(Horns) Musings...By The Captain

I don't have much to say about the UTEP Miners. We're supposed to win this. They got a spanking last week, from what I read, when they were thinking this was "their year...That's all I've got to say other than I look forward to watching--if I don't fall asleep before the damn 9:15 kickoff that is.

However, I'd like to muse a little on what could be considered one of the most die hard Longhorn fans ever (and dare I say even best? ugh. that hurt me to type), Matthew McConaughey. We, as Longhorns didn't ask for him, shit...even as Austinites we didn't ask for him. But, here he is. Bringing fame and attention to little ol' Austin, for all kinds of things.

I have to start by saying, I'm not his biggest fan by any means. Sure, he's got some shapely abdominal muscles-- of which we all get to see because he lives shirtless apparently- he was a great character in "Dazed & Confused," okay, okay, he's actually been an all-right actor in a few movies, just not any of late, girls like him, you know...he's got his appeal (to some). Okay, he won People's "Most Sexiest Man" in 2005, it's more than some.

But more importantly, he's just kind of annoying. I mean, he had almost as much spotlight during the National Championship as Vince Young and all he did was stand on the sidelines and put his "horns up" incorrectly. Which, UT alum across the nation rolled their eyes at (okay, so maybe it was just the 10 people I was with at the Posse, whatever).

So you know, the right way to give THE University's hand sign is palm away from you, if you face your palm towards you and it looks like you're "ROCKIN ROLL"-ing!!! (Yeeeaaah!)

In addition to his movies, he also had a VH1 TV show to promote "Sahara" (it's okay if you do not even remember this, it probably gives you a few more IQ points than me) where he coined the phrase, "J.K. Livin'."

According to his website, this is his "mantra and a state of mind." (deep, so very deep.)

If you are Matthew McConaughey, your life is so fast paced that you have to abbreviate even your catchphrases, like talking in text message, only he did this waaay before people texted. The "J.K." stands for "Just Keep." "JUST KEEP LIVIN."

Let's think about this for a minute. I mean, it's sorta profound. Extremely good advice. I have decided to expound on this idea: "JDD." "Just Don't Die." (same, right?)

He also now has a website. As long as I've been writing this, this terribly repetitive reggae music has been drifting through my office...wait! Already I feel more at one with everything, this is the McConaughey effect it seems. NOW I see why he is like he is, all naked and shit, to be ONE with it ALL.

Wait. No. I don't.

IF you can stand to get through the intro page, you'll see the rest of this, but to spare you, the summary:

First, you can enter "Easy" or "Real Easy." (This guy is so CHILL!) "Easy" takes you through one more page than "Real Easy," it's quite stupid, really. Then once you arrive, still, JAMMIN, MON! A slide show of McConaughey through the years plays all fancy-website-flash-style. Seriously, this guy's more obsessed with pictures of himself than Cory! (sorry, Cory, it was a softball.)

Other highlights are his bio, with my favorite character summary being the first line:

"Texan Matthew McConaughey was raised to "never lie" and to always "see the rose in the vase, not the dust on the table."

I mean, could he be more down to Earth? (I think he might want us to think that? Hmm.) He also, "prefers commas to periods in order to keep his life fluid." His inner peace kind of makes me want to force him to do some hardcore PCP and see just how long it takes him to tweak.

But, despite all of this, he really IS a good fan. He really loves his Longhorns. And Austin. So, we share that.

As an example, Mike & I saw "Tropic Thunder" this weekend and throughout it he wears a Texas Longhorn baseball cap. That's awesome. Why? Because you know the set design likely required him to don a baseball cap, and instead of some nondescript blue thing, he suggests his own wardrobe and supports his team. THAT'S good fanmenship. (I made up a word today!)

If only all we Longhorn Fans could be a little more like McConaughey.

(That was STILL hard to type, I may not be able to verbalize this, but I mean it.)

What if? Big XII vs. SEC

We'd like to introduce a new feature here on Raiderhorn called "What if?" In the spirit of SportsCenter -- which has gone from being an hour of highlights to an hour of rampant speculation -- we're going to look into our crystal ball, perhaps even into an alternate universe (ooOOoohh!!), and predict what might have been or what could be. How's that for a cryptic intro? Our first installment tackles the age-old question of conference strength. With a look at what would happen if the SEC and Big XII collided, here's Mattradamus...

