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This week's Power Rankings feature a new No. 1, as last week's No. 1 takes a tumble:

1. Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0 Big 12, last week 3): The Sooners take over the top spot after delivering the most impressive Big 12 win of the season. Notre Dame is not the same team as last season, but the Irish hadn't lost in South Bend since October of 2011. OU has been a different team since Blake Bell took over at quarterback, and Bell was fabulous Saturday, throwing for two touchdowns without a turnover while churning out first downs with his arm and his legs. The OU defense is clearly better, too, picking off QB Tommy Rees on Notre Dame's first two possessions, with linebacker Corey Nelson returning one for a touchdown. The Sooners were clearly a team overlooked in the preseason, and, after five weeks, are looking like a clear Big 12 favorite along with Baylor.

2. Baylor (3-0, 0-0 Big 12, last week 2): After the off week, the Bears' offense will get its first real challenge this weekend from West Virginia's defense that appears to be the most improved unit in the league. Baylor has been unstoppable so far, but the level of competition is about to undergo an uptick. Can the Bears keep it up? They've shown no signs they can't.

3. Texas Tech (4-0, 1-0 Big 12, last week 4): Despite having the week off, the Red Raiders move up a spot with Oklahoma State's loss. The big question in Lubbock is who will be starting at quarterback for Tech come Saturday against Kansas. Baker Mayfield? Davis Webb? Michael Brewer, who has been progressing well from the back injury? The Red Raiders have been solid defensively, and the skill talent is legit. If Tech can get better play from its quarterback, this team could be a handful -- even for OU and Baylor.

4. West Virginia (3-2, 1-1 Big 12, last week 8): What a difference a week makes. The Mountaineers produced the most impressive in-conference win of the season with a 30-21 victory over preseason favorite Oklahoma State. West Virginia's defense continues to play at a high level (Maryland's 37 points were somewhat of an anomaly because of West Virginia turnovers) and Clint Trickett sparked the offense with his energy and leadership. West Virginia's offense is still pretty limited, but at least it no longer looks completely inept with Trickett at quarterback. The Mountaineers can't score with Baylor this weekend, but maybe they can slow the Bears down? Nobody thought West Virginia could slow Oklahoma or Oklahoma State, either, though Baylor's offense is at another level. We'll see.

5. Texas (2-2, 1-0 Big 12, last week 5): The Longhorns have a couple of interesting games looming. Thursday, Texas travels to Iowa State, which looked much better offensively in a 38-21 win at Tulsa this past Thursday. Then, Texas gets surging Oklahoma in Dallas. This figures to be the defining two-game stretch of the season for the Longhorns. Win the next two, and the season -- as well as Mack Brown's status in Austin -- looks totally different than it did two weeks ago. The off week could not have come at a better time for the Longhorns, giving acting defensive coordinator Greg Robinson another week to acclimate to his defense and quarterback David Ash another week to recover from the head injury that knocked him out of the Ole Miss and Kansas State games.

6. TCU (2-2, 0-1 Big 12, last week 6): Did TCU's offense finally uncover an identity during a rainy fourth quarter against SMU? The Horned Frogs poured on 31 points in the final quarter and did it with some new faces, as Ty Slanina, Ja'Juan Story and Cameron Echols-Luper all factored into the scoring onslaught in the first real action of their TCU careers. The Horned Frogs can really turn their season around with a win in Norman this weekend. That won't be easy, though, if All-American cornerback Jason Verrett (shoulder) and defensive end Devonte Fields (foot) can't play.

7. Oklahoma State (3-1, 0-1 Big 12, last week 1): The Cowboys plummet six spots after an uninspiring performance in Morgantown. It was just one loss, but it was a loss that exposed weaknesses across the board. For the first time in seemingly forever, Oklahoma State's kicking game is awful. The Cowboys' secondary gave up 320 yards to a West Virginia passing attack that previously had been completely futile. And on the other side of the ball, when the Mountaineers dared QB J.W. Walsh to beat them deep, he couldn't do it. That allowed West Virginia to stuff the Cowboys' running game, which also doesn't appear to have that bell-cow running back Oklahoma State has been accustomed to featuring. The Cowboys are better than they looked at West Virginia -- but how much better?

