Why Cal is among Texas’ biggest match-ups of the season|Texas Hot Topics|Team BattleGround|College BattleGround

Charlie Strong uttered the phrase countless times after Texas’ victory over Notre Dame— “one game does not make a season.” Really, neither does two. Though the Longhorns are 2-0, one can’t assume that a victory over shoddy UTEP really proves that the burnt orange are worthy of their No. 11 AP rank.

Imagine if Texas’ 2015 season swapped out its Notre Dame opener with Oklahoma. The Longhorns would’ve entered week three in 2015 with a narrow top 10 victory over the Sooners under their belts, as well as a double digit win over Rice. We would be praising Jerrod Heard as Texas’ quarterback savior and the ‘Horns would undoubtably be in the top 25.

The reality is, Strong already proved he could beat elite teams last season after the Red River Showdown, and to some degree, the Baylor victory.

So when can we know that Texas really is “back”, that the strong start isn’t a fluke? How about this weekend against Cal?

The first road game of the season is obviously a huge test for any young squad, and the 7:30 pm Pacific kickoff does no favors for Longhorns whose body clocks still may think its 9:30. Add in the fact that Texas’ only true road win of the 2015 season was against an admittedly depleted Baylor unit and its easy to see why the game against the Golden Bears feels like it could be one Texas’ biggest litmus tests of the season.

But time change and nearly 2,000 miles of travel aside, the Cal game is monumental mostly because last year Texas had more trouble sealing the deal against teams in the “pretty good” range.

Going by Football Outsiders F/+ 2015 team rankings, Texas was 2-2 against top 25 opponents, and 3-0 against teams ranked 80th or worse. However, the Longhorns were 0-5 against teams in the 26-79 range.

Cal is ranked 68th so far — the same spot where Texas ended the season last year. What better challenge for the ‘Horns to show they are improved over 2015 than to face off against a team of similar talent to that 2015 Texas unit?

And any Texas fan can testify that the losses that hurt the most in 2015 weren’t the Notre Dame or TCU drubbings, but the close games against evenly matched opponents which disastrously slipped away. From the missed extra point against Cal, to the officiating errors and botched punt against Oklahoma State, to the defensive melt down against Texas Tech, Texas couldn’t catch a break against the good, but beatable teams.

Yes, the Longhorns can win when their coaches’ job is on the line and the world is watching, and they can defeat the cupcakes, too. But the Cal game won’t be on prime time, nor will it be an easy test.

Texas opens as only four point favorites against a team that isn’t rock steady, but isn’t without offensive weapons either. For Texas to prove it belongs in the top 10 conversation, the ‘Horns will need to do what top 10 teams do: go on the road and win against a unit with less talent than you.

Beating the Golden Bears will be a formidable task when considering their aerial attack which consists of a great quarterback-receiver duo in Davis Webb and Chad Hansen. But for this incarnation of the Longhorns, hopefully these kinds of games will begin to feel less like a worrying toss-up and more like a solid challenge for Texas to showcase its abilities.

The dreadful outlook of 2015 appears far in the rearview mirror as the ‘Horns hit the road for the first time in 2016. One game doesn’t make a season. Nor does two. But three? Three starts to feel pretty good.