JAYS AND FROGS
I don't have any statistical research to back this up, but I think Colt McCoy's and the Longhorns' overall play is a little crisper in the morning games they've played over the past few seasons.
Always felt a team does better when they don't have to think all day about an upcoming game. Not that the Longhorns will be fretting too much over Kansas, given the dominance they've enjoyed over the Jayhawks recently.
One thing about playing late tomorrow, however, is that Texas will know what TCU did to Wyoming (they play at 1 p.m.). That's the only common opponent the Frogs and the Horns will have shared this season. As you recall, after a feisty start by the Cowboys, UT finally prevailed 41-10.
I mention this because the "gap" in a final score is a stat those evil spawn BCS computers will take into account when they tweak the rankings. I have a feeling the Froggies could win by more than 31 points since they are all about gaudy finishes these days - a smart move when you're trying to move up in the standings.
Mack Brown has a tough decision ahead of him if his team leads Kansas by 28 or so points at halftime. How much longer does he play his star quarterback? Mack has been gentlemanly about not running up scores this season, but that doesn't mean squat to computers, especially as we get closer to Dec. 6 and the final rankings.
But ... if Mack plays his starters too long and one of them gets hurt ... Yeah, tough decision.
TCU is 57 percentage points behind Texas in the BCS. If the Cowboys hang tough and keep the Horny Toads from reaching 40 points and the Longhorns beat the Jayhawks by more than 40 points, there should be no problem with the standings.
Not that I'm in favor of running up the score, but I'm just saying one slip-up (and that doesn't even mean a loss) and there are those waiting in the wings to catch the plane to Pasadena.
BTW: Keeping with our recent "golden oldie" theme of photographs, this one is an Associated Press file photo from Harry Cabluck. It was taken on Aug. 8, 2006 - just a few weeks before the Colt McCoy legacy started in Austin.