8. Kansas State (2-2, 0-1 Big 12, last week 7): Bill Snyder maintains the Wildcats will stick with the two-quarterback system, which has yielded mixed results. K-State has moved the ball better when Daniel Sams has been in at quarterback. But when he's in, the Wildcats are virtually no threat to pass. Sams has 29 rushes and only four passing attempts. Is Sams really that poor of a passer? Maybe it's time for K-State to find out.

9. Iowa State (1-2, 0-0 Big 12, last week 10): It's hard to believe a center could make that much of a difference. But the return of Tom Farniok sure seemed to do wonders for Iowa State's offense, which finally got going in a 38-21 win at Tulsa. The Cyclones also finally involved running back Aaron Wimberly, who ignited the running game with Iowa State's first 100-yard performance in more than a year. With former blue-chip junior-college transfer E.J. Bibbs emerging now at tight end, QB Sam Richardson no longer appears to be on his own. Jack Trice will be rocking Thursday night for the Longhorns, as Iowa State has a chance to land a signature win to build off of for the rest of the season.

10. Kansas (2-1, 0-0 Big 12, last week 9): The Jayhawks have a winning record but have been mostly unimpressive. Can they turn around the offense against Texas Tech? That will hinge almost entirely on quarterback Jake Heaps, who has talent but has been unable to find any rhythm so far with a collection of unproven wideouts. If the Jayhawks can be competitive this weekend, it will be a good sign they are moving in the right direction. If they get blasted, it could be a long season, especially with Iowa State and West Virginia seemingly having found their stride.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Greg Robinson can spend hours in the film room and at a dry erase board planning and scheming for opponents. That’s the easy part, the job he’s been doing for more than 30 years.

But getting to know his own kids takes time. Entering week three as Texas’ new defensive coordinator, Robinson is glad that familiarity is finally coming along.

“I don’t call them by their numbers anymore,” Robinson said with a chuckle. “Starting to call them by their names.”

Robinson arrived in Austin on a Sunday night two weeks ago with the daunting task of fixing up Texas’ defense with only three days of practice at his disposal amid the embarrassing 40-21 loss at BYU that cost Manny Diaz his job.

He’s been hard at work ever since, doing everything he can to prepare for Texas’ opponents and find solutions for the flaws he inherited. Nobody expected perfection in his first week on the job, but Mack Brown needed to see progress by week 2, when Big 12 play began. And time heals all wounds, right?

The time Robinson gets this week is invaluable. A bye weekend means no opponent, which means plenty more time to focus on his personnel and implementing his ideas. It means, finally, he can slow down.

“Having a bye this week is really, really helpful,” Robinson said.

He hasn’t installed everything he has planned, but an extra 10 days could do wonders for him and his players. Getting Iowa State on a Thursday night next week also means extra prep time for Oklahoma.

As Diaz learned the hard way, this is a results-driven business. No matter the challenges Robinson faced in taking over on less-than-short notice, he has to coax better play out of his Longhorns defenders. If Texas’ performance against Kansas State is any indication, he might have this defense back on the right track.

We could go over all the numbers that say Texas’ defense got better from week 1 under Robinson to week 2, but most of them aren’t going to tell the story. Frankly, Ole Miss’ offense is better than the one K-State brought to Austin. A few numbers are promising, though.

Ole Miss averaged 6.04 yards per rush. K-State, which ran only four fewer plays than the Rebels, was held to 3.03. Texas stopped twice as many Kansas State rushes at or behind the line of scrimmage than it did against Ole Miss.

An interesting measure of a bend-don’t-break defense is how often an opponent scored after getting its initial first down on a drive. Ole Miss scored on 75 percent of those occasions. K-State? 33 percent.

Some of that is scheme and preparation, and a lot of it is motivation. Texas was staring down the possibility of starting the season 1-3. That scenario was unacceptable to its seniors.

“We control our effort,” defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat said. “That’s the thing. They can’t coach effort. We have to go and play hard, executed everything. That’s what we did. We made sure we executed the plays they put it.”

In the moments after the BYU loss, the leaders of Texas’ defense offered their unconditional support to Diaz and said he was still the right man for the job. They didn’t know much about Robinson when he arrived, but they’re buying in to what he brings to the table as their new leader.

“He made the promise that he was going to give us all he had, and that’s what he did,” defensive tackle Chris Whaley said. “We make the promise that we’ll give him all we have, so it was a great second week.”

