As the Washington Huskies crowd stormed the field on Saturday afternoon following a thrilling come-from-behind win over Oregon, the world suddenly felt like Michael Penix Jr.'s oyster.
Heisman favorite. Signature moment. Mom hugging him on the field.
For a guy who has blown out his ACL twice and has suffered multiple AC joint injuries, it was a beautiful moment to watch unfold as a neutral observer. It was the kind of moment that will likely stand the time for fans of the Washington program. It's a legacy-creating moment.
It was hard not to think of the 2023 Texas Longhorns in the moment. Sitting at home on the couch this weekend for a slight pause on the season for the first time since the week before the season started, the Longhorns have reached the halfway point with much of their destiny in their own hands.
Like Penix Jr. on Saturday, the entire Texas team is in a position to be playing for legacies over the course of the rest of the season, but it is especially true of a number of key players.
* Let's start with Quinn Ewers. Realistically, we're watching the final six regular-season games of his college career and although the Texas offense hasn't exactly gone nuclear as many of us thought it would, Ewers is in the middle of one of the best passing seasons in the history of the Texas program. Only Colt McCoy in 2009 (173.8) has ever posted a season passer rating as high as what Ewers has posted so far this season (163.8). It's not crazy to think that Ewers could break a number of season passing records if he stays healthy and plays in every game available to him. Throw in the fact that if he can lead the Longhorns to a Big 12 title, he'll join James Brown, Vince Young and Colt McCoy as the only Texas quarterbacks to do so during the Big 12 era.
* How about Jonathon Brooks, who currently ranks ninth in the country in rushing, but he's played in one or two fewer games than everyone that's currently in front of him. Only four major conference backs rank above him in the rushing standings and none will have the advantage of playing a possible 13th game. Brooks is a legit Doak Walker Award/First-Team All-America candidate. If Steve Sarkisian lets him cook, he could become the first Doak Walker/All-American back in burnt orange to ever win a conference title while earning those honors in the season they won the honors.
* Xavier Worthy isn't likely going to break any records this season, but there's a good chance that he could finish the season in the top five in UT career receiving yards and touchdowns in one less season than all of those that he is chasing down. With a strong finish, it feels certain that he will finish his career in the same breath as Jordan Shipley and Roy Williams as one of the top three receivers in school history.
* I've documented it in the last few weeks, but tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders has a chance to break every career record at his position with a strong finish to the season.
* Although he's coming off a disappointing OU game, Jaylan Ford is still in a position to become only the second linebacker in the last six decades to earn multiple All-America honors in his career.
Honestly, everywhere you look, there are players playing for all-time glory over the course of these final six games (and then some).
It's legacy season in Austin. Over the course of the last decade-plus, there haven't been enough players grab legacies the way that Penix Jr. did yesterday in defeating undefeated Oregon in the waning moments. There's so much on the table for this Texas team.
If they can all grab the bull by the horns, it has a chance to be a season that we remember for the rest of our years.
There's no reason to give up following the OU loss. It's very possible that the fun is just beginning.
No. 2 - Changing a Futurecast ...
I hate to do it, but the movement in the direction of the home-state school has become clear.
Missouri has re-emerged as the team to beat for five-star receiver Ryan Wingo.
Of all the years for Missouri to go 6-1 in its first seven games of the season and to have a home-state five-star receiver having an all-SEC season, it has to be this one, huh?
No. 3 - Get ready to go Portal fishing...
The word on the streets BEFORE things went sideways with Wingo was that the Longhorns would be looking for an instant impact starting-level player at the wide receiver position via the Portal.
Don't be surprised if the Longhorns end up looking for two.
With only two wide receiver commitments in the 2024 recruiting class and both of them bringing various red flag concerns with regard to injuries, the incoming help at the position simply doesn't look good enough. When you look ahead toward next season, it's clear that Johntay Cook will be a major building block and it's likely that DeAndre Moore and Ryan Niblett will be major factors in the slot. Yet, beyond those three players, I'm not sure who we can really pencil in as a factor as a primary piece in the passing game.
