All Downhill

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AUSTIN, Texas – Overwhelmingly, the two most popular football teams in Texas are the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Longhorns.
There are a lot of football fans here, so it's not like Texas A&M or the Houston Texans or Baylor or UTEP or even those high schools with 20,000-seat stadiums, like in Mesquite and Odessa, are without support.
Still, it's the 'Horns and 'Boys that are the traditional obsessions around here. If you are into one, there’s a good chance you also like the other. Not universally, but there’s plenty of crossover.
They love big in Texas and these are the teams with the big histories, big stages and big expectations.
And right now, bad realities.
On the eve of a Dallas season that offers little promise, Texas was humiliated by BYU, 41-7. It was a dispiriting whipping that offers a thud to whatever momentum new coach Charlie Strong had created.
"It's an embarrassment to the program," Strong said. "And it's an embarrassment to this university."
The Cowboys can only hope for better when San Francisco visits three hours up I-35 in Arlington on Sunday. Coming off three consecutive 8-8 seasons under uninspiring Jason Garrett, with a defensive line seemingly full of holes and no major off-season addition, preseason hype is centered mostly on whether they should have drafted Cleveland's backup QB and how much Johnny Walker Blue Jones will drink in his luxury box.
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Would Jerry Jones be willing to hire a coach with no NFL experience? (AP)
For the old-line 'Boys and 'Horns fan, it looks like a gloomy fall, yet one with a single remedy that could aid both entities, breathing life into Dallas and easing the challenge ahead in Austin.
Jerry Jones needs to hire Kevin Sumlin.
Is early September too early to start discussing the hiring and firing of coaches? Not if you’re a Cowboys fan. Garrett will get a chance to prove what he hasn’t proven yet, but if it’s more of the same, let the speculation begin.
Naturally it will involve Sumlin, no matter the statements of non-interest or possible contract hurdles or his love of all things Aggie. This is the price of the Texas A&M coach becoming the biggest football force in the state. In three years he's turned the long-middling program into a swashbuckling winner on the field and absolute juggernaut on the recruiting trail.
His offense, both in College Station and previously at the University of Houston creates quarterbacks, spins scoreboards and thrills fans. His presence in locker rooms, on recruiting visits and during media appearances is a combination of capable and cool. He's 50, but seems younger. Players worship him. Everyone respects him.
He's exactly the kind of bold move Jones likes to think he's about, an absolute coaching star whose only drawback is a lack of an NFL pedigree. Considering the league is trying to copy everything his system entails, that shouldn't matter.
If the hot seat that Garrett occupies goes as predicted, Sumlin is the smart bet for Jones, who made his fortune as an oil wildcatter rolling the dice all over this state. This would be a calculated gamble.
Meanwhile, by getting him away from A&M, the Longhorns benefit by the disappearance of a guy who is currently lapping them in terms of recruiting, excitement and relevance.
Charlie Strong proved he was an excellent football coach at Louisville and that hasn't changed. This was ugly, real ugly, like painfully ugly, but in the long-term, he'll find success here in Austin.
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Life after Johnny Football hasn't been rocky for Kevin Sumlin thus far. (Getty)
This is still UT, mind you. Incredible facilities. Unsurpassed support. World-class city. Tremendous academics. Deep tradition. Burnt Orange and Bevo and cheerleaders in chaps.
It sure would be still be nice to get rid of Sumlin. There isn't a Longhorns fan alive who wouldn't love to see him go away and torture someone else, and if he could go and revitalize their favorite pro team, hey, all the better.
Deep down they'd love to root for the guy. Everyone seems to love him, most notably the best players across the state's vast high school system. Rivals.com ranks 39 Texas kids as 4-star or better prospects in the Class of 2015. A&M has 12 of them committed. Texas has just two.
If there was one thing Texas could always count on through the years, it was getting the best in-state prospects. But not anymore, and considering the way BYU dominated, it's in dire need.
Even if Sumlin were to leave, A&M would be a formidable challenge, what with its expanding stadium and SEC membership. UT would take its chances, though.
Now, Sumlin might not even consider Jones' Cowboys. He's on the radar of the entire NFL, including teams with better general managers. He's said in the past he loves the chance to coach young people, college kids. He’s passionate about his love for the school. He undoubtedly would love to win a national title at Texas A&M.
There have also been reports that his agreement signed last year with A&M prohibits him from “entertaining” NFL offers. What that means, or how it’s legally enforced, is anyone’s guess.
Jones has said he's willing to spend any amount of money to win another Super Bowl, though. Well, here would be a chance to prove it.
It's still early September, but if you're a traditional football fan in these parts, you're facing a forgettable season in Austin and a potentially listless one in the Metroplex.
If that's how it plays out, well, a solution for both ailments sits over there in College Station.
Jerry Jones can find him by following the roars of the crowd.
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