Brown said he’s proud of how Robinson has collaborated with the rest of Texas’ defensive coaching staff. He has an especially strong connection with Duane Akina, the veteran secondary coach whom he’d worked closely with back in 2004.

“They’ve done such an amazing job,” Brown said. “They argue, they fight, but they did in ‘04. Then they come up with good stuff.”

They’re just getting started. Senior safety Adrian Phillips – or No. 17, as Robinson probably called him -- said he’s looking forward to finding out just what kind of coach Robinson really is over this next week.

The defensive coordinator can appreciate that. He too is starting to get a better sense of what he’s working with.

“Just being in the room with these guys, I’d be shocked if they didn’t just keep doing what they’re doing,” Robinson said. “And that’s getting better.”

AUSTIN, Texas – Even after a must-win game over the defending Big 12 champion, Texas coach Mack Brown wasn’t ready to celebrate just yet. But surely he’s breathing a deep sigh of relief after this one, right?

“I’m not there yet,” he said. “Not there yet.”

It’s safe to say the significance of Texas’ 31-21 win over Kansas State isn’t lost on him. Nobody needed a win on Saturday more than Brown and Texas.

Many will knock Kansas State and say Texas just beat a team that had lost to an FCS school. Big whoop. Some will go a step further and laugh at Texas for celebrating a win over Kansas State, calling it a sign of the times if that’s the Longhorns' standard.

But Texas has every reason to overreact to a win over the Wildcats, its first since 2003. The Longhorns were entering season-on-the-brink territory. Win or fall apart. Frustrated players, angry fans, wild rumors. Lose this game and it all gets a whole lot worse, and we start questioning how Texas will even get to six wins.

Brown needed this to stave off all the negativity, to send a message that the season isn’t over.

“We had to get this game tonight. We had to get back on the right track,” Brown said. “I don’t think this team will let up, I really don’t.”

Ever the optimist, Brown can point to plenty of things he saw Saturday night that reinforce his belief in this team. His veteran offensive line finally began playing up to its potential in paving the way for 227 rushing yards, including 141 and two scores from Johnathan Gray.

"This was a crucial step for us to get things turned around, and it is a great feeling to get that accomplished and know that we are back on the right track," senior guard Trey Hopkins said.

And that maligned Texas defense, that one that was as porous as any in the country through three games, at last showed progress in Week 2 of the Greg Robinson regime. Holding Kansas State to 115 yards on the ground is tangible, unmistakable progress.

Somehow, the Longhorns overcame losing quarterback David Ash at halftime to concussion-related symptoms and linebacker Jordan Hicks in the second half to a sprained ankle.

The laundry list of Texas starters who are injured keeps growing, but the team has a week off before traveling to Iowa State for a Thursday night showdown.

More than anything, Texas just needed positive energy and momentum. The two losses made Brown and his team a national punching bag. Everyone got in their shots. Much of the chatter wasn’t unfair.

What Texas did to Kansas State won’t shut everyone up, but it’s a start. Brown tried his best to block out the negativity, but he let his players deal with it however they pleased.

“I actually said to those guys what I’ve said to you all: Handle it any way you want to, but beat Kansas State,” Brown said. “The rest of it doesn’t matter. If it bothers you, don’t look at it. If you enjoy drama, look at it. It’s up to you.”

Defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat has argued for weeks that this would be a player-led team. Texas was playing without six injured starters, and its players embraced a next-man-up mentality.

“I give all the credit to the players. This week was a tough week, obviously,” offensive coordinator Major Applewhite said. “We lost, lot of criticism, lot of chances to kind of get rabbit ears. But everybody put their nose to the grindstone and worked.”

The fourth-quarter stops and turnovers are a sign this season can get better. Leaning on and trusting the run game when Ash exited was a sign. Ending three straight years of futility against K-State was a sign, too.

There are reasons -- not many, but a few -- to believe Texas can eventually become the team it was hyped up to be. Brown saw that on Saturday.

“This is part of the team that I expected to see and expect to see for the rest of the year,” Brown said. “This can be a really good football team before we finish.”

It’s just one win. The intense scrutiny probably won’t dissipate much. But the toxic cloud over Brown’s program lifted for one night. Now would be a good time to exhale.

