Texas football tabbed as TCU’s toughest game left in 2022

The Big 12 appears to be as deep as it has been in the last six or eight years this season, and Texas football is about to face the most critical part of the conference slate in the next six weeks. Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian are set to face four ranked teams in the next five games. And half of those ranked opponents are set to host Texas.

The two ranked opponents in the Big 12 that the Longhorns will face on the road are the No. 8 Oklahoma State Cowboys and No. 17 Kansas State Wildcats. Texas faces Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Oct. 22 and Kansas State in Manhattan on Nov. 5.

Meanwhile, the two ranked opponents that Sarkisian and the Longhorns will face at home in the next five games are the No. 13 TCU Horned Frogs on Nov. 12 and the No. 19 Kansas Jayhawks on Nov. 19.

One of the most interesting matchups that Sark and the Longhorns have upcoming in the next month or so lies against new head coach Sonny Dykes and the Horned Frogs. TCU is one of the surprise teams in the Big 12 through the first half of the season, sporting an undefeated 5-0 (2-0 Big 12) heading into a key matchup this weekend against another undefeated team in this conference.

Dykes and the Horned Frogs are set to host head coach Mike Gundy and Oklahoma State in Fort Worth on Oct. 15. And that could show if the Horned Frogs will really be a top 10 team this season.

Steve Sarkisian and Texas football named as the most challenging game remaining for No. 13 TCU

If TCU passes the test against Oklahoma State this weekend, the Frogs still have some tough tests that remain on the conference slate this fall. One of those is the aforementioned matchup in Austin on Nov. 12 against Texas.

In fact, according to a piece from 247Sports this week, Texas is actually the toughest remaining game on the second-half schedule for the Horned Frogs. Here’s more on what this piece had to say regarding Texas as a difficult opponent for TCU.

"Texas is the most talented team in the Big 12. They’re also HOT. The Longhorn offense doesn’t lead the FBS in yards per play like TCU, but they’re not too far behind at 15th. It should also be noted that Texas put up these numbers against a much more difficult schedule. Beyond the on-field talent edge that Texas will have (a rare thing for the Horned Frogs week to week), it will also have the advantage of personnel knowledge."

This piece also mentions former TCU head coach and new Texas special assistant Gary Patterson as a potential factor to watch in the Longhorns-Horned Frogs meeting in Austin next month. That is very relevant considering how Patterson is likely to be heavily involved in the game planning process for the TCU game.

Texas is currently sporting a record of 4-2 (2-1 Big 12) following the dominant 49-0 win over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Rivalry game on Oct. 8. Next up for Sark and the Longhorns is a matchup against the Iowa State Cyclones at home at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Oct. 15, with the kickoff time set for 11 a.m. CT.