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The mystery as to which coach voted TCU No. 1 has centered around Idaho coach Robb Akey, because he had ranked TCU No. 1 at the end of the regular season.

But it was not Akey.

"It was me at the end of the regular season and I thought they deserved to be there, so I voted him there for a reason because they continued to answer the challenge," Akey said. "But I’m a team guy and we said the winner of the national game would be No. 1."

Akey said his preseason poll had Alabama, Ohio State and Boise State ahead of the Horned Frogs, who came in at No. 4. So when the other three teams lost, Akey put TCU at No. 1 and didn't see anything that he felt should change his mind.

"I was surprised I was the only one in the previous poll that voted them No. 1," Akey said. "I would have thought a few folks would have given them the attention and respect for that."

Akey was impressed by TCU's performance in the Rose Bowl.

"I thought they played their tails off," Akey said. "I was excited for them. I thought that was one of the hotter teams in the country they beat that day too in Wisconsin. You go in and win the granddaddy of them all, that’s a big deal."

So who could have done it? We still don't know. But it wasn't Akey,.

Craig James and Mark May break down TCU's title chances on Four Downs should Oregon or Auburn lose.

TCU is now No. 3 in the BCS behind Oregon and Auburn (the Ducks jumped ahead of the Tigers this week).

The Horned Frogs are barely in front of Boise State thanks to the computer rankings. But they could extend that margin if they beat Utah on the road. The Utes are No. 5 in the BCS and the two face each other Saturday in Salt Lake City.

It seems odd that TCU would pass Boise after beating UNLV. But I wonder if Baylor's win over Texas didn't really give TCU a boost. Baylor is now No. 21 in the BCS and beat the Longhorns on the road. The Horned Frogs' 45-10 win over the Bears looks better and better with each week.

I wonder, though, what happens if Auburn were to lose and there's a one-loss SEC team out there (like Alabama, for instance). Would TCU play for a national title over a one-loss SEC team? Seems doubtful. But that's a discussion for later down the road as long as TCU takes care of business against Utah in a tough game Saturday.

Erin Andrews sits down with new Longhorns quarterback Garrett Gilbert, who discusses his BCS title game experience.

Texas Tech starting quarterback Taylor Potts won the job during fall camp on the strength of a solid first scrimmage, beating out fellow senior Steven Sheffield.

"The biggest thing, as we told them, we weren't looking necessarily for the completion average or anything like that. It was just who was able to move the football team, mentally and physically, talking to players, getting them going," first-year Tech coach Tommy Tuberville said. "The first scrimmage, it wasn't even close. Taylor did a good job of handling the team, from communication, huddle, line of scrimmage, making decisions. Steven, he struggled a little bit. The next week Steven had a great week of practice, he was very close the second scrimmage, but again, I thought the separation of the first was awfully hard to overcome."

Tuberville said Potts has been impressive since being awarded the starting job. He started 10 games last season, throwing for 3,440 yards and 22 touchdowns. Injuries, however, opened the door for Sheffield, who played in six games last season and also experienced injuries. Both were hurt during spring workouts.

"Two seniors with a lot of experience," Tuberville said. "They understood the competition going in, knowing that one would win out, the other would be second. It could have gone either way, but as we've told Steven, just be ready to go. He's taken advantage of every rep that he's had in practice and also has been a good leader."

Tuberville said that he was less concerned with how Potts would perform as Sunday's season-opener against SMU gets closer, and more concerned with how Sheffield would handle a difficult situation.

"Around the players -- because all the players knew how much competition it was -- he did a great job. He's a good, young man," Tuberville said. "He understands the situation, that he's one play away from being the starter and I thought both of them handled the week very well and I think it's going to be a good situation."

Texas coach Mack Brown chats with SportsCenter about being ranked No. 5 and Boise State's No. 3 spot in the AP Preseason Poll.

IRVING, Texas -- Former Texas Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy left for the NFL as college football's all-time most accurate passer. He topped 70 percent completion rate as a junior and senior, so Texas' insistence on spreading the field and putting the ball in the air was certainly justified.

That will change this season with sophomore quarterback Garrett Gilbert. Longhorns offensive coordinator Greg Davis is committed to reducing the number of shotgun formations while renewing emphasis on a mostly phased-out ground game.

Those changes, however, aren't predicated on the 6-foot-4 Gilbert's abilities. After all, he led a high-powered, shotgun attack at Lake Travis High School. Changes are coming because of an eye-opening internal study and to better prepare the Texas defense for powerful rushing opponents.

Brown and his staff went back and looked at the numbers. In 2004, Texas ranked second in rushing and 106th in passing with Vince Young leading the charge to a dramatic Rose Bowl victory over Michigan. "All we did was run the ball and run play action," Brown said. The next year, Texas was extremely balanced between run and pass and won the national title in Young's final season.

