Tale of the tape

Once upon a time in the Big 12 — say, last summer — there was still at least a little debate as to whether Oklahoma or Texas had hired the best coach going into the 2017 football season.

Now another contender from the class of ’17 enters the argument.

The question this week isn’t just if Texas can beat Baylor.

Did Baylor hire the better man two years ago?

If it’s a little early for a definitive answer on the rankings, at least Matt Rhule and Lincoln Riley are trending in the right direction, which is more than Tom Herman can say.

Herman has done good work at Texas. Stacked up top-five recruiting classes. Beat Oklahoma at the State Fair. Beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. And that’s part of the problem now, unfortunately.

Sam Ehlinger told us from New Orleans that Texas is back. Way back, it turns out.

Fifth in the Big 12, in fact, going up against the second-place Bears.

Few could have envisioned such a scenario going into the 2017 season. The Bears were coming off scandal that contributed mightily to Rhule’s 1-11 debut. Herman didn’t get much of a head start from Charlie Strong’s leavings, but he had Texas’ resources and history in his favor.

Coming off that Sugar Bowl win, there was every reason to think Texas was on the verge of a breakout season. What the Longhorns have wrought instead is their 10th straight year of at least four losses, pretty much the definition of mediocrity.

No question, injuries have piled up, especially in the secondary. But too often the team goes only as far as Ehlinger drags them.

Texas’ defense, ranked 111th in the nation, has been a disaster. Todd Orlando has gone from one of the most coveted defensive coordinators in the nation to a guy in danger of losing his job. Other staff changes are likely forthcoming as well.

No one should feel too comfortable at Texas. Not even Herman. Florida State and Arkansas didn’t give their coaches two full seasons before pulling plugs. Strong only got three. Herman’s program is in far better shape, but it suffers in comparison with the green-and-gold joint a hundred miles up the road.

Yes, Texas had to play the likes of LSU, and its schedule, ranked 23rd in the nation by Phil Steele going into the season, was more difficult than Baylor’s, which came in 62nd. But the league slate is the same. Baylor beat TCU in Fort Worth, something Texas couldn’t do. The Bears also were better than Iowa State.

Herman didn’t do himself any favors in the aftermath of their loss in Ames. Asked if he’d been outcoached by Matt Campbell’s staff, he said no. He would later say he’d misinterpreted the question, which seems a little dubious. How do you not understand something so basic? Even though he eventually shouldered his share of the blame, he left the impression he’d thrown his players under the bus.

At best, it left you wondering about Herman’s social skills. Contrast his often combative, I’m-the-smartest-guy-in-the-room style with Rhule’s easy-going demeanor. Check out the latter’s Twitter feed. The most entertaining of any football coach in the Big 12.

Before getting the wrong idea, don’t think this is some kind of popularity contest. Rhule is more than just a nice guy. He took over a program lacking discipline — which is putting it mildly — and changed the culture. At the same time, he acclimated himself to the school and region. He gets it. All of it.

Rhule’s attention to detail is one of the reasons the Bears are good on both sides of the ball. They lead the Big 12 in scoring defense, pass efficiency defense, sacks and turnover margin. James Lynch, a junior from Round Rock, leads the league with 8.5 sacks and is a legit All-America candidate. He was also the first in-home visit Rhule made at Baylor. Lynch’s linemate, Bravvion Roy, is a load. On one play in Saturday’s barn-burner against Oklahoma, he shed an offensive lineman with little more than a flick of his wrist.

The Bears aren’t just good on offense and defense. They’re big on special teams, too. Tied for the FBS lead in blocked kicks with five.

You could say a lot of things about Big 12 teams in general and Baylor in particular before Rhule came to Waco, but “balanced” wasn’t one of them. Probably one of the reasons he’s been interviewed by the Colts and Jets. He might have been the Jets’ coach, in fact, had they not insisted on a say in the makeup of his staff.

New York’s loss is Waco’s gain. Of course, fortunes change quickly in football. For example, there’s still time for Herman to change the narrative. He’s beaten Rhule two years in a row, and his team is good enough to make it three.

The Longhorns had better beat the Bears, too, or Texas boosters will wonder what they’re getting for $5.7 million a year, not to mention why Baylor is on a faster track. Assuming, naturally, the thoughts hadn’t already crossed their minds.

Twitter: @KSherringtonDMN