Team: Texas

Nickname: Longhorns

Conference: Big 12 (South)

Location: Austin, Texas

Coach: Mack Brown (12th year, 115-26; career: 201-100-1)

Last Bowl: 2009 Fiesta

Last season: 12-1, 7-1

Just 12 lettermen depart from a successful 2008 campaign, and the returnees are some of the team's best players. QB Colt McCoy is definitely one of the nation's best, and he returns a 1,000-yard receiver and four O-line starters. Some big-time talent returns on defense, including LB Sergio Kindle and DB Earl Thomas.

The season is a success if ... The Longhorns win the Big 12 championship. That would mean beating Oklahoma on Oct. 17 in Dallas and also a victory in the title game. With a senior QB at the helm and a great defense, that should happen.

The season is a failure if ... The running game doesn't produce better results. McCoy led the team with 11 rushing TDs and 561 yards last season. That can't happen again. Vondrell McGee and Foswhitt Whittaker are talented, but have to step up.

Impact Player: Senior, Colt McCoy, quarterback. He led the team in rushing and also threw for 34 TDs and eight INTs. Oh, he also hit 76.7 percent of his passes. Pencil — no, pen — him in as a Heisman finalist.

Fun Fact: The team's well-know "Hook 'Em Horns" hand signal (extending the index and pinky fingers while grasping the second and third fingers with the thumb) was originated in 1955 by Harley Clark, the head cheerleader.

Official Team Site

Fan Site