No chance Colorado scores 35 on this defense. FWIW, Mack's last 4 years here have been the best 4 year run we've had since 61-64. I think it speaks well about Mack, but also how low this program was. When Reese took over this defense, he said it was missing two things: Speed and the ability to tackle. Our defense was slow and unathletic. Now, Reese has the talent and what could be the #1 defense in the country, provided Miami moves the ball on Tech.
I don't know, CU looked like they could move the ball against UT when they played in Austin this year. CU's problem was turnovers. I think they're going to come out fired up and determined to give their fans a good show. Plus, wouldn't a high-scoring CU offense and a close UT win help UT's BCS cause?
Texas 24, Colorado 13. The UT defense is too good to allow the Buffalos to run wild. I don't think Colorado will turn the ball over like they did the first game, so the game won't be a blowout, but it'll be a convincing win. Nice call on the '99 Nebraska win, shanna. I thought the win over the Huskers the year before, in Nebraska that was huge too. First win NU had suffer at home in a very long time.
Hmm... fun thread. lol I think the only way Colorado can win is if they can shut down the run and make UT one dimensional with Simms. I still don't buy into this guy and I think he can throw a couple of interceptions in a real hurry if you put the game on him. I don't think CU can shut down the run though so it will be a UT field day IMHO. UT - 31 CU - 10 I don't consider this a big game either. CU has never been a real player in the BCS like Nebraska. Whoever said Nebraska had a suspect defense must not realize that even after that blood bath last week, they're still rated 9th in total defense. Just a little perspective on that, A&M is 11th.
Oh, and UT also beat the (eventual Big-12 Champion) Aggies in 1998. At the time I think the Aggies were ranked in the top 10 nationally. I think that also qualifies as a win in a big game.
<B>Plus, wouldn't a high-scoring CU offense and a close UT win help UT's BCS cause?</B> Maybe, maybe no. It helps by making Colorado look better (and thus our wins look better), but if Tennessee beats Florida, a close win on our part makes it more likely they jump us in one/both of the polls. The BCS is a big fat mess if you look at individual games (which we do at this time of the year), although I still believe it works out in the end. Ultimately, the bigger the win, the better, in my opinion. If nothing else, it affects the human perceptions of the teams. (of course, we have to get a win of any kind first)
Actually, gr8-1 and SamCassell, the more I think about it, the more I have to agree with you 2. UT has a very stout defense, plus I think CU may try to play a little ball control and keep the UT offense off the field as much as possible. UT - 21 CU - 17
One has nothing to do with the other. That comeback was like saying, "Funny you call me a liberal and yet you eat fried eggs for breakfast sometimes". I called you a deranged parrot because you're so wedded to the idea that Brown can't win a big game that you're completely ignoring the big games he's already won at Texas rather than engaging your brain and admitting it. If you've really followed Texas football for more than the last four months, I cannot believe I have to remind you of Mack's big wins. Are only conference championship games "big games"...? If so, Mack's 0-1 at Texas. I don't think a one-game sample proves he can or can't do anything. Is it only the OU game...? If so, Mack's 2-2 in that one. Rivalry games...? 5-4 against OU, A&M, and Arkansas (which isn't much of a rivalry anymore) combined. Games against Top 10 teams...? UT beat Nebraska (snapping their 47-game home winning streak) and Texas A&M when both were ranked in the Top 10 in 1998 and followed that up with a win over No. 3 Nebraska in 1999. Overall I believe he's 3-6 at UT. Not great but hardly proof he "can't win big games". No, I think your definition is a lot simpler. A "big game" for Texas is one we lose. You should write for the Houston Chronicle.
OK shanna, I'll consider that a big game. But a bigger game was the A&M game the same year, and a much bigger game was against the same opponent in the Big XII championship game...both times we lost (but the A&M game is acceptable because of losing Major right before the game, but not for Mack telling the players to stop jumping up and down before the start of the second half), the championship game we got crushed, our only good play being when Bevo shat upon the Nebraska in the end zone. I'll expand it to this year's A&M game as well. We were looking to lock up a BCS bid, and, despite all of Greg Davis' attempts to the contrary, we won in a very hostile environment. I'll include the Nebraska game in 1998 in Lincoln. I forgot that snapped their long win streak, I just remember that NU wasn't so great that year. I'll also include the A&M game that same year...Ricky's record breaking run, even though they tried their best to give that one away as well. Mack's two wins against OU were when they were mediocre. The last two years, we were supposed to be in the nation's elite (and up until this point, we are this year), and we got crushed one meeting, and we played like sissies the next, offensively. When you have a coordinator that basically says that they coached not to lose (he said the reason they didn't run any different plays was because they didn't want to lose on a play like that), when I've heard from 1st grade on that you're never supposed play that way, you're supposed to play to win. I think that's my main beef with Brown this year. Under any other circumstances, I'd be heaping praise upon him like everyone else. However, he allows a game to be coached like it was in Dallas. Then, when people criticizes the playcalling and the lack of Cedric Benson, he does two things. He calls those people untrue fans and he says that Benson wasn't ready. The first statement is plain idiotic. Fans can criticize all they want to as long as they root for the team no matter what. The second fact pisses me off because I'm just wondering what in the hell Benson was doing in summer practice and up until October 6th. Why in the