Here's what we learned from Week 3 in the Big 12, in which only four undefeated teams are left standing:

1. Texas still can’t play much defense: After his Rebels dispatched Texas 44-23, Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said the Longhorns ran virtually the same defensive scheme under coordinator Greg Robinson as they did last week under Manny Diaz. It sure looked that way on the field. Ole Miss racked up 272 yards on the ground and averaged 6.0 yards per carry to coast past Texas in Austin. The Longhorns appear to be no better off defensively now than they were a week ago in an embarrassing 40-21 loss at BYU. If Texas can’t correct its defense, this could end up being a long season in Austin. And Mack Brown’s final one, too.

2. QB Blake Bell isn’t just a Belldozer: So much for the premise Bell can only run. The artist formerly known as the Belldozer passed for 413 yards and four touchdowns in his first career start as Oklahoma whipped Tulsa 51-20. Bell, who replaced Trevor Knight, completed 27 of 37 passes and posted the highest passing yardage total by any Oklahoma quarterback making his first start. He also delivered a QBR of 96.7 (on a scale of 0-100). Most importantly, Bell’s performance gives the Sooners confidence in their passing attack going into a showdown at Notre Dame in two weeks.

3. The Mountaineers are all in on QB Ford Childress: Dana Holgorsen hinted early last week he would be making a quarterback change. Most everyone assumed it would be Florida State transfer Clint Trickett getting the start over Paul Millard. Instead, it was the redshirt freshman Childress, who played the entire game and played well in West Virginia’s 41-7 win over Georgia State. Despite several drops from his receivers, Childress completed 25 of 41 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns with an interception. To get to a bowl game, the Mountaineers could really use a win next weekend over Maryland in Baltimore. There’s no doubt now that Childress will be the one they’ll be relying on.

4. TCU’s offense is a mess: Texas Tech’s defense has promise. But the Horned Frogs looked completely discombobulated offensively during Thursday night’s 20-10 loss in Lubbock. Quarterback Trevone Boykin, who finished with a raw QBR of 28.6, could not string any drives together for the Horned Frogs. TCU went 4-of-16 on third down and 0-of-2 on fourth down. After a 1-2 start -- and with difficult road games at Oklahoma and Oklahoma State looming -- TCU’s season could turn disastrous if the Frogs don’t find some offensive flow, and quick.

5. Iowa State has no running game: With quarterback Sam Richardson dealing with a sore ankle, the Cyclones needed to get something going on the ground. For the second game, they couldn’t. Iowa State’s running back quartet managed just 42 yards on 16 carries as Iowa jumped to a big lead before holding on for the 27-21 win. Wideout Quenton Bundrage had a big game with three touchdown catches, but the Cyclones don’t have the kind of receiving weapons to be effective offensively without a solid running game. This could end up being a long season for Iowa State, as the Cyclones might not be favored until Kansas comes to Ames on Nov. 23.

Several intriguing games in the Big 12 this week. Will Texas put out the fire? How will Iowa State respond? Is Texas Tech for real? Should Blake Bell take over the reins at Oklahoma? Can’t wait to get those answers.

Here’s what to watch in the Big 12 for Week 3:

1. Can Texas rebound? Texas has brought in Greg Robinson to turn things around for the Longhorns’ defense. The veteran coach has experience but he’s been thrown into the fire and asked to make a miracle happen against Ole Miss in less than a week. The odds aren’t on his side, but if Robinson completely turns around the UT defense, the entire Big 12 landscape will have changed in a matter of days.

2. First real test for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders haven’t seen anything like TCU’s defense thus far this season. Tech quarterback Baker Mayfield has been outstanding, having thrown for 780 yards and seven touchdowns (he's also rushed for a TD) while leading the Red Raiders to a 2-0 start. But he hasn’t seen playmakers like TCU’s Devonte Fields, Jason Verrett and Kevin White. How Mayfield handles his first Big 12 game could define if the Red Raiders’ hope of becoming the Big 12’s surprise team can come true.

3. Character test for the Cyclones. Iowa State can redeem itself with a win over Iowa on Saturday. The Cyclones’ disappointing 28-20 loss to Northern Iowa was one of the most surprising results of the season’s first weekend, particularly since their defense couldn’t stop UNI on the ground or through the air. Nothing can get things back on track like a rivalry game and ISU is looking to make sure its horrible Week 1 performance doesn’t snowball into a horrible multi-game stretch to start the season.

