Collier11
6/15/2007, 01:15 PM
Q: One of the oldest rival games in the nation has historically been Texas A&M vs. Texas at the end of the regular season. Recently I have noticed that several fans of UT have been in denial about the old rivalry claiming that the two schools were never rivals at all, and that UT & OU were always the true rivalry. Is this because of the recent lack of great success that A&M was used to in the 90's, & with UT & OU being very successful as of recently? - Old-AGGIE
A: It’s certainly been easy for UT fans to be in A&M denial about the rivalry over the last several months. I’ve asked my Texas, A&M and OU friends about this from time to time, and basically, the Texas – Texas A&M rivalry is more of an in-house scuffle while the OU – Texas showdown is a national go-to game. The Texas – Texas A&M game is a fun, nasty, mean battle that the fans of each team get tremendously bitter about, but the Red River Rivalry is appointment television for those outside of the rivalry. You’re right; the main issue is A&M, who hasn’t been remotely in the national title discussion by the time the big games has rolled around since the early 1990s, while OU is a perennial title contender. Try this for a fun-stat as to the importance of the OU – Texas games. Texas is 28-3 in games leading up to the showdown since 2000, while the Sooners are 27-3.
Q:It seems like everyone will have USC, Texas, LSU or Florida as the real national title contenders. Who are some of the mid-ranked top teams, like Ohio State in 2002 and LSU when it won the title, that could easily be in New Orleans? I’m not talking about a pie-in-the-sky sleeper team here, I’m talking about a good team who has a real shot at the national title because of schedule, talent, whatever. – KO
A: If a steady quarterback emerges, Oklahoma is my sleeper-not-a-sleeper to watch out for in the national title hunt. After the way the Sooners stunk in their last two national championship appearances, and suffered the indignity of losing to a Boise State team with roughly 20 starters that wouldn’t have made the OU two-deep, everyone has quickly dismissed them as a contender. That’s a huge mistake. As long as DeMarco Murray is the real-deal runner he was this spring, and if Malcolm Kelly (arguably the nation’s top NFL receiver prospect), doesn't have problems with a knee injury, the backs and receivers will be among the best in the Big 12, if not the country. The offensive line is the nation’s best, and other than USC, there isn’t a close second. The secondary is among the nation’s three best, and the front seven, while untested, is ridiculously talented.
And then there’s the schedule. North Texas, Utah State, at Tulsa, at Iowa State, and Baylor should all be wins without breathing too hard. Barring some unforeseen change of plans, the Sooners will be favored against Miami, at Colorado, Missouri, Texas A&M. at Texas Tech and against Oklahoma State. The Texas battle will probably go off at OU +2.5, but is certainly not a sure-loss for OU by any stretch. The schedule isn’t a walk in the park, but it’s manageable for anyone wanting to win a national title.
A: It’s certainly been easy for UT fans to be in A&M denial about the rivalry over the last several months. I’ve asked my Texas, A&M and OU friends about this from time to time, and basically, the Texas – Texas A&M rivalry is more of an in-house scuffle while the OU – Texas showdown is a national go-to game. The Texas – Texas A&M game is a fun, nasty, mean battle that the fans of each team get tremendously bitter about, but the Red River Rivalry is appointment television for those outside of the rivalry. You’re right; the main issue is A&M, who hasn’t been remotely in the national title discussion by the time the big games has rolled around since the early 1990s, while OU is a perennial title contender. Try this for a fun-stat as to the importance of the OU – Texas games. Texas is 28-3 in games leading up to the showdown since 2000, while the Sooners are 27-3.
Q:It seems like everyone will have USC, Texas, LSU or Florida as the real national title contenders. Who are some of the mid-ranked top teams, like Ohio State in 2002 and LSU when it won the title, that could easily be in New Orleans? I’m not talking about a pie-in-the-sky sleeper team here, I’m talking about a good team who has a real shot at the national title because of schedule, talent, whatever. – KO
A: If a steady quarterback emerges, Oklahoma is my sleeper-not-a-sleeper to watch out for in the national title hunt. After the way the Sooners stunk in their last two national championship appearances, and suffered the indignity of losing to a Boise State team with roughly 20 starters that wouldn’t have made the OU two-deep, everyone has quickly dismissed them as a contender. That’s a huge mistake. As long as DeMarco Murray is the real-deal runner he was this spring, and if Malcolm Kelly (arguably the nation’s top NFL receiver prospect), doesn't have problems with a knee injury, the backs and receivers will be among the best in the Big 12, if not the country. The offensive line is the nation’s best, and other than USC, there isn’t a close second. The secondary is among the nation’s three best, and the front seven, while untested, is ridiculously talented.
And then there’s the schedule. North Texas, Utah State, at Tulsa, at Iowa State, and Baylor should all be wins without breathing too hard. Barring some unforeseen change of plans, the Sooners will be favored against Miami, at Colorado, Missouri, Texas A&M. at Texas Tech and against Oklahoma State. The Texas battle will probably go off at OU +2.5, but is certainly not a sure-loss for OU by any stretch. The schedule isn’t a walk in the park, but it’s manageable for anyone wanting to win a national title.