Football

The Rice Owls do not harbor any ill will towards Texas, even after our 52-10 win back in September. When the OU basketball team played at Rice, several Owl fans flashed Hook' Em' Horns and one even had a sign that read 45-35.

News8Austin has 12 reasons to go the Fiesta Bowl. Not that any of us need to be convinced.

It seems the name of Greg Davis is being batted around for the Auburn offensive coordinator position. Yes, that Greg Davis.

The Ohio State University Buckeyes

The Buckeyes are watching their calories. No more fast food before the Fiesta bowl.

If Ohio State linebacker Marcus Freeman ends up in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, he can forget about signing an endorsement contract with In-N-Out Burger.

The popular fast-food joint apparently became a favorite destination of the Buckeyes before their 41-14 loss to Florida in the 2006 BCS title game. The bloated Bucks left the impression they were feasting on more than just their No. 1 ranking and a feeling of invincibility that night in Glendale, Ariz.

"We've got to stay away from them," Freeman said. "They put extra calories on you that might slow you down against this (Texas) offense."

The Buckeyes will be wrapping up their practices before their Christmas break. The strength and conditioning staff expects the players to work out over the break. Will that actually happen?

"Our strength guys send them home with a suggested running routine and suggested lifts and if I had to bet, we'd probably get a 12 percent completion of that," head coach Jim Tressel said. "Just like I take a whole bunch of film home with me and I end up watching about 15 minutes of it."

Basketball

Yahoo Sports profiles Texas forward Damion James. If you think you are impressed by his skills on the court, you will be inspired by his life and what he has accomplished off the court.

Just as Katrina Williams and Jerry Bell dote on their son, James wants his parents to know he’s proud of them, too. Despite an eight-hour, round-trip drive, they’ve made every Texas home game this season.

Not long ago, they wouldn’t have been at any.

“I wake up every day and thank God they’re back in my life,” James says. “It’s a blessing to have them here.”

Especially since James knows what it feels like when they aren’t.

Katrina, who had Damion when she was 16, went to jail for assault during James’ junior year of high school. That was around the same time James first met Jerry, who had spent nearly five years in the federal penitentiary on drug charges.

Texas Tech reciever Michael Crabtree's last game will be in the Cotton Bowl.

ESPN's Tim Griffin looks at Big 12 coaches salaries and asks if Mack Brown is underpaid. Griffin also picks his top games of the season.

Here are my choices for the top 20 Big 12 games of the season. And the very best one remains one of the best football games I've ever seen.

1. Texas Tech 39, Texas 33 -- The Longhorns come within one second of becoming the first team in 65 seasons to beat four top-12 teams in succession. To beat them, the Red Raiders needed a dramatic last-second 28-yard touchdown pass from Graham Harrell to Michael Crabtree that will resonate through West Texas for the ages.

Missouri is less than thrilled to be playing in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.

“It's going to be a disappointment, especially when two years in a row you had a chance to go to two big BCS bowl games (the past two seasons),” Tigers junior defensive tackle Jaron Baston said.

The Sooners

Rumor mongering. Internet message boards were passing along information that Phil Loadholt and Lendy Holmes were academically ineligible for the national championship game. Holmes addressed the situation at a press conference.

“It ticked me off a little bit, but people don't know what's going on,” he said. “They're going to talk regardless. I pay no mind to them. I already knew the truth.”

Will the loss of DeMarco Murray make a difference in the game with the Gators?

What has made Oklahoma’s offense so tough to defend this year has been its ability to run multiple sets with the same personnel, and a big element of that attack was Murray, capable of lining up in the backfield or at receiver.

Without Murray, the Sooners will lose some of that leverage, especially since backup running back Chris Brown won’t intimidate the Gators by lining up in the slot.

NewsOK has an article about the fact that Bob Stoops is no longer loved in Gainsville, even though he coached at Florida. It also mentions that Floida fans are considered some of the worst. Obviously, people in Florida have never met the Sooners.

Have a very safe and happy Holiday Season. The Daily Roundup will be back on Monday.