Before you even ask, no, I'm not counting on Isaiah Neyor. Not at all when you consider he hasn't played more than six game snaps in a single game in the last two seasons.
Therefore, get ready for Steve Sarkisian to go shopping in the Portal next year. It's much needed.
No. 4 - Weekend Impressions on the final six teams left on the schedule ...
Houston - Well, winning on a Hail Mary play with no time left on the clock is a hell of a way to enter Texas week. Is it possible that the Cougars will have a tough time focusing following such a hallucinating win? Donovan Smith might be the third-best quarterback the Longhorns will have faced so far this season and he has some quality receivers.
BYU - Kedon Slovis is exactly who we thought he was. The only way Texas is threatened by BYU is if the entire team takes quaaludes before kickoff.
Kansas State - I don't know if freshman quarterback Avery Johnson is better than Will Howard, but he scored 5 rushing touchdowns on Saturday night in Lubbock and looked like a future star for one night. Is that the way to attack the Longhorns in a few weeks? Maybe. It's not like the Wildcats have a lot of other options.
TCU - New starting quarterback Josh Hoover might have a little something cooking in Ft. Worth. That team suddenly has a pulse.
Iowa State - I'll admit, I didn't watch a single play of Iowa State's win over Cincinnati. I have no real thoughts on the Cyclones.
Texas Tech - Played its third-string quarterback on Saturday and it wasn't flattering, as Jake Strong threw three interceptions.
Rankings the final six games in terms of difficulty ...
1. at TCU
2. vs. Kansas State
3. at Iowa State
4. at Houston
5. vs. Texas Tech
6. vs. BYU
No. 5 - If I had a vote that mattered ...
1. Georgia
2. Washington
3. Michigan
4. Oklahoma
5. Ohio State
6. Florida State
7. Texas
8. Penn State
9. Oregon
10. North Carolina
(Heisman Trophy)
1. Michael Penix - QB - Washington
2. Caleb Williams - QB - USC
3. Malik Nabers - WR - LSU
No. 6 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) Duh.
(Sell) It's not going to come to Sark having to tell him anything. I don't expect Sark to have much of a say.
(Sell) Dallas would have lost to Seattle at Century Link the next week.
(Sell) I'd take Bill Bedenbaugh, for certain, but that's about it.
(Sell) 40 points and 500 yards per game is very doable.
(Buy) It would be incredibly disappointing to lose to one of these JAG teams that remain.
(Buy) Fairly good, yes.
(Buy) Texas will likely have a decline in 2024 as it rebuilds.
(Sell) Oklahoma State isn't running the table.
(Sell) It has lost momentum with Ryan Wingo. There's no reason to draw wide conclusions beyond that.
(Sell) A 11-2 Texas team isn't getting in. Oklahoma at 12-1 would get in.
No. 7 - 3 Quick Texas Volleyball Notes ...
1. Ho-hum, Two up, two down. The Longhorns took a pair of matches from No. 21 Houston in H-Town this week in seven sets. The Longhorns are on an eight-match winning streak.
2. Central Florida isn't ranked, but they remain undefeated at 7-0 in Big 12 play and are also on an eight-match winning streak.
3. The only game on the schedule this week is a road game in Ft. Worth against a Horned Frog team that is 6-1 at home this season.
No. 8 - A Few Hardball Thoughts ...
The Houston Astros are the team to beat for the World Series until someone proves that they can take them down in a best-of-seven series.
Can the Rangers pull it off? Is this going to be like when the Rockets/Mavs/Spurs play each other in the NBA playoffs here on the message board?
It kind of feels like almost two weeks of the Hatfields (Dallas) vs. the McCoys (Houston) is staring us in the face.
Meanwhile, my Phillies are right there in the mix after taking down the historically bad-ass Braves in four games. The Diamondbacks will be a handful, but at least the wildcard Phillies are now in a position to potentially have home-field advantage the rest of the way.
Buckle up, it's going to be a hell of a next few weeks.
