 41-7 Saturday night, but coach Mack Brown had expected a much stiffer test from the two-time defending Big 12 North champions.
Florida and Alabama, the two teams ahead of Texas in the rankings, both played games that were close into the fourth quarter.
"When you're seeing what's happening in college football right now it's like an in-season playoff," Brown said. "You better win and move forward. Style points are gone. They aren't important anymore. Just look around and see what's happening, people are shocked every week."
Colt McCoy echoed those remarks after returning to form with three touchdown passes in a nearly flawless first half. The Longhorns (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) led 35-7 at the break with McCoy completing his first 11 passes and going 18 for 21 for 213 yards in the half.
"A win is a win, I'm telling you," McCoy said. "We play in a tough conference."
Brown pointed out that Texas wide receivers dropped two passes from McCoy, who had been a bit of a question mark with a bruised thumb on his throwing hand.
Texas had a much tougher game last week, leaning on defense for a 16-13 victory over Oklahoma. There was no letdown from a game that rather than draining the Longhorns has served as a bit of a springboard.
Texas is now 12-0 in the game following the Red River Rivalry.
Nine of the previous 10 seasons, that game was followed by a four-game winning streak.
"I thought the first half was the best half we've played all year, for sure," McCoy said. "We looked complete, we looked confident, and that's what we've got to do."
McCoy is 39-7 at Texas, tied with the Colts' Peyton Manning for second on the career victory list. Four more wins, and he'll stand alone.
"Which is unbelievable," Brown said. "I'm sure he's texting Peyton right now talking about the accomplishment."
Texas figures to get more of a game next week at Oklahoma State, which beat Baylor 34-7 for its fifth straight win. The Cowboys (6-1, 3-0) have won their last four without injured running back Kendall Hunter and suspended wide receiver Dez Bryant.
"We're kind of running through the gauntlet a little bit and we know Oklahoma State is a tremendous team," McCoy said. "We'll be ready."
Missouri (4-3, 0-3) needs to regroup, and fast, after losing its first three conference games for the first time since 2002. The defense couldn't stop Texas in the first half and the offense had one effective drive the entire game, and coach Gary Pinkel called out his players after most of a sellout homecoming crowd fled after halftime.
The three-game stretch looked to be Missouri's toughest by far and the schedule gets easier starting next week at Colorado (2-5). But Pinkel knows his players have to regain their confidence.
"If a guy's going to decide how to react to this, they shouldn't be in the locker room," Pinkel said. "We've run out of time, there's no time left.
"I can't be more blunt than that."
