During an interview this week, Texas head coach [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] clearly states that there should not be a distinction between BCS and non-BCS schools and that all schools should be treated equally. Somehow, ESPN spend the next 36 hours claiming Mack had said non-BCS schools didn’t belong in the national title game. Say what? Watch for yourself below:
The BCS standings for the week have been released and the Texas Longhorns are still sitting at number 3. The team’s impressive win over Missouri did earn the Horns a few first place votes and overall points in the human polls, and that gain allowed the Horns to gain ground on both [tag]Florida[/tag] and [tag]Alabama[/tag] in the BCS standings.
Iowa and TCU made big jumps in the rankings but Texas should still control their own destiny. As we see every Saturday, anything can happen so just worry about what you can control between the lines. Keep winning and the rest should take care of itself.
SI.com is predicting the second half of the 2009 season and they don’t foresee good things for the Texas Longhorns. Only one out of six of their experts thinks the Horns will end up in the BCS title game and even worse that would mean some awful “no win” matchups in the Fiesta Bowl. Texas better keep winning, because a bowl game against [tag]Boise State[/tag], [tag]Cincinnati[/tag], or [tag]TCU[/tag] does not sound fun.
A lot of consternation amongst Texas fans but the Horns have debuted at number 3 in the BCS rankings. Not much reason to worry, with #1 Florida and #2 Alabama set to face off later in the year all Texas has to do is win out and they’ll end up in the BCS title game.
Link: Florida No. 1 in first BCS standings
Video: Brad Edwards’ BCS take
Lots of action this weekend in college football, especially in the SEC. Georgia at Tennessee, Auburn at Arkansas, Alabama at Ole Miss, and the big one, Florida at LSU. Luckily the games are perfectly scheduled and you will be able to watch the good ones on the beautiful CBS HD feed. The Texas game starts about 45 minutes before Florida/LSU, hopefully enough time for Texas to gain a big lead so we can switch back and forth between the games. Now let’s get more in depth on the games.
3 Alabama at 20 Ole Miss (+4) – 3:30 PM EST on CBS. Ole Miss definitely has a lot to prove today against Alabama if they want to be taken seriously in the SEC. Alabama is looking to bounce back after probably their worst game of the season. Ole Miss QB Jevan Snead is also looking to rebound, after going 7 of 21 for 107 yards in their loss to South Carolina. With the spread so close, mistakes will probably decide this one. Alabama seems like the more controlled team, and I see them winning the turnover battle. Take Alabama minus the points.
Colorado at 2 Texas (-33) – 7:15 PM EST on ESPN. At the start of the season I would have told you I was a little worried about this Colorado matchup, especially with the big game against OU the week after. Thankfully Colorado has struggled this year and I don’t see them putting up much of a fight. They are outmatched in every way, and have to deal with playing in front of 100,000 opposing fans. Basically there is no chance for the Buffaloes week. Texas wins big and will cover the 33 point spread.
1 Florida at 4 LSU (+9) – 8 PM EST on CBS. Night game at Death Valley, need I say more? LSU has won 32 consecutive Saturday night games, and I don’t see that changing this weekend. Tebow’s status is questionable, and even if he does go I don’t see him being 100%. Florida has had an extra week to prepare, but most of that time has probably been spent coddling Tim Tebow and stroking his ego. LSU is proving to be a good running team, and if you give Jordan Jefferson enough time he is a very capable quarterback. It really doesn’t get much better than this in college football. Florida’s 14 game winning streak ends tonight. Take LSU plus the points.
College Gameday
(13) Georgia at (9) Oklahoma State (-5.5) – 3:30 PM EST on ABC. Oklahoma State is starting the season with the highest ranking in school history. A few years ago Oklahoma State got absolutely killed in their season opener and will no doubt be looking for some revenge. This is OK State’s chance to show just how much they have improved and that they are ready for the big stage. I Georgia has too many question marks and OK State wins this one pretty easily. Give the points.
(20) BYU at (3) Oklahoma (-22) – 7:00 PM EST on ESPN. Oklahoma is known to start of the season a little slow, but I expect them to finally learn from their previous mistakes and take care of business here. By now you have probably all heard of Gresham’s injury, but I don’t see that being a huge factor here, Oklahoma just has too many weapons on offense. I don’t like the 22 number, but I would go ahead and give the points here.
Louisiana-Monroe at (2) Texas (-42) – 7:00 PM EST on FSN. Wow, another 42 point spread season opener. Obviously this game won’t get much national attention, but it is always good to try and get some opening season questions answered. Has the defense matured from last year? Who is going to step up at running back? Now I almost never bet on Texas, but even with the 42 points I think Texas covers this easily. Look for something in the neighborhood of 59-7.
(5) Alabama at (7) Virginia Tech (+6) – 8:00 PM EST on ABC. You can’t start the season off much stronger than this night-time battle of top tens. Virginia Tech is also coming in with their highest ranking in school history and has a few question marks after some injuries this preseason. Alabama started off last season better than anyone, but fell short in their last two games. Saban hopes to start erasing those bad memories with a big win tonight. Virginia Tech is starting a freshman at QB and RB. In my opinion that spells trouble against the Alabama defense. I think Alabama covers this spread, though it might just be by 1. Give the points here.
