Wednesday night is not a crossroads moment for the Texas football program.
Nor is it a defining one. Those moments for this season are gone.
That doesn't mean that the game against Missouri isn't important because there are stakes in this game, even if the magnitude of those stakes shouldn't be overblown.
On the surface, there's not a ton of a difference between 6-7 and 7-6, a point Tom Herman has made a couple times since the announcement of this game. However, a loss means that every fourth-year senior and departing junior in the program will finish his career without knowing the feeling of finishing with his head above .500 once in his career.
For a program and fan base that discusses returning to the college football mountaintop as the only goal, this consecutive losing seasons thing has to come to an end. How can you talk about championships with a straight face if you haven't so much as finished over .500 once in the playoff era of college football?
If the Longhorns were a movie character, they would be Forrest Gump as a child when he's being chased by the bullies that are throwing rocks. At some point, this program has to shake those leg braces off and start to run with purpose. A loss means that this program will go into next season looking more like this ...
Than this...
Meanwhile, from a recruiting standpoint, this outcome is about establishing a wee-bit of on-field momentum for the Class of 2019 more than it is about anything that's going to impact an event connected to the final 5-6 weeks of the current recruiting cycle.
In reality, the cake might already be in the oven (see what I did there) from a recruiting standpoint with both classes, but if you have a chance to make the final impression of this season a good one, well, add some sweet-tasting decorations to that cake that you're going to be serving.
Ok, that's enough metaphors from me. Those are the stakes.
I'll let Nuke Laloosh have the final word.
No. 2 – What I think Texas needs in this game ...
Texas can't win this game without very good quarterback play. Period. If you think that's impossible, then you need to prepare yourself for the likely outcome if good quarterback play can't happen.
Because Missouri not only has very good quarterback play in Drew Lock, but he's not facing the same Texas defense that kept the likes of Sam Darnold, Mason Rudolph and Baker Mayfield (to a degree) under control to a point that it allowed a stale offense a chance to pull out the game. The three best players on the defense that was able to play at that kind of level are all gone, which means you can't take it to the bank that the defense will be able to keep this game winnable by itself.
It's going to take 27+ points to win this game.
Whether it's Shane Buechele (who will start) or Sam Ehlinger (who might play) or both (a real possibility), the quarterback position has to play at a level that's been pretty rare in 2017.
No. 3 – A Tweet that will stop you in your tracks ...
No. 4 – Four non-quarterbacks that I'm looking forward to watching on Wednesday ...
Gary Johnson - This has a chance to be his defense next season and the game against the Tigers will give us our first glimpse of what a defense built around the talent of Johnson at linebacker looks like.
Elijah Rodriguez - In the spring, he was just a pretty good player that was expected to possibly be one of the five best linemen in the program, but the moment he was knocked out of action, it seemed like his reputation turned into something closer to Justin Blalock than Taylor Doyle. I'm very curious to see what Rodriguez looks like against decent competition.
Daniel Young - The platform for a big game could present itself and when you consider that stat in the section above, the true freshman could put himself in a pole position as the starter going into the spring by a decent margin. Clearly the staff believes in Young, but a monster performance by this very important player heading into 2018 could prove to be vital.
Wide Receivers - It's been a frustrating season for the entire position group. The snap allocation will be fascinating.
No. 5 – The elephant in the room ...
I don't trust Texas in this game. Not for one second.
No. 6 – Call me crazy, but ...
As uneven as the Texas basketball team has looked at times this season, it's still a team that is 9-3 heading into the conference-opener on Friday night against Kansas.
Isn't that a record that most would have signed up for at the beginning of the season, especially if I had said that two of the losses would be overtime losses to Duke and Gonzaga on a neutral court?
Don't get me wrong, the Big 12 is going to be hellacious and it's possible that by the end of the season, an overall .500 record could be staring this team in the mirror, but this is not a team full of chumps, even if it at times fights itself on offense.
Its RPI is in the top 45 and the team's defense ranks among the best in the nation.
This team is going to be in close games and it has to prove it can win them, but I would contend that it's way too early to be shoveling dirt.
*ducking*
No. 7 – Buy or Sell …
BUY or SELL: Texas will have a new offensive coordinator/play-caller for 2018?
(Sell) This is my answer as of right now. Feel free to ask me this again tomorrow night if things go sideways on offense.
BUY or SELL: Texas' lack of true talent along the OL and DL will hold the program back from getting to where it wants to be quickly?
(Buy) You forgot quarterback.
BUY or SELL: CTH's February recruits will include all current non-signed verbal commitments, at least two additional 4 star+ guys, a JUCO OL and JUCO DL.
