A weekend of watching Oklahoma and Texas Tech will tell the Long-horns where they stand in the Big 12 Conference standings and Bowl Championship Series rankings - and whether a team that spent a month at No. 1 will still have a chance to play for a national championship.
The Longhorns (11-1) wrapped up their last piece of business for the regular season with a 49-9 win over rival Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night, snapping a two-game losing streak to the Aggies.
Now it’s up to the complicated BCS rankings and Big 12 tiebreaking system to see where and when Texas plays next.
If Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State and Texas Tech beats Baylor today, the Longhorns, Sooners and Red Raiders will finish in a three-way tie for first in the Big 12 South. The league tiebreaker will send the team rated highest in the BCS to the Big 12 title game next week against North division champ Missouri.
Right now, that’s Texas, which holds a razor-thin margin over Oklahoma at No. 2. But it is widely expected that a Sooners win would bump them past Texas in the BCS.
If the Sooners lose and Texas Tech wins, the Red Raiders hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Longhorns and would represent the South in the Big 12 title game. If Oklahoma wins and the Red Raiders lose, then Texas gets in based on its win over the Sooners.
The Longhorns are hoping they can somehow manage to hang on to that No. 2 spot after handing A&M the worst beating in the bitter rivalry since 1898.
“I think we played a heck of a season, beating Oklahoma, beating Missouri, beating Oklahoma State, all those teams, and to come out here against our rival Texas A&M and winning,” said senior defensive tackle and Killeen Shoemaker product Roy Miller. “We can’t control what’s going on, but a lot of things can happen.”
Coach Mack Brown was emphatic about quarterback Colt McCoy and his chances of winning the Heisman Trophy after another big game. McCoy passed for 311 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two scores against the Aggies.
“I do think he’s the most valuable player on one of the best teams in the country. What a great night and what a statement for him for awards here at the end of the year,” Brown said.
McCoy got career win No. 31, passing Vince Young to set a school record for starting quarterbacks while just a junior. He also set a Texas season record with 3,594 yards passing.
Brown and his staff advice their top junior players to consult with the NFL on their potential draft status. McCoy said last week he’ll do that but has maintained he plans to play for the Longhorns as a senior. He has not been projected as a first-round draft pick.
