The Fiesta Bowl

We are heading to Phoenix, well actually Glendale. It is the Fiesta Bowl and Ohio State Buckeyes. FoxSports' Pete Flutak gives you his quick breakdown of the game as he goes through all the BCS bowl match-ups.

Ohio State knows the Fiesta Bowl pretty well. This is their fourth trip to Phoenix (or Glendale) since 2003.

It seems the Buckeyes and Longhorns have something in common. We both got jilted.

More stuff

Mack Brown voted Texas #2 in the coaches poll last week. Why?

Although it would’ve helped his team’s standing in the BCS, Brown said he didn’t think Texas deserved to be ranked ahead of Alabama.

"I was concerned that maybe I had cheated our team," Brown said, "but, very honestly, I thought you go through the SEC undefeated and No. 1 Alabama, in my estimation, should stay No. 1."

The Dallas Morning News picks Colt McCoy as their Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

The Oklahoman asks if Colt McCoy will get the sympathy vote for Heisman. This is the same reporter from the same rag that caused Mike Gundy's infamous rant.

Brian Orakpo was named the Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner as the nation's top defensive player. He has also received his UT diploma in Youth and Community Studies major.

A great piece on the New York Times web site about UT by our very own Peter Bean.

Basketball

The No. 9 Longhorn Women's basketball team beat Mississippi 74-50.

The Longhorns broke open a 26-26 tie late in the first half on consecutive 3-pointers by Arriaran and Yvonne Anderson. Texas led 36-29 at halftime and was up 44-29 on Raven’s jump shot with 16:47 left.

Ole Miss (7-1) never got closer than nine points again. Texas led by as many as 26 points in the final four minutes, sparked by a decisive 47-34 rebounding edge, and got points from all 11 players that played.

The Longhorn's 68-64 win over UCLA just wets our appetite for March. Unfortunately, the Bruins forward Josh Shipp hit Damion James with an elbow during the first half, but James is expected to play on Tuesday.

Damion James looked more like a boxer than a basketball player Saturday morning. His right eye was partially shut, his vision blurred.

"I've got a headache," the Longhorns junior forward said.

Coach Rick Barnes joked that James needs to shoot more often using one eye.

"I'm going to buy him a patch today," Barnes said.

Big 12 co-champions Texas, Nebraska and Iowa State are going to the 2008 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship Round of 16.

The No. 1 Texas men's swimming team won the Texas Invitational. Longhorn Dave Walters set a U.S. record in the 200 freestyle.

Football

The Big 12 coaches are not in favor of a title game. But as long as the game provides money to athletic departments, it is probably here to stay.

Football is definitely not a game for the weak. Graham Harrell was injured in the second quarter of the Baylor game and continued to play with nine breaks in his hand.

Austin American's Statesman's Randy Riggs asked Texas A&M players Trent Hunter and Alton Dixon their thoughts on the best team in the South division. Both agreed on the answer: The Sooners.

Hunter based his decision on OU’s superior rushing attack. Dixon’s opinion was a little more personal.

"I don’t like them," he said, referring to the Longhorns. "I’m not going to say anything else."

Aggie tailback Mike Goodson will probably not return for his senior season.

Kansas State's Bill Snyder faces a tough battle ahead in a very competitive conference.

The Big 12 is a different animal than the Big Eight he entered in 1989, or even the Big 12 he left in 2005. Missouri is an annual contender for the conference championship game. Nebraska is on the rise. Kansas went to the Orange Bowl last season. Kansas State will have to play three South Division opponents each year. The South has established itself as equal to the SEC East with four teams currently ranked in the top 11.

Sure, he is used to playing those teams, but that was when Kansas State was a power. Now it is trying to lift itself up. Again. As great a coach as he is, Snyder had a great staff that went on to great careers. At his age, can he assemble the 2008 equivalent of his coaching tree -- Bob Stoops, Mike Stoops, Mark Mangino and Jim Leavitt?

Nebraska's Bo Pelini got some very high praise this season.

"Sometimes the greatest coaching jobs in the world are done by people who have a losing record. You just have to go with what you've got. I don't know that you can evaluate on the won-loss record, although it was very good. I was pleased with it. They did a great job turning around some things that needed to be turned around."

Osborne's opinion matters, and not just because he's Pelini's boss.

Osborne, 71, remains the face of the Huskers' glory years, having been an assistant under Bob Devaney and then head coach from 1973 to 1997. As head coach, he never won fewer than nine games a season. He won 255 in all and national titles in 1994, '95 and '97.

The Big 12 Bowl line-up.

Those damn Sooners

I'm sure you already know this, but it is Florida vs. Oklahoma for the national championship. The Sooners had a chip on their shoulder. They seem tired of everyone bringing up the whole Texas issue.

