Berry Tramel

Texas squeaker means what for OU?

Posted January 6, 2009 by Berry Tramel Comment on this article Leave a comment

Texas beat Ohio State 24-21 Monday night in a Fiesta Bowl thriller, and Mack Brown says he’s going to vote Texas No. 1 in the coaches poll Friday morning. Isn’t that special. Thursday night, the Waterford crystal trophy will already be in the hands of Sooners or Gators.

AP voters, of course, are not bound by the BCS national championship game, and they can do whatever they want in poll voting, and FOX broadcasters kept asking if the Longhorns could jump to No. 1 in AP.

Let me get this straight. The No. 3-ranked team is supposed to ride a narrow victory, achieved in the final seconds, over the No. 10 team, and leapfrog whoever wins the No. 1 vs. No. 2 shootout of Oklahoma-Florida?

This is not a discussion for people dealing in reality. There is not, and there was not, a scenario by which the Longhorns could jump to the top.

The voters spoke last time. If the voters were going to reward Texas for beating OU, they would have done it after the Sooners beat Missouri, not after the Sooners beat Florida in Miami.

Much more relevant is what Texas’ performance means. And the truth is, the Fiesta gives a little credence to Big 12 bashers. Not a lot, but a little.

Trailing 6-3 at halftime, Texas’ offense seemed quite mediocre, making you think that maybe Big 12 defenses are shoddy, as some claim. Of course, the 21-point second half was impressive. Quarterback Colt McCoy was fantastic; no one ever has said Ohio State doesn’t play defense. The Buckeyes can’t pass to save their lives, but they can guard you.

So we really can’t take too much from the game as it pertains to the Oklahoma-Florida showdown. Anything still seems possible. Tight game. OU blowout, via its explosive offense. Florida blowout, via another Sooner bowl meltdown.

Texas’ hurryup offense bothered Ohio State in the second half. That has to concern Florida, which already has admitted the Sooners’ no-huddle offense has them a little worried. OU’s offense is even more uptempo than UT’s. I think you’ll see the Sooners go into high gear early against the Gators.

Texas’ victory means the Big Bowl will be for Big 12/SEC bragging rights. The Big 12 now is 4-2 in bowls; the SEC is 5-2. The OU-Florida winner will give its league the better record.

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