(Sell) I think Texas keeps all of its verbal commitments and will add a couple of JUCO linemen, but I don't know if the Longhorns have two more four-stars in them.
BUY or SELL: This was the hardest season yet to cover the Horns?
(Sell) There have been worse years, perhaps just not as much apathy.
BUY or SELL: There are four future Division I coaches on Herman’s staff (not including Herman himself)?
(Sell) Outside of Todd Orlando, I'd say the math is stacked against the rest.
BUY or SELL: Texas current WRs just aren't as good as we thought they were?
(Buy) I still believe this group would rip it up at Oklahoma if you switched position groups.
BUY or SELL: The quarterback who leads the Longhorns to their next national championship is currently not on campus nor has he signed a national letter of intent.
(Buy) Texas fans really need to stop talking about national titles and focus on getting to 8 or 9 wins first.
BUY or SELL: Brandon Jones keeps his job for two more seasons?
(Buy) I think Jones takes a big step next season and becomes one of the best players on the team. Buy as much stock as you can while it’s this low.
BUY or SELL: We stay in the same zip code as KU on Friday?
(Buy) Texas leads with five minutes to go, but loses by five.
No. 8 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
... You haven't seen apathy towards a team until you've seen mine as a Dallas Cowboys fan. I found myself absolutely emotionless during the Seattle loss. Whatever. Is Red-ball coming back? Is Jerry keeping the team? What difference does it make?
... Do the Browns have a better long-term upside than the Cowboys? Don't laugh. The Cowboys have exactly two more playoff wins than the Browns since 1996 and none of them have occurred outside of the wildcard round.
... James Harrison is signing with the Patriots? Oh man, that is all kinds of messed up. We need a Patriots/Steelers AFC Championship game in the worst way.
... Todd Gurley became a verb in the last two weeks. For instance, if you were in the fantasy league playoffs and ran into a team with Gurley on it, it was almost impossible not to be Gurley'd in the process. Ask Dunlap. He was thiiiiis close to his first fantasy title in a decade in our Orangebloods/Rosterwatch league, but his team was Gurley'd by a damn new guy. I'm almost as disgusted as he is.
... Watching Los Angeles with a team as good as the Rams is a little like watching the Florida Marlins win a World Series. Sometimes sports is absolute bull-dookie.
... Social media will lose its mind (again) if New England wins a playoff game because NFL officiating seemed to favor it (again).
... I almost feel bad for what awaits the Eagles in the playoffs ... almost.
... The NBA on Christmas is better than the NFL on Christmas.
... Hate on Kevin Durant all you want, but he's the only one that has not only proven that he can take down LeBron James when they match up, but he practically begs to take on the responsibility of keeping him under control.
... Draymond has no chill
... Philippe Coutinho is becoming world-class in front of our very eyes as the calendar turns to 2018.
... Harry Kane has to leave Tottenham after this season, right? He's not going to spend his career with a club that pinches pennies, right?
... Jose Mourinho isn't special ...not anymore.
No. 9 – Scattershooting on the holidays …
... Why do toy companies make every single toy nearly impossible to get out of its packaging?
... "Dominick the Donkey" is a catchy little tune after you've been forced to listen to it 1,000 times over the course of a few days.
... "It's a Wonderful Life" still gets me every time. So does the end of "Scrooged."
... I still need to watch Love Actually before the end of the week.
... Nothing makes for more uncomfortable family time like family time around the television with cable news on.
... I think we should leave Christmas lights on all year.
No. 10 – And Finally …
I'm going to end this week's column with a few thoughts on The Last Jedi.
Therefore ... let me warn you right now...
***SPOILER ALERT!!!!******SPOILER ALERT!!!!******SPOILER ALERT!!!!******SPOILER ALERT!!!!***
***SPOILER ALERT!!!!******SPOILER ALERT!!!!******SPOILER ALERT!!!!******SPOILER ALERT!!!!***
***SPOILER ALERT!!!!******SPOILER ALERT!!!!******SPOILER ALERT!!!!******SPOILER ALERT!!!!***
a. While I enjoyed the movie quite a bit, it was not better than The Force Awakens or Rogue One.
b. Adam Driver's Kylo Ren went from zero to hero in the span of a single movie. That was an MVP performance. This series is all about Ben Solo moving forward and that's a good thing, which is beyond ironic when you consider the reviews of Driver in The Force Awakens. The scenes with Ren and Rey were some of the best sequences in the history of the franchise.
c. Mark Hamil gave a career-best performance in The Last Jedi.