For years there hasn’t been much debate as to which conference in college football is far and away above the rest of the pack -- the SEC. This year, however, with 10 returning starting QBs in the Big XII, including potential Heisman front runners Graham Harrell and Chase Daniel, that gap may have closed. There is no doubt in my mind the top two conferences are the SEC and Big XII -- but who is better? I think the only way to judge which conference is best is to look at the most equally matched teams between the two leagues and place them in head-to-head battles and see which conference wins more games. (side note: Unfortunately, the only Big XII/SEC match up scheduled for this year is when Arkansas visits Texas in week 3. This should be a fantastic game -- since the teams are old Southwest Conference rivals -- however, Arkansas shouldn't exactly be used as a measuring stick for the entire SEC, should they?)

NCAA basketball does this with the ACC vs Big 10 Challenge each year (ACC dominates yearly), so why can’t we dream about a Big XII vs SEC game to start the season each and every year for all of our teams? Since this doesn’t happen, I have taken it upon myself to decide the champion between the two conferences.

Based on Sports Illustrated's preseason rankings, I have paired up the highest ranked Big XII vs highest ranked SEC school, all the way down to the likes of Baylor vs Vanderbilt. All matchups will be analyzed as if they took place at a neutral venue, to eliminate home field advantage. Here we go:

#83 Baylor vs #75 Vanderbilt:

This game would show you the major difference between the two conferences. Baylor is looked at as the second bye week for a Big XII team where Vanderbilt is now looked at as a major hiccup waiting to happen. Baylor poses absolutely no threat to the upper echelon of the Big 12 and minimal threat to the average and below. Vanderbilt plays hard and rarely gets blown out. Teams in the SEC know that when you play Vandy, you must watch out. My point was proven last night because "#75" Vanderbilt beat a ranked SEC team in #24 South Carolina. The Commodores can't be overlooked by anyone, even those in the SEC.

Winner: Vanderbilt

#76 Iowa St. vs #72 Kentucky:

These are two schools who appear to be headed in different directions. Iowa St was a serious threat to anyone back in the Seneca Wallace or Troy Davis days, but now they are just barely above Baylor for the bottom dweller of the Big 12. Kentucky, who used to be awful, has now played in bowl games for 4 consecutive years, and like Vanderbilt, can give anyone in the conference a game any week...just ask LSU last year. Kentucky is coming off a big win against rival Louisville, which is considered one of the top 3 teams in the Big East.

Winner: Kentucky

#58 Kansas State vs #69 Arkansas:

Arkansas lost everything that made them successful the past couple years -- to the NFL draft and to the Rebels of Ole Miss (Houston Nutt). Bobby Petrino will make this team great in 3 years, but as for right now he is playing with Nutt’s recruits that were recruited for a system that is a 180 from what he likes to run. K-State has some young talent that seems to be hit or miss. Josh Freeman is a big time QB, but lacks consistency. I think this is a game that K-State would either dominate or get dominated, no real in between. I view Arkansas as that team that will give some big time teams a legit challenge this year and at other times you will see the final score and think they must have meant Arkansas St.

Winner: K-State

#51 Texas A&M vs #60 Ole Miss:

Ole Miss is an up and comer in the SEC and the TAMU is average at best in the Big 12. A&M consistently has the recruits, but seemingly never does anything with them. Mississippi is now keeping much of the local talent and is also stealing recruits from Louisiana, Alabama and Florida -- guys that could sign to play at the LSUs, 'Bamas and Floridas of the world, but have the opportunity to play immediately in Oxford. Lou Holtz has Ole Miss as the darkhorse to win the SEC this year. It sounds crazy, but you just never know. Home team would win if they played at one place or another, but at a neutral site, I give the edge to Ole Miss.

Winner: Ole Miss

#45 Nebraska vs #40 South Carolina:

South Carolina with consistent QB play has a shot of winning the SEC title and are just coming off destroying a formidable ACC opponent in NC State. Nebraska has a solid running game, but lack experience at most other key positions. They vaunted “Black Shirt” defense has been more like “Throw in the white towel” defense in the past few years. Another storied program (see Texas A&M) that just seems to be on a dreadful decline.

Winner: South Carolina

#43 Oklahoma St. vs #30 Mississippi St:

The Cowboys are very underrated considering everything that they have coming back this year on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively they have issues, but they can score a ton so unless they are playing the upper tier of the SEC, I don’t think it would matter. Mississippi St. had a great year last year by their standards, but in my opinion didn’t deserve to be ranked this high going into the season. They proved this with a loss to Louisiana Tech last week. Too much fire power for OSU and not enough for Mississippi St. The best way to beat OSU is score on them because they will put points on the board and I can’t see MSU doing that.

