The Week That Will Be (12.06.08)

Last Week: 2-4 ATS 5-1 SU
For the Year: 41-42-1 (.494) ($520) ATS 68-16 (.810) SU

What we learned last week: We learned that it is a sad state of affairs in Florida collegiate football outside of the Florida Gators. Florida State couldn’t even manage to slow down the Gators in a torrential downpour, I fear what the score would have been in fair conditions…….We learned that a 36-0 loss to Alabama will get you fired, but Tommy Tuberville is getting the short end of the stick at Auburn. 84 wins in a power conference such as the SEC over 10 years is certainly nothing to hang your head over, good luck finding a coach that can beat Nick Saban and Urban Meyer with regularity…….Robert Griffin is going to be a good one, but Baylor went away from him too early on Saturday. Their best chance at winning that ballgame was putting the ball into his hands, and it seems like too often the running back was getting the ball on the zone read. I hope you didn’t have your hopes up too high on that one, Texas fans……We learned that Missouri can apparently go from #2 one year to losing to a five loss team the next season. Thanks for nothing, Missouri, but you can make it up to us this week……We learned that Oklahoma is quite simply the luckiest team in the history of luckiest teams. Jermaine Gresham should seriously buy a lottery ticket one of these days…….And finally, we learned that all is right in the world again (almost) after Texas ended that improbable 2 year losing streak to the Aggies. Now let’s start a new streak.

Anyhow…

In a diner somewhere in West Texas, an old man sips his coffee while ordering the same thing he gets every Sunday from the surly waitress. She grunts her acknowledgement, pushes the pencil behind her ear and turns away, leaving him in his own world once again. The man lifts the newspaper, and below the bold headline that proclaims last night’s events a huge upset, a picture sits showing a young defensive back from the big state school in Austin. The kid feels that he let the big one get away and the tears are rolling down his face like the soda coming out of the soda fountain behind the counter.

They told him that strange things happen in Lubbock at night. And Cedric Griffin, despite being a freshman, felt that he had let his team down, had ruined their national title hopes by not knocking down the ball, or getting an interception, or making a game saving tackle. He let his team down.

Four years later. It was another night game, this time in Columbus, Ohio, the site of Ohio State University, and an epic match-up between the #2 Texas Longhorns and the #4 Ohio State Buckeyes. The Longhorns were heavy favorites to reach the national title game, but first had a huge obstacle to get over in the Buckeyes, who had never lost at night in the famed Horseshoe, and who had national title aspirations of their own.

Texas jumped up 10-0 on the Buckeyes before they came back with 16 unanswered points. The teams traded field goals in the second half, and with about five minutes to go in the third, Ohio State led 19-16.

Then came his moment.

Ohio State drove down the field, and looked to add a touchdown and put the game away. The Longhorns hadn’t moved the ball since the first quarter, they surely weren’t going to score 10 points in the last 20 minutes of the game (and they would have been right).

Ohio State quarterback Justin Zwick dropped back in the pocket from the shadows of Texas’s goalposts, and hit tight end Ryan Hamby right across the middle. Hamby juggled it, and then reeled it in as he crossed the goalline…but then Cedric Griffin came out of seemingly nowhere and jostled the ball loose (YouTube Clip.

Cedric Griffin had just made the biggest defensive play of his life, and it came in the Longhorns’ biggest regular season game of their national title season. Ohio State ended up kicking a field goal, and Vince Young made the rest history.

Redemption.

Sports has a way of letting us ride it to the highest of highs, but when those waves come crashing down, it also reaches us down into the lowest of lows. November 16, 2002 ended up being a low for the #3 Longhorns when they lost to Texas Tech, and November 1, 2008 will end up haunting these Longhorns unless Missouri pulls off the improbable this weekend.

And nobody will be more haunted than freshman Blake Gideon, who dropped a sure interception the play before Graham Harrell hit Michael Crabtree for a touchdown pass with one second left, ending the Longhorns’ reign at #1 and dropping them into the BCS abyss that they never recovered from.

But make no mistake about it. Blake Gideon will be back. He will make a play that will save our ass, and you’ll smile, look up at the heavens, and quietly whisper to yourself…

Redemption.

And the Longhorns will be back. Hell, the Longhorns might be back this year. Sunday’s ridiculous situation that left them on the tarmac watching Oklahoma board the airplane for Kansas City wasn’t fair nor did it make a hell of a lot of sense, but it happened, and from that we must move on.