4. Blake Bell’s opportunity. The Sooners quarterback gets the chance to prove he should have been OU’s starter when his squad hosts Tulsa on Saturday. Bell, the preseason favorite to replace Landry Jones, lost the quarterback battle to Trevor Knight. But Knight’s knee injury has opened the door; will Bell walk through it?

5. How will Oklahoma State handle a week of distractions? The Cowboys have been in the news throughout the week due to allegations of misconduct throughout the program in a series of stories by Sports Illustrated. OSU’s home opener against Lamar will be the first time to see the football program in action since the series was published and Boone Pickens Stadium promises to be a lively atmosphere. Nonetheless, it should be pretty easy to tell if the Cowboys are distracted. And if they are, it might be a sign that the distractions could affect them for the remainder of the season as the ripple effect continues.

6. Will West Virginia’s quarterback situation ever become clear? Dana Holgorsen plans to continue his search for a solid No. 1 quarterback until Paul Millard, Clint Trickett or Ford Childress separates himself from the pack. Holgorsen is extremely disappointed in the play of his offense and has shouldered the blame, saying, “It’s embarrassing, we have to put our guys in better position to make plays.” But one of those guys needs to seize the opportunity to trigger Holgorsen’s offense starting against Georgia State on Saturday.

7. Can Trevone Boykin take TCU’s offense to a different level? Boykin will be asked to shoulder the load for the Horned Frogs with Casey Pachall out. He’s much better prepared to be the main man in the offensive backfield this season and his dynamic running will test any defense. Much like Bell, Boykin has the chance to prove he should have been the guy in the first place.

8. Kansas looks to keep momentum. The Jayhawks opened the season with a win over South Dakota and will get the chance to start off 2-0 when they visit Rice. KU coach Charlie Weis is trying to build a quality program and a win over the Owls would be step in the right direction after several close calls in 2012.

9. Will Kansas State’s defense return to its 2012 form? The Wildcats replaced several starters, including linebacker Arthur Brown, but the cupboard is not bare. Yet the Wildcats have allowed 24 points to North Dakota State and 27 points to Louisiana-Lafayette in back-to-back weeks. Last year’s defense allowed 19.5 points per game in nonconference play. KSU needs a strong defensive performance against Massachusetts on Saturday to get its confidence going on that side of the ball with a road trip to Texas looming next weekend.

10. Are any Big 12 teams ripe for an upset? OSU has had a week full of distractions, Kansas State is still a work in progress, WVU’s offense has been substandard and OU can’t seem to create any offensive balance. All four teams host opponents they should beat with relative ease but it wouldn’t be a shock to see any of those squads struggle because, quite simply, no Big 12 team has looked like dominant squad during the first two weeks of the season.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Nearly 24 hours have passed since Texas announced the hiring of Greg Robinson as its new defensive coordinator, and to say they’ve been a whirlwind would be a severe understatement.

Mack Brown made the call to Robinson early Sunday afternoon. Manny Diaz is out. We need you in Austin. He accepted, boarded a plane, landed in Austin around 6:30 p.m. and headed straight to practice.

Robinson was up past 1 a.m. cramming for his first big test as the new leader of the troubled Texas defense. He was still catching up on Texas’ defensive terminology on Monday. He is, understandably, too busy to do interviews with Texas media this week, and Brown said Monday he hadn’t even met with Robinson to talk scheme and planning for Ole Miss.

“He’ll have three practices between now and Saturday to try to get us in a better spot,” Brown said. “It’s a tough deal for him.”

It’s a tough deal for everyone in this Longhorn program. Usually these kinds of coaching changes are made on bye weeks. Brown let Diaz go Sunday in part because he had to buy as much time as he can to get Robinson ready for Texas’ Big 12 schedule.

The biggest reason may have been this: Brown couldn’t afford to sit back and watch things get even worse.

“That was unacceptable on Saturday night,” Brown said. “It went back to the three to four games we had in a row last year where we couldn’t stop the run. I wasn’t going to let that continue.”

He does not expect Robinson to work a miracle and fix every flaw in one week. Brown just needs to see progress, and the veteran leaders of his defense are ready to get to work … once they get their game plan.

