Just a few shorts months ago, a two-loss season and a BCS bowl didn't seem unattainable. Optimism may not have exactly abounded in the Texas fanbase, but even the worst cynics couldn't have expect this. This catastrophe. This complete and utter waste and failure of a season that almost defies description.
A couple weeks ago, it seemed like the Longhorns needed to reach a bowl game, reap the benefits of the 13 extra practices, come together as a team, then have a chance to establish momentum going into the 2011 football season with a bowl win against a team with lesser talent.
Now, that belief seems almost as outdated as 2007 comparisons as Mack Brown's team stumbles to what looks like a seven or eight loss season. Not even a loss to Florida Atlantic would surprise a fanbase shaken to its very core. Florida Atlantic!
Rumors about internal discord amongst members of the coaching staff are impossible to verify with Bellmont virtually on lockdown. It's all speculation, even from those who are supposedly deeply connected. However, with the obvious complacency that has settled in, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, it's not hard to imagine that younger, ambitious coaches like Major Applewhite and Will Muschamp could be upset with the direction of the program. That's just common sense -- no sources needed.
So here's the question then: is this team better off playing in a bowl game and extending the season?
It may be that despite the usual comments about the team being united from the players made available to the media, this team is fractured and the players don't care to be around each other. They certainly play like that sometimes, with the defense seemingly unwilling or unable to muster the energy to respond after another terrible offensive possession. It may be that they just need to get away from each other for a while and attempt to heal the wounds caused by loss after loss after loss.
Certainly it's the case that any changes on the coaching staff could occur more quickly if Texas doesn't become bowl eligible. And, ultimately, this program needs to move forward after this disaster of a season and to do so, some heads will have to roll or the natives will become increasingly restless with a stubborn and blindly loyal Mack Brown not making the necessary changes.
What say you, you cynical and beaten-down BONizens?