Winner: Oklahoma St.

#36 Colorado vs #29 Alabama:

If I had written this prior to seeing Alabama destroy Clemson, I would have given Colorado the nod, but since I did see Alabama destroy Clemson, I have to lean towards the Tide. They have one of the best coaches in the game, a battle tested, experienced leader in John Parker Wilson and a ton of talent throughout the team. While I think Dan Hawkins is going to do some great things with Colorado down the road, I don’t think they could get it done right now. In a rematch of last year's Independence Bowl, Alabama comes out on top again.

Winner: Alabama

#15 Kansas vs #12 Tennessee:

If this game were played in Knoxville, KU would have no shot. On a neutral field, this will be a close one. Kansas had a miracle season last year and it was the first good season they have had in several years (over 10). Tennessee reached the SEC title game last year but stumbled out the gates this year in a loss at UCLA. This game is all about timing and I mentioned earlier it would be the first game of the season, so with that said….

Winner: Kansas

#13 Texas vs #9 LSU:

I can honestly see this game happening come Cotton Bowl time, so maybe it can be decided then. As for now, I think UT has a lot of question marks as to who is going to produce the big plays when they need them. We all know Colt McCoy is a good QB, but what about the rest of the team? Also, the last couple years, despite sending players to the NFL, their defense has been suspect. LSU has just one question mark, QB, but it appears that they have a good enough running game and defense that they won’t need to rely on the QBs to win games. I think having the ability to run and stop opposing offenses will get you wins against everybody outside the top 10. To get victories against the top 10, you must have a QB who can make some plays. Texas isn’t in the top 10.

Winner: LSU

#8 Texas Tech vs #7 Auburn:

A game from three years ago helped me make up my mind on this game. Texas Tech is the best passing team in the nation and seemingly can put up yards and points against anyone in America. Their defense is good enough to help them win games if need be, but they don’t have to really on that too often. Auburn is that physical, big, strong, fast team from the SEC who plays smash mouth football and plays man coverage on WR and TE -- very similar to the Alabama team that beat Tech in the Cotton Bowl a few years back...and that is all I need to see, that similar comparison between those two teams.

Winner: Auburn

#6 Oklahoma vs #5 Florida:

This would be a fascinating game to watch and it is a potential National Championship game this season. OU has all sorts of fire power on the offensive side of the ball but has a very young defense. Florida is very much in the same boat. Between the 44 starters on both teams (offense and defense), half of these guys will be in the NFL at some point in time. Speed and size versus speed and size. This is another game that if played on the campus of either university, I would lean towards the home team. But on a neutral field, I have to lean towards the team that hasn’t just stunk up their last big time games on neutral fields (bowl games).

Winner: Florida

And last but not least...

#4 Mizzou vs #1 Georgia:

Let me start off by saying that if Georgia can get through their schedule and win the SEC Title game with 2 losses or less, they deserve a chance to play for the National Title. This game pits the best college football QB (Daniel) against the best pro prospect (Stafford) and includes the most electrifying WR/KO Returner/Punt Returner (Maclin) and the best RB in the nation (Moreno). This would be a FUN game to watch. I don’t think it would be the high scoring affair that Mizzou would like, but they would be able to move the ball with their speed; although they would be bullied around a little bit by Georgia’s strength. I think Georgia would be surprised by the Mizzou fire power and would need to put points on the board, which I think they would be able to. I could see this game being one of those where each team would trade a TD then go a couple possessions without moving the ball at all. Offensively I give the edge to Mizzou. Defensively I give the edge to Georgia. Special Teams I give the edge to Mizzou. I think Georgia’s defense would actually limit the Mizzou offense so they almost wash each other out. Would Maclin and the Mizzou special teams be able to come up with the big play on special teams to win this game? I don’t think so! The ‘Dawgs beat the Tigers.

Winner: Georgia

At the end of the day I believe that the SEC would flex its muscle and, in a landslide, show it is the most dominant conference.
SEC – 9 wins
Big 12 – 3 wins

We love it when they sign on, but we love it even more when they come back to us...

This has nothing to do with UT Football, but, it's in the same vein...sorta. Sports?

It's always exciting for THE University's fans when our coaches bring past players home as coaching staff. First, Major Applewhite, now Paulino (Men's Basketball)!

THE University believes in its players. (past, present AND future)

WELCOME HOME, PAULINO!!!

Let's hope you pull out some magic like that 3 pointer in days of yore.

