| College Football |
| Texas Punishes Colorado, Secures Rose Bowl Bid |
| by Elliot Koss |
Big 12 Championship Blow-out
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Championship games are meant to be epic battles between two great teams. For the Big 12 North, there isn't a single "great" team or even a "good" team for them to offer. Because of that, Texas served Colorado an embarrassing 70-3 loss.
The game wasn't even close. The Longhorns took a commanding lead early and were leading 42-3 at half-time. This Texas team needed only half the time it took last year's #2-ranked Oklahoma to beat Colorado 42-3 in last year's championship game. That is a good sign.
When Vince Young came out of the game in the 3rd quarter with the score 63-3 the Longhorns had guaranteed their win. Young went 14 of 17 for 193 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception and rushed for 57 yards. As usual, Young put on a great show, helped with the stable of running backs – the trickster Romance Taylor, the speedy Jamaal Charles, the quick Selvin Young and the freight train Henry Melton – along with one of the best defenses in the country. If there were any doubters that the Heisman Trophy doesn't deserve a home in Austin, Young's performance will give them reason to reconsider.
After watching Reggie Bush walk all over the UCLA Bruins, there are some who would give him the Heisman nod. Bush is a great athlete and in all likelihood a generous individual, however that pales in comparison to Vince Young. Young is the heart of a #2 team in the country that has enough talent to field at least two bowl eligible teams. Yet, when the Longhorns are mentioned, the only name that comes to mind is Vince Young. He is the undisputed leader and Texas has elevated its play from great to inspirational under Young's guidance. When you add those contributions to his talent, it is difficult to understand why Reggie Bush is favored so heavily. It is too bad that the Heisman is not selected after the national champion is crowned. If Young is able to lead his team to defeat the reigning USC Trojans, Heisman voters may have switched their votes. The way it stands, they won't have that choice.
The biggest question, after the Heisman speculation, is whether Young will enter the NFL draft. Publicly, Young has already announced his commitment to playing out his last year at Texas. If that is the case, Young will be following in Leinhart's footsteps. Many people initially thought that Leinhart was being a fool for passing up a multi-million dollar contract to finish playing college football. He could be injured, have a bad season, or any number of negative possibilities. All of these apply to Young as well. But Leinhart is having a good year as he leads USC to an unprecedented third. The downside is that he won't win the Heisman this year and he is no longer seen as a perfect player. His weaknesses have been exposed and though USC has won every game this season, they have struggled in too many close games. This may drive down his bargaining power and end up in a couple million less when he signs his contract – but hey, what's a million here or there? He will have a college degree, which, in the event that his football career isn't perfect, he can always rely on that or a job with ESPN. Knowing all of that, it may be wiser for Young to enter the draft now. Though Texas will return almost everyone from this year's team, the risks of getting injured or – though it is hard to imagine – Texas could have a bad year are still there. As mom always says, better safe than sorry.
Now that Texas has locked their place in the BCS championship game, let the celebration begin. Mack Brown deserves to sit back and smile. This is his first Conference Title even though he has coached Texas to at least 9 wins for the last 10 years. He has put together a great team that – unlike past Texas teams – responds well to big games. But Brown wants to keep the Longhorns winning so he knows there is still work to do. The Longhorns will be facing the best offense in the nation in USC. Even with the stellar Texas defense there is reason to be concerned. The Texas A&M rivalry game showed that a few choice plays – executed well and run countless times – can expose the Longhorns on the ground and in the air.
USC has had 3 historic seasons led by an offense that finds the weakness in any defense and capitalizes on it. Of course, the Longhorns have their own dominating offense while USC has a defense that appears to be weak. Unfortunately, no matter what is on paper, the only way to know who's the best is on the field – and we will have to wait until Jan. 4th to find that out. In either case, this match-up promises an enjoyable evening – one that will hopefully erase the memory of the poorly titled Big 12 championship game.
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