So you’re a Texas fan. You’re mad at the world because, despite beating your biggest rival by 10 points on a neutral field, they’re going to the Big 12 Championship and, in all likelihood, the BCS Championship instead of your Horns. You’re looking for a scapegoat. Well, we’ve got one for you: His name is Mack Brown.
(Mack Brown giveth, and he unintentionally taketh away.)
That’s right, the very coach who helped put Texas in this position is also partly responsible for keeping them from holding the No. 2 spot. Brown has a vote in the Coaches’ Poll, one of two polls balanced against the BCS computer rankings to determine the overall BCS Standings. Instead of voting for his Longhorns as the nation’s No. 1 team, Brown picked someone else (we’re betting undefeated Alabama). Two voters picked Oklahoma No. 1. The result? The Sooners end up with a one vote edge in the Coaches’ Poll … and with an edge of less than two-tenths of a poll in the BCS Standings.
Of course, that means Oklahoma is headed to the Big 12 Championship Game, with a serious inside track on the BCS Championship. Meanwhile the Longhorns will have to settle for a date in the Fiesta or Orange Bowl, barring a stunning upset by a Missouri team that looked more cooked than Thursday’s turkey throughout most of a loss to Kansas.
Yes, there were other factors that helped push Oklahoma on to Kansas City and the Big 12 Championship game next Saturday. Oklahoma got a big strength-of-schedule boost by beating No. 11 Oklahoma State, while Texas’ previously unquestionable “toughest schedule in the country” took a hit when Missouri fell to Kansas (Oklahoma didn’t play Missouri).
But Texas did vault Oklahoma in the Harris Rankings. It vaulted Oklahoma in the AP Poll. Clearly, voters gave Texas a big bump coming off its Thanksgiving night romp of rival Texas A&M. The irony, of course, is that Brown is the only reason Texas didn’t have a clean-sweep of Thanksgiving week bounce-back in the rankings.
Brown certainly isn’t a pantomime villain; there are plenty of reasons to applaud his voting for Alabama (we assume) as the country’s top team. It’s honest — the Crimson Tide are the only remaining undefeated team, after all — and it gives credence to coaches’ accountability. Unfortunately, it’s also the least pragmatic thing he could have done, particularly when he knew that the slimmest of all margins would separate two teams whose rivalry is right up there with Michigan-Ohio State and (insert intra-state rivals of choice here).
All he had to do to push the Longhorns into a second-place tie in the Coaches Poll was name Texas as the top team in the country. He didn’t do it, Oklahoma got two first place votes (anyone else want to bet that one of Bob Stoops‘ former coordinators gave them a first-place ranking?) and Texas has to sit at home on Saturday while Oklahoma plays in Kansas City.
Still mad? We know you are. At least now you know where to channel all that frustration.
7:01 pm on November 30th, 2008
Check your math, Texas lost by 13 points on the average (935 vs 922). It was all in the computer polls. OU gained 40 points there and behind by 1 in voting polls. Thus the total points was 39, divided by 3 = 13 points behind.
7:01 pm on November 30th, 2008
I am a Texas alum and a die-hard Longhorn fan. Am I mad, hell yes! Am I mad at Mack, no, no I am not. This is also coming from a huge critic of Mack Brown since he benched Major Applewhite for Chris "Interception" Sims. I think Brown handled this entire ordeal with dignity and sportsmanship. We could have run the score up further against A&M for style points, but Texas was above doing that. OU obviously was not, pushing into the endzone for another TD with less than 30 seconds to go. Stoops has shown his lack of class, and he is apparently getting rewarded for it. Here's to Mizzou destroying the Sooners in the Big 12 Championship! Hook 'em Horns!
7:16 pm on November 30th, 2008
Hey Ohio Longhorn.
In reference to your comment about Mack Brown having class and Bob Stoops running up the score….here are some FACTS:
#1 - Stoops, Bradford and OU offense was running out the game last night instead of passing. The fact that Chris Brown scored on a run is not classless.
#2 - Mack Brown went on the telecast last night for some last minute politics…the fact that he did an interview during the OU/OSU game is tacky.