No. 9 – Scattershooting on anything and everything …
... You can see the Aggies going 7-5 a mile away and I'm not sure what they can possibly to. It's a program going nowhere fast. The Portal vultures will be circling.
... I thought Washington/Oregon was the best college football game of the year thus far. It would be fun to see those two teams play again.
... Dan Lanning is the real "All gas, no brakes" coach in college football. I wonder how this board would have reacted to a loss like the one Oregon had on Saturday.
... Kudos to Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman. I didn't think they had it in them.
... One awful game doesn't make Caleb Williams a bum. It makes him human.
... Wyoming took it on the chin from Air Force, if you didn't happen to notice.
... Will Michigan play someone, already?
... Of course, one week after the Niners curb-stomp the Cowboys, half of their team gets hurt and they lose to the freaking Browns.
... Don't look now, but the Texans are up to .500 six games into the season.
... We've never seen anything like Tyreek Hill. My goodness, he's out of control good.
... NBA season is almost here. Kind of wish I was a Spurs fan.
... James Harden better play hard for the Sixers while he awaits for a trade or it'll be ugly. The city won't accept it.
... Go away, international soccer. Just go away.
... Christian Pulisic is feeling himself. Just don't ask how the rest of the match went.
... What would you do with ninth century Viking Poop?
... Barring Will Smith having done something truly horrible, I sure wish Jada Pinkett Smith would stop embarrassing her husband on a daily basis. Just divorce the man.
... I re-watched The Pacific for the first time in a number of years last week. It was kind of crazy to watch a young Rami Malek now that he's an Oscar winner. I wish Jon Bernthal had played a different character and stuck around longer than a couple of episodes. It's not quite Band of Brothers, but it's still really freaking great,
... Rest in peace, Suzanne Somers. As someone that watched the hell out of Three's Company when I was younger, I can tell you there was never another Chrissy Snow. She was an original.
No. 10 - The List: The 90s ...
A couple of months ago, I took on the 80s. This week, I take on the decade that followed.
I'm prepared for what awaits me.
Country
Honorable Mention: Billy Ray Cyrus - Achy Breaky Heart, Gary Allen - Smoke Rings in The Dark, Brooks and Dunn - My Maria, Faith Hill - Breathe, Shania Twain - Man! I Feel Like A Woman, Chris Wall - Miles of Rodeo, Reba McEntire - Fancy, George Strait - Write This Down, LeAnn Rimes - How Do I Live, George Strait - You Can't Make a Heart Love Somebody, Toby Keith - Should've Been a Cowboy, Lone Star - Amazed, John Michael Montgomery - Rope The Moon, John Michael Montgomery - I Love The Way You Love Me, The Chicks - Cowboy Take Me Away, Steve Wariner - Some Fools Never Learn, Dwight Yoakam - Two Doors Down, Dwight Yoakam - Guitars, Cadillacs, Alan Jackson - Midnight in Montgomery, Dwight Yoakum - A Thousand Miles From Nowhere, Joe Diffie - So Help Me Girl and Deana Carter - Strawberry Wine
10. George Strait - I Can Still Make Cheyenne
9. Gary Allen - Lovin You Against My Will
8. Reba McEntire - She Thinks His Name Was John
7. Joe Ely - Gallo Del Cielo
6. Tim McGraw - Don't Take The Girl
5. George Strait - I Cross My Heart
4. Garth Brooks - The Dance
3. Brooks and Dunn - Neon Moon
2. The Chicks - Wide Open Spaces
1. Garth Brooks - Friends in Low Places
Blues
Honorable Mention: John Prine - Ain't Hurting Nobody, Blues Traveler - Carolina Blues, Jonny Lang - Still Rainin', ZZ Top - My Head's in Mississippi, Buddy Guy/Jeff Beck - Mustang Sally, Jonny Lang - Breakin Me, Buddy Guy - Midnight Train, Stevie Ray Vaughn - Empty Arms
