No Damn Good Simply the Best I Could Do
Major Changes?
There hasn’t been this much excitement around here about a new offensive coordinator in years. Two years to be exact. It seems like the only excitement associated with Horns these days involves coaching changes and potential coaching changes. Will The Major make a difference? On the margins at best. Don’t get me wrong I’ve always been a huge Major fan and Applewhite has been our family’s nom de plume for waiting lists at restaurants since 1998. It beats the hell out of Frank. Anyway, unless The Major can actually play quarterback, do some run blocking or make tackles I don’t think he will be able to change much. And no I don’t think his ascension to OC puts him in position to succeed Mack Brown.
Mack Brown Goes Bowling
Are you concerned that Texas will lack motivation and preparedness for Oregon St. in the Alamo Bowl? If so Mack Brown’s bowl record suggests that you shouldn’t be. Brown’s Longhorns are 9-4 in bowl games and have won five of their last six. Darrell Royal’s career bowl game record is 8-7-1. Bowl game planning and preparation is a specialized coaching skill and Mack Brown excels in this area.
Oregon St.
I have no idea how good Oregon St. is. I haven’t seen them play a down or even a highlight from one of their games on ESPN. They are number 13 in the BCS rankings. Texas is 24. Oregon St. is 2-2 versus top 25 teams. Texas is 1-3. Their signature wins are over Wisconsin and UCLA. Texas’ signature wins are over Oklahoma St. and Texas Tech. Two out of Oregon State’s three losses were to #5 Oregon and #14 Stanford. I would call these quality losses. The Stanford loss was on the road 27-23 and Oregon St. led going into the fourth quarter.
I conclude from my back of the envelope analysis is that Oregon St. will be the third best team that Texas will have played this year behind Kansas St. and Oklahoma. If Texas beats Oregon St. it will be their most impressive win of the year.
We’re Number One!
I’m sure it’s old news to you that our Longhorns, according to Forbes Magazine, are college football’s most valuable team worth a $133 million up $4 million from last year. In 2011 the football team generated $32.4 million in ticket sales.
Do you get the feeling that maybe while we’re counting wins, losses, championships and BCS Bowl invitations, Dodds, Powers, et al are counting the long green? Thus our cognitive dissonance over Belmont Hall’s seeming lack of concern over wins and losses on Saturdays.
But, you say, if Texas keeps putting up mediocre 8-5 seasons their value will decline. I’m not so sure. Michigan and Notre Dame are numbers two and three on the list of most valuable teams and they have struggled on the field the past five years or so even more than the Longhorns have (the Domers breakthrough in 2012 notwithstanding). I don’t know anyone who’s cancelling their season tickets and Texas managed to sell almost all of it Alamo Bowl ticket allotment.
Looks like to me, win lose or draw the Longhorns will continue to rake in the money because the money has nowhere else to go. People like to party at and around college football games and in our economically blessed state the people can’t get enough of it. Party on Garth.
Fire Up for the Alamo Bowl!
This just in. Two Texas players have been accused of sexual assault and have been sent home today. I won’t pass on the rumors of who the players are. Anyway it looks like the Horn are fired up and ready to play!
Willie Earl Rules
The concluding paragraph of my Wyoming Post-Game article posted on September 2 predicted an 8-4 regular season finish. Thank you very much.
Also I think the honorary title, “The Duke of Blandia, ” that I bestowed on David Ash near the beginning of the season is wearing very nicely.
HooK eM,
W.E.
Over/Under Contest
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