A national championship trophy is dangling so close in front of the Texas Longhorns that they can almost touch it.
And smell it.
And taste it.
I'm telling you, you just can't be better positioned to pull it off than Steve Sarkisian's happy band of dancing, Instagram Living, fun-loving playmakers are currently situated going into the playoffs.
Starting next season, you'll have to win a minimum of three games to win the title. For one last season, it's only two.
I think the Longhorns are going to pull it off.
While I don't love the match-up against Washington in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day, I do believe the Longhorns are the more complete team and will find a way to beat a Huskies team that pretty much outclassed them a year ago when both Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson took 80 percent of the Texas offense into the NFL with them as they started to prepare for the Draft.
This is a better Texas team. This is a more complete Texas team. On top of those two points, I've really started to believe this might be a special Texas team. There's a togetherness that I'm not sure I've seen since the 2005 team.
Of course, a win would leave them in a position to take on either Michigan or Alabama in the national title game and at the moment, I favor the boys in burnt orange over both. If you're going to force me to choose, I'll take the Tide over the Wolverines in the Rose Bowl.
Nothing about what happened in September was an accident, even if the Tide is an improved team since the first time it met the Longhorns.
Texas 38, Alabama 35
Put it in ink.
What it means is that we're in for potentially one of the truly special moments in the history of one of the most historically great programs in the history of the sport. This team has already established itself as one of the best teams of the last 40 years with its win over Oklahoma State on Saturday. True immortality awaits it with two more wins.
Throw in the fact that we're waiting on five-star cornerback Kobe Black to make a decision in the next week, National Signing Day is right around the corner and whatever in the world awaits us from the madness of the Portal ... well ... buckle up, folks.
After years of apathy and questioning how much sanity could possibly exist inside of you by volunteering to take the pain Texas football has inflicted on you for half a generation, the best of times have returned to Austin.
Don't bother asking for permission to dream big, just take it like this Longhorns team has taken destiny by the horns. These are the moments we remember for all time.
Bathe in it.
No. 2 - A look at the Huskies (Bend but don't Break) ...
The elephant in the room going into the game against the Huskies is that the biggest weakness of this Texas defense is its pass defense.
Against the best quarterbacks on the schedule - Jalen Milroe, Dillon Gabriel and Will Howard - the Longhorns have struggled.
Enter likely Heisman finalist Michael Penix Jr and the best group of wide receivers that the Longhorns have seen all season. The Huskies are going to make some plays and score some points. The Longhorns don't need to be perfect on the defensive side of the ball because they will know that their own offense will put up points at a high rate as well.
What the Longhorns need is for their defensive line to control the line of scrimmage and for their secondary to step the hell up. Make some plays. Force field goals instead of allowing too many touchdowns.
That's the pathway toward a high-scoring win.
No. 3 - The Huskies by the Numbers ...
Points Per Game: 37.7 (3rd in the Pac-12, 10th in NCAA)
Total Offense: 469 yards per game (3rd in the Pac-12, 12th in NCAA)
Passing Offense: 343.8 yards per game (1st in the Pac-12, 1st in NCAA)
Rushing Offense: 125.2 yards per game (8th in the Pac-12, 98th in NCAA)
Yards Per Pass Attempt: 9.2 yards per attempt (3rd in the Pac-12, 8th in NCAA)
Points Allowed Per Game: 23.6 (6th in the Pac-12, 48th in NCAA)
Total Defense: 396.9 yards per game (8th in the Pac-12, 90th in the NCAA)
Passing Defense: 263.2 yards per game (8th in the Pac-12, 120th in NCAA)
Rushing Defense: 133.8 yards per game (7th in the Pac-12, 38th in NCAA)
Sacks: 19 (Last in the Pac-12, 120th in NCAA)
Interceptions: 16 (1st in the Pac-12)
Red Zone Offense: 86% (8th in the Pac-12)
Red Zone Offense TDs: 70% (5th in the Pac-12)
Red Zone Defense: 86% (8th in the Pac-12)
Third-Down Offense: .483 (11th in NCAA)
Third-Down Defense: .403 (80th in NCAA)
Turnover Margin: +1 (62nd in the NCAA)
No. 4 - A few things about the Playoffs Discussion ...
* Ultimately, I thought the playoff committee got the right four teams in, although I think Washington is a more deserving No. 1 than Michigan.
* I'm sorry, but you can't say that Florida State is one of the best four teams in the country right now with a straight face, especially after that awful ACC Championship Game that the entire country struggled to watch. I feel for the ’Noles, I really do. It's one of the all-time hard-luck moments in the history of college football, but fate has delivered what fate has delivered.
* Alabama is a very, very dangerous team going into the playoffs.
* It's hard to believe that UGA isn't one of the best four teams in college football. I'm stunned that the Dawgs fell from first to sixth. I was way wrong about what would happen to the Dawgs with a loss this weekend.
* If we're ranking the quarterbacks among the Final Four teams, is it ... 1) Penix Jr. 2) Jalen Milroe 3) Quinn Ewers 4) JJ McCarthy ?
No. 5 - Spit-ballin' on the Longhorns ...
... Well, I suppose Quinn Ewers is building quite the legacy this season. He's got the Bama win, the Big 12 title, a championship game MVP belt and a spot in the playoffs. If he never plays another down, he's surpassed Sam Ehlinger and is knocking on James Brown territory, which is a way of saying he's currently trailing Vince Young, Colt McCoy, Bobby Layne, James Street and Brown ... that's it.