10. Buddy Guy/Bonnie Raitt - Feels Like Rain
9. Johnny Lang - Lie to Me
8. Melissa Etheridge - I'm The Only One
7. Stevie Ray Vaughn - Life By The Drop
6. Toni Price - Richest One
5. Bonnie Raitt - Something to Talk About
4. Eva Cassidy - Over The Rainbow
3. Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven
2. Eva Cassidy - Songbird
1. Stevie Ray Vaughn - The Sky Is Crying
Hard Rock/Metal
Honorable Mention: Metallica - Sad But True, Faith No More - Epic, Tool - Sober, Jane's Addiction - Stop!, Korn - Freak on a Leash, Creed - My Own Prison, Limp Bizkit - Nookie, Marilyn Manson - Sweet Dreams, Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss, Motley Crue - S.O.S., Queensrÿche - Jet City Woman, Damn Yankees - Runaway, Ozzy Osbourne - Mama, I'm Coming Home, Motorhead - Born to Raise Hell
10. Pantera - Cowboys From Hell
9. Judas Priest - Painkiller
8. Korn - Blind
7. Metallica - Nothing Else Matters
6. Van Halen - Right Now
5. Guns N Roses - Live and Let Die
4. AC/DC - Thunderstruck
3. Marilyn Manson - The Beautiful People
2. Guns N Roses - November Rain
1. Metallica - Enter Sandman
Grunge
Honorable Mention: Soundgarden - Blow Up the Outside World, Mudhoney - Touch Me, I'm Sick, Pearl Jam - Better Man, Pearl Jam - Black, Stone Temple Pilots - Plush, Nirvana - Lithium, Soundgarden - Rusty Cage, Alice in Chains - Down in a Hole, Stone Temple Pilots - Vasoline, Screaming Trees - Nearly Lost You, Alice in Cahins - Would?, Nirvana - Heart Shaped Box and Hole - Violet
10. Alice in Chains - Man in the Box
9. Temple of the Dog - Hunger Strike
8. Pearl Jam - Alive
7. Alice in Chains - Rooster
6. Pearl Jam - Jeremy
5. Nirvana - Come As You Are
4. Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun
3. Stone Temple Pilots - Interstate Love Song
2. Nirvana - Where Did You Sleep Last Night
1. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Rock
Honorable Mention: Divinyls - I Touch Myself, U2 - Mysterious Ways, Bruce Springsteen - Blood Brothers, Bruce Springsteen - Streets of Philadelphia, Bruce Springsteen - If I Should Fall Behind, INXS - Suicide Blonde, Heart - All I Want To Do Is Make Love to You, Jon Bon Jovi - Blaze of Glory, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Learning to Fly, Lenny Kravitz - It Ain't Over Till It's Over, Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way, Aerosmith - Living on the Edge, Aerosmith - Crying, Oasis - Champagne Supernova, Dave Matthews band - Crash Into Me, Lenny Kravitz - Fly Away
10. Alannah Myles - Black Velvet
9. No Doubt - Don't Speak
8. The Wallflowers - One Headlight
7. Sheryl Crow - If It Makes You Happy
6. Chris Isaak - Wicked Game
5. No Doubt - Just a Girl
4. Oasis - All Around The World
3. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Mary Jane's Last Dance
2. Oasis - Wonderwall
1. U2 - One
Alternative Rock
Honorable Mention: Pulp - Common People, Jeff Buckley - Last Goodbye, The Cure: Friday I'm in Love, Goo Goo Dolls - Iris, Weezer - Buddy Holly, Weezer - Pink Triangle, Soul Asylum - Runaway Train, The Breeders - Cannonball, Third Eye Blind - Semi-Charmed Life, Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name, Liz Phair - **** and Run, The Offspring - Self Esteem, Blind Melon - No Rain, Pavement - Gold Soundz, Hole - Doll Parts, New Radicals - You Get What You Give, The Cardigans - Lovefool, The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony, Santata with Rob Thomas - Smooth, Radiohead - Paranoid Android, Nine Inch nails - Hurt, Sugar Ray - Fly. Foo Fighters - Learn to Fly
10. Bikini Girl - Rebel Girl
9. Jeff Buckley - Lover, You Should Have Come Over
8. Radiohead - Creep
