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Dr. Saturday

Tue Jan 06, 2009 10:05 am EST

Headlinin': Texas wins poll of Texas coaches

By Matt Hinton

• If the Horns are champions in their own hearts, that's all that matters. At least Mack Brown (who actually voted Texas No. 2 in his final regular season ballot, behind Florida) and Colt McCoy think Texas deserves a piece of the mythical championship, because almost nobody else thinks it's going to happen after the Longhorns' too-close-for-comfort win in the Fiesta Bowl. Based on just a quick run through the morning opinions, John Bridges and Kirk Bohls (despite what I think is a misleading headline, "Texas has look of a champion") in the Austin American-Statesman, Berry Tramel in the Oklahoman as well as national observers Dan Shanoff, Mike Freeman (who is a terrible writer but has a forum), Olin Buchanan and Adam Rittenberg all go with some variation on, "Nice win, but not nice enough."

Bohls speculates the Horns will be No. 2 in both the AP and Coaches polls. I suspect Utah will have something to say about that, and possibly USC as well. Not that any of the hair-splitting distinctions below No. 1 will be worth more anything more than a dissatisfied grumble, anyway, unless you just think of them all as champions, polls be damned.

• We have no stake in the polls, but that's OK. Meanwhile, Ohio State's loss is the Big Ten's sixth straight in BCS games and means the conference finishes 1-5 in this year's bowl slate (woo Hawkeyes!). After Penn State's Trojan-induced implosion in the Rose Bowl, Big Ten commish Jim Delany told the Chicago Tribune he's not worried about the slide, because these things are "cyclical." Maybe he's right: The Big Ten was 8-5 in BCS games from 1998-2005, virtually tied with the SEC (7-4) for the best winning percentage of any of the major leagues in the Series' first eight years. That still doesn't stop Delany from looking like a complacent, oblivious captain of the Titanic after three terrible postseasons in a row.

• This just in: Nothing's changed. Jeff Jagodzinski apparently remains Boston College's head coach this morning, though the Jets interview and his subsequent termination still loom while his athletic director and local columnists alike are already referring to him in the past tense.

There is some buzz that Jags wants out of the college ranks ($), mainly because he's not too keen on recruiting, and is willing to take the axe and rejoin an NFL staff. If he goes through with his meeting with the Jets today, whether he gets that job or not, he'll get his wish.

Quickly ... With receivers coach/assistant head coach Trooper Taylor, four-fifths of Auburn's new coaching staff is black. What does Charles Barkley think of that? As for the one white guy, offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, he drinks a lot of coffee. ... Kevin Steele is definitely leaving Alabama to become defensive coordinator at Clemson, but it's going to cost the Tigers in the end. ... Longtime Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis, rumored to be hired at LSU last week, officially joined the Tiger staff Monday. ... Steve Sarkisian has lured his old USC colleague, Nick "Stone Cold" Holt, to be his defensive coordinator at Washington. Holt's replacement will probably be promoted from within the Trojan staff, likely secondary coach Rocky Seto or linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. ... Dan Mullen is a man with two cell phones. ... South Carolina linebacker Eric Norwood, after declaring for the draft following the Outback Bowl, has changed his mind and will be back with the Gamecocks. ... Ex-Trojan Emmanuel Moody thinks Florida has too much speed for his old mates, hypothetically speaking. ... And the Jamarkus McFarland piece was one thing, but does Thayer Evans really think Bob Stoops' BCS championship in 2000 bears John Blake's fingerprints?

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31 Comments

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  1. John R
    1. Posted by John R Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:58 pm EDT

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    Mike,
    You are a young idiot. Way back in 1987 through 1997 Florida State was acuused of running up the score. My thought is a win is a win. W is the only thing that hangs on. That you get a vote is irresponsible. Give them a win. By the way, if you like running up the score, Utah has not l;ost a game and put a beat down on the SEC Gods BAMA. If Florida wins by one or Oklahoma wins by one, does that mean they did not demonstrate a number one choice? Wins are wins, and you wanting a beating to make it a win is silly. Grow up!
    John
  2. Andrew W
    2. Posted by Andrew W Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:04 pm EDT

