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You know the joke by now: Texas is [whispers] the "B" word.

While one season doesn't dictate whether a traditional blue blood is, in fact, "back," Texas has now tasted enough success that there's no going back. Coach Tom Herman overachieved in 2018 by guiding the Longhorns to a pleasantly surprising 10-4 season that included an appearance in the Big 12 Championship Game and a Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia. Considering the Horns lost in Week 1, again, to Maryland, it was one of the better turnarounds of the year. The culmination of that turnaround meant the Longhorns had their first 10-win season in nearly a decade. 

But with Texas, nothing is ever simple. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger laid the groundwork for an offseason of hype when he declared Texas, um, "back" following the Sugar Bowl. 

Regardless, Herman's days of overachieving are most likely done. Now that he's entering Year 3, the jump to playoff/title contender is here. And yet, the Longhorns have so much to replace, including more than 15 starters from last year's team. SB Nation's Bill Connelly notes that Texas ranks 121st in returning production. So while it's a little soon to expect Texas to compete for those goals every single season, here are five questions the team must answer in 2019 to get back to where it wants to be on a consistent basis. 

Can the offensive line reload?

This is the biggest question because it affects so many other parts of the offense, and Texas is down three key starters from a year ago, including guard Patrick Vahe. The Longhorns became a punchline for offensive line development in the latter years of the Mack Brown era extending into Charlie Strong's tenure, but that changed with Vahe. Now that he and other key players are gone, can Texas rebuild in a critical spot?

As a general rule, teams with O-line questions are a hard sell, but there are a couple of pieces the Horns can build around. The first is senior center Zach Shackelford, who started at center for the Longhorns in the Sugar Bowl win. In all, he has 40 game appearances and 27 starts. If you're going to have one seasoned offensive lineman, center is a good place to start. Texas also got a late addition by way of former Georgia Tech guard Parker Braun, who will patch the hole left by Vahe. However, he won't arrive until the summer. Beyond that, Denzel Okafor has some experience at guard and tackle, but the fourth-year junior has just four starts. 

Offensive lines take awhile to develop and having a rebuilt group creates some cause for concern. Coach Herb Hand has done a good job so far in Austin. This year will test just how good of a job he can do. 

Can quarterback Sam Ehlinger stay upright?

Ehlinger is a perfect fit for Herman's offense. He's a bruising runner and, in many cases, the best option in the ground attack. That needs to change for a couple of reasons. Just because Ehlinger can get the tough yards doesn't mean he needs to every time. The Longhorns don't have the safety net behind Ehlinger that they had before with Shane Buechele, who transferred to SMU this offseason. Even reserve Jerrod Heard is gone after what felt like eight years. 

Keaontay Ingram is the answer in the backfield. After averaging five yards per carry as a freshman, Ingram should be a 1,000-yard running back. Ehlinger can still be a top short-yardage/goal-line option, and there are plenty of role players at running back, but Ingram needs a breakout season. 

When Ehlinger was healthy last year, he was an efficient quarterback and a strong decision-maker. He went 10 straight games without throwing a pick and averaged nearly eight yards per pass attempt. At this point, his game is what it is: he'll beat you up carrying the ball and hurt you deep over the top off of that, but he's extremely good at it. 

Can the new defensive front step up?

As if replacing key starters along the offensive line wasn't enough, Texas has questions to answer in the trenches on the other side of the ball. Chris Nelson, Charles Omenihu and Breckyn Hager are all gone. If you want to extend the pass rushing to beyond the defensive line, Gary Johnson is another impact player who's moved on. 

But in concentrating on the D-line, there's some serious potential with the returning pieces. Defensive end Malcolm Roach and nose tackle Gerald Wilbon are veteran players, but neither have had a major breakout effort yet. Roach has had some injury problems, but showed up against Georgia with four tackles. Recent history says both can step up; Omenihu was putting up similar numbers to Roach before he burst on to the scene a year ago with a team-high 9.5 sacks. 

Other than the offensive line, you could argue that the new-look D-line is the most important group that needs to come together of the offseason. Without a stout defensive front that can rush the passer, many secondaries will get burned in the Big 12. On that note ... 

Can the secondary overcome youth?

There's a ton of talent and length at cornerback, which is a good thing in the pass-happy Big 12. There's just not a lot of experience. Kris Boyd and Davante Davis had their shortcomings, but they were the most proven options on the outside. Kobe Boyce, Anthony Cook and Jalen Green are all sophomores (Boyce is a third-year sophomore) who saw action in varying degrees a season ago. Josh Thompson is a junior who should slide into starting the nickel role. 

The cornerback/nickel spots aren't completely devoid of playing experience, but this will be the first time they are counted on as full-time starters. Texas' pass defense had its ups and downs a season ago and replacing well-known names with new ones against a conference full of standout wide receivers is a challenge. 

What about that LSU home game?

Scheduling absolutely plays a role in the tone of a season. The strength of schedule doesn't equal how good a team is, but good/bad breaks are factors you have to take into consideration. Overall, Texas has a promising slate. The Longhorns don't leave Austin until October and have one tricky stretch from Oct. 26 to Nov. 23 when they play three road games in four weeks. 

But, obviously, the game circled on the calendar (besides Oklahoma) is the Week 2 matchup against LSU. A lot of teams are still trying to find themselves this early in the season -- the Tigers will be no exception -- but in a way, many of the questions posed above will be tested in this game. You don't want one game to define a season and the result of this one has zero bearing on the Big 12 race, but this clearly a major moment opportunity for Herman's team. 

As of now, Texas has LSU right where it wants them. The opening line for this game is LSU (-6). That is bound to change, but if you know anything about Herman's well-documented history as an underdog, you'd be inclined to take the points -- especially at home.