Winner winner, chicken dinner!

Welcome to the most comprehensive, 100% accurate and totally rad prediction blog on the internet. You will have an opportunity to view my picks over the course of the College Football season -- all of which you can take the bank -- for all Big 12 South teams. I’ll even throw in a couple additional predictions of big time games at no extra charge.
-- Mattradamus

Well, I’m back for week 2. While my predicted upset didn’t happen, I was very, very happy to see one upset that I didn’t think would happen...sorry Aggies. Skoal took a big hit over the weekend when all the rednecks hid in shame and weren’t out in the streets spitting and rejoicing all weekend. It made my entire weekend and actually helped me forget the fact that I was barely over .500 with my predictions in the first week of the college football season, which is generally the easiest to predict. The term "parity" has been floating around college athletics for years...so that's my excuse for last week's outrageous picks. Here we go again….

Northwestern State at Baylor (No Line)
Baylor, as expected last week, just couldn’t hang with Wake Forest. But there are only about 25 teams in the nation who can. The Demons of Northwestern State come into Waco 1-0 after a victory against Texas A&M-Commerce to open their season.

Why Northwestern St. can win:
Unfortunately for NW St., I don’t see them standing a chance in this match up. They have no passing game, a limited rushing attack and were penalized 10 times last week.

Why Baylor can win:
You can’t say this too often about Baylor football, but they will have more talent on the field this week than their opponent. The best way to ensure beating a team that is inferior to you is to run a spread offense and throw the ball around the field, and that is what Baylor does. This is where you see the talent gap the most.

Final Prediction and Analysis:
Baylor Freshman QB Robert Griffin will have Waco known for more than just its basketball player killings and religious cults in about 3 years, and his era will begin as starting QB this Saturday. The Demons will be “sic’d” and Baylor will run away with this game and put on a show for all 2,124 in attendance.

Northwestern St. 10, Baylor 42

Cincinnati at Oklahoma (-21)
I wasn’t too far off on my prediction last week, but I think I have to thank mother nature for that. OU probably could have put 100 on the board if the wet fields and storms hadn't slowed them down. Cincy beat up on Western Kentucky last week, and is a legit threat to win the Big East.

Why Cincy can win:
The only way you go into Norman and win -- when you aren't a heavyweight -- is to have a Senior leader (Dustin Grutzka), a well balanced offense with the potential to score points (368 passing, 209 rushing and 40 scoring last week) and a turnover-prone defense that will take advantage of mistakes (led the NCAA in turnovers forced last year) and they have all of that.

Why OU can win:
They scored on every possession in the first half of their game last week and have superior talent compared to Cincinnati. Bradford ran the no huddle and was nearly flawless, Demarco Murray could be the best RB in the nation and they have two of the best wideouts in the country in Manuel Johnson and Juaquin Iglesias. They can score and they can score in a hurry.

Final Prediction and Analysis:
Several Cincy students will make the trip down to Norman and will spend the pregame driving around with the windows down yelling, “BOOMER” to hear “SOONER” from the mass of fans -- which they'll then reply to with “SUCKS”. And unless several more street fights break out involving guns, knives, chains, boa constrictors, chainsaws or Chuck Norris, I can’t see any of the aforementioned Sooner players getting hurt or missing this game for any reason. With that said, I think Cincy will put up a fight for a half but in the end the mighty giant will awaken and win this football game.

Cincinnati 20, Oklahoma 40

Houston at Oklahoma St. (-13)
Oklahoma State went to Seattle last week and dominated a less than great Washington St team with contributions from the offense, defense and special teams. Houston dominated Southern and comes into the Stillwater hoping to show they can play with the big boys.

Why Houston can win:
QB Case Keenum can throw the ball all over the field and will continue to do so all year. Just when you think you have their wideouts covered, Case looks for his TE Mark Hafner who has the size and speed to exploit a matchup against a LB or, at times, a Safety. They will put points on the board, but will it be enough?

Why OSU can win:
They had a well balanced offensive effort against Washington State and as long as they continue to stay the course, they will keep all defenses on their heels. Zac Robinson is a very consistent passer and is always a threat to tuck the ball and run. Defensively they shut down a spread offense in Washington State...but can they do it against a team that has been running the system longer and probably has better athletes than WSU? That is the question.

