Forgive me, but I'm going to say the quiet part out loud.
Nothing speaks to the current state of the Texas program more than Oklahoma winning its sixth consecutive Big 12 title and Texas A&M being on the cusp of a playoff spot. Longhorn fans could only root against those rivals in order to limit the emotional destruction of their psyches.
Maybe you can remember another time that surpasses this one, but for my money, it was the most Aggie-ish behavior I can remember in the two decades of Orangebloods.
In a world where the big wigs in Austin are trying to turn water into wine in their pursuit of Urban Meyer, never before was the need for change -- any change -- more apparent than when these two nightmares happened at the same time. Yet, watching Oklahoma and Texas A&M relevant on the national stage was like a dream where you are falling into a pit while being chased by a man with a chainsaw while someone that you care about dies. Hell, just add the anxiety of waking up late for good measure.
Oh, did I mention that all of this happened a couple of days after the most depressing National Signing Day in the modern era of Texas football?
Something has to happen. It doesn't matter if Urban Meyer says no, or if you can't poach Brian Kelly or Dan Mullen. It doesn't matter that it'll be very expensive, or if it means breaking norms regarding general football program policies. It doesn't matter if it means that Texas won't get party invites from the intellectual elite.
If the definition of insanity is repeating the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results, then where on the scale does it rank to run back the last 12 months?
As I've said too many times to count, in a world where the circumstances were different, I totally understand not wanting to set $25 million on fire or wanting to give this set of assistants with Tom Herman a normal year to try to right the things that have been wronged.
The reality is that the universe we're all currently in is full of dynamics that will only further punish the Texas program if ignored.
Forgive me for reminding you to refill your antidepressants, but I can't ignore that most of you were rooting for Notre Dame to score meaningless touchdowns at the end of the ACC Championship Game because you thought it might affect the Aggies’ playoff chances.
Life doesn't have to be this way.
No. 2 - About Oklahoma...
Six.
It's almost impossible to comprehend.
Why is it happening?
Consider this...
Oklahoma team passing efficiency during the six straight Big 12 titles:
2015: 167.6
2016: 193.8
2017: 202.7
2018: 194.9
2019: 187.0
2020: 171.3
Folks, that's the greatest six-year stretch of quarterback play in the history of college football. The team quarterback rating the last time OU didn't win the Big 12? Try 117.7 back in 2014.
During the past 11 seasons, the Longhorns have never received more from the position than the 153.28 rating that David Ash posted as a sophomore (it's true) in 2012.
One of these days, Oklahoma will regress to the mean. One of these days, Texas will have something remotely close to a nationally elite passer. One of these days, those two things might happen at the same time.
No. 3 - Back to San Antonio ...
Look, I know it's not sexy in any way.
It's also a little weird that the game is only nine days away and that it would probably be safer if the team just drove up the day of the game, but at the end of the day, I'd contend that this version of the Longhorns (minus five captains) is probably best-suited to play against a team it can beat. Colorado kind of looks like that team.
If the Longhorns show up and defend the run against a very legit Jared Broussard, Texas will almost certainly win the game because Colorado’s quarterback play as a whole is poor.
Simple as that. Stop the run, get a win for Sam Ehlinger to ride out on and possibly finish ranked near the top 15 (believe it or not, Texas is ranked 20th by the AP).
End 2020 on as high of a note as possible and put this year in the rearview mirror. The future of the program shouldn't be impacted in any way by this game, so just enjoy it as best as possible.
No. 4 - Quickie thoughts on the Big 6 Bowls ...
Peach Bowl: #8 Georgia vs. #9 Cincinnati
Hoo-boy, there's no way UGA remotely cares about playing in this game, right?
Fiesta Bowl: Oregon vs. Iowa State
Does Mario Cristobal look like a sexy hire all of a sudden?
Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Florida
I know it won't be popular on here, but this seems like a bad ass game in the making.
Orange Bowl: Texas A&M vs. North Carolina
Mack owns the Aggies, right?
Rose Bowl: #1 Alabama vs. #4 Notre Dame
The Irish will wish A&M had replaced them when it's over.
Sugar Bowl: #2 Clemson vs. #3 Ohio State
The Buckeyes will wish A&M had played in this game when it's over.
No. 5 - Three thoughts on Ja'Quinden Jackson's transfer ...
* Jackson was in the NCAA portal on Tuesday. He was committed to Utah on Saturday. I'm not going to cry foul on Utah for potentially hitting Jackson up while he was still officially a Texas player; I'm just going to say Texas needs to be as aggressive with potential transfers as Utah was with Jackson. I mentioned it in the Modcast this week, but Texas needs to be vetting every talented former Lone Star State product at every key area on the roster. Use the Texas network and create some good luck by finding every Calvin Anderson in the country. Find out if they want to come home and bring them.
* Texas needs to take a transfer at the quarterback position. Even if Casey Thompson or Hudson Card flinch at the concept of needing depth, Texas needs to take a good quarterback transfer in the offseason.
* Hudson Card is the most important player in the entire program. I've already outlined the need for Texas to be elite at the quarterback position if it wants to be elite as a program again. From my seat, Card is the only obvious option available for the foreseeable future. Put him in your prayers.
No. 6 - The Greg Brown Show ...