d. Fans are furious about the fact that the lore of the previous movies was treated like yesterday's news, but if you're ever going to escape the shadow of the previous movies, destroying the shadow isn't a bad way to go. This isn't Luke's story. Or Han's. Or Chewy's. I had no problem with the direction of the story.
e. That being said, Admiral Ackbar deserved better.
f. I don't know what to make of Finn. As much as I love Jon Boyega, Finn surviving was one thing I didn't quite understand. Between the chemistry between Ren and Rey, along with the look Rey gave Poe at the end, I don't know what's left for ol' Finn. He ain't winning Rey's love at the end of this thing.
g. On one hand, I hated the Leia surviving a ship being destroyed by floating in space, but on the other hand it was cool to see her use the Force for the first time in such a do-or-die moment.
h. Poe is essentially the Jesse Pinkman of this trilogy ... a guy that should be dead, but he's just too awesome so you have to keep him around.
***END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!!******END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!!******END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!!
***END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!!******END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!!******END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!!
***END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!!******END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!!******END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!!
My updated Oscars rankings.
(Still need to see: Call Me By Your Name, Darkest Hour, Detroit, The Florida Project, Mudbound, Phantom Thread, The Post, The Shape of Water)
Up this Week: The Post or The Shape of Water
Best Picture
1. Lady Bird
2. Dunkirk
3. The Big Sick
4. Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
5. Wind River
6. The Disaster Artist
7. Blake Runner 2049
8. Get Out
9. Battle of the Sexes
10. Logan
Best Actor
1. James Franco (The Disaster Artist)
2. Adam Driver (The Last Jedi)
3. Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out)
4. Jeremy Renner (Wind River)
5. Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick)
Best Actress
1. Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird)
2. Frances McDormand (Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri)
3. Emma Stone (Battle of the Sexes)
4. Elizabeth Olson (Wind River)
5. Allison Williams (Get Out)
Best Supporting Actor
1. Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri)
2. Woody Harrelson (Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri)
3. Steve Carell (Battle of the Sexes)
4. Mark Hamil (The Last Jedi)
5. Mark Rylance (Dunkirk)
Best Supporting Actress
1. Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird)
2. Holly Hunter (The Big Sick)
3. Dafne Keen (Logan)
Best Director
1. Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird)
2. Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk)
3. Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049)
4. Jordan Peele (Get Out)
5. James Franco (The Disaster Artist)
Nor is it a defining one. Those moments for this season are gone.
That doesn't mean that the game against Missouri isn't important because there are stakes in this game, even if the magnitude of those stakes shouldn't be overblown.
On the surface, there's not a ton of a difference between 6-7 and 7-6, a point Tom Herman has made a couple times since the announcement of this game. However, a loss means that every fourth-year senior and departing junior in the program will finish his career without knowing the feeling of finishing with his head above .500 once in his career.
For a program and fan base that discusses returning to the college football mountaintop as the only goal, this consecutive losing seasons thing has to come to an end. How can you talk about championships with a straight face if you haven't so much as finished over .500 once in the playoff era of college football?
If the Longhorns were a movie character, they would be Forrest Gump as a child when he's being chased by the bullies that are throwing rocks. At some point, this program has to shake those leg braces off and start to run with purpose. A loss means that this program will go into next season looking more like this ...
Than this...
Meanwhile, from a recruiting standpoint, this outcome is about establishing a wee-bit of on-field momentum for the Class of 2019 more than it is about anything that's going to impact an event connected to the final 5-6 weeks of the current recruiting cycle.
In reality, the cake might already be in the oven (see what I did there) from a recruiting standpoint with both classes, but if you have a chance to make the final impression of this season a good one, well, add some sweet-tasting decorations to that cake that you're going to be serving.
Ok, that's enough metaphors from me. Those are the stakes.
I'll let Nuke Laloosh have the final word.
No. 2 – What I think Texas needs in this game ...
Texas can't win this game without very good quarterback play. Period. If you think that's impossible, then you need to prepare yourself for the likely outcome if good quarterback play can't happen.
Because Missouri not only has very good quarterback play in Drew Lock, but he's not facing the same Texas defense that kept the likes of Sam Darnold, Mason Rudolph and Baker Mayfield (to a degree) under control to a point that it allowed a stale offense a chance to pull out the game. The three best players on the defense that was able to play at that kind of level are all gone, which means you can't take it to the bank that the defense will be able to keep this game winnable by itself.
It's going to take 27+ points to win this game.
Whether it's Shane Buechele (who will start) or Sam Ehlinger (who might play) or both (a real possibility), the quarterback position has to play at a level that's been pretty rare in 2017.