"We wanted to prove a point," said OU quarterback Sam Bradford.

OU demolished Missouri in the Big 12 championship game. Missouri coach Gary Pinkel was a litle more than impressed with quarterback Sam Bradford.

"The guy's playing probably as good as anybody I've seen play," said Pinkel, who called Bradford's 48-6 TD-INT ratio "borderline staggering."

Sam Bradford is the leading candidate for the Heisman trophy.

A dramatic statement from The Oklahoman. They believe the Sooner offense is one for the ages.

On the way, the Sooners reached historic heights, becoming the first team in college football's modern era to break the 700-point barrier and score at least 60 points in five consecutive games.

Who really knows if this is the greatest offense since Walter Camp introduced line of scrimmage and down and distance to football in the 1870s.

But good luck finding one better.

In the last 130 years of college football, only two schools, 1886 Harvard and 1904 Minnesota, have totaled more than 700 points in a season.

CBSSports' Dennis Dodd says the OU-Florida match-up example of how the two best conferences made it to the top.

The supercilious Stoops. Your Monday just would not be the same without Bob.

Bob Stoops takes the high road again. OU's coach bristled at the suggestion he is creating a dynasty at Oklahoma.

"I don't like any of that stuff," Stoops fired back. "You won't get a comment from me about any of that. It wouldn't be right."

The BCS made him do it. Don't blame Bob Stoops for the huge score in the Missouri game. The fault belongs to the BCS.

Bob gives the BCS what it wants. He felt the need to make a statement.

Stoops defended the decision to aggressively shoot for 60 in his postgame comments, suggesting that the BCS system demands style points.

"After all that’s been said about us, we’re  in a championship game and we’re going to play till the end," Stoops said. "That’s a pretty convincing win in a championship game, when we had to have it. That makes a pretty big statement, if [voters] want it to."

Bob has principles. Stoops gave up his vote in the coach's poll.

"You know, I'm not going to speak about it ... I had my reasons,'' he said. ''Do I wish I'd had it back? I don't know. I felt I didn't do it for certain principles, so I've got to stick by that and trust my gut that that's the right thing to do.''

Basketball

More damn Sooners news, just a different sport. No.6 Oklahoma beat Tulsa 69-44. 21 NBA scouts were there to watch Blake Griffin.

Not only has Blake Griffin made an impact in the game, but he may have changed recruiting for OU as well.

Kids don't grow up yearning to play basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Even Jeff Capel, who had never stepped foot in the state prior to the news conference in which he was introduced as the head coach at Oklahoma three years ago, realized it soon after taking the job.

But Blake Griffin may change that. In fact, he already has.

FoxSports' Jeff Goodman learned 10 things attending 11 games in six states over a seven days. No.7 is that Blake Griffin will be the No.1 draft pick.

The Aggies win one. A&M beat Arizona 67-66.

'Round The Blogs

Barking Carnival's srr50 discusses Mike Leach's wish to the leave the thriving metropolis of Lubbock, but no one will give him a pass to get out. CloseToJumping's Turd Soup for the Sunshine Pumping Soul has what could be called the winter of discontent.

Rock M Nation has a rant on the Big 12 tie-breaker. I wonder how they feel about Oklahoma today?

Bring On The Cats TB defends his post about the Big 12 commissioner not caving to pressure from a certain school.

I Am The 12th Man's Beergut discusses a permanent home for the Big 12 title game.

Fair warning. The Crimson and Cream Machine will not allow any flaming from whiney, boneheaded Texas fans. Maybe we'll make him feel better if everyone goes on over and thanks him for his letter of apology? Gosh, we would just hate to upset a Sooner.

BCS- Beyond Common Sense

FoxSports' Pete Flutak looks at five reasons that the BCS got it right and five reasons why the BCS got it wrong.

Dennis Dodds has a way to fix the BCS. His answer? Two national champions.

More BCS Realpolitik from Dr. Saturday.

The Coaching Carousel

It seems Dennis Franchione has surfaced again. He may be a candidate for the coaching vacancy at San Diego State University.

Following the gravy train of college sport... money.

Mike Leach was offered a contract extension from Tech, a five-year deal worth a total of $12.1 million. This may take away some of the pain of living in Lubbock. The Wiz of Odds has some more on the pirate soap opera going on in The Hub.

Mike Gundy can buy a lifetime supply of that oily substance he uses in his hair. He just got a a seven-year, $15.7 million deal.

The Wall Street Journal discusses the rise of southern football and what it means in terms of a growing economy and a population boom. They also look at coaching salaries and who actually foots the bill.