I know a lot of us burnt orange types are scoffing those little upstarts in Boise right now for being ranked ahead of Texas. They play in the WAC, which might as well be the Sun Belt of the West Coast. Well, they’re bringing back 20 starters from a team that beat TCU last season – no small feat, except that those Frogs came out of a weak-sister conference as well. I think anytime a team has gone 26-1 over the last two seasons and returns that many guys NOT placing them in the top 10 is criminal. I’d be more alarmed at Florida losing Saint Tim and being ranked ahead of UT (they’re 4th, the Horns are 5th) than Boise’s AP ranking.
Bringing back 20 starters from an undefeated BCS win season is unreal. I can’t bring twenty out of twenty-two socks back from the dryer, yet the Smurf Turf crew is loaded. Heck, the one guy on defense they lost – Kyle Wilson – is probably going to start at corner for the Jets unless they get the Revis situation under control. Boise State has a little left-handed Major clone with the unfortunate name of Kellen Moore. If he was in Lubbock last season, he would have worn a practice jersey with “Brock” or “Rusty” on the back. This kid has lost one game over the past two seasons – some 3rd rate bowl in San Francisco to TCU, later avenged – and put up 39 TD’s to 3 picks in 2009. I don’t care if he’s playing East Dillon 14 times a year – that’s impressive. I can’t even do that on varsity mode on NCAA 10 with Colt and Ship.
Most Longhorn fans I know think Boise and remember a bunch of trick plays, a marriage proposal to a cheerleader, a dumbfounded Bob Stoops, and a night in January five years ago where they were every UT diehard on the planet’s second favorite team. They do have some games this year that don’t involve weak conference play – opening at Virginia Tech and then having Oregon State coming to town two weeks later. If they win both of those and run the table they can go to the championship game for all I care. The David versus Goliath matchup against someone like Bama, Ohio State, or even UT will be compelling television and a probable mismatch. Beating two loss OU was magical, sure. These guys want to play with the grown-ups now, and they’ll be treated as such when the time comes. I don’t think they’re the third best team in college football, but they can take a #3 ranking in the preseason when we’re comparing stats, past performances, and predicting the future. Why not? The paper is all there – starters returning, 09 won-loss record, and a favorable schedule.
Is it fair that they’ll play one, maybe two (if the Beavers knock off the Frogs in Jerryworld week one) ranked teams all year and Texas has a four game stretch with Tech, UCLA, OU, and Nebraska? Hell no it isn’t. There’s a very real chance we get to cheer on the BCS computers after the Horns go to Lincoln and win and the Broncos get San Jose State at home the same night. The only real injustice a #3 preseason ranking does is if it results in shutting an undefeated BCS team out of the championship game. If that happens, I’ll get back on my soapbox and whine.
Posted January 12th, 2010 by Brian
Filed under: Basketball
The Texas Longhorns are the number 1 team in the land this week after all. The football team came up short, but thanks to a [tag]Kansas[/tag] upset loss the men’s basketball team is now the top ranked team in both the AP Top 25 and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. This is the first time in Texas history to hold the number 1 ranking.
Head coach [tag]Rick Barnes[/tag] felt the ranking was a compliment to the program and all the effort each of the players puts in every week. Of course, unlike football college basketball has a playoff and as Barnes put it, “I can’t honestly tell you who the No. 1 team was in the country on the second week of January last year, but I do know who won the national championship.”
Here’s this week’s top 5 college basketball teams:
| AP Poll | Coaches Poll | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas (56) | Texas (30) | |
| 2 | Kentucky (9) | Kentucky (1) | |
| 3 | Kansas | Kansas | |
| 4 | Villanova | Villanova | |
| 5 | Syracuse | Syracuse |
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
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
Want to be really pissed? Read this story about a Harris Poll voter from The Oklahoman’s Barry Tramel:
Some have questioned the validity of the Harris Interactive poll, which has had a spotty run in its four years as being part of the BCS.
The skepticism could be valid.
True story from the Boone Pickens Stadium pressbox Saturday night.
I asked Harris poll voter Pat Quinn, the former Oklahoma State University sports information director, how he would vote OU and Texas if the Sooners won Saturday night.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Quinn said. “Doesn’t really matter.”
Really?
“I think [tag]Alabama[/tag] and [tag]Penn State[/tag] will probably play for the national championship,” Quinn said.
You do?
“They’re the only undefeated teams, aren’t they,” Quinn said.
Uh, actually, Penn State has a loss.
“Oh well,” Quinn said, “those Big Ten teams have a lot of votes.”
Sigh. It’s so awful it’s almost hard to get angry about it. It’s not exactly unexpected as I was already under the impression that a great deal of Harris Poll voters watched little to no college football every weekend. I hope the BCS takes a long look at exactly who is voting in these things (including the current coaches) and whether they’re qualified to do so. Just a wild guess, Mr. Quinn won’t be a voter again next year.
The latest top 25 polls are out and the Longhorns have moved up a spot without playing a game. They’re now number seven thanks to USC drubbing [tag]Ohio State[/tag] back to the Stone Age (and a #13 ranking). The Trojans certainly looked like a national title contender as did the Oklahoma Sooners in a lopsided victory over a Pac 10 opponent.