No. 3 – A Tweet that will stop you in your tracks ...
No. 4 – Four non-quarterbacks that I'm looking forward to watching on Wednesday ...
Gary Johnson - This has a chance to be his defense next season and the game against the Tigers will give us our first glimpse of what a defense built around the talent of Johnson at linebacker looks like.
Elijah Rodriguez - In the spring, he was just a pretty good player that was expected to possibly be one of the five best linemen in the program, but the moment he was knocked out of action, it seemed like his reputation turned into something closer to Justin Blalock than Taylor Doyle. I'm very curious to see what Rodriguez looks like against decent competition.
Daniel Young - The platform for a big game could present itself and when you consider that stat in the section above, the true freshman could put himself in a pole position as the starter going into the spring by a decent margin. Clearly the staff believes in Young, but a monster performance by this very important player heading into 2018 could prove to be vital.
Wide Receivers - It's been a frustrating season for the entire position group. The snap allocation will be fascinating.
No. 5 – The elephant in the room ...
I don't trust Texas in this game. Not for one second.
No. 6 – Call me crazy, but ...
As uneven as the Texas basketball team has looked at times this season, it's still a team that is 9-3 heading into the conference-opener on Friday night against Kansas.
Isn't that a record that most would have signed up for at the beginning of the season, especially if I had said that two of the losses would be overtime losses to Duke and Gonzaga on a neutral court?
Don't get me wrong, the Big 12 is going to be hellacious and it's possible that by the end of the season, an overall .500 record could be staring this team in the mirror, but this is not a team full of chumps, even if it at times fights itself on offense.
Its RPI is in the top 45 and the team's defense ranks among the best in the nation.
This team is going to be in close games and it has to prove it can win them, but I would contend that it's way too early to be shoveling dirt.
*ducking*
No. 7 – Buy or Sell …
BUY or SELL: Texas will have a new offensive coordinator/play-caller for 2018?
(Sell) This is my answer as of right now. Feel free to ask me this again tomorrow night if things go sideways on offense.
BUY or SELL: Texas' lack of true talent along the OL and DL will hold the program back from getting to where it wants to be quickly?
(Buy) You forgot quarterback.
BUY or SELL: CTH's February recruits will include all current non-signed verbal commitments, at least two additional 4 star+ guys, a JUCO OL and JUCO DL.
(Sell) I think Texas keeps all of its verbal commitments and will add a couple of JUCO linemen, but I don't know if the Longhorns have two more four-stars in them.
BUY or SELL: This was the hardest season yet to cover the Horns?
(Sell) There have been worse years, perhaps just not as much apathy.
BUY or SELL: There are four future Division I coaches on Herman’s staff (not including Herman himself)?
(Sell) Outside of Todd Orlando, I'd say the math is stacked against the rest.
BUY or SELL: Texas current WRs just aren't as good as we thought they were?
(Buy) I still believe this group would rip it up at Oklahoma if you switched position groups.
BUY or SELL: The quarterback who leads the Longhorns to their next national championship is currently not on campus nor has he signed a national letter of intent.
(Buy) Texas fans really need to stop talking about national titles and focus on getting to 8 or 9 wins first.
BUY or SELL: Brandon Jones keeps his job for two more seasons?
(Buy) I think Jones takes a big step next season and becomes one of the best players on the team. Buy as much stock as you can while it’s this low.
BUY or SELL: We stay in the same zip code as KU on Friday?
(Buy) Texas leads with five minutes to go, but loses by five.
No. 8 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
... You haven't seen apathy towards a team until you've seen mine as a Dallas Cowboys fan. I found myself absolutely emotionless during the Seattle loss. Whatever. Is Red-ball coming back? Is Jerry keeping the team? What difference does it make?
... Do the Browns have a better long-term upside than the Cowboys? Don't laugh. The Cowboys have exactly two more playoff wins than the Browns since 1996 and none of them have occurred outside of the wildcard round.
... James Harrison is signing with the Patriots? Oh man, that is all kinds of messed up. We need a Patriots/Steelers AFC Championship game in the worst way.
... Todd Gurley became a verb in the last two weeks. For instance, if you were in the fantasy league playoffs and ran into a team with Gurley on it, it was almost impossible not to be Gurley'd in the process. Ask Dunlap. He was thiiiiis close to his first fantasy title in a decade in our Orangebloods/Rosterwatch league, but his team was Gurley'd by a damn new guy. I'm almost as disgusted as he is.
... Watching Los Angeles with a team as good as the Rams is a little like watching the Florida Marlins win a World Series. Sometimes sports is absolute bull-dookie.
