Texas remains No. 3 and TCU No. 4 in the BCS Standings this week. Should the Longhorns beat Texas A&M on Thursday and Nebraska in the Big 12 title game, they will likely face the SEC champion for the national title.
TCU is trying to stay ahead of Cincinnati in case the Longhorns slip up. The Bearcats gained some ground on TCU and the two are close, with Cincinnati trailing by .010 in the standings. Cincinnati's computer ranking is helping them stay with TCU, who remains ahead of the Bearcats in the USA Today and Harris polls.
Cincinnati still has Pittsburgh left on the schedule and that could allow them to jump past TCU for fourth. That only matters should Texas lose.
Former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson, as the picks were announced on TV, has respect for the Frogs.
"TCU can play with them," said Johnson if the Frogs get a chance to play the Florida-Alabama winner should Texas lose.
Oklahoma State remained No. 12. The Cowboys could make a case for BCS bowl inclusion if they beat the Sooners on Saturday.
TCU is trying to stay ahead of Cincinnati in case the Longhorns slip up. The Bearcats gained some ground on TCU and the two are close, with Cincinnati trailing by .010 in the standings. Cincinnati's computer ranking is helping them stay with TCU, who remains ahead of the Bearcats in the USA Today and Harris polls.
Cincinnati still has Pittsburgh left on the schedule and that could allow them to jump past TCU for fourth. That only matters should Texas lose.
Former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson, as the picks were announced on TV, has respect for the Frogs.
"TCU can play with them," said Johnson if the Frogs get a chance to play the Florida-Alabama winner should Texas lose.
Oklahoma State remained No. 12. The Cowboys could make a case for BCS bowl inclusion if they beat the Sooners on Saturday.
A few tickets still available for Tech-Baylor
November, 22, 2009
Nov 22
2:25
PM CT
There are some standing room only tickets available for Saturday's Texas Tech-Baylor game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.
For ticket information, click here.
For Texas Tech, the game is a chance to finish 8-4. Baylor wants to finish the season strong. A win would put them at 5-7 on the season.
For ticket information, click here.
For Texas Tech, the game is a chance to finish 8-4. Baylor wants to finish the season strong. A win would put them at 5-7 on the season.
TCU has two more No. 1 votes in Harris poll
November, 22, 2009
Nov 22
2:06
PM CT
The Harris Interactive Poll was released on Sunday afternoon and TCU's 45-10 victory over Wyoming encouraged two more voters to put TCU No. 1.
The Frogs now have three first-place votes. Texas remains No. 2 in that poll.
TCU is 129 points ahead of Cincinnati, which only matters should the Longhorns slip up against Texas A&M on Thursday night or Nebraska in the Big 12 championship game.
The Frogs now have three first-place votes. Texas remains No. 2 in that poll.
TCU is 129 points ahead of Cincinnati, which only matters should the Longhorns slip up against Texas A&M on Thursday night or Nebraska in the Big 12 championship game.
The Associated Press poll and USA Today poll still have Texas and TCU in the same spots as last week after both won on Saturday. Click here to see the polls.
Texas is No. 3 in the AP poll and No. 2 in the USA Today poll. TCU is fourth in both polls. A close look at the points in the USA Today poll, which counts toward the BCS Standings, showed the Frogs increased their gap -- a little -- on Cincinnati. TCU is 64 points ahead of the Bearcats, gaining four points from last week. TCU is 116 points behind Texas.
Texas is No. 3 in the AP poll and No. 2 in the USA Today poll. TCU is fourth in both polls. A close look at the points in the USA Today poll, which counts toward the BCS Standings, showed the Frogs increased their gap -- a little -- on Cincinnati. TCU is 64 points ahead of the Bearcats, gaining four points from last week. TCU is 116 points behind Texas.
Some general thoughts on Saturday's regional action (I welcome yours):
* Colt McCoy is back in the Heisman race. It's wide open anyway and throwing for 396 passing yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions puts him in the hunt. He looked like the quarterback from 2008 on Saturday against Kansas.
* Earl Thomas is a sophomore. I still can't believe that. He's all over the field and plays like he's ready to go to the pros any day now. He's only going to get better, as will that entire Longhorns secondary.