Check out this week’s rankings or view the top 10s below:
| AP Top 25 | USA Today Poll | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USC (61) 2-0 1,596 | USC (57) 2-0 1,518 | |
| 2 | Oklahoma 3-0 1,485 | Oklahoma (1) 3-0 1,423 | |
| 3 | Georgia (2) 3-0 1,437 | Georgia (2) 3-0 1,393 | |
| 4 | Florida (1) 2-0 1,414 | Florida (1) 2-0 1,335 | |
| 5 | Missouri 3-0 1,389 | Missouri 3-0 1,294 | |
| 6 | LSU 2-0 1,274 | LSU 2-0 1,233 | |
| 7 | Texas 2-0 1,140 | Texas 2-0 1,128 | |
| 8 | Wisconsin 3-0 1,076 | Wisconsin 3-0 1,027 | |
| 9 | Alabama 3-0 982 | Auburn 3-0 955 | |
| 10 | Auburn 3-0 958 | Texas Tech 3-0 887 |
Posted November 8th, 2007 by Brian
Filed under: Basketball, Quick Hits
Texas starts at #16 in ESPN’s week 1 college basketball power poll. Should be moving up if they can take out UTSA.
Posted April 25th, 2007 by Brian
Filed under: Baseball, Basketball, Football
As a freshman [tag]Kevin Durant[/tag] had the best season ever for a Longhorn basketball player. [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] broke Texas passing records despite missing a game due to injury and only being a redshirt freshman. Sophomore baseball star [tag]Kyle Russell[/tag] has set baseball power records with plenty of games left to play in the season; It’s a great time to be a Texas fan and we’re lucky to get a chance to see all three of these guys play for the Horns in a single year.
Vote below on which one of the three amazing Texas athletes has had (is having) the best season:
Which Horn had the better season?
- Kevin Durant (74%)
- Colt McCoy (17%)
- Kyle Russell (9%)
Total Votes: 808
Loading ...| Brian | Matt | ESPN Experts |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Troy Smith | 1. Troy Smith | 1. Troy Smith |
| 2. Mike Hart | 2. Darren McFadden | 2. Brady Quinn |
| 3. Darren McFadden | 3. Mike Hart | 3. Darren McFadden |
| 4. Brady Quinn | 4. Colt Brennan | 4. Mike Hart |
| 5. Steve Slaton | 5. Brady Quinn | 5. Colt Brennan |
Our Thoughts
Brian – No changes for me this week as only Darren McFadden and Steve Slaton were in action. McFadden had a solid game and was one of the reasons Arkansas was able to hang with Florida as long as they did, but he didn’t do enough to win and didn’t do enough too move up my list. In the Rutgers/West Virginia game Ray Rice made a strong case for himself to be the Big East running back on my list over Steve Slaton, but overall Slaton has had the better season of the two.
Matt – No changes this week for me either. I was pretty surprised to hear that Brady Quinn won the Maxwell Award. What did everyone see from him this year? All I saw was that he played two good teams, and in both of those games they got killed. No way he should win anything over Troy Smith. McFadden is the only reason Arkansas did anything this season, and I think if it were not for Troy Smith he would have had a legitimate shot to win. Oh well, there is always next year.
Related Links
| Matt | Brian | Master Coaches | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State | Ohio State | Ohio State |
| 2 | LSU | Florida | Michigan |
| 3 | Michigan | Michigan | Florida |
| 4 | Florida | LSU | LSU |
| 5 | Wisconsin | Wisconsin | Wisconsin |
| 6 | Oklahoma | Boise State | Louisville |
| 7 | Auburn | Oklahoma | USC |
| 8 | Boise State | USC | Oklahoma |
| 9 | Louisville | Auburn | Auburn |
| 10 | USC | Arkansas | Arkansas |
| 11 | Notre Dame | Louisville | Virginia Tech |
| 12 | Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech | West Virginia |
| 13 | Arkansas | Texas | Boise State |
| 14 | Texas | Notre Dame | Notre Dame |
| 15 | Tennessee | West Virginia | Wake Forest |
| 16 | California | Tennessee | Rutgers |
| 17 | West Virginia | Wake Forest | Texas |
| 18 | Wake Forest | BYU | Tennessee |
| 19 | Texas A&M | Houston | BYU |
| 20 | Nebraska | Nebraska | Nebraska |
| 21 | BYU | Texas A&M | Texas A&M |
| 22 | Boston College | Georgia | California |
| 23 | TCU | Rutgers | Georgia |
| 24 | Oregon State | California | Boston College |
| 25 | Rutgers | Rice | Georgia Tech |
Our Thoughts
Brian – USC loses and all sorts of BCS hell breaks loose. It was a much more entertaining scene to watch without a dog in the fight, I’m sure I’d be going nuts right now if I was a Michigan fan. I think the voters got it right though, Michigan didn’t play well enough this year to earn a rematch with Ohio State. I think last year’s top 5 teams might all be better than any team this year.
Matt – Man, something about seeing USC lose just warms the heart doesn’t it? And can you imagine if the refs don’t blow the call in the Oklahoma/Oregon game? Oklahoma could have been right there in the National Championship hunt with Michigan and Florida. Oh well, I guess that’s what they get for being Sooners.
I know it may be just a little crazy to have LSU #2, but I just feel they are playing like the second best team in the nation right now. I think they would give Ohio State a much better game than Florida and probably even Michigan.
