Ten hours after Crabtree caught the pass, broke the tackle, and ran across the goal line with one second left, I’m still trying to decide if Texas played that poorly, or if Tech was just that good.
Part of me thinks Texas just didn’t have enough left in the tank after a brutal run of games. Colt seemed a bit off (until the end), the receivers had a horrible case of the dropsies, and the injuries to Quan and Orakpo were brutal.
But, I’ve got to hand it to Tech. They had talent and they wanted it more. Their defense played lights out for three quarters. And that offense is amazing.
Texas defense got the job done in this one. They got beat up in the first half because the Texas offense couldn’t hold onto the ball and kept putting them in bad situations. And the adjustments Muschamp made during the break shut Tech’s offense down for the second half, until the very end. When it really mattered, they didn’t get the stop, unfortunately.
So, we’re 8-1.
Going into the season, I would have thought that was an impossible goal, and would be an amazing accomplishment. It is, but this morning at least, it hurts.
Ok, now what?
We’re going to drop to the bottom half of the top ten, I suspect. My predicted BCS rankings are:
1. Alabama
2. Penn State
3. Texas Tech
4. OU
5. USC
6. Florida
7. Texas
8. Oklahoma St.
“But we beat OU!”, you say.
Yes, but early season losses don’t hurt as much as late season losses. Maybe we’re as high as sixth, but not likely.
I don’t think Alabama is going to enjoy being #1 very long. They’ve got a hell of a schedule left, and will almost certainly drop one game, and may even lose two.
Penn State will probably run the table. Their most dangerous team left is Michigan State, and they get them at home. No conference championship means you can probably pencil them in for Miami.
Texas Tech still has Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. They could lose both of those, vaulting Texas into the Big 12 Championship (one loss probably leaves Tech in it).
I expect we’re going to have a mass of one-loss teams vying for the chance to play against Penn State in Miami. That one-loss team could well be Texas, but we’ll have to see how things shake out.
Just win out, Texas!