* Texas will practice at 6 a.m. Monday through Wednesday in preparation for Thursday's game with Texas A&M. "We're going to treat it like a bowl game," Texas coach Mack Brown said.
* Cornerback Aaron Williams hurt his right knee on Saturday. Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp wasn't sure of his condition, but Thomas said he thought Williams would be fine. Texas needs Williams on the field. He's another key component in that secondary.
* Did anyone see Texas Tech crushing OU like that? I sure didn't. Figuring out exactly what the identity is for both of these teams is tough. Oklahoma's defense couldn't stop the Red Raiders on Saturday. is that the same defense that gave Texas all they wanted in October? And was that the same Texas Tech team that lost 52-30 to the Aggies? I think the answer is no to both. Texas Tech has improved, playing Oklahoma State close and crushing the Sooners. They should beat Baylor to get to eight wins. Listening to the OU broadcast, it sure seemed like the Sooners weren't focused in the second half.
* TCU did what it needed to do, though it took some time. For the most part, TCU has stayed focused every week. But they have had a tendency to start slowly against inferior opponents (example: It was 10-10 with Wyoming in the second quarter on Saturday). But TCU's defense swarms to the ball carrier and the offense has so much confidence, they are difficult to contain. The 45-10 win should keep voters impressed (the starters came out after the third quarter). The Frogs need another big win next week against New Mexico (you would think that Senior Day and an undefeated season on the line should keep them interested even against a struggling team) to stay at No. 4. Then the question becomes if Cincinnati can leapfrog them if they beat Pittsburgh in two weeks. We'll see.
* TCU quarterback Andy Dalton doesn't get enough credit for his ability to run the ball. That zone-read is a productive play and Dalton runs it better than most. He had 88 rushing yards against Wyoming, his season high (he had 86 in the win at Clemson). And to think that he's still just a junior. That's good news for TCU's offense.
* TCU beat Wyoming, 45-10. Texas beat Wyoming 41-10. Does that matter or mean anything? Not really. Just throwing it out there as interesting. BTW, check out the box score from that TCU-Wyoming game. It's amazingly one-sided. Had TCU not turned over the ball three times inside the Wyoming 25-yard line, it might have been worse.
* Texas A&M didn't waste any time jumping ahead of Baylor. That's exactly what they needed to do in front of the home crowd -- 74 yards on eight plays. From there, the Bears didn't really get close. Jarrod Johnson was steady and the Aggies just let the ground game take over. The Aggies had a season-high 375 yards rushing, including 100-yard games from Michael and Gray. That's good work by the Aggies.
* A 6-win Texas A&M team looks pretty attractive to bowl representatives. If I'm the Independence Bowl or the Texas Bowl, I'd like to have the Aggies.
* Baylor's bowl hopes are over after the loss to A&M. The Bears had 297 total yards, but only three points. Three turnovers hurt, certainly. So did 12 penalties for 100 yards.
* The good news for SMU: Hawaii looks like the bowl destination. The bad news: The loss to Marshall probably cost SMU a chance to win Confernce USA. The Mustangs now need Houston to lose next week to have a shot to play in the league title game. SMU, though, should have lots of motivation in its final home game on Saturday. If the Mustangs beat Tulane, they'll have a winning season and are guaranteed of a bowl berth.
* SMU committed the biggest mistake you can on the road: turnovers. The Mustangs had a fumble and an interception and Marshall didn't have either.
* North Texas' inability to finish games was on display again Saturday. The Mean Green took a 13-10 lead with 7:11 left, but Army came back and scored the winning touchdown with 1:43 remaining. UNT has been guilty of blowing fourth-quarter leads in several games. It's part of the learning process for the program, but I know some fans (you've emailed me) are frustrated.
* Colt McCoy is back in the Heisman race. It's wide open anyway and throwing for 396 passing yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions puts him in the hunt. He looked like the quarterback from 2008 on Saturday against Kansas.
* Earl Thomas is a sophomore. I still can't believe that. He's all over the field and plays like he's ready to go to the pros any day now. He's only going to get better, as will that entire Longhorns secondary.
* Texas will practice at 6 a.m. Monday through Wednesday in preparation for Thursday's game with Texas A&M. "We're going to treat it like a bowl game," Texas coach Mack Brown said.