Since, and largely because of McCoy's passing prowess, the Longhorns' rushing numbers have dropped off the map. "We haven't been able to just line up and be physical and run the ball when we want to," Brown said.

The defensive side of the offensive switch was reinforced in the national title game against Alabama when McCoy was injured on the game's fifth snap. Garrett, just a true freshman at the time who had played only sparingly during the regular season, played well after a rough start, but what happened on the other side of the ball overwhelmingly convinced Brown that he needed to bring back the run.

"What I felt and the staff agrees, that our last two BCS games [against Ohio State and Alabama], we didn't play as good on defense as we needed to because we were not seeing runs throughout our year or as much in practice. So, you've got to be prepared to play whoever," Brown said. "It's too hard to get to that game and when you get there you've got to play well whoever it is. And a lot more people are running the ball in the SEC or the Big Ten or across the country than here."

In the 37-21 loss to Alabama in the Rose Bowl, Texas gave up 205 rushing yards and gained just 81, less than 3.0 yards a carry.

"We felt if we could have run the ball better when Garrett went in the game, we had a better chance to hang in the game until he got comfortable, and we didn't," Brown said. "Our arsenal was to spread it out, throw the ball. We tried to run it some, but when you talk about it and don't do it and then try to stick it in there some against a really good defense, it's not going to work. We're not going to be 3-yards-and-a-cloud of dust and we're still going to spread out, but we are going to consciously try to line up and run the ball."

Texas football coach Mack Brown discusses announcing Colt McCoy as Cleveland's pick in the NFL Draft and Garrett Gilbert taking over at quarterback for the Longhorns

Texas issued this statement from Longhorns athletic trainer for football Kenny Boyd on Saturday afternoon as to exactly what Colt McCoy's injury was and the reasons as to why he didn't go back in the game:

"Colt sustained a nerve injury involving his right (throwing) shoulder that prevented him from returning to the game. The injury caused numbness and weakness in his arm that prevented him from throwing with the strength or accuracy he needed. He wanted to go back into the game but with the weakness he was having in the shoulder, we couldn't clear him to do that. The weakness in his shoulder also put him at risk of greater injury. From the time of the injury, we were continually treating and re-evaluating him but he wasn't able to regain the strength he needed to get back on the field."

The good folks at Inside Sports Medicine, on ESPN 103.3 FM, talked about McCoy's injury this morning.

Redshirt sophomore safety Earl Thomas, a consensus first-team All-American, has decided to enter the NFL Draft.

"I want to thank Coach Brown, Coach Muschamp, Coach Akina and everyone at Texas," Thomas said in a release sent out by the school on Friday. "I had a great time for three years at UT. Everyone there helped me work towards my dream of playing in the NFL and giving me a chance to support my family. It was a tough decision because we're like
brothers here, especially in the DB room, and I'm really going to miss playing with all of the guys. I received some individual honors this year, but I have to give credit to the rest of the defense because I couldn't have
done any of it without them."

Thomas, a Thorp Award finalist, started all 27 games in his career at UT and had 149 tackles (eight for loss), 10 interceptions, five forced fumbles and a blocked punt. He had 77 tackles in 2009 and broke the Texas school record with eight interceptions (the previous mark was seven, tied for times since Noble Doss did it in 1940). Thomas also had two interception returns for touchdowns this past season, also a school record.

"We appreciate everything Earl has done for Texas and want to wish him all of the best," said Brown. "He has been a great player for us and more importantly a tremendous person, student and representative of our program. We thank him, support him and look forward to following his career in the NFL."

I may not be a draft expert, but it's obviously Thomas can play. He has good instincts, is strong positionally and has great closing speed. He also knows where the football is and how to grab it and make big plays once he has it. He'll make a good NFL player, if you ask me.

Are you surprised he didn't stay one more year? Is this the right move for him?

Eddie Gossage, Texas Motor Speedway president, raised the Talladega Superspeedway flag at TMS today, where it will fly all weekend. It was part of the bet Gossage made with his counterpart at Talladega on the outcome of Thursday's BCS Championship game.

Because Alabama won, Gossage raised the flag in chilly conditions today -- with a wooden Alabama knome watching as a stand-in for Talladega Superspeedway president Rick Humphrey. Gossage is also wearing Crimson Tide apparel. He sent Humphrey and his staff some food from Sonny Bryan's as well.

PASADENA, Calif. -- Texas was grooming true freshman quarterback Garrett Gilbert to take over next season for Colt McCoy, who leaves college football with more wins, 47, than any other quarterback before him. No amount of grooming could have prepared Gilbert for Thursday night's pinch-hit effort five plays into the BCS national championship at the Rose Bowl.

Yet, by the final gun, the Texas Longhorns had to feel that they had their man of the future. The impressive-looking, 6-foot-4 gunslinger withstood a rocky first half to lead the Longhorns to the brink of a monumental comeback against an Alabama defense that ranks as one of the stingiest in the nation. After completing one of his first 10 passes for minus-4 yards and two interceptions, Gilbert stood tall in the pocket in the second half, throwing for 190 yards and two touchdown strikes to Jordan Shipley.