#3 - Bob Stoops was asked to do an interview during the Texas / A&M game Thursday night, in order to state his case. Stoops declined because he didn't think it was right to politic during the Texas game.
#4 - Oklahoma was dominating Texas in October UNTIL OU's #1 defensive player went down with a torn ACL. After that play, Texas exploited that hole in the defense. Take away the defensive play caller for Texas and there would be a weakness.
#5 - OU dominated Texas Tech by 40+ points. Texas lost to Texas Tech.
#6 - OU beat OSU by 20 in Stillwater; while Texas barely beat OSU in Austin.
#7 - Oklahoma beat 4 teams ranked in the top 14.
#8 - OU has the most potent offense in the country and is playing better football than Texas.
7:36 pm on November 30th, 2008
enjoy austin while were in kansas city. go sooners!!!
7:41 pm on November 30th, 2008
Thanks for remiding me of why I hate college football.
9:00 pm on November 30th, 2008
Alabama Sooner,
You talk about ou's offense, but nowhere do you address their lack of defense.
Texas and ou had 6 common opponents this year - their head to head game, Tech, Baylor, Okie St, Kansas and aggy. ou may have scored more against most of them, but Texas' D held the common opponents to fewer points. All this was done with Mack pulling his starters near the end of every game but Tech and Okie St. Against aggy, Mack put in the 2nd and 3rd string with 12 minutes left in the game. Against Okie St last night, ou scores a TD with 32 seconds left (on 1st down…all he had to do was take a knee and its over) with the starters still playing. Style points? How about playing some damn D for some style points for a change. Didnt Stoops supposedly invent defense??? ou gets all this praise for scoring all these points, but how about someone hold them accountable for all the ones they give up!
Against the 6 common opponents, Texas only gave up 22.5 point per game…and only 12.3 ppg in the last 3. ou gave up 30.5 ppg against the 6 common teams.
Wanna look at their complete body of work? Texas' opponents had a winning percentage of .590 (85-59). ou's opponents had a winning percentage of .556 (80-64). Texas only gave up 18.6 ppg while ou gave up 24.8 ppg. Actually, the Texas D only gave up 17.4 ppg because 2 interceptions were ran back for a TD against our offense (Arky and Tech).
Top 14 teams? You also played 2 teams with a combined record of 1-23 (after Washington gets slapped around by Cal next week).
Its not only about the number of points you score. Check that….apparently it IS about the number of points you score. But it shouldnt be.
12:00 am on December 1st, 2008
Alabama Sooner:You should have stopped your list at #7. Adding that on about Oklahoma having the most potent offense in the country and playing better football than Texas is matter of opinion. Maybe you could replace your #8 with this:#8 - OU lost to Texas.
12:06 am on December 1st, 2008
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) } 1. Texas ignores that the BCS ranks OU better. 2. Texas ignores it is a 3 way tie. 3. Texas ignores that they have the same record as Tech and lost to them, yet are ranked ahead of them. 4. Texas ignores that OU has a substantial lead in point differentials among tied teams 5. Texas forgets they lost to Tech - and really, were blown out in the first half 6. Texas ignores that the only reason Tech fell so much in the polls is because OU clobbered them 7. Texas ignores that if OU lost last night, Texas STILL would not be playing in the championship game. 8. Texas ignores their much softer schedule versus OU. 9. Texas ignores how OU clobbered OSU on the road and Texas barely beat them in Austin. 10. Texas ignores how OU was beating them handily until the refs stepped in and made a bunch of questionable calls. 11. Texas ignores how Stoops was classy and turned down an appearance to blab during the Texas/A&M game, while Mack Brown cried like a little girl. 12. Texas forgets how OU dominated most of its opponents this season and scored 60+ in their final 4 games. 13. Texas ignores that OU hasn’t played Missouri this season.
1:05 am on December 1st, 2008
All due respect John, but as an impartial observer my list would look like this:
1. Texas beat OU at a neutral site
The end.
4:21 am on December 1st, 2008
1. Texas Tech beat Texas.
The End!
8:59 am on December 1st, 2008
In any other conference Texas goes to the championship.
