Everyone that follows college football knew Jake Spavital would have an uphill battle on his hands at Texas State. The Bobcats haven't been "tearing things up" in the Sun Belt Conference lately, but with the arrival of a new coach came a renewed hope of change and success.

Unfortunately for Coach Spavital and the Texas State fans, the wins haven't come yet. But there has been progress and some new talent could push the Bobcats over the hump and into the win column far more often in 2021.

Can the Texas State Bobcats finally crush the Sun Belt competition? Let's take a look:

Despite a lot of questions surrounding this program in 2021, there should not be any concern about quarterback. The Bobcats return two QBs with starting experience from last season in Brady McBride and Tyler Vitt. Spavital's choice of signal caller doesn't end there as North Carolina State transfer Ty Evans will certainly get a look to be Texas State's potential starter in 2021.

While Vitt proved "serviceable" at times in 2020, McBride looks like the returning QB that will be battling Ty Evans for the starting job for the first few games of the season.

Helping whoever ends up under center will be an experienced offensive line. Four starters are back on the o-line for Texas State. Both Dalton Cooper and Russell Baker earned All-Conference nods from the Sun Belt and some new pieces via the transfer portal will help fill in the gaps with experience from outside.

At running back, Texas State will have Brock Sturges in the backfield again too, hoping to build on a 2020 campaign that saw him total 532 yards on 111 touches. The junior will need to step it up, if he wants to do better than his average of 44.33 yards a game. Right behind Sturges is Calvin Hill, who had 528 yards last season on ten fewer rushes. Throw Oklahoma State transfer Jahmyl Jeter into the Texas State running back mix and suddenly that Bobcats offense is looking a lot more threatening in 2021.

Defensively, Texas State has nine starters coming back - which looks good at first. But the Bobcats struggled on defense last season, ranking 106th in the country. But last year was a "weird one" for everybody. That doesn't change the fact the Texas State defense has a lot of room to improve.

It's still way too early to get a good feel on where Texas State is going to be in 2021, but things are certainly looking up for Jake Spavital and company. Last season may have seen Texas State go 2-10, but that record doesn't tell the whole story.

The Bobcats almost took down rival SMU, fell in double-overtime to UTSA by a field goal, lost to P5 Boston College on the road, 24-21 - among several other "close calls." And while coming close may only work in horseshoes and hand grenades, it definitely shows that Jake Spavital has this Texas State program trending in the right direction. While most other programs have been focused on recruiting high school players to develop in their system, Spavital has been signing JUCO transfers and cleaning up in the transfer portal. On paper, that looks like the quickest way to build a winner.

Texas State opens 2021 with a very winnable game against the visiting Baylor Bears of the Big 12. That one is slated for Sept. 4 at 7p CT on ESPN+. Looking at the Bears, BU has been in a spiral since the Art Briles scandal rocked the program in 2016 and the Bears are coming off their latest two-win season. A big win in San Marcos against a P5 opponent could set the tone for a breakout season ahead.

The pieces are in place for success in San Marcos. Do you think Jake Spavital can take Texas State to the next level? Let us know in the comments below.