* Cornerback Aaron Williams hurt his right knee on Saturday. Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp wasn't sure of his condition, but Thomas said he thought Williams would be fine. Texas needs Williams on the field. He's another key component in that secondary.
* Did anyone see Texas Tech crushing OU like that? I sure didn't. Figuring out exactly what the identity is for both of these teams is tough. Oklahoma's defense couldn't stop the Red Raiders on Saturday. is that the same defense that gave Texas all they wanted in October? And was that the same Texas Tech team that lost 52-30 to the Aggies? I think the answer is no to both. Texas Tech has improved, playing Oklahoma State close and crushing the Sooners. They should beat Baylor to get to eight wins. Listening to the OU broadcast, it sure seemed like the Sooners weren't focused in the second half.
* TCU did what it needed to do, though it took some time. For the most part, TCU has stayed focused every week. But they have had a tendency to start slowly against inferior opponents (example: It was 10-10 with Wyoming in the second quarter on Saturday). But TCU's defense swarms to the ball carrier and the offense has so much confidence, they are difficult to contain. The 45-10 win should keep voters impressed (the starters came out after the third quarter). The Frogs need another big win next week against New Mexico (you would think that Senior Day and an undefeated season on the line should keep them interested even against a struggling team) to stay at No. 4. Then the question becomes if Cincinnati can leapfrog them if they beat Pittsburgh in two weeks. We'll see.
* TCU quarterback Andy Dalton doesn't get enough credit for his ability to run the ball. That zone-read is a productive play and Dalton runs it better than most. He had 88 rushing yards against Wyoming, his season high (he had 86 in the win at Clemson). And to think that he's still just a junior. That's good news for TCU's offense.
* TCU beat Wyoming, 45-10. Texas beat Wyoming 41-10. Does that matter or mean anything? Not really. Just throwing it out there as interesting. BTW, check out the box score from that TCU-Wyoming game. It's amazingly one-sided. Had TCU not turned over the ball three times inside the Wyoming 25-yard line, it might have been worse.
* Texas A&M didn't waste any time jumping ahead of Baylor. That's exactly what they needed to do in front of the home crowd -- 74 yards on eight plays. From there, the Bears didn't really get close. Jarrod Johnson was steady and the Aggies just let the ground game take over. The Aggies had a season-high 375 yards rushing, including 100-yard games from Michael and Gray. That's good work by the Aggies.
* A 6-win Texas A&M team looks pretty attractive to bowl representatives. If I'm the Independence Bowl or the Texas Bowl, I'd like to have the Aggies.
* Baylor's bowl hopes are over after the loss to A&M. The Bears had 297 total yards, but only three points. Three turnovers hurt, certainly. So did 12 penalties for 100 yards.
* The good news for SMU: Hawaii looks like the bowl destination. The bad news: The loss to Marshall probably cost SMU a chance to win Confernce USA. The Mustangs now need Houston to lose next week to have a shot to play in the league title game. SMU, though, should have lots of motivation in its final home game on Saturday. If the Mustangs beat Tulane, they'll have a winning season and are guaranteed of a bowl berth.
* SMU committed the biggest mistake you can on the road: turnovers. The Mustangs had a fumble and an interception and Marshall didn't have either.
* North Texas' inability to finish games was on display again Saturday. The Mean Green took a 13-10 lead with 7:11 left, but Army came back and scored the winning touchdown with 1:43 remaining. UNT has been guilty of blowing fourth-quarter leads in several games. It's part of the learning process for the program, but I know some fans (you've emailed me) are frustrated.
Saturday saw significant activity for area men's college basketball teams as the season begins to heat up:
* No. 17 Oklahoma was upset 82-69 at Virginia Commonwealth, the school Jeff Capel left four years ago to coach the Sooners. Tony Crocker led OU (2-1) with 19 points.
* SMU grabbed its first win of the season, a 79-62 effort at home against Florida Gulf Coast. Paul McCoy and Mouhammad Faye scored 18 points each for the Mustangs (1-2), who were tied with the visitors at halftime.
* TCU (2-2) couldn't keep up with Nebraska late in a 90-77 loss at Lincoln. The Cornhuskers' Ryan Anderson had seven points down the stretch to lead the charge. Ronnie Moss scored 23 for the Horned Frogs.