Because sometimes, it is The Week That Will Be, and sometimes it is The Week That Wasn’t Meant To Be.

As the great Snoop Dogg once said, follow me now.

Here is what has gone right for Texas since November 1, 2008:

 Texas won 3 straight ballgames, beating Baylor, Kansas and Texas A&M.

 Arkansas beat LSU and Tulsa.

 The Horns’ other out of conference opponents won a few games.

 Penn State lost to Iowa.

 Utah beats TCU, an OU out of conference opponent.

Here is what went wrong for the Horns since November 1, 2008:

 They lost in Lubbock. Duh. But lost on the last play of the game, when everyone and their dog was screaming at the TV for the Longhorns to take more time off the clock on their last possession. Just an ugly, ugly game that kicked you square in the groin.
 Oklahoma thrashes Nebraska that same day.
 TWTWB is 8-22 ATS.
 Texas Tech manhandles Oklahoma State the following week, not only ruining any realistic chance Tech had to finish with 2 losses, it also drops Oklahoma State in the rankings, erasing a big Texas win in the computers.
 Oklahoma throttles Texas A&M. Not unexpected, but they score 66 points. Apparently this is important.
 Alabama goes to OT with LSU, but the Tigers have nothing in the extra period and Bama wins.
 Florida goes 4-0 in that stretch in dominating fashion, taking human votes away from Texas and just about assuring us that if they win on Saturday they will be voted into the title game.
 Oklahoma throttles Texas Tech, which removes Tech from the BCS talk, but makes OU a Superman team that could have stormed the beaches of Normandy without a single casualty.
 Cincinnati goes 4-0 during that time, posting a 10-2 record to date, and giving OU a very solid out of conference victory, which is important to the computers in the BCS. These wins during this time include a OT win over West Virginia, an 8 point win over 5-6 Louisville and a 7 point win over Pittsburgh.
 TCU goes 2-1, also finishing 10-2.
 Oklahoma uses two dropped snaps inside the five yard line and a tipped 72 yard touchdown to beat Oklahoma State. They score on a 30 yard run with 30 seconds left to again pass the 60 point barrier.
 Baylor leads Texas Tech 28-14, but end up losing 35-28. A Baylor win would have sent Texas to Kansas City.
 Missouri loses to Kansas in a back and forth game, erasing the Longhorns’ biggest conference victory that OU does not have.
 Colorado loses to Nebraska on a 57 yard field goal, and in at least one poll drops out of the Top 50 and lurches Nebraska into the Top 50. You get more points for beating a Top 50 team. Texas beat Colorado, while Oklahoma beat Nebraska.
 If you want to go before November 1st, Texas Tech goes to OT with Nebraska on October 11th, where a Nebraska interception in OT loses the game for the Cornhuskers. A Nebraska win there would have sent Texas to Kansas City. Cincinnati beats Akron 17-15. Beats Rutgers 13-10. TCU beats Colorado State 13-7.

So there you have it. Noted Texas message board user and BCS Expert SynTex even goes on to say that if Colorado hadn’t lost on a 57 yard field goal, and Missouri had beaten two touchdown underdog Kansas, then the computer rankings would have been enough that Texas would be going to Kansas City.

Some things just aren’t meant to be.

Or we are due for some good news.

Take your pick.

Next year, the Longhorns are loaded. If Colt McCoy comes back, you can pair him with Jordan Shipley (if he gets his medical redshirt year that he is all but assured to get), and the young receivers this year that got so much seasoning led by Malcolm Williams and Brandon Collins. Fozzy Whitaker will be 100% healthy. We lose 1 starter on the OL. We get Blaine Irby back, hopefully 100% healthy.

On defense, our young secondary turns into a seasoned group ready and willing to take your ball and go home. Muckelroy and Norton will be back, Sergio Kindle would be icing on the cake there. We get hit on the defensive line, where we lose three starters, but Sam Ocho, Eddie Jones, Ben Alexander and numerous freshman will be ready to step up and join returning starter Lamarr Houston. We’re so loaded we even return our kicker and punter.

