Sports

<< Previous   of   Next >> Associated Press  (click to enlarge) Oklahoma tight end Brody Eldridge (83) celebrates a touchdown in the Sooners' 61-41 victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, December 1, 2008 'Horns get hooked in BCS Oklahoma passes Texas in the BCS standings and is rewarded with a place in the Big 12 championship game. By Chris Dufresne Los Angeles Times Texas Coach Mack Brown learned Sunday that no two campaigns are alike. In 2004, his lobbying on behalf of Texas for a Rose Bowl berth may have helped swing enough votes away from California to deny the Golden Bears their first trip to the game since 1959. Texas deprived California by claiming the coveted No. 4 spot in the Bowl Championship Series standings by a miniscule margin of .0129. California lost points in the final coaches and writers' poll after a 26-16 win at SMU in which Coach Jeff Tedford ordered quarterback Aaron Rodgers to take a knee in the end rather than tacking on another score. California still hasn't been to a Rose Bowl since 1959. Minutes after Sunday's release of the BCS standings, an e-mail hit my inbox that read, "I hope you remind readers that Texas, now crying foul, didn't seem to have a problem with the BCS when it jobbed Cal in the same fashion a few years ago. This Thanksgiving, Mack Brown is getting a karma cookie for dessert." The First Amendment thrives in Berkeley, Calif. This year, not for any lack of effort or eloquence, Brown's second campaign fell a few stump speeches short. The release of Sunday's BCS standings was bad news for Texas. The horns got hooked. Alabama came in first, as expected, but Oklahoma jumped Texas for the No. 2 spot. This was critical because Big 12 rules dictated the BCS standings be used to break a three-way tie in the South Division among Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech. All three teams are 11-1, but only one could advance to Saturday's Big 12 championship game against Missouri. The winner of the BCS bake-off was Oklahoma, which, if it beats Missouri, has the inside track to face the Southeastern Conference title champion, Alabama or Florida, in the BCS title game Jan. 8. Of course, had Texas been forwarded by the BCS standings, the Longhorns would have the inside track. "It is what it is," Brown said in a statement Sunday. "We don't like it, we don't agree with it or think it was fair but, like anything else, we'll handle it and move forward." Brown has never apologized for campaigning on behalf of his employer. "What I want is obvious, that's what's best for Texas," Brown said. Brown offered himself to numerous media outlets this week to speak to the merits of a Texas team that defeated Oklahoma, 45-35, in October. It was a compelling argument. And it almost worked. Texas, which entered the weekend trailing Oklahoma in both the USA Today coaches' and Harris polls, closed considerable ground. Texas moved ahead of Oklahoma in Harris and came within a whisker of catching Oklahoma in the coaches' poll. The Sooners prevailed by a single point, 1,397 to 1,396. Oklahoma, though, jumped from No. 3 to No. 1 in the BCS computer index while Texas stayed at No. 2. The voting coaches and Harris pollsters were allowed to hide under the cover of anonymity because only their final ballots next week are required to be made public. So here's what it means: With one week left, the BCS top five is Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas, Florida and USC. Florida is No. 4 for now but figures to jump to No. 1 or No. 2 with a win over top-ranked Alabama. If Oklahoma defeats Missouri, the Sooners are positioned to grab a BCS title spot. Texas will sit at home, at 11-1, hoping Missouri can pull off the upset that allows the Longhorns to win the national title berth. Those are the likely scenarios. There is no predicting what happens if Alabama suffers its first loss on a last-second field goal. Might the Crimson Tide only drop to No. 2 and earn a rematch with Florida? What if Oklahoma looks horrible in beating Missouri? Might voters, knowing their ballots are going to be public, reconsider Texas when the final BCS standings are released next Sunday? Mystery, as much as percentage points, is part of the equation. Texas might also have a shot at claiming The Associated Press crown. Texas is No. 3 behind Alabama and Florida in the AP, which pulled out of the BCS after the great Texas-California fiasco of 2004. Texas could move to No. 2 in place of the Alabama-Florida loser and stake its national title claim from there. USC won the AP title in 2003 after it got snubbed from the BCS title game despite finishing No. 1 in both polls. Here, in my opinion, is how the BCS bowls are most likely to shake out: National title: Florida vs. Oklahoma Rose: USC vs. Penn State Fiesta: Ohio State vs. Texas Sugar: Utah vs. Alabama Orange: Cincinnati vs. Boston College For Texas, it might take time for the pain to subside, but the BCS standings don't always break your way. In this sport, shift happens. Did Texas deserve the BCS nod this year? Probably. The Longhorns beat Oklahoma, fair and square, on a neutral field. But you could understand how voters and computer components might factor in Texas Tech defeating Texas but then getting crushed by Oklahoma. "None of us put together the system, but that's the way it is," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. Stoops said if head-to-head was the only argument, then Texas Tech "has a legitimate beef as anybody does." But, Stoops noted, "if they're out of the conversation because of how we beat them, then you've said a lot by taking them out of the conversation." Brown screams for a playoff, but, until then, continues to be a voter in the system he abhors. It's just the way the BCS works ... or doesn't work. California has never gotten over 2004. Texas might never get over Sunday. In the BCS, though, there's always a (rotten) tomorrow. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

1. Snohomish County man dies of swine flu 2. Lynnwood bank reprimanded by government 3. Police ID make of vehicle in fatal hit-and-run 4. Armed man shot by deputies in Arlington 5. IRS joins puppy mill investigation 6. Jetty Island ready for sand castles 7. Boeing's 6-month tally: 1 net order 8. Warriors & Patriots: Many American Indians served before getting full citizenship rights 9. Movin' out 10. Marshals seize swindler's home 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Warriors looking for balance • Three Scots vying for QB slot • Jackson looks for another title • Decorated veteran continues to serve as active volunteer • City Council reviewing sign regulations • Wildcats get a peek at newcomers • Lynnwood still in rebuilding mode • Shoreline feels a kindergarten growth spurt • Leave the patriotic pyrotechnics to professionals, cities urge • Trading dollars for kilowatts New PUD energy conservation programs save ... • By John Wolcott SCBJ Editor • Record crowd at Paine Field’s General Aviation Day as FHC Celebrate ... • Celebration of aviation's history and future presented in multiple venue ... • The time is ripe for small businesses to take no prisoners • EPA proposal to regulate global-warming gases would be costly for small ... • Innovation helps the town of Forks to offset tough economy • Powering the people