Texas Football: How many Big 12 wins 247Sports projected for Longhorns in 2020

Expectations are going to be much higher for the Texas football program come this fall, and they will need a better result in Big 12 play to reach them.

Heightened expectations are sure to follow what was a tumultuous regular season for the Texas football program in 2019. Texas finished up their 2019 campaign with a record of 8-5 (5-4 Big 12) and a win in the Alamo Bowl over the No. 11 ranked Utah Utes in New Year’s Eve by the final score of 38-10.

With those aforementioned heightened expectations for head coach Tom Herman and the Texas Longhorns football program this year, where should they look to finish in the Big 12 standings? The Longhorns definitely finished up the 2019 regular season in disappointing fashion purely in terms of their results from the Big 12 slate.

Texas fell short against three teams they could’ve beat last season, all of which came on the road. The three they lost on the road came at the hands of the TCU Horned Frogs, Iowa State Cyclones, and Baylor Bears. The other of their four losses in Big 12 play was more excusable, coming in the Red River Rivalry game against the conference title winner Oklahoma Sooners.

However, Texas will be looking to get closer to where they finished up in 2018, when they made the Big 12 Championship Game and beat the No. 5 ranked Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl. And 247Sports apparently thinks that the Longhorns can get closer to that level of national relevance again this fall.

With their Big 12 projected win totals just in conference play this year, 247Sports predicted that Texas would win seven of their games in that slate in 2020. That places them second behind Oklahoma in projected win totals in Big 12 play for 2020. They projected Oklahoma to finish up 8-1 in Big 12 play, and Iowa State and the Oklahoma State Cowboys ranked just behind the Longhorns with six conference wins a piece.

Here’s what 247Sports had to say on their win total projection in Big 12 play for the Longhorns this year.

"The Longhorns have a Big 12 slate conducive to success this season if Texas gets past Oklahoma early. Then, the Longhorns will know exactly what they have to do the rest of the way to get to the Big 12 Championship Game. This team was too inconsistent in crunch time last fall and will need to fix some of those issues against Big 12 competition."

Herman and the Longhorns will be hoping to ride a waive of momentum from finishing up the 2019 campaign with two wins, including beating a top 15 team in the Alamo Bowl. To-be senior star quarterback Sam Ehlinger will be leading a new look Longhorns team and coaching staff this fall.

Texas opens up their 2020 regular season against the South Florida Bulls on Sep. 5. Then the real challenge starts when the Longhorns travel to face the defending National Champion LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge on Sep. 12.