Winners. Texas will own the Big 12.
The two titles earned Sunday, men’s tennis and women’s rowing, add to an already impressive list headlined by the football team’s December triumph over Nebraska and the impending baseball crown, which requires only one more conference win — by a team that has swept five consecutive series — to become official.
While the football title is certainly the most prestigious — and the most sought-after, following a four-year gap between 2005 and 2009 — the breadth of Texas’ triumph is the crowning achievement for an athletic department that has already made a name for itself as the most profitable.
Now it can add a new distinction: the most successful, at least in its conference.
Football. We are the favored one for the 2010 season.
Basketball. It's all over for Avery Bradley.
Freshman guard Avery Bradley is going to be a one-and-done player at Texas, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
Bradley, who has not yet hired an agent, nevertheless will some time in the next few days announce that he will leave his name in consideration for the NBA Draft unless something drastic happens to change his mind, the source said. Bradley and others who submitted their names for early entry have until Saturday to either opt out or stay in.
What recession? Texas' revenue is up 32 percent.
The Texas athletic department is profiting better than ever. Bloomberg News reported that Texas is up 32 percent to $138.5 million in revenue in the last two years.
Texas played for the BCS championship twice in the past five years and has sold out 59 straight home games since September 2000.
Everything stems from winning championships. No matter how much the Texas athletic department charges on seats people will be at the games. Regular student seats for football games run from $65-$95. Club seats start at a minimum of $2,000, plus the cost of the ticket. Chairback seats are priced at a minimum of $750, plus the ticket. Suites range from $62,000-$75,000 plus tickets and catering.
Sooners. SI's Stewart Mandel thinks the Sooners will be back in title contention by 2011.
More Sooners. Trent Williams is not a Sooner anymore. You have to love that Land Thief loyalty.
"I'm not a Sooner anymore," said Williams. "I'm a Washington Redskin. None of that stuff matters to me at this point. I'm here to help this team get to a Super Bowl."
Bowling. There will be 35 bowl games. That means 70 teams must qualify.
The NCAA Football Issues Committee approved 35 bowls for next year, which means 70 teams must finish 6-6 or better to qualify. If not, a 5-7 team will play in a bowl game. Committee chair Nick Carparelli of the Big East, looking for an alternative, considered inviting the FCS champion to play in an FBS bowl.
High praise. Former NU players love the turnaround.
Kelsay said he's witnessed a turnaround in players' fundamentals and technique, and just overall player development in general.
Former NU linebacker Barrett Ruud expected nothing less when Pelini returned. Ruud, now with Tampa Bay, played his junior season under Pelini when Pelini was hired to be Frank Solich's defensive coordinator in 2003.
However, the rise from No. 114 in scoring defense in 2007 all the way to No. 1 in 2009 still impressed Ruud.
"I guess I was surprised that it went all the way from whatever it was, 115 to No. 1," he said.
Wedgies. The NCAA has eliminated the wedge block.
In previous years, college football teams often had a wedge buster — one player whose only job was to run full speed into a wall of blockers with a 60-yard head start.
The resulting violent collisions and ensuing concussions led the NCAA to ban the wedge block from college football immediately.
A wedge block is when three or more players form a wall of blockers to create a running lane for a returner on kickoffs.
Anticipation. Jaxon Shipley really wants to get to Austin.
In February, Jordan Shipley’s little brother Jaxon became the first oral commitment of the Longhorns’ 2011 recruiting class. Shipley never considered any other schools and hasn’t wavered on his decision since.
"After I committed, I went to the Texas Relays and then I went to the spring game," Shipley told Rivals.com. "I got to talking with a couple of [my future teammates]. Quandre Diggs and couple of those guys and me have been talking for a while, so we hung out. It was a lot of fun."
And we can't wait for him to get here.