Bevo's Daily Roundup 10.31.08

The Game

Texas Tech isn't Texas, Lubbock isn't Austin and Mike Leach is not Mack Brown. We could not be happier.

Speaking of the pirate... Dennis Dodd has written a profile of Mike Leach for CBS Sports.

It's hard to imagine, say, Mack Brown with a pirate fetish. Bob Stoops isn't the kind to give dating tips at his weekly news conference. That's Leach. Talk to him for any length of time and "coach" is the furthest word from your mind. "When we were at Valdosta State, assistants would walk in Mike's office and want to talk about the draw trap," Mumme said. "Mike would end up talking about Geronimo. Two hours later they still hadn't talked about the draw trap."

Tech students were told Monday that only 12,000 seats will be available so they are camping out this week in Raiderville, waiting for their Raiders to take on No.1 Texas on Saturday. Kevin Pierson, the self-proclaimed "Mayor of Raiderville," gave an interview. Coach Mike Leach plans to visit the group after practice and bring a barbecue dinner to the fans.

"I think it's kind of neat and it's rewarding for what we've been doing here over the years," Leach said. "I know it's fun and all to come to the game. And what could be better than going out there and hanging with your buds for a few days before the game comes about. It's kind of cool."

Lubbock hotels are booked solid and tickets are going for $1,000 each on eBay.

In case you missed the photo of Lubbock over at Every Day Should Be Saturday.

Tech seems ready for the game. Leach wants to remind people that they have the third best winning record in the Big 12. Can you guess who has more wins? I bet you can.

"People forget we're the third-best winning record in the conference over that time," Leach said.

Ah, but that's the rub. Mainly because the two schools in front of him have been Texas and Oklahoma, one of which has every South Division championship during Leach's coaching tenure.

That's why Saturday's game is so important for the No. 7 Red Raiders.

So, what should Texas do to shut down Tech's powerful offense? Contain Michael Crabtree? Did you know there are other receivers to worry about?

Do you remember the name, Randy Christal? The infamous referee from last year's game? ESPN's Tim Griffin tracks his whereabouts this weekend. The good news for Leach? Christal is not officiating this game. The bad news for us? The officiating crew is the exact same group that worked the Oklahoma game.

Colt McCoy grew up in West Texas and looks forward to going home.

A new one for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Orkapophobia.

Roy Miller and Chris Hall discuss Tech.

The Red Raider's Ruffin McNeill doesn't believe everything he hears.

As he was preparing his Texas Tech defense for Saturday’s game against top-ranked Texas, someone suggested to McNeill that the Longhorns didn’t feature any "marquee players" at the receiver position.

"That’s baloney," said McNeill, the Red Raiders’ defensive coordinator. "Anyone that makes a statement like that is welcome to come join me for a little film session."

The Rest of the Big 12

Tom Osbourne had some advice for Pelini. No pressure.

"He told me to win the game. He told me if I don't win, I'm fired," Pelini joked at his weekly news conference Tuesday.

OU's Nic Harris had a hard time growing up, but his positive outlook and surrogate family has made a difference in the person he is today. Harris has moved into the middle linebacker position after Ryan Reynolds' injury.

Gary Pinkel blames his team's lack of focus for the current state of malaise in Columbia.

Instead of programming on the locker room televisions, Missouri players can only gaze at a sign covering the screen that reminds them: 2 p.m. Saturday vs. Baylor. "We've got TVs, but no station is up," defensive lineman Ziggy Hood said. "All you see is the time and the date of the game."

No TV. Pinkel is serious.

Wonder why Mike Sherman left the NFL? He said that A&M was the reason. We have to wonder if he still feels that way now. Quarterback Jerrod Johnson may pave the way for a better future for the Aggies.

The Big 12 ESPN guy Tim Griffin has his picks for the weekend.

'Round the Big 12 Blogs

Be sure to visit Barking Carnival for some serious discussion on the game with the Raiders. Scipio Tex has figured out Tech's game plan. EyesOfTx spells out why Mike Leach is perfect for Tech.

BevoSports has another Texas-Tech preview. In case you need one more thing to read.

Bring On The Cats has fun with Todd Reesing. Twice. Since Reesing is an Austin boy, we need to give some equal time to Rock Chalk Talk.

This is probably the best post Double T Nation has put out this year.

Crimson and Cream Machine explores why a 7-1 season isn't good enough for the Sooner faithful. They should talk to A&M, Iowa State, Colorado... you get the picture.

Traveling to Lubbock this weekend? I thought I would expand on 54b's travel tips, adding some information and a few sight-seeing excursions for your itinerary.

The Lubbock Chamber of Commerce has a slogan. The Texas you’ve always dreamed of... Well, not quite.

Did you know Lubbock is 119 miles S of Amarillo, 139 miles N of Odessa, 162 miles NW of Abilene and 327 miles W of Dallas. So basically you are in the middle of absolutely nowhere.

Famous people are from Lubbock. The Rock-N-Roll legend, Buddy Holly, was a native and they even built a museum in his honor.

They have an amusement park and a town populated with prairie dogs. The downtown area has a unique quality all its own.

Of course, it is the home of Texas Tech University. You will hear The Fight Song at the game, but hopefully not too many times. You will get to see the Running of the Matador and possibly a few flying objects. Be sure to duck.

Let us hope you won't experience any of this.

Can Lubbock really be that bad if the Dixie Chicks wrote a song about the city?