The first official college football poll of the 2009 season is out and the Longhorns are sitting at a great position debuting at number 2. They sit between the reigning champs #1 Florida Gators and the hated #3 Oklahoma Sooners in the top 5. This preseason spot puts a lot of expectations on the team but also leaves it where an undefeated season (even with a weak non-conference schedule) will guarantee the Horns a shot at the national championship.
Coaches’ preseason poll top 5
- Florida
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- USC
- Alabama
Posted February 10th, 2009 by Brian
Filed under: Football, Recruiting
The Longhorns didn’t finish off the 2009 recruiting class with the bang some fans were hoping for, but the class is still one of the top in the nation. Rivals.com ranks Texas as fifth overall class overall, but is with [tag]Florida[/tag] and USC for best average rating per prospect. Check out a brief video feature on the entire top ten below:
Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship
Let’s see what else looks good this weekend. I went a decent 3-2 last weekend and should continue my 75% pace this weekend.
#1 Alabama at #4 Florida (-10) – 4:00 PM EST on CBS. This is probably one of the more shocking lines that I have seen in a while. And not necessarily because I don’t agree with it, but because the undefeated, #1 team in the nation is double digit underdogs playing in their conference championship. Needless to say Alabama will have a chip on their shoulder for this one. I am still not convinced that Tim Tebow can throw the ball effectively against a good defense. Have you seen his passing touchdown highlights? They are always ugly lobs to a receiver that is wide open, never a crisp pass into coverage. I think Alabama will be able to contain the run and force Tebow to beat them through the air (which he can’t), and not only cover the spread but win outright. Take Alabama moneyline.
#5 USC at UCLA (-33) – 4:30 PM EST on ABC. Some weird controversy in this game with Pete Carroll wanting to wear the home jersey even though they are the road team. You know what, who cares, I say let them both wear home jerseys. It’s not like it is going to matter. Last weekend USC’s defense only allowed 4 first downs. This weekend they will only allow 3. UCLA is not playing well right now and is too young in the talent positions. This game was over before it even started. Take USC and give the points.
#20 Missouri at #2 Oklahoma (-17) – 8:00 PM EST on ABC.I hate when you can’t control your own destiny, but yet again Texas fans have to sit back and root against Oklahoma for a shot at the national championship. At the beginning of the year I would have said Missouri has a shot, but after we destroyed them at home this season and seeing how they have been playing lately, I will go ahead and say they have no shot at winning this game. In fact, they really don’t have a shot at covering this game. Oklahoma will get up 21-0 in the first quarter and never look back. Take Oklahoma and give the points.
Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State
Another solid 2-1 last weekend and I am planning on going undefeated today. Let’s see what’s going on:
#22 Georgia Tech at #11 Georgia (-7.5) – 12:00 PM EST on CBS. Georgia doesn’t have a shot at going to the National Championship, but they probably don’t care much about that this Saturday as all they want to do is kill Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech, and the whole ACC for that matter, has been very up and down this season. Since Georgia Tech played so well last weekend, they are due to get blown out this weekend. Take Georgia and the easy win.
Auburn at #1 Alabama (-14.5) – 3:30 PM EST on CBS. Even Auburn had ANY semblance of a real quarterback, I would probably take them in this game. Even though this is a heated rivalry game, since Alabama already has the SEC West wrapped up, I feel they may be looking ahead to Florida. But that won’t really matter much since they will jump out early and dominate this game from the beginning. Take Alabama, but buy the half point just in case.
#4 Florida at #20 Florida State (+16.5) – 3:30 PM EST on ABC. The same thing applies in this game. Florida already has the SEC East wrapped up and all anyone can talk about it their matchup against Alabama. Florida State actually has the athletes that can keep up with Florida and won’t be too surprised by their speed. Now that won’t help them win, but I do think it will help them cover. I am thinking Florida State covers this one.
Baylor at #7 Texas Tech (-23) – 3:30 PM EST. The big question in this one is whether or not Texas Tech will have a letdown game after getting drubbed in Norman. Baylor has played pretty well this season and I think this 23 points might be a tad high. Yeah Tech can score some points, but I bet a lot of them think their season is over. Baylor might even win this one. Take the Bears and the points.
#3 Oklahoma at #12 Oklahoma State (+8) – 8:00 PM EST on ABC. Obviously the biggest game of the day for Texas fans. Luckily this weekend we actually get to root against OU. As much as I would like to think Oklahoma State can hang with OU, I just can’t make myself believe it. Oklahoma State does have the extra week to prepare for this one, but if OU plays up to their potential that doesn’t matter. I expect Stoops to have Oklahoma extra ready for this one and they probably plan to make another statement this weekend. Take Oklahoma and give the points, and say goodbye to our National Championship dreams.
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