The Longhorn Offense: Keeping It Real With EA Sports

Nobis60 did an amazing job of breaking down the new EA Sports NCAA Football '14 and while I must personally abstain from video gaming, a lesson I learned from playing Civilization II in college when I would decide to start playing around 2:00pm for "just 45 minutes", launch my Mongol space ship sometime around 2:30 am, flanked by a tower made from a pizza box balanced on two Gatorades, unshaven and somewhat disoriented, wondering where the sun went, and what day it was....

Anyway, I wanted to ponder the 2014 EA slogan Keep It Real.

Specifically, how real is EA ranking the Texas offense at 95 - higher than any other team in the Big 12, save Oklahoma?

Let's talk about real. And realer. Realer-er. Whatever.

QB

Real: David Ash turned in a solid true sophomore season after being pressed into action at least two years before his time. He's strong and mobile, showed real growth from his freshman to sophomore year, and the recent history of Texas QBs says its Year 3 when they typically shine brightest.

Realer: Ash had solid sophomore year statistics, and led the team to a tough bowl win, but he has to overcome his propensity to get caught in a negative spiral when things are going bad. His primary backup is either a true freshman termed a "project", or a dude who bailed on the team when the coaching staff pointed out to him that he throws like Jennie Finch, but with less velocity.

RB

Real: Texas is loaded. With skill, size, and speed.

Realer: It's not enough to be loaded if you can't fire the bullets.

WR

Real: Mike Davis and Jaxon Shipley are experienced starters and reliable playmakers.

Realer: And their peers are striving to make WR the new TE.

TE

Real: Texas no longer devotes 37 scholarships to staff the position ineffectively.

Realer: Texas now devotes 5 scholarships to staff the position ineffectively.

OL

Real: This is arguably the most experienced OL in the country, with a legitimate two deep at every position, and an extraordinary incoming freshman class. They've now had real S&C and coaching for two and a half years.

Realer: Talent is preferable to experience, and if we've made so many strides, why is the staff discussing some of these incoming true freshman being in the two deep?

The System

Real: 2013 - the spread/hurry-up offense is the gold standard in college football!

Realer: 2010-2012 - Alabama's deliberate pro-style running/play action passing attack is the gold standard in college football!

Realest: We're flailing around and then justifying after the fact, right?

For these reasons, I must lower Texas from a 95 to a 94.47.

Please make the appropriate changes in your game console.