Final Prediction and Analysis:
I really think that OSU, with a good effort from their Defense and Special Teams, can play with EVERYONE in the country. Unfortunately for them, I don’t think those units will bring their A, B or even C+ games each and every week. These teams will trade touchdowns and I think it will come down to whose defense can get just a few stops. In the end, because of the better competition they went up against last week (WSU vs Southern), I think OSU pulls out this game and they walk out of the stadium with a very narrow victory over the up-and-coming Houston Cougars.

Houston 38, Oklahoma St. 43

Texas at UTEP (UPSET ALERT)
Texas burrowed some owls last week in a blowout victory while UTEP went to the Great Northeast and took the bull by the horns...and got gored by the Bulls of Buffalo.

Why Texas can win:
They have talent at all positions and are very solid running the football. UTEP gave up 263 yards rushing last week and and weren’t much better with the pass. Colt McCoy will have his options as to whether he wants to pass or run throughout the game. UT’s run defense will shut down the Miners rush offense and force them into throwing the ball into what may be a very opportunistic back 7 this year for the Horns.

Why UTEP can win:
The only thing I can think of is that the game is in El Paso and it is their home opener. Good teams struggle out there in the Sun Bowl.

Final Prediction and Analysis:
I picked UT to get upset last week, but I’m not that stupid this week. While UTEP may be a more formidable opponent, they don’t have the guns to stay with the Longhorns. I expect a tougher game for UT, but in the end, unless a drunk Cedric Benson is the pilot for the team's flight, I can’t see them not making it to the game. Which means they will cruise. Kind of how Cedric Benson cruises around Austin or on Lake Travis drunker than shit. Speaking of shit, I know a guy who once got so drunk that he…….ah, nevermind. Oh yeah, I was kidding about that UPSET ALERT. Just wanted to outrage certain people.

Texas 37, UTEP 17

Texas A&M (-3) at New Mexico
Texas A&M suffered one of the more humiliating defeats in the program's history last week to Arkansas State (only loss that is worse, that I can remember, is when they lost to Baylor) while New Mexico got blown out by TCU -- thus giving us the only matchup of 0-1 teams this weekend.

Why A&M can win:
They still have some pretty big names on the offensive side of the ball in McGee, Goodson and Lane. Goodson produced last week with two touchdowns and 125 yds rushing, but had a costly fumble in the 4th. McGee did more harm than good, but I see him turning that around this week. Defensively they were strong against the pass last week.

Why New Mexico can win:
Going to Albuquerque is like going into El Paso; it is a very tough place to play. The entire state of New Mexico will be there, Indians and all. It will make for a very drunk crowd and lots of horses.

Final Prediction and Analysis:
There is no way that A&M loses this game. I don’t say that because they are that good, but because New Mexico, unlike in years past, is simply that bad. This game will be about as much fun as watching your girlfriend get railed by a manatee. I can’t see either team scoring more than two times (something Aggie guys should be used to). For your eyes sake and simply because you could be doing better things like inflicting wounds on your own privates, don’t watch this game or give it a second thought. I’m sorry I had to write about it.

TAMU 10, New Mexico 9

Texas Tech (-10) at Nevada
Texas Tech is coming off a lackluster win against a D2 school and Nevada just pounded Grambling -- pitting two teams that are both 1-0 and ready to put on a show for all viewers.

Why TTU can win:
When it comes to offense and defense they are, simply put, much better. They can spread you out and throw, or hit you with a couple quick draws to keep you off balance. Defensively they only gave up 23 rushing yards in their opening game, which is a good sign considering Nevada will try to cram it down their throat. Their defensive secondary may be scrutinized this year for yardage allowed through the pass game, but that will be more a result of teams having to throw the ball because of the point deficit they face. The defensive secondary that led the Big 12 last year lost a few cogs, but are just as good.

Why Nevada can win:
Only three teams had more yards last week than Texas Tech -- Nevada was one of them and they lead the NCAA after one game. They bring a rush offense that isn’t your normal 1 or 2-back set, so it will be something that TTU hasn’t seen or simulated against. While Tech’s rush defense was great last week, they are historically very weak against the run. A good rushing attack can limit the potent Red Raider aerial strike and force some frustration. Tech is also very prone to bad penalties, and when the frustration level increases so do the mental mistakes.

Final Prediction and Analysis:
Several years ago, Tech went out to New Mexico and laid an egg against a run dominant team in what is considered to be the Western part of the US. This game worries me (being a Red Raider) because the same COULD happen here. Tech has struggled on the road at times in non-conference games and cannot win this game if they rack up another 190 yards in penalties. This is the game Nevada and their fans have had circled on their schedule since the schedule came out. They have been waiting for this day. Why?

