Longhorns survive pollsters

By John Hillman  |   Sunday, November 23, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

College Football
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Texas survived the BCS poll. If Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma bring home victories this weekend, the trio will tie for the Big XII lead with 7-1 records.

In that case, the right to play in the Big XII title match belongs to the school with the highest BCS ranking. Prior to their 65-21 thrashing of Texas Tech, the Sooners held down fifth place behind the second-ranked Red Raiders and No. 3 Longhorns.

Despite the offensive fireworks, Oklahoma couldn’t leapfrog over Texas. The Longhorns moved up to number two with the Sooners just one place behind. If the rankings remained unchanged next week, Texas heads to the Big XII title game against Missouri.

The BCS’s convoluted ranking system doesn’t afford any more objective selection for tiebreakers than the coin flip made famous in H. G. Bissinger’s classic book on Texas high school football, "Friday Night Lights."

In 1988, Odessa Permian, Midland Lee and Midland tied for the district title with identical 5-1 records. Only two teams received playoff bids, and rules called for a coin flip to determine the winners.

After their final regular-season games, the head coaches met at an undisclosed truck stop on Interstate 20. With television cameras covering the event live, Midland wound up as the odd team out despite its 9-1 record.

Although the Longhorns didn't endure a coin flip, the waiting game proved tense. Now the Longhorns receive an excellent chance to solidify their BCS position with the traditional rivalry game against Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night. The Aggies have fallen on difficult times, and Texas will show no mercy toward them in order to bolster its title chances.

A&M, which trailed Baylor 41-7 in its last game before losing 41-21, staged upsets over the Longhorns the past two seasons. Memories of those two bitter losses coupled with the Aggies’ lack of speed both offensively and defensively bode bad tidings the Maroon and White in Austin.

Oklahoma gets another opportunity. Getting past Oklahoma State won’t be easy, and the Sooners need an impressive win to get in the conference championship contest.

Bob Stoops coached one of the best games of his career against the Red Raiders. The Oklahoma offense and defense meshed perfectly, and Texas Tech never stood a chance.

After going down only five times in 10 games, Graham Harrell suffered four sacks, faced constant pressure, and looked like a deer in the headlights the entire game. With Texas defensive coordinate Will Muschamp inking a long-term deal with the Longhorns as Mack Brown’s successor, Oklahoma counterpart Brent Venables became the league’s hottest commodity to head another program.

After the debacle in Norman, Texas Tech can only shake its head and wonder what might have been. The Red Raiders dodged a bullet when Texas safety Blake Gideon dropped a certain interception the play prior to Michael Crabtree’s game-winning touchdown.

But a Crimson and Cream 18-wheeler flattened Texas Tech’s national championship dreams. The Red Raiders must hope the Cowboys regroup during their off week, and Zac Robinson, Kendall Hunter, and Dez Bryant perform like gangbusters in the intense Bedlam rivalry.





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About John Hillman

John Hillman graduated from Baylor University in 1974 with a BBA in accounting and earned an MBA from Baylor in 1987. He worked for accounting firms until 1982 when he became the chief financial officer for an independent insurance claims adjusting service, a position he still holds today. ...
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