It was just a few days ago that Texas unveiled that silly asterisk on their wall of fame, giving themselves credit for a conference championship that they didn’t even play for (yes, we know, 45-35), much less win. Well, Mack Brown said he’d had no idea what any of that was about and had it all taken down. Big win for sanity, yes? Please?

(Y’know, for being such tough football players, the ‘Horns are handling this with all the maturity and level-headedness of your average 13-year-old girl. Juuuust sayin’.)

Actually, no, Texas; there is no sanity clause in Brown’s contract, because instead of merely putting up a wall decoration that awards the ‘Horns the conference title with an asterisk, according to the AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, they’re actually going to pay the assistants’ bonuses for winning the thing. Once again, Texas didn’t even play in the game, much less win it. But if the UT athletic department really wants to give away a total of $44,000 to people with ample six figure salaries, who are we to complain, right? Read more…

You would hope that college coaches would continue to have their former player’s backs after they leave for the NFL. (Are you paying attention, Pete Carroll?) That’s certainly the case with Texas boss Mack Brown and his former quarterback Vince Young. And for good reason: before Young came to Texas, Brown was on the hot seat as a coach who couldn’t win the big game. One National Title later, and Brown is pretty much untouchable.

So it’s not surprising that Brown would continue to support Young even after his - let’s just say “rough” - 2008 season. But there’s “support” and then there’s “complete and utter lunacy,” which is where Brown went in an interview with NEWS 8 AUSTIN. Saying that Young’s NFL career isn’t dead? Fine. But that Young is going to be in the Hall of Fame? Yikes. When I hear “Vince Young” and “bust” in the same sentence, it usually doesn’t involve the Hall of Fame.

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Nowhere is it written, we suppose, that a quarterback needs to know how to party. As a matter of fact, more often than not, it leads to trouble, or at the very least some embarrassment. There’s Vince Young, Ben Roethlisberger, Kyle Orton, and the ultimate tragedy behind center, Joe Kane Joe Namath. At the same time, we have to wonder if a life ruled by sobriety is ever worth it; yes, this guy was a drinker, but these guys weren’t. We don’t see the harm in a cocktail or two. Or a hundred cocktails.

(Don’t worry, Colt, your options are still wide open.)

But then again, we’re (clearly) not quarterbacks of a top 5 football team, and Colt McCoy is, so we begrudge his tee-totaling instincts at our own peril. But still, if he doesn’t want to partake in the devil water, fine, but dude, learn to diversify your portfolio a bit: Read more…

How great must it be to be a top high school football prospect in Texas? The world is at your feet, and so are the big universities who will do anything to make sure you attend their school. Anything.

Jamarcus McFarland is a highly rated defensive tackle who just selected Oklahoma over Texas, which I’m sure is huge news in Norman, but even bigger news for the rest of us because of the window it gives on the sordid recruiting process, which at Texas takes the form of a party with “free alcohol, drugs and young women taking off their clothes.” (More examples after the jump, which means I know I’ll see you on the other side.)

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The wait is over. The University of Texas brain trust has spent the last few months in a secret underground bunker, furiously debating who will be the next head coach of their esteemed college program. And now, as you can see by the white smoke hovering above the campus, the Longhorn Conclave has finally given us their answer: defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will succeed Mack Brown. That is, whenever Brown decides to retire. Wait, what?

(Aww … they’re already starting to act alike.)

According to CHRON.COM, Muschamp has been named “head football coach-in-waiting”, which is not a title you see every day. Essentially, Muschamp is taking some extra dough - reportedly $900,000 worth - to kind of just hang around and at least pretend to be happy with his coordinator position until Brown finally decides to hang up his spurs.

It’s kind of a stroke of brilliance by Texas.

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All in a day’s work for Texas Longhorn defender LaMarr Houston. Houston began the day Texas’ starting defensive tackle, recording two tackles for loss as Texas beat smack talking Florida Atlantic 52-10. He ended it with a two car collision and a DWI sure to embarrass coach Mack Brown.

Austin police Lt. Max Johnson said Houston was involved in a two-car accident where there were no injuries. The accident occurred about 3:15 a.m. at the intersection of 11th Street and Interstate 35, Johnson said.

Houston remained in Travis County Jail late Sunday morning under bonds totaling $3,000.

And I thought I had a long day watching a full Saturday of college football. Houston snapped an impressive yearlong streak of zero arrests for the Texas football program. Coach Mack Brown came under some heat last offseason when a string of player arrests dirtied Texas’ clean-cut image. To Texas’ credit, at least they’re not Iowa.

As USC’s 2008 season opener fast approaches, it has become increasingly important to stem the flow of information that could potentially make its way into the hands of the enemy. Sorta like the Bush White House but without all the leaks.

Anyway, the Trojans are preparing for their Aug. 30 matchup against the Virginia Cavaliers and they may or may not have their starting quarterback. And during Tuesday’s top-secret scrimmage, USC security tossed out a possible spy. Or maybe it was just a rash overreaction since the perp was identified as 69-year-old Texas baseball coach Augie Garrido:

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• THE WIZARD OF ODDS finds some fun pics of Mack Brown’s stepson - you know, the one that likes to touch balls he shouldn’t:

• HUGGING HAROLD REYNOLDS gets a little love from the MSM, thanks to the Orlando Sentinel.

• LARRY BROWN SPORTS doesn’t know who to root for when Nick Saban faces Bobby Petrino.

• Speaking of Saban, EVERY DAY SHOULD BE SATURDAY gets down with the ‘Bama coach getting his holiday groove on:

• THE ANGRY T offers a way to make the NBA All-Star Game interesting again.

• THE LOVE OF SPORTS remembers former Flyers goalie Pelle Lindbergh.

• Darren Rovell of CNBC looks back on all the Christmas cards he got:

• YOUNG HOLLYWOOD visits with the USC Trojans before the Rose Bowl.

• WITH LEATHER discovers a soccer referee, tired of taking shots from the players, deciding to shoot back.