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    There is no way in the world that Texas should even be considered for the National Championship no matter what anybody says. They beat an Ohio State team that has had a less than admirable season, and while they are still Ohio State, beating them this year, and only by 3 points, is not really a victory that should boost anybody into National Championship status, no matter what their idiot coach says. Ohio State was demoralized by USC, and then they almost upset Texas!?! I hate SC, but they have a far more deserving position than Texas ever could hope to have. Not to mention the fact that Mack Brown is an idiot and keeps running his mouth while Pete Carrell is a far better Coach and doesn't complain when the rules of the BCS knock his team out with only one loss. Not to mention the fact that Utah had an undefeated season (again for the 2nd time in 4 years), beat four top-25 teams, and ate Alabama for lunch in the Sugar Bowl. If you're going to talk crap then you better show up in your bowl game. USC did, Utah did, Texas didn't, or they did and they just aren't that good. Either way, they don't deserve to be the champs.
  3. allhailcale
    3. Posted by allhailcale Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:58 pm EDT

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    andrew - please do your research and stop regurgitating what the pro-usc media is telling you. thanks in advance...
  4. AstateEditor
    4. Posted by AstateEditor Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:48 pm EDT

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    By Golly, Doc. That NY Times story on Bob Stoops and John Blake is the most ridiculous thing I've read in quite some time. As a writer how would someone even come up with an idea like that? Thanks for the laugh.
  5. Gbdup
    5. Posted by Gbdup Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:40 pm EDT

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    you'd think the sooners would know not to diss tebow and the gators prior to having played the game. all they are doing is firing up the gators
  6. Gbdup
    6. Posted by Gbdup Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:40 pm EDT

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    i guarntee you the gators secretly have a bounty on dominque franks. he better watch out for knock out blows. he will be all sulked face when he sees how much fight and heart and ability tebow has.
  7. TommyD
    7. Posted by TommyD Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:59 pm EDT

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    What game were you watching? Surely you didn't see the same game that I saw. Texas is no more a National Championship contender than Ohio State is - and I'm an Ohio State fan!. Texas played the first half like they didn't belong and didn't want to even be there. Mistakes were made on both sides of the ball, but the biggest mistakes were made by the officials. Missing crucial calls at important points in the game boggled my mind. The call for roughing the passer with a blow to the head when the replay obviously showed the defensive player went below McCoy's shoulder and arm allowed a touchdown in the third period that never should have happened. Without that touchdown Texas never would have won. My question is how much did Texas pay for the calls? Great officiating folks! Blown calls lost this game for Ohio State, sure. But the fact of the matter is that Ohio State did not play this game as well as they could have and they can really only blame themselves in the end for losing. But Texas did not win this game either. They did not play like a championship caliber team and did not deserve to win and do not deserve any part of a higher ranking as a result of this win.
  8. Gbdup
    8. Posted by Gbdup Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:40 pm EDT

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    the big 12 has sucked so bad in the bowl games, their qb's suck. franks has no idea what hes talking about. keep talking shiz, you know what they say about shiz talkers... they do it cos they are insecure and know that their playing wont do the talking so they have to run their mouth like an idiot and make a fool of themselves once they get beat. they are facing a gators team that wiped out all the competition. dumb move franks.
  9. Gbdup
    9. Posted by Gbdup Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:40 pm EDT

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    florida is a great bet in this game being only a 3 point favorite. i have florida blowing em out/ finishing em off by the end of the 2nd quarter.
  10. Gbdup
    10. Posted by Gbdup Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:40 pm EDT

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    franks is going to be covering harvin... and harvin is goin to make a fool of him, he knows he cant match up with harvin... hes covering HARVIN and hes talkin what a dumb ace
  11. adder30
    11. Posted by adder30 Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:13 pm EDT

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    @ John R
    I don't think Matt is a proponent of "run up the score or be out of MNC contention" but rather stating the obvious, that Texas only controlled the game for 5 minute stretches of the 2nd and 4th quarters. OSU owned virtually the whole first half and was leading with 18 seconds to go in the 4th quarter. Utah on the other hand won by 14 (hardly a blowout, certainly not running up the score), but controlled every facet of the game from the opening kickoff. If you're gonna a piece of the title pie to someone besides UF or OU, its gotta be the Utes.
    @ Doc S
    Not sure why that statement makes Delaney the captain of the Titanic. What is he supposed to do? Flip out? Bring a bunch of MAC teams into the Big 10 to spruce things up? I don't think there's much a commish can do to rectify the dearth of elite teams in his conference right now. He's gotta cross his fingers and hope RichRod and Terelle Pryor live up to expectations just like the rest of Michigan and Ohio.
  12. buffalobuckeye
    12. Posted by buffalobuckeye Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:15 pm EDT