9:20 am on December 1st, 2008
Well as a Red Raider I gotta say… as long as the Longhorns are left out of the Big 12 champ Im happy. Now at least I know the best team is in there, OU def deserves the nod over Texas! Even though this will leave endless room for UT crying and moaning on every single board that mentions college football.
9:48 am on December 1st, 2008
Being neutral here as a Husker fan Id like to point out that we all knew some one was gonna get screwed. how ever, OU has lost every major bowl game in the past. Texas has won them. I had my doubts on Texas all year long, They are a surprise one man team, with out Colt they are toothless. on the other hand OU isnt that great on defense. all in all I feel that since TU won in Oct, they should be in Kansas City. and it truly pains me to say that against my favorite rival team OU. I truly hate Texas, and Love to hate OU. GBR!
11:26 am on December 1st, 2008
Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech - it doesn't really matter who the Tide will end up rolling over in the BCS championship.
12:19 pm on December 1st, 2008
one thing all three schools prove. Texas football rules. check the roster for where these kids are from and you will see.
1:13 pm on December 1st, 2008
actionJack,
Amen my friend! I went on my LDS mission down to Texas and I know how good the football is down there! If this controversy doesn't manifest the need for a playoff (16 teams preferrably), I don't know what does.
1:33 pm on December 1st, 2008
There are more D-1 prospects in Dallas/Ft. Worth metro than in the entire state of Oklahoma, so why wouldn't some come to Oklahoma? Texas population is 7X's that of Oklahoma.
5:51 pm on December 1st, 2008
It's disingenuous to frame this column in a manner that suggests Brown's vote was the decisive factor in why Texas didn't come out with the lead in the BCS. You know very well this is not the case.
If you wish to make ONLY the argument that he cost his team a tie for #2 with the Sooners in the USA Today poll, fine; that much is plainly true. But that's not what you're doing; your extending the degree of his fault to keeping his team out of Kansas City next weekend.
There's no reason to lie to make your points — not if you're a decent writer.
6:16 pm on December 1st, 2008
Where exactly is the lying? And how do you know what "very well is the case"? Are you on the BCS committee?
If so, you deserve a punch in the face just for that.
7:16 pm on December 1st, 2008
Did a quick calculation of common opponents of Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas Tech since all are 7-1 in the Big 12 South. Common opponents were Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma St and Texas A&M. Looking at point differential between common opponents I end up with Oklahoma first at +104, Texas Tech second at +103, and Texas third at +96. So, if you were to discard the BCS and just go with what happened in the Big 12 I'd have to agree that Oklahoma wins the Big 12 South and plays Mizzou in the title game.
8:00 pm on December 1st, 2008
OU will always lack the class that Texas has. Say what you want about Mack, he has integrity and class. Sure he was doing some politicking for the case that is pretty obvious, when it comes down to 2 seemingly even matched teams, the team that SHOULD get the nod is the team that beat the other, certainly on a neutral field. In today's BCS, you have to. At least he had a solid argument. What's Stoops's? "Sure we lost to them but were the hottest team today????" The only mistake we made was not whipping OU later in the season. Fine logic Sooners. Now OU fans are going to claim Texas is whining because they squeaked in. Any other conference that thinks through the scenarios (including the SEC who is packed with high talent recognizes this) would have given Texas the nod. Enjoy your time in the limelight OU, even though it is artificial and based on a technicality, not facts. Unfortunately with Sooner logic, not even a playoff would fix this since head to head wins wouldn't count.
8:26 pm on December 1st, 2008
Texas fans keep forgetting that it was a three way tie. They want to forget that TTU beat them. The rules were set on how to settle it and they didn't win by those rules. They want to make up thier own rules.
9:22 pm on December 1st, 2008
Why shoud UT be ranked higher than Tech?
9:23 pm on December 1st, 2008
should I mean
9:49 pm on December 1st, 2008
Just more proof how you can't spell "BCS" without "B.S.".
9:50 pm on December 1st, 2008
Texas would still not be going to the Big 12 Championship if OU had lost!!!! It would be Tech going and Texas would still be whining they were robbed!
11:42 pm on December 1st, 2008
Chokelahomo would not be going if tech had lost.