For those not fortunate enough to reside in the great state of Texas, this Saturday is Texas-OU weekend, when the Longhorns and the Sooners meet up in Dallas for the annual Red River Shoot-Out, where they will be surrounded by thousands upon thousands of drunken boobs starting fights, setting things on fire, and generally behaving like complete idiots.
I miss college.
Much is at stake for both teams this year, as each are ranked in the top 5 (OU at #2, Texas at #5) and could use a victory on Saturday as a springboard to a run at a national championship (given the sorry state of the Big 12 North, I'm not too worried about Texas or OU winning the conference championship).
There's a lot at stake for Texas coach Mack Brown as well, who - should the Horns lose - would become just the third coach in UT history to lose to Oklahoma five years in a row. Frankly, if you cough up that many consecutive losses to your biggest rival, I think you've gotta go.
It isn't just OU, the Horns have been dismal under Brown in bowl games and against top 10 teams. He's had great recruiting classes, which ultimately mean nothing when you go 10-2 and end up in the Holiday Bowl. Again.
10-2, eh? Probably sounds like I shouldn't be complaining (especially to you Aggies), but there's no reason to accept an 0-fer in five games against Oklahoma. Stoops is a good coach, but not one of the all-time greats, and there's no excuse for the weird mind control powers he has over Brown. This game looks to be more evenly matched than recent years (meaning if we lose by less than 24 I should probably count my blessings), and with any luck, Texas can pull out a win.
Normally, we head over to a friend's house for a BBQ. Said friend also happens to be a rabid OU fan, which has made recent games (especially the one where I had to wear OU decals on my face) somewhat excruciating. This year, however, I will be about as far from anything Texas as you can get: New York. We're headed to Lawn Guy-land for a wedding, and I'll be scouting tomorrow for a sports bar within stumbling/taxi distance from the church where I can watch the game in my suit and UT baseball cap.
This also means APCB will be on hiatus until Monday. Feel free to check out the fine blogs over there on the right, and have a good weekend.
Go Cards. Hook 'em Horns.
REMINDER: Still taking bio submissions (see below). I'll accept them in the comments section or via e-mail (general_buck_vh@yahoo.com) through Sunday, and then I'll start putting the thing together. And thanks to everyone who's contributed so far.
Good lord Pete, you're going to a WEDDING?? For that game? Hey, we've lost 13 out of the last 14 to Florida, and I wouldn't miss the Worlds Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party for a guaranteed threesome with (Fill in any two names you want).
Hope springs eternall and all that.
But, than I am allergic to weddings. IT'S GREAT TO BE A GEORGIA BULLDOG!
Saw Varsity's horns off ...
I don't know if UT has what it takes on the the coaching front. For years they have had the talent, but the coaching just hasn't gotten the job done. I see Texas losing this one and at the end of the year they will be looking for another coach. We had to sit through Slocum for years doing the same thing; doing somewhat well in the conferences (Southwest and then Big-12), but doing abysmal against top-ranked teams and in bowl games. At least Mack will leave the UT program with a better talent pool than we had when Slocum was released. I am not looking forward to the latter half of our schedule. I just hope our guys can keep improving over the year and avoid the humiliation of being massively out-scored like last season. Comign off a 4-8 season, I see us only improving. Gig-em!
have fun in NY, Pete. Next time -- how about a little heads up before you come out east?
:-)
Considering Bob Stoops has only been a head coach since 1999, then no, Stoops isn't one of the all-time greats. But his record over that period is pretty darn good. :)
Not sure why you thought this one would be more evenly matched, at least not in terms of overall talent. Brown has had the talent edge over the last few years, but I don't think he did this year.
I thought UT gave up on the power option game way too soon in this one. Best bet was to wear down a thin Sooner d-line, not try to let Young throw (good gawd, no). Greg Davis will have to "retire" at the end of the season for the offense's failures. Defense played much better this year for UT, and special teams stood out in the first half.
Hope you had fun in New York. Hope you didn't get to see the demise of Texas against OU again. We, of course, did not get the chance as the the networks believe all in FL are interested all things Florida and ugh! Georgia. One bright spot, I got to see my Alma Mater get beat by Florida Atlantic. Well, I saw the - argh - it hurts to say, TSU Bobcats blow it in San Marcos on TV. It was nice to watch the commercials about the school and surrounding area. I even recognized the bars.
Good lord Pete, you're going to a WEDDING?? For that game?
You act like I had a choice.
IT'S GREAT TO BE A GEORGIA BULLDOG!
Even after losing to Tennessee?
Saw Varsity's horns off...
Banned.
have fun in NY, Pete. Next time -- how about a little heads up before you come out east?
No time, my man. Believe me, I considered it, but seeing as how I spent most of the forst two days there in the bathroom thanks to a lingering stomach virus, it wouldn't have worked out too well anyway.
Not sure why you thought this one would be more evenly matched, at least not in terms of overall talent. Brown has had the talent edge over the last few years, but I don't think he did this year.
OU's defense was lacking, and I still don't buy into the cult of Jason White. As it turns out, the game was a lot closer. UT choked too many times, even after engineering some great turnovers.
Well, I saw the - argh - it hurts to say, TSU Bobcats blow it in San Marcos on TV
You get cable access channel 10 in FL?
Here it's access channel 15!
As long as the Astros get their lucky asses bumped, I'm cool with it all. Wooo pig sooie, Razorbacks.