Because they have been shitting their pants for over a year now worrying about how badly they will be blown out by one of the up-and-coming programs in the nation and can’t wait to get it over with!!

It is generally animals that smell fear, but in this case, the tables have turned and the Red Raiders smell the fear that the Wolfpack have, have had, and will continue to have until the 2008-2009 season is over and they don’t have to see the Double T on their schedule anymore. Leach, in a post game press conference, will compare his trip to Reno to “the feeling you have after a colonoscopy, in a way it was fun but I’m glad it is over, YYYARRRRR!!!”

Texas Tech 63, Nevada 35

GAME OF THE WEEK:

Miami at Florida (-21)
Miami and Florida are both coming off very impressive wins to start their seasons. This game will have more future NFL talent on the field than any other game played this season.

Why Miami can win:
I’ll be honest, I can’t see Miami having any chance of winning this football game. What I would give them for most games is that they are more athletic, bigger, stronger, faster, etc; but when you go up against the upper echelon of the SEC, this is null and void. What may keep them around is their team speed on defense and the fact that they are Miami. They won’t be intimidated going into “The Swamp” and with Florida St. no longer on the schedule, this is the game they may look forward to most. Miami has also won the last 6 meetings between the two teams and that could serve as an additional confidence booster. Freshman QB Jacory Harris is a star in the making and could have his “Vince Young Moment” (which, for Vince, came in the Rose Bowl vs. Michigan) and coming out party in this game.

Why Florida can win:
They match Miami at all positions in athletic ability, size, strength and speed and on top of that they have the best college football player in the nation in Tim Tebow. The biggest difference between these two teams is that Florida signs players who buy into a system and want to be coached, while Miami simply has guys who want to say they went to “The U” and then get drafted. When talent levels are matched, you gotta go with the guys that are willing to accept coaching and that is what the Gators are willing to do. Playing in the Swamp in a nationally televised game against an instate rival will bring out the best in Gator players and coaches and a win like this will only boost their confidence prior to going into a brutal SEC in the coming weeks.

Final Prediction and Analysis:
The only hurricane stopping the Gators will be Hannah if it is powerful enough to get up to Gainesville. Miami’s ability will keep it close for a quarter, but the Gators will run away with this game and turn it into a blowout. Who would have thought Tim Tebow would be able to sit out the 4th quarter against a Miami Hurricane team? I do and it happens Saturday.

Miami 13, Florida 48

Weekend in Review

Well, we’ve officially got the first weekend under our belts. There was one major upset – A&M losing to Arkansas State – and a couple of disappointments – Baylor losing badly to Wake Forest and Texas Tech not scoring in triple digits against Eastern Washington. Other than that, everything basically went according to plan. A quick recap and a look ahead…

Oklahoma
Our own Mattradamus predicted the final outcome of this game about as accurately as you can (his prediction: 60-3, actual outcome: 57-2). That’s even more impressive considering the size of the margin. This week, OU welcomes a team that went 10-3 last year…in the Big East. Yawn.

Ranking (via Sports Illustrated*)
Last week: 2
This week: 2

Texas Tech
Tech opened the season with a “meh”-inducing performance against Eastern Washington. Sure, Graham Harrell had a staggering 536 passing yards, but Crabtree only finished with 73 and the defense gave up 24 points and 335 passing yards. Like I said. Meh. Next week, Tech travels to scenic Reno, Nevada (the “biggest little city in the World”) to take on the Nevada Wolfpack. Obviously, we’re terrified.
Ranking
Last week: 8
This week: 8

Texas
What more can I say that hasn’t already been said by the Captain and the longhaired gentleman with the nightmarish teeth? This past weekend, Texas manhandled Florida Atlantic 52-10. Wittle Coltie threw for 222 and ran for 103. He’s the second coming of Vince Young…except…uhhh…you know, white. And slow. And not all that athletic. Right.

Ranking
Last week: 14
This week: 10

Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State represented the Big XII South well this past weekend, going on the road and pasting Washington State 39-13. Uhhh…good job? I will say this: Oklahoma State may be better this year than anyone is predicting.

Ranking
Last week: 43
This week: 45

Texas A&M
Well, what can I say. The honeymoon has officially ended for Mike Sherman. His team turned the ball over four times and gave up 280 yards on the ground. To Arkansas State. The Ags are gonna have a tough time recovering from this one. But here’s some good news: A&M is favored by a whopping three points in their game against New Mexico this weekend!