... With the Huskies being a poor pass-rush team, you get the feeling Ewers is going to have all day to get the ball to his playmakers.
... Get healthy, Xavier Worthy. You're going to be needed, my man.
... Speaking of Worthy, he'll enter the playoffs needing only 31 yards for a 1,000-yard season. Adonai Mitchell needs only 187 yards to get to 1,000 yards.
... Anthony Hill might just be the defensive wildcard for the Longhorns. He was the unit's best player on Saturday during the first half. With a few weeks to get ready for the biggest game of his life, I could easily see him having a Derrick Johnson 2001 Holiday Bowl kind of game against the Huskies.
.... Hill and Ethan Burke are tied for the team lead in sacks with five through 13 games. I'm not sure I would have believed both would have more than Barryn Sorrell (4) going into the season.
... I love seeing Jaydon Blue used as the passing-down running back. Any time that kid gets the ball in space, good things are going to happen.
No. 6 - If I had a vote that mattered ...
Top 10
1. Washington
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. Michigan
5. Georgia
6. Florida State
7. Oregon
8. Ohio State
9. Missouri
10. Ole Miss
(Heisman Trophy)
1. Jayden Daniels - QB - LSU
2. Bo Nix - QB - Oregon
3. Michael Penix Jr. - QB - Washington
No. 7 – BUY or SELL …
(Buy) I think we'll see a couple of flips.
(Buy) But, only if Ewers stays, which is expected, but could absolutely change if he kills it in the playoffs.
(Buy) I expect a very good Portal class.
(Sell) I still think Alabama would have gotten in.
(Buy) I'm sure it will impact a couple of players, but the guys that are aiming to leave are mostly going to leave. If you need an example of that, see Adonai Mitchell last year.
(Sell) I think Sark feels really good about his staff and I'm not sure two are going to leave on their own.
(Buy) Yeah, I can go for that.
(Sell) 3-2 or 2-3 is more likely.
(Buy) Big-time.
(Buy) It certainly opens the door for him to have the kind of showcase, show-stopping performances that could change the dynamic in his situation.
(Sell) I think the Longhorns feel good about a few guys and are hopeful to feel even better, but I haven't heard that six are lined up and ready to go.
(Sell) Nah ...
(Sell) I'm going to say this once more...
No. 8 – The Texas volleyball team's moment of truth is soon arriving …
The defending national champions handled their business in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, despite a slow start against Texas A&M in the opening round.
Next up?
No. 3 Tennessee in Palo Alto on Thursday night at 9 p.m. If the Longhorns can take out the Vols, they’ll almost certainly face No. 1 Stanford for a spot in the Final Four.
BTW, you've never seen chalk like you'll see chalk in the NCAA Volleyball Tournament. Not a single seed higher than 5 is still alive. Check out the remaining match-ups ...
No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 5 Georgia Tech | 2 p.m.
No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 3 Arkansas | 4:30 p.m.
No. 2 Louisville vs. No. 3 Creighton| Noon
No. 1 Pittsburgh vs. No. 4 Washington St. | 2:30 p.m.
No. 1 Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Penn St. | 7 p.m.
No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Purdue | 9:30 p.m.
No. 2 Texas vs. No. 3 Tennessee | 9 p.m.
No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 5 Arizona St. |11:30 p.m.
No. 9 – Scattershooting on anything and everything …
... HUGE win for the Texas women's basketball team, as it moved to 9-0 on the season with an 80-68 win over UConn. I don't care if the Huskies are only 4-3, any time you can beat them ... hell yeah.
... The Houston Texans just keep on winning games. Am I becoming a Texans fan? What the hell is wrong with me?
... I hated seeing Tank Dell go down for the rest of the season on Sunday. The NFL is just a brutal game.
... My goodness, the 49ers beat the hell out of the Eagles about as bad as they destroyed the Cowboys.
... Cowboys vs. Falcons in the first round of the playoffs? We should be ok, right?
... I feel bad for the poor bastards who sat in the elements and watched the Chargers beat the Patriots 6-0. It just looked like one of the most miserable places on earth on TV.
... Kevin Durant is now the NBA's 10th all-time leading scorer, as he passed Moses Malone with a 30-point night in Denver. Congrats, KD.
... I have no idea what's happening in this NBA Tournament. I think the Lakers are still in it.
... I don't know how many people actually watched it, but Columbus' win over Cincinnati was one hell of an MLS playoff game. The drama was out-of-this-world good.
... Nice job, Tottenham.
... Nice season, Dynamo. You had me rooting for you.
... Man, 40 years ago ... It feels longer than that.
No. 10 - The List: Top 10 Actors in the World ...]
I watched The Holdovers this week on Amazon. If you haven't seen the movie, it stars Paul Giamatti in what is essentially a very, very good Christmas movie. I highly recommend it. I think the olds on Orangebloods will really like it.
It got me to thinking about where I would rank Giamatti on a Best Actors list and here we are.
Full transparency: If Daniel Day-Lewis wasn't retired, he'd be No. 1 on my list. Because he's seemingly out of the acting game, he doesn't make the list.
Let's get to it.
Honorable mention: Matt Damon, Michael B. Jordan, Hugh Jackman, Tom Hanks, Samuel L. Jackson, Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves and Oscar Isaac
10. Daniel Kaluuya
9. Willem DaFoe
8. Tom Hardy
7. Mahershala Ali
6. Joaquin Phoenix
5. Robert Downey Jr.
4. Gary Oldman
3. Christian Bale
2. Leonardo DiCaprio
1. Denzel Washington
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