hell wasn't he ready for that game, the biggest game of the year (Big XII championship and potential Rose Bowl games, two seemingly unrealistic goals if you don't take care of business on the 6th)? To add insult to injury, Benson's miraculously able to play against OSU, and kick ass. When I say big, I truly mean the games that make or break a season. The only thing that matters in NCAA football is winning a national championship or, to a lesser extent, a conference championship. Until, there's a playoff system, one or two games a year will make or break a season...so it's true that a game that might not be considered big at the time, turn out to be big, because it was a loss, or you lost an unexpected game down the road. For example, Colorado's game against OSU was a huge game this year. Had they somehow lost that game, they wouldn't be in this situation. However, at the time, the Game Day crew weren't outside the stadium. Some of you know why I'm so hard on Mack, and it's really not his fault. I personally think he's a great guy, a little smarmy in politician sort of way, but that doesn't bother me, hell, I'm about to propose to a future lawyer. But, my harshness on Mack goes back to the Texas Tech game in 1997. I'm sitting on the alumni side for the first time all year. I leave that game, a win, shocked that I heard so many "fans" of UT, cheering when we did bad and booing when we did good. They wanted Mackovic out that bad that they didn't care if James Brown or some of the other seniors went out with a win in their last home game. They just wanted Mackovic out of there. So, when I criticized Mack the first time, and I had some fans (not ones that rooted for Tech, but Mackovic haters all the same) come up with excuse after excuse for why things happened the way they did. Most of them, honestly, were valid, but after putting up with their crap for a year, I decided for whatever reason to take up the anti-Mack cause until he wins a conference championship. So, I back off my earlier statements about Mack never winning a big game. He has some nice wins. But until he can win a game like the one we have Saturday, then I won't give him the respect that nearly everyone else does.
As for the game itself, I wouldn't be surprised with a CU win, my thoughts on the coaching staff aside. They did outgain us in the first half in October, with a QB who learned less than an hour before game time that he was starting.
reasonable enough. but I still say it's davis' fault [on game day, in particular] and not Brown's. to me, it's Brown's fault from a broader perspective if he never makes the needed change if Davis continues to call crappy plays. but in that case, to me, the rap on Brown is that he's too loyal to his friends and not that he's a bad big-game coach. looking at the examples that people have posted as "big wins", it seems like mack and his staff do a better job of coaching the underdog than the favorite. that's where his recruiting has hurt him. he's gotten himself too many incredible talents to ever let his team be considered the underdog. looking at it that way, it would be reeeeaaaallly interesting to see a Texas-Florida or Texas-Miami matchup in the Rose Bowl. in either of those cases, I think the media and las vegas would treat Texas as the underdog. that would make me like our chances that much better. even though OU was ranked higher, wasn't Texas the favorite in this year's game? an interesting stat to know would be mack's record as the favorite vs. the underdog. but I still think you should change your username to NotsohardMack if we win tomorrow night, rm95.
I knew Pesavento was gonna start two or 3 days before the game. He's older than OChs,he wasn't a green freshman by any means. As for the turnovers, CU didn't magically throw them on the ground. They were forced. The game against NU in the alamodome was expected. NU was loaded that year, and beating them in Austin was quite an upset.
That's the big question that worries me. Honestly, our best plan for playing you guys is to hope that Simms has one of his cold days and that we can control the clock with our running game. Like I've been saying all along, this is going to be a close, well fought game between two deserving teams. It just stuns me to see so many predictions with UT winning by 20+ points. This is a completely different CU team than you faced earlier this year.
Nuggets4: If both teams bring their A games, Texas wins by 30. CU is out-talented at every single position except tail back. Go look at the statistical comparisons. Look at games against mutual opponents. Texas absolutely blows CU away. CU is a good team, Texas is absolutely amazing. collegefootballnews.com has a very good analysis of the game. Check it out, and then look at the statistical rankings of the teams. CU's only chance is if Texas plays a conservative C game while they come out hitting on all cylinders. It could happen, but I wouldn't bet on it. CU has played one terrific game this season. The rest of the year... they've been ok. And they should never, ever have lost to Fresno St. You talk about how CU has improved... but Texas has as well. Rm95: you pessimist
Oh yeah, my analysis of CU-Nebraska . Two reasons CU won: 1. Nebraska is an excellent team, but they're built on technique and power, not speed. Nebraska's overall team speed is actually quite mediocre. Colorado's RB's are fast. Nebraska's LB's aren't particularly. To have a chance against a speed team, Nebraska HAS to win the battle at the line. In that game, their D-line got absolutely manhandled. Even if Texas loses the battle at the line, Colorado's RB's still won't get past Lewis and Johnson. 2. Nebraska hadn't faced a team that could really run the football all year. Yeah, they beat Oklahoma. But Oklahoma's offense was... mediocre. Texas Tech has a nice offense. But their running game doesn't exactly inspire terror. The blackshirts faced their first challenge w/the running game and got burned. Texas has the team speed to contain Nebraska's runing game. And they have the defensive backs to SHUT DOWN any semblance of a passing game.
Here to face the music. I talked the talk , but my team didn't walk the walk. Good luck to CU and anti-Simms fans. Y'all won.