Let's be clear about something... Texas closed the game on Sunday pretty poorly, and on another day, there would be no joy in Mudville.
However, the entire point of landing five stars is that they can do the things that freshman Greg Brown did against Oklahoma State while taking over the damn game.
Whether it was a bucket or a rebound or a blocked shot, Brown just kept making plays and lifting up his teammates. Hell, he even made a couple of mistakes just to make sure that his teammates knew that he was still one of them. In reality, though, he's not and he wasn't.
Greg Brown is the kind of basketball monster that can win games with his talent, and that's what happened on a day when the final five minutes of the game turned into hot potato for the rest of the team. In finishing with 24 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks and a bunch of plays worthy of SportsCenter, he reminded us all why one season of special talent like Brown is better than none.
This won't be the last time Brown takes over a game for Shaka Smart; it's just the first time when it made the difference between winning and losing.
The Greg Brown Show has arrived.
No. 7 – BUY or SELL …
(Sell) The drama queens on this site know about 85-percent of the stuff they should know, which is why they are acting like drama queens.
(Buy) I don't feel like I'm on a limb here when you consider how wretched the last decade has been.
(Buy) By a full round.
(Sell) That's a little too cynical for me.
(Buy) One way or another...
(Buy) You're seeing the difference between landing monsters and not. When you have a team full of physical freaks, yeah, you're going to notice. What you're seeing is a bunch of future pros, and they look different than dudes who won’t be.
(Buy) I'm just going to believe that common sense wins out.
(Sell) Texas would have been in the Big 12 Championship game and potentially would have won it, though.
(Sell) Ask me again in a month.
(Buy) That outfit has at least three Big 12 titles in the next six years.
(Sell) Texas is a great quarterback away from an incredible resurgence.
(Buy) Simple as that.
No. 8 - Scattershooting on the world of sports...
... Thank goodness Texas isn't going to the Texas Bowl to play Arkansas. I can personally do without that right now.
... If Brock Purdy was really the best quarterback in the Big 12, Iowa State would be Big 12 champions right now.
... DeVonta Smith is the best player in the country and should win the Heisman. 98 catches for 1,511 yards and 17 touchdowns on the No. 1 team in the country is just absurd.
... If you watched San Jose State quarterback Nick Starkel on Saturday against Boise, did you wonder if the senior from Argyle might want to transfer back to the state of Texas for one last season? Because I did.
... I'm kind of liking the bowl games starting two days after the season ends. I feel much more likely to watch now.
... I know this makes me a bad fan, but I was absolutely rooting for Dallas to lose on Sunday. This little Andy Dalton resurgence does nothing for me and certainly doesn't help the franchise, outside of ruining a potential top-5 pick in a good draft.
... Did Sam Darnold just cost the Jets Trevor Lawrence?
... Damnit, Derrick, this man has a family!
... Patrick Mahomes is going to win a lot of Super Bowl rings, huh?
... Of course, my crappy fantasy team went off THIS week.
... I'm really looking forward to watching the NBA on Christmas.
... Rudy Gobert gave the Jazz a hometown discount and still banked $205 million. I'm going to need some time to marinate on that.
... Gotta be honest... I had zero interest in the Canelo Alvarez fight. He just isn’t enough by himself to make me want to watch.
... Oh...
... LAFC has beaten three Mexican clubs on the way to the CONCACAF Champions League Final on Tuesday night against Tigres in Orlando. If you're thinking of getting into Austin FC in the MLS, you might want to check this one out. This is a competition that no MLS team has ever won in its current format.
... Have I told you guys how much I love Sadio Mane?
... Charlie Woods was the best thing about this weekend, and I didn't make nearly enough time for it.
No. 9 - The List: Christmas movies
I know we're going to argue. I know you're going to hate my list. I also know Die Hard doesn't make the list, not because I don't love Die Hard as much as I refuse to call a movie without a true Christmas message an actual Christmas movie.
Don't care. It's my list.
10. Christmas Vacation
9. A Christmas Story
8. The Ref
7. Bad Santa
6. Home Alone
5. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
4. Elf
3. Love Actually
2. Scrooged
1. It's a Wonderful Life
No.10 - And finally...
With just a few days until Christmas, I thought I’d once again let the great Frank Cross from the criminally underrated Scrooged have the final word.
“There are people who are having trouble making their miracle happen; there are people who don't have enough to eat, there are people who are cold, you can go out and say hello to these people. You can take an old blanket out of the closet and go to them and say 'Here!', you can make them a sandwich and say 'oh by the way, here!'”
“I get it now! Then if you GIVE, then it can happen, then the miracle can happen to you! It's not just the poor and the hungry, it's everybody's who's GOT to have this miracle! And it can happen tonight for all of you. If you believe in this spirit thing, the miracle will happen and then you'll want it to happen again tomorrow. You won't be one of these bastards who says 'Christmas is once a year and it's a fraud', it's NOT! It can happen every day, you've just got to want that feeling. And if you like it and you want it, you'll get greedy for it! You'll want it every day of your life and it can happen to you. I believe in it now! I believe it's going to happen to me now! I'm ready for it! And it's great! It's a good feeling, it's really better than I've felt in a long time. I, I, I'm ready. Have a Merry Christmas, everybody”
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