Can Texas navigate one of the nation's most challenging schedules and make enough improvements on the offensive side of the football to reach the postseason this fall?

Fox Sports senior college football analyst Bruce Feldman likes the strides the program has made heading into Charlie Strong's third season and believes the Longhorns could be a quality team if the right buttons are pushed. A strong start is key, he says, for a group in need of an early boost of confidence.

Here are Feldman's thoughts on Texas in 2016 from Friday's mailbag:

"I definitely think Texas is on the right track. I was the sideline reporter for UT's Thanksgiving game against Texas Tech. The Horns lost that game and were decimated by injuries like I'd never seen one team go down on a given night like that, but from being around UT that week, I got a sense of how good those freshmen are. Malik Jefferson leads what should be a terrific young group of linebackers while Davante Davis and Holton Hill are solid corners with sophomore Kris Boyd giving them a third good CB. Jason Hall played banged up last year and will be a third-year starter and anchors the middle.

"Obviously, the big key will be who the triggerman is for the offense. My hunch is true freshman Shane Buechele will win the job. He fits the new system best. He's the most accurate of the QBs, which is crucial and he's got enough savvy to handle this situation at least to some degree.

The schedule is not forgiving though, with Notre Dame as the opener. Then they get a more manageable game against UTEP and a trip to a rebuilding Cal team. After that, it's trips to Oklahoma State and then OU in Dallas. Just coming out of that 3-2 would be a very nice start. If they can do that, given how young this team will be, Charlie Strong should be in good shape. If they're 1-4 -- which isn't out of the question, given that Cal is road game and the Bears just landed a talented grad transfer QB in Davis Webb -- then things could get dicey.

"My prediction at this point for the Horns is 7-5."