All that talk that Charlie Strong is toast at Texas may be a bit premature.
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With a win against TCU on Friday, the Longhorns will become bowl eligible. And, if the win is convincing enough —- a big win, according to the Austin American Statesman —- Strong just may be able to save his job, says a university source.
It sounds like a fairy tale, but who knows?
Texas (5-6, 3-5 Big 12) has had a tumultuous year that includes a heartbreaking loss to a dreadful Kansas team, reports that Strong would be fired, and reports that his team is in revolt.
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But whether Texas can win big —- if at all —- is up in the air. Most betting lines have the Longhorns a +3.5 point favorite against a Horned Frogs team that, at 5-5, is also playing for bowl eligibility. That's not a gimmie game, especially since TCU has destroyed Texas the last two meetings —- 48-10 in 2014 and 50-7 in 2015. Not only that, the Horned Frogs are 3-1 on the road this season, so they're not an easy out.
Besides, no one knows what a "big win" means or who is going to decide what's big enough.
According to ESPN, university president Gregory Fenves does not want to fire Strong, but boosters are pushing to fire him and bring in Houston's Tom Herman. Herman is reportedly close to becoming LSU's next head coach as of Thursday night.
Win or lose, Strong is off to a historically bad start at one of the bastions of college football. He's 16-20 so far, so it seems like folly that someone at Texas would make a decision on his future based on one score of one game.
We'll find out soon enough.
