Double-T Nation News:
I'm going to Norman in 2 weeks. That's right, I secured a ticket quite some time ago (during the summer) and now my master plan is all happening so nicely. I'm not sure where I'm going to be or where I'm going to stay, I'll worry about details later.
I've added some Facebook links to the left and I'm promising that I'll be more active, so if you want to Facebook-me, then feel free.
Schedule this week: Report card today and men's basketball preview tomorrow. Other than that, any suggestions are welcome. We've got 5 days to kill.
Smart Football with a couple of follow up thoughts on Texas Tech's offense and the Hot Hand Theory.
Texas Tech Football:
LAJ's Don Williams writes that Texas Tech is meeting their own expectations. Ruffin McNeill on the scene after the game:
"It was not like (winning) the World Series or popping Gatorade — they were very level-headed,’’ Tech defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill said Saturday, describing the locker-room scene from the week before. "Tonight, same thing. This is a different group, and I think it starts with leadership.’’
McNeill also gave praise to the offense for the job they did Saturday night and all season:
"Our offense is great because they’re consistent,’’ he said. "We’re not even able to be mentioned in the same breath as those guys now, because we’re not consistent yet. That’s what we’re striving to become, so we talk to (the defensive players) about playing 60 minutes.’’
FWST's Jimmy Burch writes that the road to the BCS goes through the Big 12:
As long as one of the Big 12’s Big Three — Tech, Texas or Oklahoma — runs the table the rest of the way, that team should play the Alabama-Florida winner for the BCS’ crystal football. The humongous gap in the latest BCS average between No. 5 Oklahoma (.844) and No. 6 Southern California (.790) confirms that because the Trojans’ soft closing stretch is not conducive to playing catch-up in the computer rankings, the area where USC lags behind the Big 12 trio.Bottom line: Sunday’s standings, for all practical purposes, limit the national title race to the top five teams, barring stunning upsets. From Beebe’s standpoint, the Big 12 even has a pair of mulligans to spend in pursuit of a berth in the Big Game, if necessary.
DMN's Chuck Carlton echoes Burch's sentiments:
Barring the absolute chaos that afflicted the final weeks in 2007, the survivors of the Big 12 and Southeastern Conference season-long steel-cage matches will meet for the Bowl Championship Series title in Miami.The title game would represent a fitting climax: the two top teams in the two best conferences going head-to-head. Members of the SEC and Big 12 monopolized the first five spots in this week's BCS standings.
DMN's Kate Hairopoulos talks about the colorful Texas Tech offensive line, which I think is considered more colorful because of face-painting of Brandon Carter and the personality of Stephen Hamby. Other than that, these guys seem to be a pretty quiet bunch.
Graham Harrell is atop the New York Times Heisman list.
SAEN's Mike Finger and Brent Zwerneman write that Texas Tech is in the driver's seat:
No one has ever been shy about pointing out Texas Tech's supposed deficiencies, whether they be related to a running game, a defense or big-game experience. And just because the Red Raiders have knocked off two Top 10 foes in a row doesn't mean they expect the doubts to cease."Week after week, they seem to come up with something about us not having a this or a that," wide receiver Michael Crabtree said after Tech beat Oklahoma State 56-20 Saturday. "(But) we really don't worry too much about what other people think. We worry about what we can control."
DT's game articles, including Alex Ybarra's game story, Oklahoma State's loss prevents a 4-way tie (instead we have the possibility of a 3-way mess) and Alex Ybarra on Texas Tech's secondary.
Texas Tech Basketball: