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Offensive Line is any area about which little is written, yet it is foundational to the entire offense. It is not sexy or spectacular. There are a lot of subtleties and success is tough to measure directly. Because of those factors, I wanted to start with the O-Line. These are my opinions alone but I hope they start a good discussion: Strengths: Mobility, Positioning and Footwork, Unit Cohesion Weaknesses: Size, Power (These assessments are relative to other top teams, not FBS as a whole) Watching the Washington offensive line, I sometimes wonder how they get it done. They are not especially impressive to look at and they don’t blow anyone off the ball. Yet statistically they are excellent pass protectors (19 sacks surrendered) and good run blockers (1,000 yard rusher at 5.5 YPC). How do we reconcile those conclusions? They rarely bust blocking assignments, so pass rushers get blocked unless they bring numbers. Thus, Penix faced little early pressure and he was good at stepping up in the pocket or unloading the ball quickly. The O-Line buys ENOUGH time for the quick passing game and the occasional deep shot. They don’t have to look impressive doing it. The run blocking seemed more problematic to me. For the most part, UW hasn’t been able to drive block opposing fronts. In every game I’ve watched, they struggled to move defenders when blocking straight up without the advantage of angles or momentum. It was almost sad watching them run Inside Zone even against weak teams like Stanford and WSU. Yet they manufactured a decent running game against Oregon twice and USC. They did it by using the linemen’s mobility and footwork to compensate for lack of size and strength: pulling guards (PnP and counter), running out on the quick pitch, getting downfield on screens. This is a tribute to coaching recognizing unit strengths and using those to cover up a serious weakness. They may have some smaller linemen but the coaches got them into favorable positions and matchups.

It's been 13+ years of watching Texas football step on rakes in every direction, repeatedly. I've seen less embarrassing public displays from drunk grown men attempting to footrace one another through a casino. Multiple presidential elections during that span have been less embarrassing. Jeffrey Toobin and Louis CK were thankful that Texas football was running interference for them at different points. Look, it's been a bad run. I get it. But this year isn't that. This board does not have to shit itself in panic every time an opponent with a winning record shows up on the schedule. Hell, it doesn't even take a winning record. There are multiple voluminous posters on this site that predicted Baylor, fucking rape-enabling Baylor!, who had just barely beaten some school called "Long Island University", to beat Texas. I checked and it's not even clear that Long Island U is an accredited university. That win lifted the Baylor record to a gaudy 1-2 before we pummeled them. Get a fucking grip. Texas is about win its 7th straight against Kansas State by stomping a deep mudhole in Kansas State's ass. They may have to blackout the final quarter on television in order to protect the psyches of women and small children. "But closetojumping, Kansas State is streaking right now! We're catching them at the wrong time!?!" Kansas State is indeed a rolling ball of butcher knives. They haven't given up a touchdown in 9 quarters! They've won 3 games in a row. Who does that! Who does that? Teams that play 3 shitty teams in a row, 2 at home, do that. Kansas State was losing to Texas Tech in Lubbock before Tech had to insert their 3rd string freshman QB who had never taken a snap in P5 football. Sadly for our good friends at Tech, that 3rd string freshman with no experience was named ... (checks notes) ... "Jake Strong" and not Arch Manning. Following the defeat of rising 3-5 juggernaut Texas Tech in Lubbock in comeback fashion, KSU has had the luxury of being home for the mighty 4-4 TCU Horned Frogs. TCU has beaten such football titans as Nicholls State, BYU, UH and SMU, 3 of them at home and the other at the formidable TDECU fortress in front of 12,000 slovenly UH fans. Last week, KSU ran roughshod over the mighty Houston Cougars at home to the tune of 41-0. That game followed two jihad games in a row for UH, both at home, where they played their guts out. Please spare us any concepts of the transitive property mattering at all here with a like opponent. No one needs to suffer that indignity. It's not applicable. The reality is that Kansas State plays ugly on the road. They've lost two games as favorites to Missouri and Okie State when KSU was perfectly healthy and experienced. Requiring teams to sojourn in the podunk hillbilly shithole of Manhattan, KS takes more than a little wind out of the sails for any team unfortunate enough to have to visit there. I drove by that area last summer on a road trip and felt depressed just being within physical range of that soul-sucking dump. Texas has homefield advantage in this game and that's not a difference that should be poo-pooed. Part of Chris Klieman's folksy midwestern charm is that he can dial-up the underdog story with his team when they're playing in front of the home crowd. The dynamic shifts dramatically when preaching to inferior talent and inferior intellects who are about charge out onto a field in front of better talent being urged on 100,000 fans that KSU players and coaches will, deep down in their tiny minds, know are simply better than them. "But CTJ, KSU returns their whole OL!! They have 2 QBs! One of them even had a a hit single called 'MMMBop' back in the day! We're in deep shit on defense!" Kansas State does indeed run an efficient offense and they have excellent experience across the offensive line. Cooper Beebe at LG might be an All American. Don't ever watch film of his performance and then consider that of our own Hayden Conner in comparison. It leads to dark thoughts and some pretty disturbing kidnapping fantasies. Anyway, the rest of the OL isn't covering itself in glory, particularly against better competition. They are indeed old though. The Texas pass rush should have an overall field day against these guys. KSU has faced nothing even similar to the Texas front 7. T'Vondre Sweat is going to pull a chokehold buttfuck on the right side of their OL along with Hill, Sorrell and the gang. KSU is going with a 2 QB system now, which is a smart move given that Will Howard can't stand success and will actively try to lose games against any opponent with a pulse. His performance against Okie State was eerily familiar for me and felt like watching a rerun. Weird. He's a decent runner, so you can't ignore his legs. Like many mediocre QBs, pressure leads to mistakes for Howard and he'll go through periods where he can be a turnover machine. Enter freshman phenom, Avery Hanson. After a middling career as the third wheel in a traveling brother folk band, he's turned towards a more promising role as the change of pace QB when Will Howard's averageness simply won't do. Hanson's dulcet lilting as he flies by defenders off the edge has what appears to be a paralyzing effect on the opponent. The defense must wear earplugs while he's out there and focus on playing sound assignment football. With more film now available on the guy, Kwiatkowski has hopefully done his job and put a gameplan together that accounts for dealing with both QBs and what they bring to the table. At the skill spots, KSU has a strong backfield with two TBs who are above average. Neither provides the kind of problems that the midget now playing for the Cowboys caused, but they're not holding the offense back. At WR, they have some dude named RJ Garcia at WR. I played with a wild ass vato named RJ Garcia in junior high, but there's no way he's just entered the college ranks at WR in 40's, is there? Anyway, their WR corps is a weak spot on offense. They're not going to simply streak by anyone on our defense if you ignore the fact that Michael Taaffe and Kitan Crawford will see meaningful snaps. KState does have a damned good TE in Ben "The Pussy Slayer" Sinnott. The Texas back 7 is going to have to prioritize this guy in route coverage, as he gets as much attention from the QBs as he does from cougars and sorority girls in the stands. "closetojumping, Kansas State is going to go 3 high with their safety look. Steve Sarklostagain simply fades into playcaller's block when opponents do that!" You fucking people and your nicknames. Christ. Look, Oklahoma State provided a simple blueprint for handling the 3 high look from KSU. Line up in trips, force a safety to declare, and then you're playing against a standard two deep. Steve Sarkisian is an offensive genius, right? Then we need that genius to fucking show up and be a genius. Or just be a copycat. It doesn't take a genius. In truth, Texas is a poor match-up for the KSU defense. KSU's defense is small. They lost their solid MLB for the season earlier in the year. They have a tub of goo at NT who weighs a metric ton and brings the energy and get-off of a 7/11 clerk working the graveyard shift. The secondary lacks playmakers and the edge rush severely misses alphabet soup guy from last season. I assume the offense will be able to run the ball effectively early and bully the smaller opponent down the field. This should enable Murphy to settle in and exhibit competence in the passing game and utilize multiple weapons. That should lead to pain and punishment for KSU as the game rolls into the 4th quarter. Hayden Conner needs to show up and act like he gives a shit. If he doesn't, bring in someone who will. It's past time to give someone else a look if this low-effort asscrack isn't going to get it done. Murphy needs to not throw off of his backfoot, like at all. If those two things happen, AD Mitchell mixes in a block or two, and Sarkisian can keep from turning into Corporal Upham during the middle of the game and make playcalls that make sense, the offense should roll. "CTJ, we always lose this kind of game. KSU is well-coached and their very polite, if intellectually bereft, fanbase travels well." Kansas State doesn't travel as well as BYU, I can tell you that. What in the fuck was that last week? Shit. I think they had 10k there, at least. It didn't do them much good, nonetheless. KSU is a bully this season. They'll play like it Saturday. Texas needs to come out and hit them in the mouth early and stay physical. What do I mean by "bully"? Well, everything. 1) They shit themselves on the road, as discussed. 2) They beat up on weak opponents and drive up their stats and scores accordingly. As frightening as "Southeast Missouri State" may sound, they're a weak FCS team. 4 Sacks and 588 yards of offense later and KSU showed them what tough guys they are. UCF is not ready for P5 football and hasn't won in the conference yet. KSU showed up with 4 sacks and over 500 yards in that matchup as well. 4 more sacks against Troy. 500+ yards against a hapless TCU defense that we've mocked all season. 3) Against stronger competition, KSU looks mediocre to average. They had 2 sacks combined in road losses to OSU and Mizzou. They were outgained in both games. They lost the turnover battle in both games. Hell, Troy isn't a "bad" team, with two losses to KSU and JMU, but they are just a Sun Belt team with Sun Belt talent. Troy's defense did a good job against KSU, actually. Unfortunately, Troy's offense is poo and gave KSU a short field all game and it was never really in doubt. That's what KSU does - they feast on weaknesses. They're not going to go good on good versus similar or advantaged talent and win most of those match-ups. Texas needs to win or neutralize the turnover battle and show up with high energy against a decent opponent. If Texas does that, they're ultimately going to overwhelm KSU and the mudhole will be thoroughly pounded. While I know this won't do much to assuage the handwringers, here's hoping some logic and an understanding that this Texas team is a return to prior periods of dominance, will help some of the rest of you people get your shit together. Texas rolls this weekend - 38-13. Hook'em

For those of you that don't watch every game on 12 screens at the same time: TCU loses shoot out to Colorado 42-45 The national media is going to be saying that the Deion era has started at Colorado, but I want to focus on the other side of this game. And let's be clear, Deion era or not: this is a CU team that's wasn't just the worst in P5 last year; they were likely the worst team in all of FBS. Deion might make CU good this year in the sense that they make a bowl, but they aren't going to threaten nationally relevant teams, which is what TCU hoped to be this year. TCU's Big XII darkhorse dream might be over much earlier in the season than any expected. Texas Tech loses in OT to Wyoming The other team many had pegged as a Big XII darkhorse lost in OT to Wyoming. The Wyoming program has been up and down over the years, but they are currently thought to be a bottom dweller with major offensive struggles and a middling defense. It was already a bad sign for Tech to struggle in this game, but losing outright is going to be unforgivable for many in Lubbock. Baylor falls to Texas State If you are noticing a trend, it's because the real Week 1 headline is how the Big XII got rocked. This is my third game (these are in order of importance), only because Baylor didn't have any reasonable national expectations going into the season. But this is Texas State. It's a high school team. Illinois scrapes by Toledo 30-28 Illinois kicked a game winning FG with seconds remaining to avoid a devastating upset. Illinois is just outside national relevance but has been playing a bit of an upset team in the B1G. They are thought to be reloading a very stingy defense and were favored by many to win the West. This is a massively disappointing win. But, unlike the guys above, they did manage to win. Iowa 24 Utah State 14 Iowa jumped out to an early lead, so this was a more comfortable victory than the Illini had. But the Hawkeyes are right to be confused about whether they can threaten to win the West and crack the top 25 this year after a lackluster start. Oklahoma dominates some team This is the first positive headline a team is getting from me. They are a borderline-ranked team that I expected to "receiving votes" at the end of season. The team that they dominated was Central Arkansas, so it's not a season-defining win. but that is still better than what a lot of teams can say today. Combined with some really bad performances from their competition, the Sooners are feeling much better about their final season with the Big XII. I'm honestly not sure how to root this season. A Texas-OU rematch in Dallas for their final seasons in the Big XII would be incredible for a variety of reasons, but also fuck OU. Louisville comes back against Georgia Tech I'm not sure which team to make this about. Louisville is an "other receiving votes" team and is obviously disappointed with too exciting of a win over a school that hasn't really supported its program lately. But it's also about GT trying to turn that around and the start of Brent Key as head coach. I'm kind of excited as a current Atlanta resident. I watched this entire game and it's worth seeing if you find it on replay. Minnesota defends against Nebraska 13-10 This boards loves their Nebraska tears, but Minnesota is the other team in the B1G West expected to have a shot. Not a great start, but it is a win over a conference opponent. This makes the West division wide open. Washington 56 - Boise State 19 This isn't the Boise of years past, but I've been a bit of a Husky doubter this preseason. This is a good start to their season, and the PAC is going to have an exciting final season. UCF 56 - Kent State 6 This is my last headline, and it might mean nothing at the end of the season, but it did pique and peak my interest for this new addition that I still don't expect much from. However, they have my eye for at least another week.

We did this last year and it was fun. It was also brutal. I think one or two posters got 3 of the 4 correct? I did no better than Desmond Howard, pathetically. I took Ohio State, Alabama, NC State (Christ) and Oklahoma State (should have had me crowdsourced from this board). I'll try to do better this year. College Playoff Semifinalists: 1) Michigan - They play a cupcake schedule, they get Nebraska, Minnesota and Purdue from the Big 10 West and play 3 G5 teams in the non-con. They're loaded in the backfield, on the OL and at TE. Defensively, they're always good. Missing Iowa and Wisconsin is helpful for them. I think Rhule makes Nebraska formidable, and I expect them to play tough this year, but they don't have the dogs yet. Purdue and Hudson Card - lol and Minnesota is an okay and predictable 7-6/9-4 team that won't beat Michigan. 2) Georgia - Look, they're loaded, but they have lost so many NFL high draft picks that there is some reason to give pause. They're starting a new QB, their WRs aren't scary, and they replace a ton on defense. They don't have the same kind of bad ass on the DL, yet. None of that is really compelling to counter Brock Bowers, the freshman safety, their OL, and one of the weakest schedules in the country. I would be flat out shocked if they're not in the playoffs. 3) Texas - Mock away, assholes. The roster is loaded, the Big 12 is down, and this is the best year ever in the Saban era, sans 2007, to catch Bama at home in week 2. Only Sarkisian's playcaller's block and injuries can alter this outcome, and those are not going to happen, dammit. 4) Florida State - They have a loaded roster and they play in a weak league. Verse is one of the best pass rushing threats in CFB, Travis is a fine QB, and Norvell is an excellent coach. They have to beat one of LSU and Clemson and they're in by going 12-1. The Pretenders: Alabama - I have been all over this board espousing the logic for Bama being less formidable than they have been in a long ass time. Converting to a conservative offense, adding two new coordinators, replacing 16 starters including the country's best defender and one of the best QBs in years, getting a very violent match-up in week two and then playing a tough SEC schedule that includes both Tenn and UK from the east is a recipe for new problems. There are 2-3 losses in there, if not 3-4. Oklahoma - Oklahoma may well go 10-2 this year because of their schedule. I think Venables is a simple idiot, so I doubt they get that far, but the schedule is weak enough and the brand is big enough that they're at least getting mentions. Ohio State - I struggled not including them in the CFP, but I wanted to have a little fun. They also avoid Iowa but do play Wisconsin. They also play Notre Dame in South Bend, so that will be tough. They have problems on the OL and the QBs are unproven. Day is a damned fine developer of QBs, however, so I don't see much risk on that spot. They have one of the best TB rooms in the country and the best WR room in the country. They have some things to prove defensively after another late season collapse on that side of the ball. There's enough here for me to feel okay thinking they finish at #5. Notre Dame - They looked great against Navy. The problem with that is that Navy looked really, really terrible. I don't make too much of that game. Notre Dame, irrespective of week 0 results, need to prove they have dynamic playmakers at TB, WR, and TE. I don't think they have the horses against other big time programs. Defensively they'll be sound, but I don't know if they have a front 7 that is going to scare OSU, Clemson and USC. USC/Washington/Oregon/Utah/UCLA/Oregon State - The Pac 12 is top heavy with 6 really good teams this season. They are going to beat each other up and I don't see one emerging with less than 2 losses. Were that to happen, that team would have a resume to get in. They all have some flaws, but the two biggest are USC's defense and whether Rising can actually go all season with his playing style coming off the injury. Clemson - Klubnik has the hype, as does Shipley, but Clemson still has the same problems on offense - they don't have guys at WR or TE that scare anyone and their OL is mediocre because it always is. They have an excellent defense as always, but is it top 2-3 in the country? When Clemson was truly the best of the best, they had dynamic playmakers at QB, TB and WR, and there were 2-4 high draft picks playing every year in the front 7. LSU - The tigers got away with some breaks last year and did a great job of playing above their heads for Bama. Perkins is getting more hype than damned near any defender nationally. He's not going to surprise anyone. Daniels has to be the top runner again this year because the backfield is meh. If he gets hurt, they're in trouble because Nussmeier isn't the same running threat. They have a great OL and an emerging TE. Their WR corps is overrated. Nabors is getting absurd hype for someone who isn't scaring anyone. I'm sure the defense will be excellent, but there's enough here to doubt a playoff run with their schedule. Not worth consideration even if being mentioned elsewhere: North Carolina, Penn State, Wisconsin, TCU Dark Horse Contenders: I don't really believe either of these will get there, but oh well. Iowa - They avoid OSU and Michigan. They will have a top 5 defense in the country and create havoc as usual. The same will be true for STs. McNamara is the best QB in Iowa City since the midget idiot from Texas whose name I forgot. Only Brian Ferentz and a history of not being able to get there hold this team back. If they don't win the west, I'll be surprised. Kansas State - They return their entire OL and a good QB. They'll be very well-coached and they will play tough. The defense will be sound. They lack gamebreakers and dynamic speed. I expect 10-2, but they could also just methodically walk through the schedule outside of potentially two match-ups with Texas where they'd need some breaks. Special Mention: Texas ATM - I've seen them get dark horse mentions. They have paper thin depth at OL, TE, LB, and CB. They're loaded on the DL and Safety/NB. The first 4 WRs are an excellent unit. Little depth after that. They have meh and flakes at TB. They're an injury away from jaggerhood at QB. My view is that if that ATM had an OU 2000-esque run where they didn't lose anyone to injuries all year and Weigman lived up to the internal aggie through-the-roof expectations, maybe they make noise. My expectation is that they shit themselves in Miami and Fisher leaves Petrino at the airport, buying his own plane ticket back to BCS. Sorry for the length, I guess? Anyway, who do you have? Also, sorry if I have a glaring omission somewhere. I wrote this off the top of my head and on the fly in order to get something out.

Heading into the 2001 season, Florida State had finished each of the prior 14 seasons in the AP top 5. That's a feat above what Alabama has accomplished over a similar period. FSU won 2 titles during that run, which is obviously eclipsed by Bama's 6. If you had a time machine and could go back to the beginning of the 2001 season and argue online with other fans that Florida State would never finish in the top 5 again during Bowden's tenure, and they'd lose 4 games that season, 3 by double digits including once at home, and finish the season ranked a measly #15, people would have pointed at you and laughed. "Florida State just reloads, closetojumping." "It's Bobby Bowden. They'll be fine. He's showing no signs of slowing down." "I'm not betting against FSU and Bobby Bowden." And few folks did bet against FSU and Bobby Bowden. FSU opened the 2001 season ranked #6 in the country. "Only #6, CTJ?" Well, yes. But numerous magazines and pundits had them playing for it all because ... Bobby Bowden. In reality, there were cracks starting to turn into fissures in the foundation of Bowden's program at FSU and they were about to start truly showing for all to see. FSU had to replace a Heisman-winning QB, multiple skill and OL talents taken in the NFL draft, and the majority of their top defensive talent, also taken in the draft the prior spring. Bowden saw long-time OC, Mark Richt, take a prized job at Georgia earlier that year. Instead of going out and finding a talented up and comer to replace the OC, as Bowden had done most of the time when losing an assistant, he did something different this time. He hired his son, Jeff Bowden, because, "hey, he's Bobby Bowden." The talent that FSU needed to simply "reload" didn't appear in the same ways as it previously did. Turns out, while they certainly still had plenty of talent, the recruiting services were bumping recruits regularly by then in FSU's favor because they were giving Bowden the benefit of the doubt. Whoops. All of those recent top 5 classes being stacked up by FSU turned out to produce more like top 20-ish classes, which is how those teams wound up finishing in the AP, if at all, over those final 9 years of Bowden. Bobby Bowden turned 71 during that 2001 season. closetojumping, what does any of that have to do with Alabama and Nick Saban? Well, there is literally zero link between the two regimes. I'm not claiming there is. I'm merely pointing out that the similarities are eerie. Nick Saban enters the 2023 season 71 years old. Alabama this year opened the season in the top 4 of the polls. Many pundits have picked them to win or play for the national title. "Nick Saban and Alabama just reload. " "I'm not betting against Nick Saban. " "It's Nick Saban. He's showing no signs of slowing down." Alabama entered the 2023 season having to replace 16 starters. 10 of those players were drafted in the prior spring's NFL draft. One of those starters in need of replacing was a Heisman-winning QB. Another was the best defensive player in the country. On top of that, Saban had to replace both of his coordinators. While he didn't hire one of his children, he did make two comfort hires. He had the chance to hire Kevin Steele as his DC on two separate occasions when the role was open and Steele was on staff. Saban went in a different direction. Now he's got someone who will do what he's told. On the offensive side, he's hired a younger guy who he's given marching orders in regard to returning the offense to a "murderball" approach in which they just crush less talented teams under the weight of their superior talent in the running game and short passing game. He thought he could do so, and was lauded for doing so by guys like Josh Pate (his murderball segment from this summer, in hindsight to those who weren't paying attention and laughing back then, will give you a laugh now) because "hey, he's Nick Saban." But CTJ, Alabama's still stacking top 3 recruiting classes back to back for cycles on end. Last year's class was #1 in the country, for Christ's sake. All of that is also true. That considered, show me the same ol'dynamic, Heisman-esque players at the skill positions on offense. Malik Becton was being lauded, laughably, as a coup of a pick-up from the juco ranks this summer. I don't even know if he caught a pass on Saturday. The TBs are all highly ranked and all look very pedestrian. If a freshman was good enough, they'd be playing. Look across the sidelines last Saturday and you can see that. Outside of Downs and McKinstry, who stood out on defense in the back 7? Hell, where was Oatis on the DL for most of the game? Tell me what Dallas Turner did that anyone should remember. Did any of that look like a top 5 team to you? It shouldn't, because it isn't. Alabama could very well go 10-2 in the regular season this year, mostly because the SEC looks like 13 dwarves and Georgia. Alabama could also go 8-4 because they're not just going to out-talent UTenn, LSU, or Ole Miss. Gravity gets even the highest flyers and, as we know, it's a shock sometimes when it happens. It's one season, closetojumping. Bama will load up, crush it in the transfer portal, and be right back on top next season. Maybe. But there are significant differences in the college football environment today than in the past, and Saban isn't handling them well. 1) The transfer portal requires significant money. Bama isn't the wealthiest group going after the same players. 2) Transfer players already know what they're looking for in a new team. QBs know what kind of offense they want to run, and it isn't "murderball". WRs can go anywhere. Why would one choose Bama if USC, Texas, Washington, Ohio State or Tennessee wants them? The beat goes on. 3) NIL has leveled the playing field on Saban's magical competitive advantage in high school recruiting. Bama isn't 1 of 10 bidding on the best players. Bama is 1 of 90 going after the same guys and they don't have any more money than most of those 89 other schools. SMU or TCU can outbid them for a DFW guy, let alone Texas or USC. It's harder to flourish when you can't just show up and walk over your opponent. Texas walked into Bryant Denny and took Alabama's soul with it on the way out with a double digit win. They did the same thing when they entered the Big 12 to Nebraska. "You want partial qualifiers or our brand and money?" "Ok, cool, no more PQs, sorry Nebraska." Then the #3 Cornhuskers walked into the Trans World Dome in St. Louis, threw their helmets on the field and said "give us our trophy" before Texas took their soul and beat them by double digits. That was the beginning of the end for Nebraska. Alabama fans should seek a few of those fans out and get some advice from them on how to cope with all of it, because I know it would be sad to see Bama eventually decide the best answer is to just leave the conference.

Here we go again Texas vs Bama Part Deux but this time we are rolling into the hostile territory of Bryant Denny Stadium. Last year at this time we were 20 point dogs and didn’t stand a chance against Saban as he and his 5 star fueled Death Star came to Austin. This team included 3 first rounders and 8 total picks in the first 2 days of the 2023 draft but they needed to yet again injure a Texas QB and get some Big 12 ref magic to squeak out a 1 point victory. Was this a case of Saban slipping a little bit or was Texas and Steve Sarkisian finally pulling out of their decades of mediocrity? Based on how each team finished the season it seems like more of the former as Bama lost to Tennessee for the first time in Saban’s tenure while LSU and the fighting Kelly’s beat them in an OT mid-off. During this time Texas finished 7-4 with a couple of big wins and a couple embarrassing losses. To pull off the biggest win in years Texas has to do to buck the following trends: 1. Texas mediocrity: For the past 13 years Texas has been the laughingstock of CFB and failed to live up to expectations exactly once (2018) but even then lost 4 games including a laugher to Maryland. Can Texas finally win a monster on the road and officially claim to be back for good? 2. Sevin Win Sark: Out of his 7 full seasons as a head coach Sark has won more than 7 games only 3 times. Even his biggest backers here couldn’t name a matchup of this magnitude that he has coached his team to a win in. Will he be able to finally get a big win on the road and a new nickname by years end? 3. Saban’s Dominance at Home: Saban at Alabama has won 103 and lost just 8 games at home since taking over in 2007. The current streak sits at 21 games since a team last walked out of Tuscaloosa with a win. Has Saban finally jumped the shark All the daunting trends and statistics aside here is why Texas is going to shut up all of the talking heads and pull out a dominating victory in Tuscaloosa: 1. We’re fucking Texas: Other fanbases and media will laugh at the notion that the Texas decal on the helmet means anything but disappointment but since the beginning of time Texas has dared to play big games and more often than not came out ahead. Texas has a winning record against every other Blue Blood except USC and ND. If you exclude the annual matchup with OU the total record is 25-21. But what about on the road you ask? Texas in 9-8 in true road games against the non OU Blue Bloods. No University of Texas player, coach, or fan is going to be fazed by the atmosphere, this type of game is why you choose the University of Texas. 2. Saban’s Swan Song: It is no secret that Alabama has lost their CFB throne to Georgia over the last 2 seasons but they are still 1B in the CFB pecking order. Saban has built up a lot of trust in his program to warrant the #3 ranking in a year when they lost a Heisman QB, all world defender, and do it all RB. Recruiting rankings suggest they just reloaded and will keep rolling but this is not your Uncle’s Alabama. To replace Bryce Young they tapped Jalen Milroe to assume the throne at QB despite their best efforts to buy an elite QB in the portal. If his game against the aggies is any indication than it will be a long night for Saban in Tuscaloosa. 3. Poetic Justice: Since that night at the Rose Bowl Texas has coveted a seat at the table that they once had a standing reservation at. Year after year we have had to sit by and watch an Alabama dynasty reel off championship after championship that was propelled by an injury to a Texas QB. Every dominant program has an alpha and omega when the world either knows you have arrived or that the end is near. In tandem the alpha and omega happened for Alabama and Texas on January 7th, 2010 while millions looked on. This Saturday will be the bookend moment for both of these programs as Texas beacons to the world that they are in fact back while leaving Alabama faithful wondering what will be next for their beloved program. The stars are aligned for a big night for the Horns in Tuscaloosa this weekend. Quinn has an opportunity to show us why he is the highest rated QB of all time and cement his legacy as a Texas QB. Sark is gunning to come full circle from wonderkid when he was hired at UW to a seasoned veteran HC with a career defining year. This team fucks and will prove it on the field in primetime. See yall in Tuscaloosa, I will be in U4-CC. Hook ‘em “The pride and winning tradition of The University of Texas will not be entrusted to the weak or the timid”

Scheduling never gets enough scrutiny from the media, yet schedules make or break title contenders every season. Last year, Michigan opened with 4 games at home: ECU, UNLV, Bowling Green and Rutgers. They also missed Iowa. I know that they were damned good and also cheating motherfuckers, but how different is the Michigan 2023 season if they catch Texas, or go on the road to ND, or play Iowa a week before Penn State? Maybe they still win it all, but that is very, very debatable. As an alternative, think about Liberty* in 2023. They played the shittiest schedule in FBS. Yet they go undefeated and, basically by default, wind up as the highest ranked G5 team and got to go get blown out in the Fiesta Bowl. Does that game look different if SMU or Tulane plays Oregon instead? I'm sure Oregon still wins, but many more of us might have at least been inclined to have watched it. I didn't. I watched most bowl games and skipped that bullshit. Or how about something altogether different, such as Texas in 2023. If Texas went the Oklahoma/Michigan route and hid behind their brand in the hopes of making the playoffs, rather than doing something worthwhile in the non-con, does Texas get in with a 12-1 record but a win over, say, Appalachian State instead of a road win versus Alabama on their resume? No, they don't. Either both Bama and Georgia get in, or FSU gets in and UGA bawls. Either way, no one but Texas fans would have been whining for 12-1 Texas. So what about this year? Who's got a spine and who doesn't? And what might the consequences be? If not discussed here heading towards the season ramp-up, we won't see much discussion elsewhere or properly given its due, at least. The Jellyfish 1) The SEC and ACC - look, I understand why we are still dealing with this weak shit regarding 8 conference games, but I don't have to like it. I hated it when Texas wasn't in one of these conferences and I hate it now. It's spineless schedule manipulation done to get more teams into the playoffs. Add to that that in replacement of the 9th conference game, these teams all (except for Texas and Va Tech), that's 31 out of 33 conference teams, they each play a FCS program and you've got vomit-inducing, cheating-esque garbage being pushed our way as fans. No one wants to watch that shit. Further, neither conference has an argument for a bubble playoff team over a high quality alternative from the Big 12 or Big 10 getting in instead. Fucking joke. 2) Ohio State - Akron, Western Michigan, Marshall - fuck these guys. They better win out or there will be plenty to argue against their entry to the CFP. 3) Ole Miss - Furman, MTSU, @Wake, Georgia Southern. When Ole Miss is sitting at 10-2 with a loss to Georgia and another random, SEC honks everywhere will be pleading about their grind of a schedule and getting them in as the 11th seed over some 11-2 Big 12 team, laugh at them. They get 5 of the bottom projected 7 SEC teams and skip Texas, Bama, Tenn, and Mizzou. 4) Oklahoma - Temple, Tulane, UH, Maine! - at one point in time, OU would schedule anyone, anywhere. Those days are gone. Now, they crouch behind their history and hope for the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately for them, too many benefits of the doubt have been given to them in the past, only to watch them just get fucking mauled in title games and the like. Fuck OU. (I don't give a shit about the Georgia game cancellation - they could have found a P4 opponent and chose Maine and Temple instead.). 5) Notre Dame - ND gets to pick who they play every year. They know they'll get the benefit of the doubt in a close call against any conference's 3rd or worst candidate for a playoff spot if they're 10-2 or better. It appears as though they said, "yeah, fuck it, stop scheduling teams with a pulse" once the playoff expansion was announced. This year they go: @ATM, Northern Illinois, @Purdue, Miami of Ohio, Louisville, Stanford, Ga Tech (@Mercedes Benz in ATL), Navy (Met Life Stadium), FSU, Virginia, Army (in the Bronx), and @ USC. Who is the toughest team on that schedule? An overranked ATM? A weak USC? A top 20-ish FSU team? If Notre Dame is anything below 11-1 this season, they should be eliminated from the conversation unless multiple teams on their schedule really surprise with amazing seasons. Anyway, all 5 of these scheduling approaches have serious consequences for the CFP this year. Deserving teams sitting at 10-2 or 9-3 playing harder schedules are likely to get pushed out because of some of this bitch-made shit. I'm curious to see how it all plays out and figured it was worth hearing anyone else's thoughts as well. *Liberty again stands to gain the most out of everyone with their scheduling nonsense. For one, they play in the worst G5 conference - Conference USA. It's a pathetic overall group of teams that have arguably no business remaining at the FBS level. In addition to their pathetic in-conference slate, which includes 3 recent ascendants from FCS (Sam, Jax State, Kennesaw State), their non-con includes an FCS school (Campbell), ECU, App State, and UMass! Wretched. App State is at least favored to win the Sun Belt, so maybe they can save everyone from having to watch the #5 CFP seed simply walk over #12 Liberty on their way to the quarters.

The way I produce top 25 is halfway modeled after the CFP Committee rankings. It's a combination of power and resumes, this early in the season the committee tends to lean more on eye-test than resume. I end up matching them closer towards the end of the season. Indiana sits on top for now, but their season is backloaded and I'm unconvinced their defense will actually hold all season. The same can be said for Miami. Oregon is the only team to weather a top 50 schedule thus far, but it's not exactly downhill for them yet. Notre Dame has the easiest path, but I don't think they get in with another loss. Playoff and conference projections. Texas still sits on top of the SEC, but not by much and it's the most wide-open conference. Model currently thinks it's Texas vs LSU in Atlanta, and those two plus Tennessee all have good position to make the playoffs. A&M and LSU this weekend likely shakes this up and determines which other team is in the driver seat. Georgia is the only top 10 team looking in from the outside, and that is mostly due to their schedule. Army and Navy are the top 2 G5 teams right now, and I think that's awesome. As far as projecting Texas, we are pretty equally likely to drop another as win out:

Welcome to Bye Week 2. So. Many. Midweek. Conference. USA. games. and a decent but not incredible Saturday slate. All lines are Circa opening lines. Tuesday games New Mexico State @ Florida International (-8) (7/6 CBSSN): They're both 1-3 in CUSA play. The most "it's football I guess" matchup I've ever seen. Louisiana Lafayette @ Texas State (-3) (7:30/6:30 ESPN2): Midweek Fun Belt action! ULaLa is leading the SBC West. Texas State sees bowl eligibility as a real possibility. Should be a solid one. Louisiana Tech @ Sam Houston State (-9) (8/7 ESPNU): The less interesting Louisiana at Texas matchup. Both teams, especially SHSU, are still alive for the conference title game hunt. Wednesday games Jacksonville State @ Liberty (-2) (7/6 CBSSN): CUSA's #2 travels to #3. Let's hope Liberty is still shellshocked from their shocking loss to winless Kennesaw State. Kennesaw State @ Western Kentucky (-24) (7:30/6:30 ESPN2): Speaking of the Owls, they head to Bowling Green, Kentucky, home of Corvettes and Mammoth Cave, to face the league-leading Hilltoppers. Good luck. Thursday game Tulane (-15) @ Charlotte (7:30 / 6:30 ESPN): The Green Wave travel to the (other) Queen City to face Biff Poggi's boys. Tulane is 4-0 in conference, Charlotte is 2-2. Friday games Georgia State @ UConn (-7) (7/6 CBSSN): Georgia State beat Vanderbilt, so they must be good, right? Yale @ Columbia (7/6 ESPNU): Take a peek at Columbia's beautiful field on the banks of the Harlem River on the northern tip of Manhattan. South Florida (-4) @ Florida Atlantic (7:30 / 6:30 ESPN2): Tom Herman hosts an in-state rivalry in Boca Raton. These teams are not good. San Diego State @ #15 Boise State (-24) (8/7 FS1): Ashton Jeanty at a reasonable hour! Saturday games #4 Ohio State (-3) @ #3 Penn State (11/12 FOX): The obvious pick of the litter, and finally a great Big Noon Saturday game (joined by College Gameday). Can James Franklin finally win a big game against a blueblood? Tough battle, especially with Drew Allar hurt. Duke @ #5 Miami (-20) (11/12 ABC): Another day, another chance for the ACC refs to hand Miami a game they try desperately to lose. #19 Ole Miss (-4) @ Arkansas (11/12 ESPN): Ole Miss is beloved by the statistical models but has found ways to lose games. Arkansas has been a fun chaos team, and has historically had the Rebs' number. Should be a wild one. Also on - Minnesota @ #24 Illinois (-3) (11/12 FS1) is reasonably tricky bounceback draw for the Illini after Oregon blew them away, Air Force at Army (-23) (11/12 CBS) because America, and Vanderbilt @ Auburn (-6) (12:45 / 11:45 SECN) will be a fun watch - can Diego Pavia go 3 for 3 against Hugh Freeze? - Florida vs. #2 Georgia (-16.5) @ Jacksonville (3:30 / 2:30 ABC): The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is a historically great tailgate and terrible rivalry game, and this year's edition looks like it'll keep that going. Hopefully Florida has spent the past month only scouting UGA and still loses in an incredibly deflating way. #1 Oregon (-15) @ Michigan (3:30 / 2:30 CBS): Oregon has looked ferocious since their early season hiccups. The Big House is a large stadium. They're probably going to win by 30. Texas Tech @ #t11 Iowa State (-12) (3:30 / 2:30 CBS): Some media types are eying this as a spot where Matt Campbell chokes away the Big XII championship slot. Tech is 3-2 in conference and is desperately trying to stay in the hunt. Also on - #13 Indiana (-6) @ Michigan State (3:30 / 2:30 Peacock) - let's see if Curt Cignetti will ever trail in a game / North Carolina (-3) @ Florida State (3:30 / 2:30 ACCN) - Mack's team showed a lot of life blowing UVA out of the water, while Florida State is officially out of the postseason / UCLA @ Nebraska (-9) (3:30 / 2:30 BTN) If Nebraska beats the second-worst team in the B1G at home, they'll be bowl-eligible for the first time since 2016! - #10 Texas A&M (-4) @ South Carolina (7:30 / 6:30 ABC): It's a trap! The most obvious trap game in history. South Carolina is unranked but does some things very well, like pressuring the QB. Can Marcel Reed escape the Gamecock edges? Louisville @ #t11 Clemson (-12) (7:30 / 6:30 ESPN): Clemson is doing their usual bland run through the ACC en route to a boring Playoff blowout. I don't think it gets tripped up here. #18 Pittsburgh @ #20 Southern Methodist (-7) (8 / 7 ACCN): Huge game in determining who'll play Clemson in the ACC Championship. Gritty, hard-nosed Rust Belt murderball against Dallas flash. Also on - Kentucky @ #7 Tennessee (-16) (7:45 / 6:45 SECN) the former Battle for the Barrel could be alright depending on which version of UK shows up / Wisconsin @ Iowa (-4) (7:30 / 6:30 NBC) and USC @ Washington (pick 'em) (7:30 / 6:30 BTN) are good helmet games / TCU @ Baylor (-2) (8 / 7 ESPN2) The "Bluebonnet Battle" features two coaches battling to cool their seats down. - No Big XII After Dark and Hawaii plays on the mainland

Get out the napalm and let's smoke some ribs, it's Fayettenam week. Otherwise, a pretty quiet weekend considering the time in the season. Hope for some spicy upset bids. Ranking are AP, lines are Circa opening lines. Tuesday games Western Michigan @ Bowling Green (-8) (7/6 ESPN2): All eyes on Wood County, Ohio as the league-leading Falcons host third-place WMU. Prime MACtion! There are two middleweight MAtChups running concurrently, so watch whichever of Central Michigan @ Toledo (-14) (7/6 ESPNU) or Ball State @ Buffalo (-5) (7/6 CBSSN) floats your boat. Wednesday games Eastern Michigan @ Ohio (-8) (7/6 ESPN2): This one is #7 @ #4, and it's still the best game of the night. Ohio has a surprisingly good-looking and hard-partying student body, so that's fun. The two other games are not good. The worst team in the FBS vs. #2 in the MAC, Kent State @ Miami (OH) (-33) (7/6 ESPNU) and Akron @ Northern Illinois (-15) (7/6 CBSSN) is just two bad teams. It might be close at least. Thursday game East Carolina (-14) @ Tulsa (7:30/6:30 ESPN): The Pirates have been on a tear after firing their coach, and can get bowl-eligible with a win against the hapless Golden Hurricane. How much did that team fucking hate Mike Houston? Friday games North Texas (-2) @ UTSA (8/7 ESPN2): The AAC's middle class has a Friday night battle. UNT can put up points on anyone except the US Army. Wyoming @ Colorado State (-10) (8/7 CBSSN): The Rams are undefeated in the Mountain West and might end up with the most wins of any Texas opponent. UCLA @ Washington (-5) (9/8 Fox): A classic B1G battle. UCLA has shown some life by beating Iowa and (lol) Nebraska. Washington is sailgating in the wrong direction. Houston @ Arizona (-1) (10:15/9:15 FS1): These teams are not good, although Willie Fritz has UH at .500 in conference, which is a nice job considering Holgo left that program in ashes. Saturday games #3 Texas (-15) @ Arkansas (12/11 ABC): The best part of the SEC move is getting all three classic Texas rivalries back on an annual basis. Arkansas is chaotic, which has caught a couple teams off guard, but in general they aren't very good. Pulled pork and ribs for lunch. #25 Tulane (-6) @ Navy (12/11 ESPN2): Navy let ND beat them twice after flunking the Rice test the week after, but they righted the ship against South Florida. Tulane is the AAC favorite, but they have to head to Annapolis. Should be a fun game. #17 Clemson (-11) @ Pitt (12/11 ESPN): Pitt has fallen apart after SMU, so Clemson should be able to walk into an echoing Heinz Field and keep their ACC championship hopes alive. Keep an eye on Chicago to see if Ryan Day tries to throw into a heavy lake effect wind every play again (#2 Ohio State (-31) vs Northwestern @ Wrigley Field, 12/11 BTN). Utah @ #18 Colorado (-9) (12/11 Fox) has two Heisman contenders in a beautiful setting and is hosting Big Noon Kickoff. - Nebraska @ USC (-7) (4/3 Fox): In an extremely sleepy midafternoon slate, let's go watch an expensive car crash as two bluebloods try to crawl to bowl eligibility. Nebraska hit five wins and then immediately drove into a ditch. Dana Holgerson has been brought in as OC to drunk drive the Huskers out of it. USC beat LSU and immediately went into the tank. They need two wins from Nebraska, UCLA, and Notre Dame to make a bowl. #21 LSU (-7) @ Florida (3:30/2:30 ABC): LSU should win in a nice helmet matchup, but these teams are not good. Boston College @ #14 SMU (-15) (3:30/2:30 ESPN): Bill O'Brien has started the repair job after the Addazio era in Chestnut Hill, but the ACC-leading Mustangs should be way too much for them. #24 Missouri @ #23 South Carolina (-10) (4:15/3:15 SECN): Mizzou is kind of still alive for the Playoff. South Carolina might be the hottest team in college football. Drew Pyne might get killed. Virginia @ #8 Notre Dame (-21) (3:30/2:30 NBC) might be worthy of an upset watch look. Baylor @ West Virginia (-1) (4/3 ESPN2) is a hot seat bowl, which always have a weird intensity. - #6 Tennessee @ #11 Georgia (-9) (7/6 ABC): Another primetime SEC playoff elimination game! Carson Beck's one-man crusade to lead UGA out of the Playoff can reach its climax between the hedges against Josh Heupel's Vols. Arizona State @ #20 Kansas State (-6) (7/6 ESPN): The Big 12 is a parity-ridden clusterfuck, and this championship contender battle could throw more wrenches into its quest for national relevance. #1 Oregon (-15) @ Wisconsin (7:30/6:30 NBC): Oregon continues to slink along as a very quiet number one, which is ironic for such a brash program. Can they survive the cauldron of Camp Randall? The Ashton Jeanty show rolls on in the South Bay (#13 Boise State (-14.5) @ San Jose State, 7/6 CBSSN) and a Cincinnati team desperate to get bowl-eligible can save their coach's job by beating the free-falling Cyclones (Cincinnati @ Iowa State (-6), 8/7 Fox). - Two After Dark specials for your viewing pleasure: Kansas @ #7 BYU (-5) (10:15/9:15 ESPN): Kansas has been showing life recently, including shocking the Cyclones. BYU barely escaped Holy War (with a little help from the zebras). San Diego State @ UNLV (-20.5) (10:30/9:30 CBSSN): Are you a Sicko? UNLV is still alive for the MWC title, but needs a Colorado State loss to make that dream a reality.

A few spicy ranked matchups as conference play starts, with a B1G start on Friday, a sleepy Saturday morning, and then full throttle in the afternoon and evening. Thursday game South Alabama @ Appalachian State - 7:30 / 6:30 ESPN Hey, it's football. App State has a nice stadium, so that's fun to look at. Friday games Stanford @ Syracuse - 7:30 / 6:30 ESPN A classic ACC matchup. Stanford is pretty bad. Kyle McCord has been tearing it up for Cuse. Should be a blowout for the Orange in a near-sellout crowd. #24 Illinois @ #22 Nebraska - 8 / 7 Fox Not a bad B1G pairing at all. FFR has Illinois playing solid, competent football, and Rhule looks like he's going to easily break the Huskers' bowl drought. Saturday games Florida @ Mississippi State - 12 / 11 ESPN If you thought Florida - A&M was a cripple fight, this is going to be even more pathetic. Let's see if Miss State looks capable of being more than a speedbump next week. NC State @ #21 Clemson - 12 / 11 ABC Look, it's slim pickings in this timeslot. State has historically given Clemson fits, but Grayson McCall is hurt and they have looked like pure shit in all three of their games this year. Charlotte @ Indiana - 12 / 11 BTN Curt Cignetti has Indiana looking immediately bowlish. Biff Poggi ran Oklahoma drills all summer and can barely field a team. This should be a bloodbath. I guess you could watch Kansas @ WVU (12/11 ESPN2) or Houston @ Cincinnati (12/11 FS1) for some Big XII bottomfeeder action. The early games are pretty bad across the board. - #11 USC @ #18 Michigan - 3:30 / 2:30 CBS It's a crime that this is a conference game and not a Rose Bowl matchup. We should learn a lot about both teams in this one - is USC for real? Does Michigan suck that bad? #12 Utah @ #14 Oklahoma State - 4 / 3 Fox Huge Big XII game. A battle of experienced, well-coached contenders with 7th-year QBs that are older than a solid subset of NFL starters. Arkansas @ Auburn - 3:30 / 2:30 ESPN Hugh Freeze is officially on Fraud Watch. Petrino seems to have resucitated the Pig offense. Could be an interesting one. Keep an eye on Miami (OH) @ #17 Notre Dame (3:30/2:30 NBC) for Marcus Freeman vs MAC hijinks and Georgia Tech @ Louisville (3:30/2:30 ESPN2) could matter for an ACC Championship slot. Also, Duke is playing @ MTSU for some reason over on ESPNU. And in an odd timeslot, it's the Battle for the Iron Skillet! TCU @ SMU - 5 / 4 CW Sonny Dykes and Rhett Lashlee will compete to see which coach can be the most unthreateningly competent, and which group of good-looking white kids gets first sniff of the coke down at daddy's country club. - Louisiana-Monroe @ #1(!!!) Texas - 8 / 7 ESPN+ / SECN+ Arch's first start will (sort of) be televised. Let's have some fun and not get injured. #6 Tennessee @ #15 Oklahoma - 7:30 / 6:30 ABC Josh Heupel returns to Norman, and his Vols have flown out of the blocks. Can OU keep up? Probably not. Cal @ Florida State - 7:30 / 6:30 ESPN2 Watching Cal go from just another Pac-12 school to the memelords of the ACC has been a hoot. Can they #decolonizecalahassee? Can DJU complete a forward pass? Baylor @ Colorado - 8 / 7 Fox One of these schools will lose, and I will enjoy that very much. Keep an eye on Bowling Green @ #25 Texas A&M (7:30 / 6:30 - ESPN+) and #8 Miami @ South Florida (7 / 6 ESPN) in case the upset warning starts flashing. #13 Kansas State @ BYU - 10:30 / 9:30 ESPN Your Big XII After Dark selection will be this potential trap game for the high-flying 'Cats after their big win over Arizona.

As we gear up for Texas's first conference game, I figured much of our fanbase might have as many gaps in their knowledge of our new conference mates as I have. Of course, as a college football fan, I'm not wholly ignorant and it's not like we've never played any of these teams before. Still, to commemorate our first football season in the SEC, I decided to start a new thread to be formally introduced to each new opponent as we face them on game week without resorting to yet another "tell me about..." thread. On Mondays, I plan to post something about each new SEC opponent throughout the rest of the season on game weeks. MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY I don't know a helluva lot about Mississippi State, but here's some trivia I learned about "Moo College" in the last half hour: The school opened its doors in 1880 and was known as The Agricultural and Mechanical College of the State of Mississippi (Mississippi A&M) from 1878 until 1932. It was created by the Mississippi Legislature on February 28, 1878, to fulfill the mission of offering training in "agriculture, horticulture and the mechanical arts ... without excluding other scientific and classical studies, including military tactics." Its first university president was former Confederate general Stephen D. Lee, who was Beauregard's aid-de-camp at the beginning of the Civil War and delivered the ultimatum to U.S. Maj. Robert Anderson, demanding the evacuation of Fort Sumter before hostilities. Mississippi State didn't integrate its undergraduate study body until 1965, tying Texas A&M as the last school in the SEC to do so. Oddly, MSU was selected as the permanent location for Ulysses S. Grant's Presidential Library in 2012. The library has held the collection of the alumnus John Grisham's writing since 1989. They know their grass. In 2009, MSU's School of Landscape Architecture was ranked the second-best program in the nation. Their athletic teams were known interchangeably as the "Aggies," "Maroons," and "Bulldogs" until 1961 when the latter became official. They've had an English bulldog named "Bully" as their live mascot since 1935. The cowbell tradition began after a jersey cow wandered onto the football field during a game in the early 1900s, which Mississippi State won. Thought to have been good luck, fans started clanging those things during subsequent games. All right, that's just about everything I know about Mississippi State, which is just Wikipedia-level baseline knowledge and simply scratching the surface. So, if anybody else (including lurking MSU alumni, rivals, or those with general knowledge of/experience with Mississippi State) wants to add better shit that you think Texas fans should know, please do so.

Texas starts SEC play, there's plenty of fun football, and I'll be stuck at a wedding in Boone. Maybe I can sneak out to the App State game... Thursday game Army @ Temple - 7:30 / 6:30 ESPN The Black Knights take a quick drive down to Philly to administer a good old fashioned ass-whupping to Stan Drayton's feeble Owls. Friday games Virginia Tech @ #7 Miami - 7:30 / 6:30 ESPN Before the season this looked like a potential ACC title game preview. The Hokies responded to big expectations by losing to Rutgers and Vanderbilt in their offseason slate. Oops. Washington @ Rutgers - 8 / 7 Fox Hahahaha this is a conference game, realignment is so dumb. The Scarlet Knights seem competent. Jedd Fisch hasn't really found his feet yet in Seattle (it's pretty slippery up there with all the rain). Saturday games Kentucky @ #6 Ole Miss - 12 / 11 ABC Will Ole Miss finally be tested? Kentucky is so schizophrenic it's hard to say. Do they bring their A-game they showed against UGA or fall over like they did against SCar. Either way, they probably can't keep up with the Rebel offense. #20 Oklahoma State @ #23 Kansas State - 12 / 11 ABC Both teams are coming off rough losses to Holy Warriors and need this win to stay in the race for the second Big XII championship spot. Is Alan Bowman still traumatized after getting put in the spin cycle by Ute defenders all Saturday? Can K-State rebound from getting hammered by BYU? #22 BYU @ Baylor - 12 / 11 FS1 Speaking of bouncing back from those games, is BYU for real? Can Aranda rally the Bears after they gave up a Hail Mary with a defensive playcall called "Victory Cigar"? Also in the early slate, Northern Illinois @ NC State (CW) is a funny one give how their seasons have gone. Minnesota @ Michigan (FOX) is the second week in a row Big Noon Saturday has punted on showing an actually good game and just panders to a blueblood fanbase. - Arkansas @ #24 Texas A&M - 3:30 / 2:30 ESPN A meteor game for Texas fans. Both teams have been uneven and incompetent in different ways. Should be fun to laugh at the loser, at least. #15 Louisville @ #16 Notre Dame - 3:30 / 2:30 Peacock (Jesus Christ, really?) An enormous game for Notre Dame's season. A potential defining statement for the ACC title challengers from the banks of the Ohio. This one should be fun. So of course NBC put it on Peacock, the assholes. #21 Oklahoma @ Auburn - 3:30 / 2:30 ABC OU gets a bounceback game to really start hyping Michael Hawkins and their defense up before Red River. Hugh Freeze will try to find out how many of his players he can throw under a bus at the same time. UNC @ Duke - 4 / 3 ESPN2 Mack vs. Manny! Maalik vs. the UNC "defense!" Mack vs. the creeping sense of inevitable decline and decay! Tobacco Road's premier basketball rivaly has some fun football interest for Texas fans this year after UNC covered the over against JMU by themselves and still got blown out 70 - 50. Mississippi State @ #1 Texas - 4:15 / 3:15 SECN Texas is going to treat Jeff Lebby the same way he treats ethics and women's rights, because an SEC mudholing just means more. Michael Van Buren gets his first start at QB, and is in for a presidential asskicking. Also of interest is a fun G5 matchup with Fresno State @ UNLV (FS1). - #2 Georgia @ #4 Alabama - 7:30 / 6:30 ABC Whoa nelly, this is a big one. Not much to say other than this is a huge, huge game. UGA has looked a little wobbly, Bama has a new coach, but you know they're both going to be locked in on Saturday night. #19 Illinois @ #9 Penn State - 7:30 / 6:30 NBC An excellent B1G undercard. FFR has the Illini playing tough, physical football. James Franklin tends to wilt in big games. But this feels to me like the one he wins before he loses to USC and Ohio State down the road. Florida State @ SMU - 7:30 / 6:30 ACCN Cal didn't have the horses to keep the FSU schadenfreude train going, but maybe the Ponies can get it back on the rails Keep an eye on #3 Ohio State @ Michigan State (Peacock) in case something interesting happens, but it probably won't. - Washington State @ #25 Boise State - 10 / 9 FS1 This could be really fun. Boise is the leader for the G5 playoff spot. Wazzu plays wild high scoring football. Arizona @ #10 Utah - 10:15 / 9:15 ESPN With Fifita and McMillan, Arizona has the talent to shock Utah if they're still coasting off of last week's victory. #8 Oregon @ UCLA - 11 / 10 Fox Pac-12 After Dark lives! Oregon has been so shaky they can't take any game for granted, especially in this weird of a timeslot.

It's the most relaxing week of college football viewership - a bye with an undefeated record. We start with a very Texas Thursday, hit a sneaky good night game on Friday, and then get a middling slate of Saturday action. I'll be catching the tailgate + first quarter of Yale's home opener before setting into a bar somewhere in New Haven. A very weak night game roster is a good time to check in on some teams that are building decent outsider playoff hopes. Enjoy the games, and lets hope for some upsets. Thursday games Texas State @ Troy - 7/6 ESPN: It's football! GJ Kinne is a good coach. I don't really have anything else to add. Sam Houston @ UTEP - 9/8 CBSSN: The Piney Woods meets the Sun Bowl. Friday games Houston @ TCU - 7:30/6:30 ESPN: Sonny Dykes is returning to his coaching level, but even he should be able to kick the shit out of the worst P4 team. Houston is bad, bad, bad. Michigan State @ #6 Oregon - 9/8 Fox: Jonathan Smith should have Sparty back to contention soon, but this isn't the game it happens. Syracuse @ #25(t) UNLV - 9/8 FS1: UNLV hasn't missed a beat with Campbell transfer Hajj-Malik Williams stepping in for Matthew Sluka. Syracuse should be a good test for the Runnin' Rebs at home. Yes I know that's technically only their basketball nickname, but it's fun. Saturday games #9 Mizzou @ #25(t) Texas A&M -11/12 ABC: A&M hosts a top ten Mizzou squad that hasn't looked entirely convincing. The Aggies have spent the last four weeks beating a combination of the Little Sisters of the Poor (nearly losing to the Bowling Green branch) and SEC teams that are firing their coaches this season. Someone is going to find out they are definitely not making noise this year. SMU @ #22 Louisville - 11/12 ESPN: SMU still doesn't seem to be getting the respect they deserve after a solid start to the season. Louisville might be reeling from a close loss to Notre Dame. Should be a fun game. Pitt @ UNC - 11/12 ESPN2: Pitt is right on the verge of the top 25. Mack followed up the JMU 70-burger by blowing a three score lead to his biggest rival. Schadenfreude, ahoy. Big Noon Saturday is another bad B1G game (UCLA @ #7 Penn State - 11/12 Fox), and this might be a good time to check in on the undefeated Midshipmen, who are looking very strong with an excellent win against Memphis already in the books (Navy @ Air Force - 11/12 CBS). - #12 Ole Miss @ South Carolina - 3:30 / 2:30 ESPN: The Rebels are reeling after walking right into the garden rake known as the Kentucky defense. It doesn't get easier against the evil South Carolina pass rush. But if Lane's boys can unfuck their offense, they can hang 40+ on anyone. Iowa @ #3 Ohio State - 3:30 / 2:30 CBS: Ohio State finally gets sort of tested. Can Iowa pull a Kentucky and turn the game into a rock fight? Rutgers @ Nebraska - 3:30 / 2:30 FS1: More interesting than an unranked Rutgers - Nebraska game sounds like on its face. Both teams are well-coached and will really want this one in the hunt for bowl eligibility. #1 Alabama @ Vanderbilt - 4:15/3:15 SECN: Trap game ahoy! Can the feisty 'dores sink the Tide? - #15 Clemson @ Florida State - 7/6 ESPN: Will DJU's injury revive the Noles? Or do we get to point and laugh at them once again. Baylor @ #16 Iowa State - 7:30/6:30 Fox: The Big 12 title game is looking increasingly like it'll be between 2 out of BYU, K-State, Utah, and Iowa State. Can Matt Campbell deal with high hopes? Utah State @ #21 Boise State - 7/6 FS2: A great time slot to check out the Ashton Jeanty show. UCF @ Florida - 7:45 / 6:45 SECN: UCF is pretty bad, but it's always funny when UF loses to a regional school, and they're in danger here. Duke @ Georgia Tech - 8/7 ACCN: This feels like the game where Duke's undefeated record runs aground. - #8 Miami @ Cal - 10:30 / 9:30 ESPN: Gameday actually picked a fun matchup for their first-ever trip to Berkeley. The Golden Bears are rugged, if not particularly good at offense, and Memorial Stadium will be cold, foggy, and packed for the explosive but fragile 'Canes. #ACCAfterDark! Texas Tech @ Arizona - 11 / 10 Fox: The Border Conference lives! A solid nightcap.

I'm a PhD student in a social science. I've mentioned before that I might do some write-ups on organizational culture and there was some interest in that. Sark made some comments during his Hail State presser that perfectly fit with one of the topics I've been thinking about: authority. So, I finally took some time to put some words down. I hope y'all enjoy it. Player-led teams are great. Old guys telling the new guys how things are done. Leadership councils. Colt McCoy driving around in his truck to pick up teammates for players-only practices in the summer. It's something we yearned for during our decade of wandering the college football desert. In this post I'd like to look at the idea of player-led teams a little bit more critically. Specifically, I want to look at the reason why it's a good thing for a bunch of 18-22 year olds to be leading a team. Because that's not a great idea at face value. Sark's comments All social theory starts with a 19th century german guy Back to Texas Being Back Let's summarize and bring this back to the present. It's year 4. Texas is the reigning Big 12 champ, undefeated, and ranked #2. Sark showed the players that his leadership is good for their interests. If they follow him, they'll develop and win games. Individual players bought in, then most of the team, and now the team as a collective has voluntarily accepted Sark's authority. They believe in his vision and created social dynamics that enforce it. Individual players feel an obligation that requires them to accept his judgement above their own. Player leadership has coalesced around him. I said at the beginning of this post that I wanted to critically examine player-led teams and to ask why it is good for 18-22 year olds to lead a team. My answer is that player-led teams are a misnomer (or a myth, for clickbait title purposes). When someone says a team is player-led, what they mean is that the players have accepted the coach's authority and player leadership is aligned in enforcing it. The true benefit of player-led teams is how well they follow their coach.

Some observations... It's fucking wild that the Georgia game will only be the 3rd AP top 5 matchup in Austin. I don't think anyone really thought we were #2 in 2006 I think the pollsters were just being nice to us as defending champs so you could argue this is the biggest game in Austin since 1970 when we stomped on the Hogs the year after Nixon's game of the century. We really have been in shitty conferences.... (till now) 4 in the Big 12 in 28 years (all Oklahoma) 4 in the SWC in 60 years (3x Ark, 1x A&M) 1 in the SEC in 1 year Non-Conference has been the bulk 7 vs Big 7/8 (6x Oklahoma, 1x Mizzou, never in a bowl) 6 vs Independents (2x Notre Dame (f ND), 1x Miami, Penn St, Navy, & Syracuse) 5 vs SEC (2x Alabama, 1x Auburn, Ole Miss, & Tennessee) 3 vs PDF (2x USC, 1x Washington) 2 vs Big Ten (all Ohio State) Remember this Saturday is really fucking rare especially in Austin. Hopefully we will see this sort of thing happen more reguarly given we are in a conference with teams that represent 65% (21/32) of our all time top 5 matchups.

Hate Week, midweek football, and a top-tier primetime slate. After a weekend of snoozy matchups gave us must-watch TV, this one gets mean in a hurry. PS: I'll be in Seattle on Saturday. Anyone know a good spot to watch the games? Lines are the Circa opening lines. Tuesday game Florida International @ Liberty (-18) - 7/6 CBSSN: Vice U versus the world's most annoying money laundering front. Just like every week, we hope one of the community colleges Liberty plays removes them from the Playoff conversation. Wednesday games New Mexico State @ Jacksonville State (-18) - 7:30/6:30 ESPN2: Aggies at Gamecocks! No, the other ones. Sorry. Thursday games Coastal Carolina @ James Madison (-10) - 7:30/6:30 ESPN2: Fun Belt action! Say hello again to Tim Beck, who has already made the Chanticleers much less fun to watch. Middle Tennessee State @ Louisiana Tech (-6) - 8/7 CBSSN: It's college football. It's on TV. Friday games Harvard @ Cornell - 6/5 ESPN2: Did you know Ithaca is gorges? Why is this televised? Harvard even has a conference loss already. Memphis (-5) @ South Florida - 7/6 ESPN: A pair of talented G5s, in what should be a close game. (NOW SATURDAY AT 3:30ET, THANKS MILTON) Northwestern @ Maryland (-12) - 8/7 Fox: Well, it is a B1G game. But it's not a good one. #16 Utah (-5) @ Arizona State - 10:30/9:30 ESPN: The Big XII has been very good at cannibalizing itself. Can Utah stop Cam Skattebo? Saturday games South Carolina @ #7 Alabama (-22) - 11/12 ABC: Two wounded teams face off. Dylan Stewart had one of the funniest, most utterly braindead penalties of the week last week. Bama lost to the New Mexican Superhombre, Diego Pavia. Feels like Bama rights the ship here. Washington @ Iowa (-1) - 11/12 Fox: A Big Noon Saturday game finally makes the watch list! It's not very good, and it's mostly here because it's a weak early slate, but still. Georgia Tech (-4) @ North Carolina - 11/12 CW: How low can Mack go? It might be fun to check in on some decent MACtion with Toledo (-10) @ Buffalo (11/12 ESPNU) and see if the Deacs can put up any resistance in #10 Clemson (-23) @ Wake Forest (11/12 ESPN). - #t18 Oklahoma vs. #1(!!!) Texas (-14) - 2:30/3:30 ABC: OU sucks. #4 Penn State (-4) @ USC - 2:30/3:30 CBS: Now we're reaching the kinds of games James Franklin loves to lose. USC's schedule is a bag of hammers, and Minnesota is an ugly loss, but they should be up for a top 5 visitor. California @ #22 Pittsburgh (-3) - 3:30/2:30 ESPN: Top-tier online fanbase matchup, but it's hard to imagine Cal has much left in the mental tank after the officials swiped a monster win from them in Berkeley. Arizona @ #14 BYU (-3) - 4/3 Fox: It doesn't feel like BYU can keep this undefeated streak up, and Zona is coming off a big win against Utah. Should be an excellent game. Keep an Upset Watch eye on Stanford @ #11 Notre Dame (-23) (3:30/2:30 NBC) and Mississippi State @ #5 Georgia (-34) (4:15/3:15 SECN). - #2 Ohio State (-4) @ #3 Oregon - 7:30/6:30 NBC: Fuck yes, this is going to kick ass. #9 Ole Miss (-3) @ #13 LSU - 7:30/6:30 ABC: A mean, hateful ranked rivalry undercard. The Magnolia Bowl is a guaranteed mudfight, and Lane and Kelly are box office head coaches. #11 Iowa State (-3) @ West Virginia - 8/7 Fox: A nasty trap game for the force 5 Cyclones. Night games in Morgantown hit different. Florida @ #8 Tennessee (-17) - 7/6 ESPN: A strong helmet game. Tennessee can't let Arkansas beat them twice. Being at home should help. - #t18 Kansas State (-4) @ Colorado - 10:15/9:15 ESPN: KSU is the fully-weaponized version of the NDSU team Colorado almost lost to. Good luck, Buffs. #17 Boise State (-18) @ Hawaii - 11/10 CBSSN: Can Ashton Jeanty pass the Hawaii test?

....well, not including the bowl games megapreview. A stacked midafternoon slate, and plenty of good games in the other slots as well. All rankings AP, all lines Circa openers Tuesday games Akron (-10) @ Kent State (7/6 CBSSN): A true college football toilet bowl. Akron is horrible. Kent State is the worst team in college football. Both teams can see the tantalizing opportunity for a week of dignity and self-respect. Honestly might be more fun than some of the middle vs middle games around them. Western Michigan (-8) @ Central Michigan (7:30/6:30 ESPN2): Speaking of that kind of boring middleweight matchup, WMU is still technically alive for the MAC championship, but have lost two in a row and have to travel to an in-state rival. Northern Illlinois @ Miami (OH) (-3) (8/7 ESPN): Miami controls their destiny for a MAC title game slot. The Huskies have faded badly since upsetting Notre Dame. The Redhawks should cruise at home. Wednesday games Buffalo @ Eastern Michigan (pick 'em) (7/6 ESPNU): Buffalo still has slim MAC title hopes. EMU gets bowl eligible with a win. Ohio @ Toledo (-3) (7/6 ESPN2): Ohio will get to the MAC title game if BGSU or Miami slip up. The marvelously-named Glass Bowl can be a tough place to win and the Rockets obliterated Mississippi State in Starkville earlier this season. Should be fun. Thursday game NC State @ Georgia Tech (-8) (7:30/6:30 ESPNU): It's been a season to forget in Raleigh, and the Yellow Jackets have knocked off two top ten teams (although Florida State turned out to be, well, Florida State). Still, the Pack go bowling with a win, and the Ramblin' Wreck are in playing for pride mode. Friday games Temple @ UTSA (-15) (7/6 ESPN2): A prime example of how silly non-regional G5 conferences are. The Owls have ejected Stan Drayton, and will probably get run over by the Roadrunners. Purdue @ Michigan State (-16) (8/7 Fox): Purdue is so so so bad. Sparty keeps their bowl hopes alive for another week. #23 UNLV (-18) @ San Jose State (10/9 FS1): Barry Odom's Rebels are ranked again, and the Spartans have Nick Nash, the most prolific WR in college football. Should be fun. Saturday games #5 Indiana @ #2 Ohio State (-12) (12/11 Fox): Finally, a Big Noon Saturday that's worthy of the hype. Are Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers for real? Are the explosive Buckeyes paper tigers? This one will go a long way toward clearing out the B1G logjam at the top of the rankings. #9 Ole Miss (-9) @ Florida (12/11 ABC): Lane and the Rebs run as hot and cold as team mascot Katy Perry, and Florida has picked up some momentum with DJ Lagway back after getting violated in Austin. #13 SMU (-9) @ Virginia (12/11 ESPN2): Charlottesville is not a historically difficult place to play, and the Wahoos got stomped by the Irish, but these rankings are uncharted waters for the Ponies, who played with their food against BC last weekend. Other games: Yale @ Harvard (12/11 ESPNU) is a classic tailgate and piece of history and North Carolina @ Boston College (pick 'em) (12/11 CW) matches up name brand coaches. - Kentucky @ #3 Texas (-18) (3:30/2:30 ABC): Kentucky under Mark Stoops lives for the opportunity to be a nasty speedbump for better teams and has given Ole Miss, Georgia, and Tennessee fits this season. However, Ole Miss is their only P5 win and their offense flat-out sucks. Look out for an ugly UT win. #4 Penn State (-11) @ Minnesota (3:30/2:30 CBS): PSU is an astonishingly underwhelming top five team this late in the season. Can the Gophers drag them underground in Minneapolis and eliminate them from the Playoff? #14 BYU @ #21 Arizona State (-3) (3:30/2:30 ESPN): A potential Big XII championship preview! Cam Skattebo and the Sun Devils are hot, and the Cardiac Coogs finally lost their undefeated record in Lawrence. Should be a very fun game. #16 Colorado (-3) @ Kansas (3:30/2:30 Fox): Deion's Buffs are smashing expectations and annoyingly making me pay attention to them. KU just upset BYU and is playing at home. More high octane Big XII action. Wisconsin @ Nebraska (-3) (3:30/2:30 BTN): Nebraska's attempts to end the longest P5 bowl drought have turned into high comedy as they've stayed stuck at 5 wins (helped out by some egregious referee home cooking in LA on Saturday). Can they finally get over the hump? Stanford @ California (-12) (3:30/2:30 ACCN): It's a classic rivalry game in a beautiful stadium. Who cares that the teams suck? Go Bears, axe the Tree. - #18 Army @ #6 Notre Dame (-16) (7/6 NBC): America versus the Vatican. Can the Black Knights do what the Midshipmen couldn't? USA! USA! USA! #12 Boise State (-21) @ Wyoming (7/6 CBSSN): Boise State has looked a bit shaky in a couple of their wins, and heads to a raucous War Memorial Stadium. Fortunately for the Broncos, the weather in Laramie is looking like a gentle 42 degrees at kick. Balmy! #15 Texas A&M (-1) @ Auburn (7:30/6:30 ESPN): I can't figure this one out - this feels like a relatively straightforward win as the Aggie DL terrorizes Peyton Thorne, but A&M fans and the betting markets clearly think this will be close. #7 Alabama (-13) @ Oklahoma (7:30/6:30 ABC): Want to see a bunch of very sad meth heads? Vanderbilt @ LSU (-9) (7:45/6:45 SECN): Diego Pavia leading the 'dores to a win in Baton Rouge would be a beautiful, beautiful thing. Brian Kelly might need armed guards. - USC (-3) @ UCLA (10:15/9:15 NBC): The Battle for the Victory Bell is also a battle for bowl eligiblity. Both programs really, really could use a bowl game after tough seasons. Colorado State @ Fresno State (-2) (10:30/9:30 CBSSN): Colorado State needs to win in the Central Valley to hold off UNLV in the Mountain West hunt. An excellent After Dark special.

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/cj-baxter-ncaa-football-texas-longhorns To the Texas Brotherhood Nov 27, 2024 Everybody knows my mindset. I’m a simple guy. When I’m lined up in the backfield — no matter what the situation or how high the stakes are — my mind is usually pretty clear. I’m only ever thinking about three things: My alignment. My assignment. Executing the play. I’ve been playing football my entire life, so whenever I’m on the field, there’s never any fear or hesitation. I just feel like I’m where I belong. That was the case last August when I lined up to take a random snap during a preseason practice, and my whole life changed in a split-second. Honestly, at that moment, I was probably as confident as I’d ever been playing football. I came to Texas as the No. 1 running back in the nation out of high school. I learned the ropes from future NFL draft picks. And now, this season was going to be my turn. I was ready to be the next great Longhorns running back. When I got the ball, I hit the left B-gap, same as I have literally thousands of times throughout my life. But when I got tackled, I knew something was wrong. And it wasn’t the pain that scared me — I don’t even remember the pain that much. It was the sound. A pop. I’d heard about “the pop” many times — the sound a ligament makes when it snaps — but had never experienced it myself. I knew right away that all of the plans I had before I was handed the ball were out the window. One moment, I felt ready to take on the world. But as soon as I heard that sound — that pop — all I felt was fear. If the sound wasn’t enough of a hint, I knew things were bad when Coach Sark stopped practice. You have to understand, this program runs like a well-oiled machine. Every minute of practice is used up with specific intention — and nothing stops that, not even injuries. As a million thoughts went through my head, I heard one voice clearly — Coach Choice’s. “Breathe. Just breathe. It’s going to be OK.” I’ve never wanted to believe something so badly in my life. Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK Coach Choice was a big reason I decided to move away from Florida and attend UT. I’d been recruited since I was in 9th grade and had heard just about every pitch imaginable from different coaches. They are nice for stroking your ego, but my mom raised me to value genuineness over everything. And there was no other coach my family connected with on a genuine human level better than Coach Choice. His general approach to life and football is something that I immediately wanted to emulate. He’d played in college and the NFL, but that wasn’t what stuck out with me. I could tell he really cared about developing his players as people, and that really influenced my recruitment. And I mean, my visits to Austin didn’t hurt either. Bijan Robinson was there for all of my visits to the school, and one of the things I admired most was watching how he operated as a person. He was the best player on the team (maybe just the best football player ever?), a surefire first round pick — and he was also everyone’s favorite person to be around. Walking around campus, he always had a smile for you no matter who you were — not just for other players but literally every person he encountered. That was my first exposure to Texas’s culture, but it wasn’t until I enrolled my freshman year that I was given The Blueprint. I don’t think that’s the official term, but it’s the only name that fits. One day during lunch, Jordan Whittington — Whitt — sat down with me for a talk. He’s another player I looked up to — a Five-star recruit who battled through injuries and is now playing out there on Sundays. When I first came to Texas, Whitt let me take the number 4 from him so I could honor my cousin Greg Bryant — a great running back himself at Notre Dame, who tragically passed away a couple of years ago. We’ve always been cool since then. What Whitt broke down for me was essentially all of the things that usually go unspoken, but that make the difference between a team competing for a national championship and missing a bowl game entirely. He’d experienced both sides of it since he’d been at Texas. He told me from the jump what I did in high school didn’t matter anymore. Everybody at Texas balled out in high school — that’s why they’re a Longhorn. For a lot of players, it means sitting on the bench for the first time in your life. Lesson 1: Don’t complain and poison the locker room. Earn your spot on the depth chart. That ego hit can ultimately be too much for some guys. And if it is? There’s the door. Beyond that, as a Texas football player, the person you are matters. Lesson 2: You have a huge microscope on you all the time, and how you act around others leaves an impression. If how you represent yourself and the team doesn’t mean anything to you? There’s the door. There were more lessons to come. It was lessons on lessons, every day. But I think of all the things Whitt told me, the most impactful aspect of the blueprint was that it was another player delivering the message. Of course you never want to disappoint the fans or your coaches. But what elevates a team to the next level is when all of the players go all-out and sacrifice for each other. Not worrying about the outside noise, or the haters, because you already hold each other to the highest standard possible. The difference in these past few years came down to a change in culture. Of course, everybody in college football talks about “culture.” But are they walking the walk? Are they backing it up on tape? Everything Whitt told me during lunch that day was perfectly encapsulated by one play last season against TCU. You can check it out here. It was early in the game against a team we’d struggled with in recent years, and Quinn threw a pick. It’s the type of mistake that might have snowballed into other mistakes in past years. But on this play, Whitt decided that wasn’t happening. He hustled back and tackled the defender returning the pick, and he ended up causing a fumble that Xavier Worthy recovered. Lesson 3: Never quit on a play. Never quit on anything. That play is everything — sick athleticism, unreal effort and just having your teammates’ back. When two of the best players — not just on the team but in the entire country — are going that hard, what’s your excuse? The next deep ball Quinn threw was a perfect pass to Xavier, and we won that game. If you want to know what makes a winning team, there’s your blueprint. Trask Smith/Cal Sport Media via AP Images When I was named a team captain heading into this season, I took to heart what that really meant. Maintaining a winning culture, laying out the blueprint for the new guys coming in, that was on me now. And I was so excited about it. Until I heard that pop. When that happened, I was just filled with fear. By the time I made it back to my locker to let my parents know I was hurt, my phone had more messages on it than I’d ever seen before. It was clear news travels fast in Texas, even when you’re just at practice, and by now pretty much the whole state knew about it. One of the very first people who hit me up was Jonathan Brooks. We became really close when we shared the backfield last year, and he also happened to suffer a season-ending injury. So if anybody in the world understood how I was feeling, it was him. He told me I had a right to feel mad and frustrated — and also that it was important to let myself feel those emotions rather than bottle them up. I think all the attention kind of took my mind off of what happened because I was interacting with so many people. It was in the days and weeks later, after my surgery, when the messages kind of died down and I had a lot of time to myself, that I think the weight of everything hit. It’s a crazy thing to go from being a starting running back to having to learn how to walk and run again at age 19. There were a lot of days early on during rehab that it was tough to get out of bed. Both physically tough, but also mentally draining. Because playing running back, that was always something that came completely natural to me. Now I’m literally back at square one — doing these exercises moving my leg with the goal of increasing the range of motion just a few centimeters. That wasn’t natural at all. That was just pain. I think the biggest thought that consumed me was, “What if I’m not the same player?” One day in the facility, when I was doing my rehab, I got approached by Coach Gideon — our secondary coach. He’s a Texas Ex himself and always has an upbeat message. He recommended that I read this story in the bible, the Book of Job. It’s the story of a man who is given the ultimate test of faith. He has everything he values stripped from him: Friends, family, material wealth— I mean everything. Despite having all of these things stripped away, Job maintains his faith — the only thing that couldn’t be taken from him. It definitely hit me in a certain kind of way, at a time when I really needed it. Sometimes there isn’t a good explanation for why bad things happen, but what’s in your control is how you react. Even when your body is hurt, you can always lean on your faith. Tim Warner/Getty Images I’ve tried my best to look at my injury through the most positive lens that I can. All of my goals in life are still very much ahead of me. Next season, I know that I can still be the best running back in the country. I can still be drafted to play in the NFL and play alongside Jonathan, Bijan, Roschon and all the other amazing running backs this school has produced. And I’m going to be able to approach it all from a place of gratitude. Just loving football more than I ever have before — because I know what it’s like have it taken away. But right now, my goal is to be the best teammate I’ve ever been. Because even if I can’t be out there on the field against A&M, I know my voice holds weight. Whether it’s giving advice to the younger players or just keeping a positive vibe when things are tense, there’s power in taking ownership of the ways you’re able to contribute to the culture — even when you’re hurting. I’m so excited to watch my guys do their thing on Saturday. There’s a phrase that gets tossed around the building a lot…. “Culture + Talent = Dangerous” This school has always had the talent part down. Anyone who’s ever been to Austin understands why talented people kind of naturally want to be here. But now that we have a culture to match it, I mean, that’s just really, really bad news for every other team in the nation. We are back to where we belong. Playing for all the marbles. The Blueprint is there. Now it’s time to execute. Go out there and get one for your brother. Sincerely, CJ

It's Championship Week! And once again we're in it to win it, with a Playoff bye on the line. Tons of good games all around, should be an excellent weekend of football. CFP rankings, lines are from ESPN since Circa didn't have an easy graphic this time around. Friday games Conference USA Championship - Western Kentucky vs. Jacksonville State (-1.5) 7 / 6 CBSSN - Burgess - Snow Field at AmFirst Stadium, Jacksonville, Alabama RichRod hosts the Hilltoppers to win the conference we know and love from the football-adjacent product we half-watch on our grimmest Tuesday evenings. American Athletic Conference Championship - Tulane (-3.5) vs. #24 Army 8 / 7 ABC - Michie Stadium, West Point, New York This is going to be a great looking game of football. Great uniforms, beautiful campus, beautiful stadium, the cadets in in the stands. Just perfect. Fun clash of playing styles as well. Mountain West Conference Championship - #20 UNLV vs. #10 Boise State (-4.5) 8 / 7 Fox - Albertsons Stadium, Boise, Idaho It's a win-and-you're-in battle in Boise. Barry Odom's Rebels didn't miss a beat after their QB and RB threw an early-season NIL hissy fit, while Ashton Jeanty is a bad, bad man for the Broncos. He started his high school career in Naples, Italy - some poor Italian teenagers still probably have PTSD. Saturday games Big XII Championship - #16 Iowa State vs. #15 Arizona State (-1.5) 12 / 11 ABC - AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas Arizona State has been the surprise package of college football, coming out of nowhere to be the Big XII favorite. Cam Skattebo is an angry human cube. Meanwhile, Matt Campbell finally got the 'clones over the 10 win hump (leaving Vandy as the only P5 team never to achieve it), but can he finally win the big one? Mid-American Conference Championship - Miami (OH) (-1.5) vs. Ohio 12 / 11 ESPN - Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan In a conference known for gritty Midwesternness, it's Ohio's two country club party schools that will battle in Motown. The bar scene should be a good one. Southeastern Conference Championship - #5 Georgia vs. #2 Texas (pick 'em) 4 / 3 ABC - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia Georgia convincingly beat Texas in Austin in pretty much their only complete performance of the year (Carson Beck tossing out free INTs aside). Beck has improved, the defense has backslid. Meanwhile, Texas brushed aside the rest of its "SEC gauntlet" and gave OU and our two little brothers a noogie on the way in. Still, this is essentially a Dawg home game. Should be a good one! Sun Belt Championship - Marshall vs. Louisiana - Lafayette (-4) 7:30 / 6:30 ESPN - Cajun Field, Lafayette, Louisiana Fun Belt time! The tailgate that will unquestionably have the best food of the weekend features about as stark of a cultural difference as it comes. Acadiana hosts a school from where the Midwest meets the Appalachians. It's Thundering Herd vs. Ragin' Cajuns! Atlantic Coast Conference Championship - #17 Clemson (-2) vs. #8 Southern Methodist 8 / 7 ABC - Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina SMU should be in as long as they aren't blown out (as Rhett Lashlee said, if they all pretended to get COVID, they'd be in), and their program trajectory is pointed straight up. Clemson needs this one to get in, and their recruiting class of 15 players and general disdain for the Portal isn't getting it done for next season and beyond. It's the past against the future of college football! Big Ten Championship - #3 Penn State vs. #1 Oregon (-3) 8 / 7 Fox - Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana The biggest game of the day. Can Oregon flash and financial firepower finish blowing the doors off the staid old Big Ten in their first season? Or will James Franklin finally win a big game at Penn State? I know who my money would be on.