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Fitzsimmons and Durrett discuss Mack Brown, Manny Diaz and all the latest with the Texas Longhorns. Listen

“Obviously right now, we’re not sure what the game plan is,” Texas linebacker Jordan Hicks said. “Coach Robinson, coach [Duane} Akina, coach [Bo] Davis are all in there getting all the film sessions and game plans ready to go. The biggest thing we’ve got to do is execute. We felt prepared for BYU. We were prepared. We’ve got to go out there and put it on ourselves to actually execute a game plan and do that effectively.”

Hicks admitted he was shocked Diaz was let go but believes his former position coach would want the team to move on and get ready for No. 25 Ole Miss.

Brown said Monday the plan Texas had to attack BYU was a good one. The players’ inconsistent execution of that plan was the real problem, and their coach was held responsible for that.

“If we would’ve performed better, if we would’ve executed his scheme better, he wouldn’t be in this position and we wouldn’t be in this position,” Hicks said. “We feel like we could’ve played better against BYU and had better opportunities.”

Brown saw enough from working with Robinson in 2004 to know he’s the kind of guy Texas’ defenders need right now.

“Greg brings a wealth of knowledge. He’s a true veteran,” Brown said. “He’s a guy that has three Rose Bowl rings and a Super Bowl ring, so he’s been there before. He handles pressure well, he makes great adjustments. When he was here before, we tackled very well, we chased the ball and we were very sound fundamentally. He’s a guy kids love to play for.”

The big question is how different his take on Texas’ defense will be. Expect a more simplified approach focused on sound tackling and physical play, and Robinson will add his own wrinkles along the way. But there isn’t enough time at this point to implement sweeping big-picture changes.

“I guess we’ll have to see,” Hicks said. “I don’t know what to expect defensively. I’m not sure if we’re sticking with the same stuff or taking it in a new direction. I have no clue. We haven’t talked about it yet.”

To Texas safety Adrian Phillips, losing Diaz was just as painful as losing in Provo. Both results, he said, felt like a punch in the face. But he felt Robinson made a great impression in his first time meeting with the team Sunday night, and he’s confident his teammates will rally around their new boss.

“I mean, we have no choice,” Phillips said. “If we want BYU to be our only loss of the season, we have no choice but to buy in. I know my teammates want to be successful just like I do. We’ll buy into it.”

What exactly did Robinson say to his new players in his first night on the job?

“He was very brief with them,” Brown said. “He said, ‘Tough situation for all of us. I’m going to come in and try to do the best I can do to help get back on track.’ He broke them down. That was it.”

With less than 140 hours to repair Texas’ defense, he didn’t have time for much else.

Mark Schlabach reacts to the latest example of the Longhorns' defensive struggles that allowed 550 rushing yards to BYU on Saturday.

Texas coach Mack Brown said on Saturday night he needed to watch the BYU tape before deciding what to do with defensive coordinator Manny Diaz.

Apparently, the tape was just as bad as the live performance.

As a result, Brown will turn to a former assistant who’s been doing nothing but watching tape to rescue his beleaguered defense.

Sunday, Brown announced that he had replaced Diaz with Greg Robinson, who was already on the Texas payroll as a consultant living in Los Angeles. Robinson, who was the defensive coordinator on the Longhorns’ 2004 team that won the Rose Bowl, was hired over the summer to review film and collect data.

Saturday, he’ll be calling the Texas defense against Ole Miss.

“We're very fortunate that Greg has been around, watched all of our practice video and has a good scouting report moving forward,” Brown said in a statement. “His familiarity with the staff and players should make for a smooth transition. He knows this place, did a terrific job in leading our defense before, and I'm excited to have him back on the field. We're back at it and working hard to beat Ole Miss this weekend."

Brown has reason to be excited about having Robinson back. In Robinson’s only season in Austin, the Longhorns featured the No. 23 defense in the country. Texas was especially tough against the run that season, allowing an average of 107 rushing yards a game. The Longhorns gave up more than five times that amount in their 40-21 loss on Saturday to the Cougars, whose 550 rushing yards were the most ever against a Texas defense.

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Fitzsimmons and Durrett discuss Mack Brown, Manny Diaz and all the latest with the Texas Longhorns. Listen

"This is a tough deal for everyone involved, but I love The University of Texas, and Coach Brown has been wonderful to me," Robinson said in a statement. "I'll do anything I can to help him, so when he called, I told him I'd be there today. I know the staff, have a lot of respect for them and am excited for the challenge moving forward.”

