Texas and Texas A&M’s flaws are as obvious as their talent

Every year, Texas and Texas A&M give college football experts reason to believe in the recruiting rankings. The Lonestar State has so many programs outside of its two bell cows that it is assumed that the schools with the top titles should be perennial contenders for the national title. Then, watching them play, you wonder how a country so obsessed with football is so bad at it.

The Longhorns were fortunate to survive a tough rally from Kansas State after Wildcat coach Chris Kleiman went for the win on fourth-and-goal from the four-yard line in OT and failed. Will Howard’s final attempt came in a moment of desperation, and UT escaped 33-30.

The Aggies weren’t so lucky, missing a game-winning field goal at the final whistle that would have sent the contest into overtime. Instead, No. 10 Ole Miss held on to its win (38-35) and its top-10 ranking heading into Georgia week. Jimbo Fisher’s team is now 5-4, and promoters in College Station will have to buy out a total of $125 million if they want to get out of their deal with Fisher and his very expensive employees.

We’ll get to that in a moment, but I want to ask UT fans something real quick: Do you think Steve Sarkisian is the guy? The Longhorns nearly blew a 20-point lead at home against a team with a glaring lack of talent. This was just a few weeks removed from Houston overcoming a 21-point deficit and needing another stop in the red zone to avoid overtime.

After the debut of the College Football Playoff rankings this week, Sark continued to tout his team’s win over Alabama as the best win in the country, and I just wanted someone to ask him about Houston. Or even the game against Oklahoma that they couldn’t lose. If Kansas State didn’t blow an extra point and a game-winning field goal (from extra point range) in the fourth quarter, their playoff hopes would be ruined.

It doesn’t matter that the Longhorns get through the rest of conference play. I don’t know if it’s deep arrogance, but I’m starting to assume that because there’s no other explanation.

As for A&M, Fisher’s team is ridiculously talented even by SEC standards, but fails to implement fundamental principles every fourth game. Yes, Max Johnson is, for all intents and purposes, a game manager’s son, but there have been several second halves this season where Mark Sanchez’s unborn child could have led the Aggies to victories.

I don’t mean to excuse Fisher because he only inspires confidence in talking heads. I just want to point out that Texas A&M has somehow “tested” Alabama, Tennessee, Miami and now Ole Miss without really making them sweat. (Lane Kiffin was definitely sweating on Saturday, but that’s because he’s not up to speed on confessionals and talking so much nonsense to Fisher that he would have needed a leave of absence if he lost.)

I cannot emphasize enough how much I will enjoy the reunion between Texas and Texas A&M next season. These two deserve it. They are mirror disappointments whose weekly flirtation with greatness and catastrophe can only outdo each other.