10 things college football fans can be thankful for

STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 19: Joe Burrow #9 and Ja"u2019Marr Chase #1 of the LSU Tigers high five each other during a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Starkville, Mississippi. The Tigers defeated the Bulldogs 36-13. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

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MORGANTOWN, WV – OCTOBER 05: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns celebrates after a 13-yard touchdown run in the second quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field on October 5, 2019 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

8. ‘Texas is back’ jokes

Whenever Sam Ehlinger and the Texas Longhorns decidedly topped Georgia in the Sugar Bowl one year ago, the fiery quarterback got to the podium and declared that this team was “back”. It was undoubtedly a nod to the fans who, year after year, have declared that Texas was back coming into a given season only to see them falter when it mattered and fall short of expectations. The 2019 season was supposed to be the year to change that.

Instead, nothing has changed. “Texas is back” has returned to form as nothing more than a joke this season. Ehlinger and the offense have been highly impressive at times this season but the defense has been downright disgraceful. And now there are viable concerns, as they enter the last week of the regular season at 6-5, if Tom Herman is the right man for the job.

To be sure, it’s never a redeeming trait to celebrate the misery or disappointment of a team and their fanbase. It’s always fun when a traditionally great program like the Longhorns can be one of the better teams in the sport and compete at the highest level. Having said that, what we can be thankful for is that one of the most reliable bits of comedy in college football remains intact.

For at least the rest of the 2019 season and postseason, throughout the offseason and perhaps to start next year as well, we’ll still have the “Texas is back” jokes to fall on. Texas is back to looking like they had Charlie Strong coaching. Texas is back to wishing Mack Brown was still there. And on and on it goes. Thankfully, it’ll keep going for at least a little bit longer after this season.

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