Because of his performance in ’04, Robinson lasted only one season at Texas. Yet because of his performance since then, Robinson was available for Brown to rehire.

After the Longhorns went 11-1 and beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl, Syracuse hired Robinson to be its head coach. But in four years with the Orange, Robinson went just 10-37 with a record of 3-26 in the Big East and was fired with two games remaining in the 2008 season.

Robinson landed the Michigan defensive coordinator job the following season. But like at Syracuse, Robinson struggled, and the Wolverines ranked 82nd and 110th nationally in total defense during his two years as defensive coordinator. After the 2010 season, which featured the worst statistical defense in Michigan history, the Wolverines fired both Robinson and head coach Rich Rodriguez.

Since then, Robinson has been out of coaching college football.

Until Sunday.

And because the tape was so bad, the former video analyst now faces the task of turning around this Texas defense in person.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Bringing Manny Diaz back was better than bringing in a stranger.

That, in a nutshell, was Mack Brown’s mentality this offseason when he opted to retain the maligned Diaz amid the worst defensive season in Texas history.

PODCAST
Fitzsimmons and Durrett discuss Mack Brown, Manny Diaz and all the latest with the Texas Longhorns. Listen

He could’ve sent Diaz packing last December, and a large faction of the Longhorn fan base would’ve been satisfied. But he was convinced that Diaz, a young defensive guru who’d succeeded everywhere he went, was still the right man for the job.

Brown would joke that Diaz hadn’t gone dumb overnight. In the end, it took only one night to end his tenure as Texas defensive coordinator.

Two games into the season, Diaz was officially relieved of his duties and reassigned within the UT athletic department on Sunday, clearing the way for recently hired football analyst and former Texas defensive coordinator Greg Robinson to take the reigns and try to fix the mess BYU exposed on Saturday.

There were absolutely no signs this move was coming before Texas kicked off in Provo. This was a panic move by Brown, one that conveys just how concerned he is about Texas’ next 10 games.

That’s not to say this wasn’t the right move. The faith he’d put in Diaz to get Texas’ defense back on track was badly burned Saturday. BYU did exactly what Diaz had expected and prepared his defense for, and they still rushed for 550 yards -- nearly 100 more than a Texas defense had ever given up -- en route to an easy 40-21 victory.

Diaz was red-eyed and seemed shaken by what he’d witnessed when he sat down for his postgame interview. He was asked if he was confident he’d still be coaching for Texas’ next game against Ole Miss.

“Yeah. That’s not even a topic,” Diaz said.

Mack Brown did not say yes. He said he wanted to watch the game film. And the film didn’t lie: Texas did not make adjustments on defense. Diaz had no answers.

But one game, one terrible night, didn’t really do Diaz in. Add up the 15 games Texas has played since the start of the 2012 season and the Longhorns ranked No. 111 in FBS in run defense, No. 101 in yards per rush and No. 85 in yards per play allowed.

But Brown trusted him, at least publicly. When Texas announced the hiring of Robinson on July 17, as analyst who scouted UT opponents, Robinson made sure to include this quote in the press release: “In Manny [Diaz's] case, I don't want it in any way for him to feel like he has someone looking over his shoulder at all. That's not what I'm there for. I don't want to in any way inhibit him or any of the coaches. Mack and I talked about that, and that was important to me.”

Whether Brown brought in Robinson as his contingency plan if Diaz failed is debatable, but the selection of Robinson is no doubt a curious one for this reason: He is, essentially, the stranger.

Robinson last coached at Texas in 2004. He had no hand in assembling this roster. He didn’t plan to live in Austin as an analyst, instead commuting from Los Angeles for meetings, fall camp and home games.

Texas’ defensive players, the ones who insisted they 100-percent supported Diaz on Saturday night, are familiar with Robinson but hardly know him well. How will they react to the new leadership?

A fresh start might be just what they need, and Robinson could be the right guy needed to simply the scheme and put a Texas defense on the field that’s far better prepared. But there’s no guarantee this will be enough.

This is a gamble by Brown, no question. His gut feeling wasn’t wrong -- enough was enough. Manny Diaz couldn’t get the job done.

But there’s nobody else left to scapegoat and no room for excuses. Now Mack Brown has to get the job done.