After having my thoughts confirmed mainly because of the horrific Cotton Bowl meltdown but also partly from the Baylor "performance", I am convinced that the Texas Tech Football team of 2008 not only picked up a 1 in the loss column after their trip to Norman, but lost any sort of enthusiasm or competitiveness that they may have had before it as well. That was more than just a loss. That kind of beating took away this team's fire. And I can't really say that I blame them either. They were making history by the week, taking away their loyal fans breath with each win, be it a last second win against Texas or a thorough beatdown of a top-10 (though apparently overrated) OSU. Everything that they as players and we as fans had always dreamed of was happening before our eyes...Tech was finally breaking through the 9-win ceiling! Their confidence was building by the minute, the nation loved their story, and they were gaining the respect of their conference peers, FINALLY. Everything was on the line in that game in Norman, and everything disappeared before they knew what had hit them. Their goals were not only taken away by that loss, but quite simply shattered. All they had to look forward to after that game was a Cotton bowl appearance, which they could have earned with three losses. I think that as much as this team would like to believe that they gave their best effort every time out, they quite simply couldn't. That ability had been taken from them by the Sooners, and they may have thought they were trying, but subconciously weren't. They just couldn't muster up the same enthusiasm for Baylor and Ole Miss that they did for Texas, OSU, or Kansas. As much as I hate to make excuses for their performance the past two games, I have no other opinion as to how the poor play could have happened, because I have seen what this team can do when they are focused and playing with energy. If the team that showed up against Kansas, UT, or OSU showed up in the cotton bowl, the game would not have been close. I am convinced that if the OU game was a close loss, this team is playing in the Fiesta bowl and winning easily against Ohio State. I have heard many times that "A loss, is a loss, is a loss." As simple as that sounds, it is simply untrue, and Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma in 2008 proves it.