Texas is not back.
Not on Saturday, anyway. Not without its burgeoning star QB, Quinn Ewers. Not on Nick Saban's watch.
But for much of the 12 years since Texas last played Alabama -- another game in which it lost its starting quarterback -- the Longhorns have served as a national punchline, with "Texas is back!" the easiest joke in college football. (Though, credit to Texas for providing plenty of other material, from "OK, cool. Hook 'em" to multiple losses to Kansas to an attack monkey trained to steal Halloween candy.