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    Well, hats off to Texas, they've got a fine team, no doubt. After playing both USC (away game) and Texas (neutral site), I think that USC is just a better team this year.
  13. BMT
    13. Posted by BMT Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:04 pm EDT

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    It's difficult to tell if Texas was overrated or the Buckeyes are better than people think. They both stunk. Can anyone tell me why OSU went for 2 when their last TD put them up 21-17? At that point, it didn't change anything. Texas neede a TD no matter what.
  14. J-D
    14. Posted by J-D Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:31 pm EDT

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    Matt -
    Thank you for your unprovoked shot at Mike Freeman. He is the epitome of the boring, obvious, lazy, thinks-he's-funny-but-he-isn't middle-aged sportswriter who secretly hates sports.
    #13 -
    You go for two there to force Texas to make the extra point if they score a TD. Who knows, you might block it, they could shank one, there might be a bad snap.
  15. TommyD
    15. Posted by TommyD Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:59 pm EDT

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    What chaps my hide more than anything is some redneck yahoo thinking that Texas is so damned good just because they beat a poorly performing team with the help of bad calls and injured players sidlined for half the game. No excuses are being made here - Ohio State lost this game because they didn't play any better than Texas did. But that gives Texas no reason to think for a single second that they should get a piece of the National Championship! What planet are they living on anyway? Why doesn't someone bring them back down to Earth and remind them that they have to have "strength of schedule" in order to get a piece of the National Championship? Where exactly do they get off thinking that beating a team that is only rated 10th in the nation and only beating them by three lousy points in the last 30 seconds of the game does not give them anything to brag about? Didn't they go to college? Or is the school system in Texas in such a state of disrepair that they cannot even put one and one together and get two from them? Maybe the English language is not part of the curriculum? Maybe they don't understand what it takes to be a Championship Caliber Team? Maybe they should go to school on the short bus and we should all forgive them for being just a little slow? Jesus H. Freakin' Christ People!! Get It Right!!! Ohio State Lost This Game. But Texas Did Not Win Anything Either!!! Texas got a gift from the referee with a bogus roughing the passer call that resulted in a touchdown. Without that, they never would have won. How then, does that give them the right to have any part of the National Championship? Stop there and answer that one little question. Say anything else you want, but answer that first. Look at the replay and then answer. Texas deserves nothing and should be in 8th or maybe 7th place in the final rankings. End of Story. Go Ahead and Argue Amongst Yourselves.......
  16. Dingus
    16. Posted by Dingus Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:35 pm EDT

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    Had Texas been considered the AP Nat'l Champs before the game, their performance in the Fiesta Bowl should pretty much rule them out. The game was there for the taking for Ohio State, but the refs keeping Texas in the game in the first half and OSU's own weird coaching decisions and schemes allowed Texas to steal the game. If I remember correctly, Texas was an 8-10 point fav, playing a lower ranked team. How does squeaking by with a last second earn you any #1 votes?
  17. Alejandro E
    17. Posted by Alejandro E Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:49 pm EDT

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    A win is a win. What difference does it make what the score is at the end. So the officials made a bad call, there were plenty of times I saw Ohio's Offensive line holding, but that wasnt being called. I believe Texas should take part in the National Championship.Why? you have to remember if it wasnt for that 1 loss to Texas Tech on the last play of the game Texas would be in the National Championship anyway; this wouldnt even be a discussion, but they lost that game. A Loss Is A Loss.
  18. Alejandro E
    18. Posted by Alejandro E Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:49 pm EDT

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    People on here are saying that Texas is not a Championship Caliber Team, Lets ask Oklahoma if they felt the same way after they lost to Texas back in November when they were ranked No.1.
  19. Alejandro E
    19. Posted by Alejandro E Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:49 pm EDT

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    Correction: back in october.....
  20. LongTrans
    20. Posted by LongTrans Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:54 pm EDT