... Social media will lose its mind (again) if New England wins a playoff game because NFL officiating seemed to favor it (again).
... I almost feel bad for what awaits the Eagles in the playoffs ... almost.
... The NBA on Christmas is better than the NFL on Christmas.
... Hate on Kevin Durant all you want, but he's the only one that has not only proven that he can take down LeBron James when they match up, but he practically begs to take on the responsibility of keeping him under control.
... Draymond has no chill
... Philippe Coutinho is becoming world-class in front of our very eyes as the calendar turns to 2018.
... Harry Kane has to leave Tottenham after this season, right? He's not going to spend his career with a club that pinches pennies, right?
... Jose Mourinho isn't special ...not anymore.
No. 9 – Scattershooting on the holidays …
... Why do toy companies make every single toy nearly impossible to get out of its packaging?
... "Dominick the Donkey" is a catchy little tune after you've been forced to listen to it 1,000 times over the course of a few days.
... "It's a Wonderful Life" still gets me every time. So does the end of "Scrooged."
... I still need to watch Love Actually before the end of the week.
... Nothing makes for more uncomfortable family time like family time around the television with cable news on.
... I think we should leave Christmas lights on all year.
No. 10 – And Finally …
I'm going to end this week's column with a few thoughts on The Last Jedi.
Therefore ... let me warn you right now...
***SPOILER ALERT!!!!******SPOILER ALERT!!!!******SPOILER ALERT!!!!******SPOILER ALERT!!!!***
***SPOILER ALERT!!!!******SPOILER ALERT!!!!******SPOILER ALERT!!!!******SPOILER ALERT!!!!***
***SPOILER ALERT!!!!******SPOILER ALERT!!!!******SPOILER ALERT!!!!******SPOILER ALERT!!!!***
a. While I enjoyed the movie quite a bit, it was not better than The Force Awakens or Rogue One.
b. Adam Driver's Kylo Ren went from zero to hero in the span of a single movie. That was an MVP performance. This series is all about Ben Solo moving forward and that's a good thing, which is beyond ironic when you consider the reviews of Driver in The Force Awakens. The scenes with Ren and Rey were some of the best sequences in the history of the franchise.
c. Mark Hamil gave a career-best performance in The Last Jedi.
d. Fans are furious about the fact that the lore of the previous movies was treated like yesterday's news, but if you're ever going to escape the shadow of the previous movies, destroying the shadow isn't a bad way to go. This isn't Luke's story. Or Han's. Or Chewy's. I had no problem with the direction of the story.
e. That being said, Admiral Ackbar deserved better.
f. I don't know what to make of Finn. As much as I love Jon Boyega, Finn surviving was one thing I didn't quite understand. Between the chemistry between Ren and Rey, along with the look Rey gave Poe at the end, I don't know what's left for ol' Finn. He ain't winning Rey's love at the end of this thing.
g. On one hand, I hated the Leia surviving a ship being destroyed by floating in space, but on the other hand it was cool to see her use the Force for the first time in such a do-or-die moment.
h. Poe is essentially the Jesse Pinkman of this trilogy ... a guy that should be dead, but he's just too awesome so you have to keep him around.
***END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!!******END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!!******END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!!
***END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!!******END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!!******END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!!
***END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!!******END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!!******END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!!
My updated Oscars rankings.
(Still need to see: Call Me By Your Name, Darkest Hour, Detroit, The Florida Project, Mudbound, Phantom Thread, The Post, The Shape of Water)
Up this Week: The Post or The Shape of Water
Best Picture
1. Lady Bird
2. Dunkirk
3. The Big Sick
4. Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
5. Wind River
6. The Disaster Artist
7. Blake Runner 2049
8. Get Out
9. Battle of the Sexes
10. Logan
Best Actor
1. James Franco (The Disaster Artist)
2. Adam Driver (The Last Jedi)
3. Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out)
4. Jeremy Renner (Wind River)
5. Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick)
Best Actress
1. Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird)
2. Frances McDormand (Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri)
3. Emma Stone (Battle of the Sexes)
4. Elizabeth Olson (Wind River)
5. Allison Williams (Get Out)
Best Supporting Actor
1. Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri)
2. Woody Harrelson (Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri)
3. Steve Carell (Battle of the Sexes)
4. Mark Hamil (The Last Jedi)
5. Mark Rylance (Dunkirk)
Best Supporting Actress
1. Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird)
2. Holly Hunter (The Big Sick)
3. Dafne Keen (Logan)
Best Director
1. Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird)
2. Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk)
3. Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049)
4. Jordan Peele (Get Out)
5. James Franco (The Disaster Artist)
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