7. Foo Fighters - Everlong
6. Beck - Loser
5. Nine Inch Nails - Closer
4. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under The Bridge
3. The Smashing Pumpkins - 1979
2. R.E.M - Losing My Religion
1. Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
Pop
Honorable Mention: KD Lang - Constant Craving, The Rembrandts - I'll Be There For You, Ace of Base - The Sign, Ricky Martin - Livin la Vida Loca, Seal - Kiss From a Rose, NSYNC - Tearin up My Heart, Deee-Lite - Groove is In The Heart, Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way, Wilson Phillips - Hold On and Lisa Loeb - Stay and Annie Lennox - Walking on Broken Glass
10. Christina Aguilera - Genie in a Bottle
9. George Michael - Freedom 90
8. Spice Girls - Wannabe
7. Sophie B. Hawkins - Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover
6. Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas
5. Madonna - Vogue
4. Michael Jackson - Remember The Time
3. Britney Spears - Baby One More Time
2. Destiny's Child - Say My Name
1. Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U
Rap
Honorable Mention: Scarface - Now I Feel Ya, Notorious B.I.G./Mase/Puff Daddy - Mo Money Mo Problems, The Pharcyde - Passin Me By, The Notorious B.I.G. - Warning, Gang Starr - Take It Personal, Will Smith - Summertime, Wu-Tang - C.R.E.A.M., Tribe Called Quest - Can I Kick It, Missy Elliott - The Rain, Warren G - Regulate, Outkast - Southernplayalisticcadillacmuzik, Outkast - Rosa Parks, Coolio - Gangsta's Paradise, Snoop Dogg - Gz and Hustlas, Ice Cube/Dr. Dre - Natural Born Killez, 2Pac - California Love, The Notorious B.I.G. - Warning, The Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize, 2Pac - Dear Mama, 2Pac - I Get Around, 2Pac - Ambitions Az A Ridah, 2Pac - Hit'em Up, 2Pac - California Love and Pete Rock/CL Smmooth - T.R.O.Y.
10. Ice Cube - It Was a Good Day
9. Outkast - Player's Ball
8. Sir Mix-a-Lot - Baby Got Back
7. Tribe Called Quest - Scenario
6. UGK - Murder
5. 2Pac - Holla If You Hear Me
4. The Notorious B.I.G. - Big Poppa
3. Jay-Z/UGK - Big Pimpin'
2. Geto Boys - Minds Playing Tricks On Me
1. Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg - Nuthin but a G Thang
R&B
Honorable Mention: Janet Jackson - If, Brandy - Sittin Up in My Room, Lauryn Hill - Doo-Wop, Savage Garden - Truly Madly Deeply, Isher - You Make Me Wanna, Janet Jackson - Any Time, Any Place, Boyz II Men - Please Don't Go, Boyz II Men - It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday, Jodeci - Stay, Sade - No Ordinary Love, TLC - No Scrubs, Toni Braxton - You Mean The World To Me, Jodeci - Come and Talk To Me, Shai - The Place Where You Belong, TLC - Waterfalls, SWV - Weak, Mary J. Blige - Real Love, Mariah Carey - Vision of Love, Erykah Badu - Tyrone, Adina Howard - Freak Like Me, Silk - Freak Me and Ginuwine - Pony
10. Whitney Houston - I Have Nothing
9. Aaliyah - Are You That Somebody
8. Bell Biv DeVoe - Poison
7. Jodeci - Forever My Lady
6. TLC - Creep
5. Boyz II Men - End of the Road
4. Mariah Carey - Fantasy
3. Blackstreet - No Diggety
2. Janet Jackson - That's The Way Love Goes
1. Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You
The Overall Top 10 Songs of the 90s
10. The Chicks - Wide Open Spaces
9. Geto Boys - Mind Playing Tricks On Me
8. R.E.M - Losing My Religion
7. Garth Brooks - Friends in Low Places
6. Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
5. Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U
4. Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg - Nuthin but a G Thang
3. U2 - One
2. Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You
1. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
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