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    The only way we'll ever know if Texas deserves to be the NC is for them to play in the NC. Since they got screwed out of that, this is all they got. USC can cry all they want, but they got BEAT by a team who was a lay down for Stanford and Penn State and were mopped by Oregon; yes, the wonderful Beavers. That USC loss just can't be digested, sorry. They don't deserve the NC. Florida on the otherhand was beat by a good team, so at least their loss is palatable. And Texas BEAT Oklahoma. Enough said on that one? And Utah.....please. And anyone that thinks Ohio State is not a good football team is an idiot. How many NC did they go to in the last 4 years? How many Seniors were still on that team? You don't think they got UP for this game? Texas should be playing Florida for the NC, plain and simple. Sure they would go in as underdogs, but didn't they go in as underdogs against, hmmm, oh yeah, USC? Texas just finds ways to win. They are the best 1 loss team in the country.
  21. Mavrick007
    21. Posted by Mavrick007 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:52 pm EDT

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    In my opinion there will never be a true national Champion until the Elite teams start playing each other earlier in the season! Lets say next year Texas starts the season by playing Florida, USC, Utah and then starts thier conferance schedule? But they want to hype the stats instead! Just enjoy the entertainment it will mean nothing next year???
  22. IDGAD
    22. Posted by IDGAD Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:27 pm EDT

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    What mechanism is there that would allow the top teams to know 5+ years in advance those teams they should have scheduled to enhance their reputation in that future season? What would induce the teams scheduling them to forego the revenue a USC etc. generates for them?
  23. Dingus
    23. Posted by Dingus Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:35 pm EDT

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    Texas may very well be a "Nat'l Championship caliber" team, but that doesn't necessarily mean they should be crowned the AP champ over the winner of the Florida/Oklahoma game, or USC, or Utah. If Oklahoma beats Florida, the fact that Texas beat Oklahoma back in October does not mean Texas should be crowned the Nat'l Champs in January. The pollsters ranked Oklahoma ahead of Texas at the end of the season because their body of work was better than Texas'. The majority of people who have input into "the system" felt that Oklahoma was the stronger of the 2 teams at the end of the season. Florida is a much better team than Ohio State, so if Oklahoma beats them it carries more weight than Texas' 3-point win over the Buckeyes.
  24. Uncle Rico
    24. Posted by Uncle Rico Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:14 pm EDT

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    bowl games are exposing what people already knew about the big 12......no D! i only imagine what a mark sanchez or tim tebow would have done in the big 12. texas was exposed as a mediocre team. osu we already knew was mediocre. great game against two evenly matched teams from bad conferences. colt mccoy's comments about beating anyone is too comical. texas won on a last second TD on a good 4th down spot with two osu defenders dropping two possible INTs. hardly NC worthy. vince young was a better qb in college then colt ever is and will be. you guys should suit up vince again. that was a dominate texas team.
  25. downsouth (OU=Where getting owned by UT happens!)
    25. Posted by downsouth (OU=Where getting owned by UT happens!) Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:30 pm EDT

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    2. Posted by Andrew W Tue Jan 06, 2009 11:16 am EST Report Abuse
    There is no way in the world that Texas should even be considered for the National Championship no matter what anybody says. They beat an Ohio State team that has had a less than admirable season, and while they are still Ohio State, beating them this year, and only by 3 points, is not really a victory that should boost anybody into National Championship status, no matter what their idiot coach says. Ohio State was demoralized by USC, and then they almost upset Texas!?! I hate SC, but they have a far more deserving position than Texas ever could hope to have. Not to mention the fact that Mack Brown is an idiot and keeps running his mouth while Pete Carrell is a far better Coach and doesn't complain when the rules of the BCS knock his team out with only one loss. Not to mention the fact that Utah had an undefeated season (again for the 2nd time in 4 years), beat four top-25 teams, and ate Alabama for lunch in the Sugar Bowl. If you're going to talk crap then you better show up in your bowl game. USC did, Utah did, Texas didn't, or they did and they just aren't that good. Either way, they don't deserve to be the champs.
    HOW MANY TOP TEN TEAMS DID USC OR UTAH BEAT THIS YEAR? TEXAS GOT 5 WINS.....I DOUBT USC OR UTAH HAS THAT MANY.....TEXAS WOULD OF DOMINATED IF THEY WERE IN THE PAC 10 OR BIG TEN THIS YEAR.....USC LOST TO OREGON STATE LOL......

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