Graham Harrell, Michael Crabtree and most of the offensive line will be gone at Texas Tech. Sam Bradford is a good candidate to go early to the NFL, and OU also has four senior starters on their offensive line. Wide receivers Manuel Johnson and Juaquin Iglesias are seniors. They return mostly everyone on defense, but the way teams moved the ball on them this year, the rest of the conference is putting on their party hats and toasting their champagne.

Chase Daniel will be gone after this year. Oklahoma State looks to be our big competition, as Robinson/Bryant/Hunter all have eligibility left.

So if things don’t shake out this weekend, don’t fret. Texas will be back next year, and we’ll be pissed off. Most of the prominent players from this year will remember what they need to do to rectify the situation.

317 days.

That is the day we get to go into the Cotton Bowl and settle this like gentlemen.

Again.

But apparently now you have to score 60 points to impress people.

Karma is a big fat bitch.

Facebook News Feed

The BCS and Common Sense are no longer in a relationship.

Bob Stoops has joined the group If You Say You Didn’t Campaign Soon Enough People Will Believe You.

Barry Switzer is smiling because he ruined the Cowboys’ dynasty.

Sam Bradford is excited that his eyes aren’t crossed anymore.

Steve Spurrier wrote on Lane Kiffin’s Wall: “Cheater.”

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show made the BCS a distant memory.

On to the games...

Navy -10.5 v. Army:

Navy QB Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada is day to day with a hamstring injury. I’m thinking NFL announcers are hoping that kid doesn’t make the NFL.


Navy 38 Army 10
ATS – Navy
SU – Navy

South Florida @ West Virginia -7:

South Florida started the season 5-0, but have since lost 4 of 6 and are struggling to score points. West Virginia had a setback last week against Pittsburgh, but Pat White will look to go out on top in his last home game.

West Virginia 34 South Florida 24
ATS – West Virginia
SU – West Virginia

USC -33 @ UCLA:

The big story this week is how USC is electing to wear their home Cardinal jerseys on the road this week, reviving a tradition where both of these teams wear their home jerseys. The penalty is that USC has to give up a timeout, which probably tells you how scared Pete Carroll is of UCLA.

USC 48 UCLA 14
ATS – USC
SU – USC

ACC Championship: Boston College v. Virginia Tech PK:

This is a rematch of a game earlier this year. Boston College won that one 28-23 at BC, as BC held the Hokies scoreless in the second half.

With the marbles on the line, however, I’ll take Tech.

Virginia Tech 24 Boston College 17
ATS – Virginia Tech
SU – Virginia Tech

SEC Championship: Alabama v. Florida -9.5:

Alabama is getting virtually zero respect this week, despite winning 12 games and NOT losing to Mississippi at home.

Florida’s speed (that is about as cliché as Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley being roommates at this point) could be neutralized by Alabama’s defense, which ranks 3rd in the country and outside of the Georgia game has not given up more than 21 points in any other game.

Florida has a formidable defense of their own, ranking 7th in the country.

Give me the more experienced quarterback in Tim Tebow, but [Lee Corso]I think this one is going to be closer than the experts think.[/Lee Corso]

Florida 24 Alabama 21
ATS – Alabama
SU – Florida

Big 12 Championship*: Missouri v. Oklahoma -17:

Well we know one thing, Missouri is likely to score 40 points. Oklahoma has faced two Top 10 offenses away from Norman this year, giving up 45 points to Texas and 41 points to Oklahoma State.

LB Austin Box, who replaced Ryan Reynolds at MLB after he was lost for the season with a knee injury, will miss this game with strained knee ligaments. This could be key, as OU depended heavily on MLB Curtis Lofton last year in their two games with Missouri. Lofton had 27 tackles, returned a fumble for a touchdown and intercepted a pass…now his third replacement is in the ballgame.

As always, the key will getting pressure on Bradford (who will wear a soft cast on his left hand after straining ligaments in his thumb last week). Let him sit back there all day, and he’ll tear you apart. Put some pressure on him, and things happen. Missouri does have a decent pass rush, so they’ve got that going for them.

Missouri has the talent to pull off the upset here. Daniel and Maclin are no stranger to big games, and would like nothing more to get a hallmark win in their career. So will Missouri pull off the upset?

In a word, no.

But I hope I’m wrong. Hell I’ve been wrong plenty lately.

Oklahoma 51 Missouri 41
ATS – Missouri
SU – Oklahoma

Random Hot Dallas Chick



For entertainment purposes only. Save your money for Fiesta Bowl tickets.