Texas Monthly's January edition is out and you know what that means... Bum Steer Awards. UT's very own Roger Clemens took the top honor this year. I doubt I have to tell you why. A couple of Big 12 schools did something stupid enough earn a spot on the list, as well. Up first, the Aggies. One of the Texas A&M swimmers broke an NCAA record in the 50-yard freestyle. The problem was the Aggies' state-of-the-art pool with the movable bulkhead to configure different lengths was configured incorrectly. The record was disallowed. Baylor decided to improve their ranking in the U.S. News & World Report's annual list of college and universities by raising the freshman class's test scores. The school provided a $300 financial incentive (a credit at the bookstore) to already admitted freshmen students to retake the SAT.

The Houston Chronicle has a story about Jerry LeVias, a star receiver at SMU and, more importantly, a man who helped to integrate the Southwest Conference.

It seems to be a very slow news day. Enjoy what little there is.

Eric Gay, AP Photo

The NCAA granted the medical waiver and Jordan Shipley will return for the 2009 season.

Shipley missed the entire 2004 and 2005 seasons because of knee and hamstring injuries. But when he regained his health this season he produced a career-best 79 receptions for 982 yards and 11 touchdowns to earn third-team All-America honors from the Associated Press.

"It is definitely a blessing to be able to play one more season at Texas," Shipley said. "This is such a great place, and I've had an unbelievable experience. Obviously, it started slow due to the injuries, but I couldn't be happier with the NCAA's decision to give me one of those years back."

We are No. 2 and darn proud of that fact.

BurntOrangeBeat looks at UT's and Ohio State's 1967 recruiting classes.

Those banner classes of Texas and Ohio State had each captured undisputed national crowns and parts of others in their three years with the varsity from 1968-‘70. Texas had run off a streak of 30 wins in a row, while Ohio State had boasted one of 22 games. Royal’s Longhorns had a record of 30-2-1, even including its transitional bumps to the Wishbone. Woody’s Buckeyes went 27-2. Each school racked up conference titles (solo or shared) every year and finished in the nation’s top five. Their respective greatness had brought innumerable moments of joy for their fandom and awe from outsiders.

The Ohio State University Buckeyes

Ohio State's middle linebacker James Laurinaitis describes the greatest feeling in football.

"The most beautiful thing you can do is when you're rushing a quarterback and you get let free from the backside, coming from the quarterback's back, and I don't get let free too many times, and he has no idea you're behind him. That's the best thing," Laurinaitis said, coming back from his daydream. "If you come from the back and they don't see you, they're totally defenseless, and they have nothing .... I'd pay for a hit like that."

So what does he think of Colt McCoy?

In the Fiesta Bowl against Texas, Laurinaitis knows he'll find a quarterback in junior Colt McCoy who is big enough to take a hit.

"He's tough. He always gets right up and keeps battling," Laurinaitis said.

OSU's Malcolm Jenkins talks Fiesta Bowl and the upcoming game against Texas, specifically Colt McCoy. Linebacker James Laurinaitis talks about keeping sharp in the time off before the game.

Eleven Warriors finished their Top 11 Moments of 2008.

Stephen McGee has been selected as one of the three finalists for the Bobby Bowden Award.

Northwestern has a very long memory. The first time Missouri played Northwestern was 1895. The two meet again this year in the Alamo Bowl.

ESPN's Tim Griffin ranks the Top 25 Big 12 players.

Phil Steele did not pick Baylor's Robert Griffin as the Freshman QB of the year.

The Sooners

Oklahoma's Sam Bradford is the AP Player of the Year.

In winning the AP award, Bradford beat out the same two quarterbacks he did for the Heisman — Colt McCoy of Texas and Tim Tebow of Florida.

Bradford received 27 votes from the AP media panel that votes in the weekly poll. He was followed by McCoy with 17 votes. Tebow, who won the award last year, had 16 votes this time. Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree had two votes.

OU is planning ahead for a possible 2009 season opener with BYU in the Dallas Cowboy's new stadium.

"Has that been released?" Stoops said when asked about playing BYU. "All I can say is that I know they were working on it.

"I’m sure it would be exciting for our fans to go down and be in that great stadium. And the players we have in Texas and playing a great BYU team would be incredibly exciting."

This isn't working. After losing four BCS bowl games in the past five seasons, OU is trying a new approach.

"Obviously, the last couple of bowl games haven't worked out like we wanted," Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford said Monday at a news conference in Norman, Okla. "We want to treat this game like it was a game week here."

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said Monday he plans to take his team to the bowl site a day later and employ earlier curfews to have the Sooners more prepared for their national championship game against the Gators.

Ou's defensive tackle Gerald McCoy understands the problem.

The Sooners are trying to end a string of four losses in their last four BCS bowl games.

"What we've done wrong in the past, we've had too much fun," defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said.

Understandably, he declined to elaborate.

Barry Switzer believes OU's offense is the best ever.

What's Switzer's take? The game has changed, and Oklahoma has simply adapted better than anyone else.

"It's evolved to where everybody is in the spread offense," said Switzer, who'll cover Oklahoma's BCS championship game against Florida for Fox Sports. "Everybody's throwing the football. Therefore, there is so much pressure put on secondaries, and the receivers in college are so much better than the defensive backs they play against."

And if Barry said it, it must be true.