"Here's a guy standing there on the sidelines cold as can be and all of a sudden in the national championship game. It's like, 'OK, son, you've got it,'" Texas coach Mack Brown said. "I can't even imagine."

Gilbert's second touchdown pass pulled the Longhorns to within a field goal, 24-21, with more than six minutes to play. The Texas defense, which played heroically for much of the night, forced another punt and Gilbert took over at his own 7 with 3:14 to go. Two plays later, the game was lost for good when Gilbert fumbled after being blindsided.

"I really hate the fumble there at the end because it made the game look a little more out of hand than it was," Brown said. "I actually thought when we got the ball back that he was going to take us down and win because that's what our team has done so many times."

After the game, Gilbert, one year removed from winning back-to-back state titles at Austin's Lake Travis High School, showed maturity beyond his experience. He answered questions for nearly 45 minutes, insisting that mistakes he made cost his team. He pinned the blindside sack on his own misread of the play.

"I tried to force the ball to the wrong side of the field," Gilbert said. "I saw the blitz, and I just made a bad read there and that’s on me."

Gilbert threw four interceptions. He would love to have the shovel pass back at the end of the first half that was returned for a touchdown and extended Alabama's lead to 24-6. His final interception was a tipped pass at the end and was inconsequential. His first interception of the second quarter might never have happened if, on the previous play, receiver Malcolm Williams had come down with a well-placed pass in the end zone. But Williams couldn't corral it. Had he made the grab, Texas would have cut Alabama's lead to 14-13 and Javier Arenas never gets the chance to make the interception.

"I can’t turn the ball over like I did. I threw too many interceptions and didn’t hold onto the ball at the end," Gilbert said. "It's just critical sistuaitons that we have to avoid.

"I think it’s something you can build on. Obviously, it was a humbling experience. It was a tough night, but it’s something I can build on going into next year and we as a team can build on next year."

The USA Today Coaches Poll is the same as the AP poll in terms of the top 7, including Texas No. 2 and TCU No. 7.

1. Alabama

2. Texas

3. Florida

4. Boise State

5. Ohio State

6. TCU

7. Iowa

Some thoughts:

* Three Big 10 teams made the top 10 in both polls. The reason? Good bowl play. Ohio State's Rose Bowl win helped a two-loss Buckeyes team get ahead of 12-1 TCU. Penn State beat LSU to jump into the top 10. And Iowa's victory over Georgia Tech put the Hawkeyes at No. 7.

* Did Texas finish second because of how well they came back without Colt McCoy? Possibly. Florida had a chance to finsih second in a blowout, but I think the Longhorns deserved it.

* Nebraska, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State made the coaches poll top 25. OSU did not make the AP top 25.

* Boise State finished fourth, which didn't surprise me. Florida's impressive win over Cincinnati was the reason. But I can tell you from seeing the Broncos' live at the Fiesta Bowl that they are a great team. Again, if only we had a playoff.

* TCU has finished seventh or better two consecutive seasons. Gary Patterson has talked about establishing a reputation as a good program. Those kinds of high finishes are how you do it.

* Alabama has a ton of players coming back. There's little doubt they will be preseason No. 1 in 2010.

The final Associated Press college football poll is out and Texas finished No. 2 behind Alabama after playing the Crimson Tide a lot closer than the score indicated in Thursday's BCS Championship game.

TCU (12-1), which lost to Boise State, ended up sixth in the poll, two spots behind Boise State and one behind two-loss Ohio State. It's the second consecutive season that the Horned Frogs have finished in the top 7 of the poll. They were seventh in 2008 despite two losses.

Other Big 12 teams in the poll: Nebraska was 14th and Texas Tech 21st. Oklahoma essentially finished 26th as the team with the most votes that did not get in the top 25. Oklahoma State also received some votes.

PASADENA, Calif. -- Texas quarterback Colt McCoy started to get some feeling back in his dangling right arm as he stood in front of his locker answering every question tossed at him after being forced to watch from the sideline as the Longhorns fell to Alabama, 37-21, Thursday night in the BCS Championship Game.

If he could take solace in anything after being hurt on the first series of the game at the Alabama 11-yard line it's that the pinched nerve he suffered in his right shoulder will slowly work itself out.

McCoy's next step is preparing for the draft. He said he has not picked an agent or decided where he will train.

"I'm sure that will happen here in the next couple days," McCoy said. "This won't affect my draft status. As far as what the doctors have told me, this is a freak accident, it's a pinched nerve, and it takes days for it to recover, to get healthy again.

"You can’t do anything about it now, but it’s not going to affect me in my career," McCoy continued. "I’ll be put on that stage again. I’ll play for a championship some day, and I pray to God that I’ll be healthy."