As a University of Texas alum, I felt it was my sovereign duty to hold off on writing about last week's spectacularly disheartening home loss to Arkansas until I could do so without sputtering profanities every third fucking word (See? I'm getting better). Tonight's annual whomping of Rice hasn't done much to elevate my hopes this season, primarily because Rice manages to lose to Duke the week before. Duke's football team would be hard pressed to beat my high school squad, and they played drunk half the time.
Okay, not really. But you get my point.
I'm a Longhorn fan, but I'm also a realist. And when UT gave it up like General Weygand to the Razorbacks last week, I realized the chances of a national championship for Texas were both slim and fat. This week's games may have opened a few doors where previously there had been none (how about Kansas State choking against Marshall?), the road to the BCS title leads through OU. And unless Bob Stoops suddenly gets called up, like Nuke Laloosh, to the big leagues (or - my preference - he departs on a spiritual quest through the wilderness for several years), I honestly don't see it happening.
The rumblings have been going on all week, so I'll just come out and say it: the gild is off Mack Brown's lily. He's had more than enough #1 recruiting classes to mold and shape into a national contender. At present, Stoops still leeches talent from Texas, Arkansas has another game against us next year to impress state high school prospects, and A&M has new appeal now that R.C. "Can't Go For It on 4th Down" Slocum is out and Franchione is in. Yes, yes...UT always ends up in the Top 5 or 10 at the end of the year, but until they beat Oklahoma it doesn't really mean anything. And until he can win the Big 12 and contend for a title, the rumblings aren't going to stop.
I don't think Mack's job is in danger. Yet. He'd have to lose to both OU and Texas A&M in the same year, as well as an early home game to an unranked team (albeit an unranked team that won the SEC East and beat the likes of Alabama and LSU a year ago).
UT plays Tulane next week. My recommendation is to give Vince Young some snaps in a game that actually counts. The running game looked iffy against Arkansas, and he presents a credible threat. Nothing against Chance Mock, but championships are built on what works, and if Young's game works for the Horns, he should be the starting QB.
Somehow I knew I'd find Whited lurking in here, spreading malicious rumors and false hopes.
I don't have a dog in this hunt, except that I want Texas to beat OU during the State Fair. Of course, I would love to see a national champeenship here in the Great Republic, too.
I thought the only ones who played drunk at your high school's football games were the band guys like yourself!
Oh, if Chris Parnell could see you now :-)
Meh. I always got the feeling Parnell pitied me, which probably wasn't entirely unwarranted.
Where the hell are you now, man? E-mail me at general_buck_vh@yahoo.com and give me an update.
I've still got your "special" prom photo, if this is the Tim I think it is.
The crazy thing about OU-Texas is that just when it looks like one team has a definite edge, that crazy game will confound all of us. Oklahoma has hit a bunch of big plays this year, but what if Texas shuts those down? Likewise, OU's defense has occasionally given up long drives -- and last year was susceptible to the occasional big play -- and Texas likes to hit the big play. And OU's special teams, despite yesterday's performance, have not been special most of the year.
I'm saying all of this as an OU fan who watched much of that meaningless Texas-Rice game yesterday on the tube, and recognizes all of the talent Texas has flying around. If Mack can figure out how to put it together, they could still do a lot of damage. There just aren't that many teams in college football with as much talent on the player side. The coaching side may be a different story.
Incidentally, Vincent Young worries this OU fan.