Ranking
Last week: 51
This week: 71

Baylor
Not much to say here. Wake Forest beat Baylor. However, Baylor’s young QB, Robert Griffin, showed promise. And, uhhh…they’ve got Northwestern State this week. So there’s that.

Ranking
Last week: 83
This week: 89

This week’s games:
A relatively light weekend finds every Big XII South team favored (we can assume Baylor is favored to win, right? Right?!)

Cincinnati at Oklahoma (-21)
Texas (-26) at UTEP
Texas Tech (-10) at Nevada
Texas A&M (-3) at New Mexico
Houston at Oklahoma State (-13)
Northwestern State at Baylor (no line)

* I’m using the Sports Illustrated rankings because they’re the only ones who rank all 119 teams each week. And since we’re a Big XII South blog, we need to see if A&M really can fall below Baylor.

Just an FYI...

Apparently we need to give credit to the video below. Our friend Beau shot this at the tailgate he was at on Saturday and it has now made SI.com as well as getting over 4,500 hits yesterday on You Tube.

Awesome.

Who says TEXAS fans are elitists?

Ahhh.... Sic.... forget it.

I got nothing. They replayed the game on TV on Sunday, and I actually started watching it again to see if it would turn out different. It didn't. I'll hope, like JW, that the season turns out a little different....

NOT tech, OU, or A&M...

AHA!

McCoy named co-player of the week

By Suzanne Halliburton Tuesday, September 2, 2008, 12:44 PM

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy and Kansas State’s Josh Freeman were selected as the Big 12 Conference’s co-offensive players of the week.
McCoy enjoyed a near-perfect performance in the Longhorns 52-10 win over Florida Atlantic, completing 24 of 29 passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 103 yards and another score on 12 carries.
It’s the second time in McCoy’s career — and the second in five games dating back to 2007 — that he hit the 200/100 benchmark. He’s only the second other Longhorn quarterback in school history to accomplish it more than once. Vince Young did it fives times from 2003-05.
Freeman accounted for five touchdowns, three through the air and two on the ground.

AHOY!!!

Let me start off my recapping my day, BEFORE the game…

I love college football. I love that people without tickets will bake in 100 plus degree parking lot surfaces JUST to love their team.

We tailgated. It was hot. Being surrounded by smokers and BBQ pits makes it hotter. Heat makes me drunk. By 4 pm I was well on my way to cussing loudly and making snide remarks about people. I was quickly told to stop being catty about UT fans, because they’re OUR fans.

(Whatever, admittedly it takes some brass to wear cowboy boots in this heat just because the rest of your sorority is. BUT! This is fodder for me, easy fodder at that. I can’t help myself. We’re UT, we’re elitist to everyone. Sorry, we go/went to “The Harvard of the South”—we ARE better than you solely because we got admitted.)

Anyway, we actually got to a game before kick-off! In fact, we got to see Vince Young’s jersey retired. It wasn’t as big of a deal as one would have thought, but who doesn’t love listening to Vince say, “Hello, AuOWstin?” (Shut, up Aggies…you just have QB envy. Oh. And regardless, OU STILL sucks.)

Moving on….

The Longhorns looked good. Colt looked really GOOD! Relaxed, in the game, confident, accurate, he managed to allay most of my anxiety from last year. I think the article in today’s Statesman sums it correctly, the Horns exceeded expectations Saturday! And if my eyes didn’t prove it, his 503 yard gain sure does—103 rushing and 222 yards passing. Be afraid, bitches, be very afraid. (read story here)

However, my Wittle Colty needs to be sure to get his ass to the sidelines. Having watched him take two after-whistle hits Saturday, I worry about injury and especially how much those cheaters at the Red River shootout will take advantage of this.

Colt says, “"I'm not a big slider.” Reminded of the late hits Saturday, he added, "I don't know what that was all about. I guess I'm just going to have to beeline it to the sidelines."

Wouldja please? I mean, everyone has all this confidence in Chiles, but I’d prefer if you didn’t get sacked and hurt again, m’kay?

However, he sure did look good. As did the rest of the Longhorns. Our defense is definitely back in shape, I feel confident that while the Tech-tards may be able to move the ball, we can stop them, AND we can put that ball all over the field. I no longer have concern for the Aggies and I’m never confident against OU. (even though they still suck-- just because they suck, okay?)

I will not be the one getting in to numbers, I CAN tell you that by the beginning of the 3rd quarter, I definitely hit a wall and my memory of the rest of the game becomes a lil hazy. SORRY! Sometimes I get over-excited about first game and blow all my drinking prowess tailgating. (hah—what drinking prowess?!?!) I blame Mike for having an indestructible liver and basically pouring maker’s on ice the second we arrived at our seats.