* Oklahoma State handed North Texas its first loss of the season, 82-68, in Stillwater. James Anderson had 25 points for OSU (3-0), and Eric Tramiel led the Mean Green (2-1) with 11.
* No. 17 Oklahoma was upset 82-69 at Virginia Commonwealth, the school Jeff Capel left four years ago to coach the Sooners. Tony Crocker led OU (2-1) with 19 points.
* SMU grabbed its first win of the season, a 79-62 effort at home against Florida Gulf Coast. Paul McCoy and Mouhammad Faye scored 18 points each for the Mustangs (1-2), who were tied with the visitors at halftime.
* TCU (2-2) couldn't keep up with Nebraska late in a 90-77 loss at Lincoln. The Cornhuskers' Ryan Anderson had seven points down the stretch to lead the charge. Ronnie Moss scored 23 for the Horned Frogs.
* Oklahoma State handed North Texas its first loss of the season, 82-68, in Stillwater. James Anderson had 25 points for OSU (3-0), and Eric Tramiel led the Mean Green (2-1) with 11.
Texas clinches Big 12 South with win
November, 22, 2009
Nov 22
12:11
AM CT
AUSTIN, Texas -- It was a Texas-sized celebration for Colt McCoy and the Longhorns after a 51-20 win over Kansas.
Texas clinches the Big 12 South and will play Nebraska next month in Arlington for the Big 12 championship.
McCoy had 396 passing yards on 32-for-41. He added four TDs. Mack Brown called it McCoy's best performance of the year.
The Longhorns face Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night.
Texas clinches the Big 12 South and will play Nebraska next month in Arlington for the Big 12 championship.
McCoy had 396 passing yards on 32-for-41. He added four TDs. Mack Brown called it McCoy's best performance of the year.
The Longhorns face Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night.
Texas leads by 31 late in the fourth
November, 21, 2009
Nov 21
10:19
PM CT
AUSTIN, Texas -- Running back Tre' Newton scored on a 19-yard run to make it 51-20 over Kansas.
I'm headed to the field with five minutes left, but Texas has the ball back at the Kansas 25-yard line after a nice punt return from Earl Thomas.
The crowd is chanting "Colt, Colt" as he prepares to go back on the field (probably to get cheers from fans one more time). Now McCoy is on the scoreboard and they are giving him a huge ovation.
Texas called timeout to give the seniors a chance to come off the field and get a big hand from the crowd.
I'm headed to the field with five minutes left, but Texas has the ball back at the Kansas 25-yard line after a nice punt return from Earl Thomas.
The crowd is chanting "Colt, Colt" as he prepares to go back on the field (probably to get cheers from fans one more time). Now McCoy is on the scoreboard and they are giving him a huge ovation.
Texas called timeout to give the seniors a chance to come off the field and get a big hand from the crowd.
Texas in full control; Aaron Williams hurt
November, 21, 2009
Nov 21
10:01
PM CT
AUSTIN, Texas -- The Longhorns just scored again to go up 44-13 on the Jayhawks, to the delight of a sellout crowd of over 101,000.
But just before the drive, Texas cornerback Aaron Williams was helped off the field with what looked like a right knee injury. Williams was carted off into the locker room to have it checked out.
Williams hurt the knee in the Oklahoma State game earlier this season as well.
With a 31-point lead, we'll see if Mack Brown takes the starters out with 11:43 left in the game.
But just before the drive, Texas cornerback Aaron Williams was helped off the field with what looked like a right knee injury. Williams was carted off into the locker room to have it checked out.
Williams hurt the knee in the Oklahoma State game earlier this season as well.
With a 31-point lead, we'll see if Mack Brown takes the starters out with 11:43 left in the game.
AUSTIN, Texas -- Colt McCoy made a nice play action fake and laid the ball up for Malcolm Williams, who ran 68 yards for a touchdown.
It took 10 seconds for Texas to answer Kansas' score and go back up 34-13. We still have 7:53 left in the third quarter here.
It took 10 seconds for Texas to answer Kansas' score and go back up 34-13. We still have 7:53 left in the third quarter here.