UT Recap: Movie Quote Edition

When you can balance a tack hammer on your head, you will head off your foes with a balanced attack

Loved the balance: 232 on the ground and 271 in the air.

You must lash out with every limb, like the octopus who plays the drums.


Colt looked better than I’ve ever seen him; running and passing. He’s more poised, smarter and a good bit bigger this year. I’m thinking he’ll throw 6 interceptions and 32 TDs and add about 9 more on the ground.

Don't mess with the volcano my man, 'cause I will go Pompeii on your... butt.

The defense gave up some long plays in the first half but kept it locked down in the red zone. I was a little worried about playing a white kid, Gideon, at safety, but he is fast as all get up and hits hard. The second half was a complete and utter throttling. They held FAU to around 30 yards in the air and next to nothing on the ground. Stellar work from a bunch of green kids.

To learn my teachings, I must first teach you how to learn.

After a flat opening drive, Chiles really fell into the groove. Late in the second half he drove the HORNS 50 yards (49 of those on 4/4 passing) and a touchdown. He was never able to turn a corner, but he’s so effing fast that I expect him to break some long ones this season.

You must be like wolf pack, not six-pack.

No worries at all about the lack of a feature running back. The corps got the job done and, most importantly, never put the ball on the ground.

Rage... taking over...

Replay is getting out of hand. I swear the first quarter of that game took an hour.

We are number one. All others are number two, or lower.

All and all I’d say the HORNS didn’t do anything to weaken my confidence in them. I’ll know more after a couple more games, but I wouldn’t feel real excited about playing the HORNS if I were a fan of one of the other universities represented on this blog

as an aside

I may not be as up-to-date on the happenings, history, records, or whatever else your schools keep up with, but I will say I'm not sure how much credence we can give boomer sooner's comments. . . can you really trust someone who has lived in indian territory that long?!?!?! I mean that's worse than living in Lubbock, at least Lubbock has so much lithium in the water, you just don't mind that much.

jw

WTF?!

so i went the game, and. . . it was bad. I'm hoping this is one of those times where you have a terrible first game and then win-out for the rest of the season! (I may have not stopped drinking since the game, hoping to stave off the wicked hangover every Aggie will have to endure this season.) I recalled saying prior to halftime that if Arkansas got their shit together this game would be even worse. . . well they figured that out.

I am first to point out I am not a 'red ass' Aggie, I'm not even a two-percenter. . . I'm about a .08 percenter (just trying to keep it legal). I would not classify myself as a fair weather fan either . . . just for the record, I am very proud to be an Aggie, and of my aggie ring, etc., etc. . . but A&M Football. . . its whatever, I prefer to hangout amongst the Aggie elite (no, its not an oxymoron) in their motor coaches and trailers that cost more than my rich friend's parent's house. I love rich people who still drink Cold Coors Light! Anyway, I like to tailgate and listen/watch the game on a 60 inch plasma screen hanging off the side of a million-dollar motor home. White-trash with class!

Sorry, I feel that I had to put that out there since my whole post is about how bad we suck. . .

I would say we sucked as bad as Tech does, but that's another WTF. . . how on God's green earth is ttu playing better that A&M. . . so I will say, we have substantial room for improvement. McGee was not impressive and acted poorly under pressure, he scrambled, he fell, he threw it away twice, and in one ugly attempt, threw an interception. I'm not saying its all his fault, i really don't know, I'm not athletic, I'm in politics. But he didn't have anyone to throw to, Arkansas had everyone covered. Goodson was good, but they wore him out, and Arkansas knew that if McGee hadn't dropped back 40 yards then Goodson probably had the ball. Lane was in the game, but did not carry the ball. It was kind of weird, I heard that he has a mild concussion. . . so WTF, why is he in the game?

After the game all the witty longhorns and tech-tards I know decided to call and make sure I was aware that we lost. . . thanks guys. So, while I have no good response to my red raider friends, because y'all still beat us. To the longhorns, we may still suck like we have over the past couple of years. . . when we still beat you. Its going to be even worse, when we suck even more this year. . . and you still lose at home. . . again.

I'm anxiously awaiting next week to see if improvements are made or if I just need to break down and put an 'L' up on my forehead with all the other losers and yell "Wreck 'Em Tech"!

oh. . . here's the part we did win:



WHOOP!
jw

Anyway, my totally