So as I was reading my other fellow bloggers blogs, say that ten times fast, and I found out that my dad is now blogging on my brothers blog once a week (I didn't know that I could use the word Blog so much in one sentence). Anyway, so I found this quite funny and thought that I might share his thoughts on my page as well as John's. So dad, if you read this, I'm sorry I stole your entry.
Welcome to the first edition of This Week in the Southwest Conference. The plan is to write this article by Tuesday each week and get it to the blog no later than Thursday. That is the plan anyway. I will try to make sure that the day job does not get in the way. You will see through the season that I am passionate for both NCAA football and for what could be the greatest conference in Division 1. This summer’s defection of two Big 8 members from the unnatural Big 12 has convinced me that it is time to go back to the future. I felt it was only a matter of time until something like this happened and now it has. So since it has, it is time to begin the resurrection of the SWC, and I mean the original SWC that was envisioned in 1914. Face it, the only people who think that the Little Ten are going to stay married beyond the end of the current television contract cycle are the same people who believe that the Big East is a major football conference, that Kentucky and Kansas can also be football schools, and that USC is not already the NFL’s Los Angelesfranchise. If we do not take matters in our own hands, the great programs of the southwest will be scattered to the four winds. Now it will take a few years and a lot of work to get everyone officially on board, but it is time to lay the foundation.
For many of us, the 1995 season was more of a wake than a football season. One of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious conferences was told to get lost by the major television networks. And sadly, the powers that were the SWC at the time said okay. But the reality is, the Red Raiders could care less about Missouri. The Corps of Cadets were originally gung ho about marching through Manhattan, until they realized it was in Kansas. And while Bevo may have fantasized going a couple of rounds with Ralphie, not even Baylor was scared of Kansas.And now without a championship game, do you really want to playIowa State every year? Shotgun weddings generally never work out and the made for TV Conference that was dreamed up in Bristol, CTwas just that, a dream, or I should say, a nightmare. And while there may have been a flirtation with the West Coast, come on, even A&M saw through that smoke and mirror and said no to Berkeley while giving Starkville the blinking eyelashes. Well so much for the past and the dreadful present, it is on to the future.
One final note before we get to 2010 football. If you pay attention to the standings below you see that OU and OSU (Ok A&M) were members long ago. They may have wandered away after WWI, but they are now back and back with a vengeance. In fact, history will show that the only good to come out of the Big 12 was the Big 12 South, the only division in college football that is really its own conference. But if you are paying attention, that’s because that it originally was its own conference. And if you are saying “huh” about LSU, look at the meeting notes from the gathering at the Rice Hotel in 1914. LSU was invited; but they never joined. Let’s just say that the invitation has always been open and since Katrina, there seem to be more LSU stickers in Houston than UH. And finally, just for the record, Ole Miss was also invited to join back in ’14, but we’ll just let that invitation expire. It is hard enough to get to Fayetteville; we sure do not need to go looking for Oxford, the one in Mississippi, that’s 2 p’s for you Crimson Tide folks.
So with that introduction and bit of history, it is time for football.The first two weeks have already been exciting in the SWC. In Week 1, SMU took Tech to the wire and Rice got 70,000 people to pay good money for their more often than not early season scrimmage withTexas. With no conference games in Week 2, it is a good time to review the early season performance of the teams. Six in the Top 25, ten at 2-0 and two at 1-1, no a bad start at all. OU played through a slumber in Week 1, thinking they were playing Utah, not State; but ripped through Florida State in Week 2 like a tornado through a Nebraska trailer park. TCU showed how weak the west really is by beating a ranked Oregon St. Ok St has one of the nations leading rushers and Tech destroyed an overmatched New Mexico. Looks like Baylor and A&M both have talent at QB, while UH may have Heisman talent at QB. And speaking of the Heisman, it looks like Texas may also have a Heisman winner at QB, but from 5 years ago, not in 2010.As for the here and now, if Texas does not want a major letdown this season, the defense is going to have to get really nasty while Gilbert tries to find his way and the running backs try to find the end zone.And Rice and SMU, on the short end in conference play, both notched wins in non-conference. So against the world, the SWC is undefeated; even if the world includes wins against a couple of dead Texas heroes, Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin. At least the SWC can beat a dead President; better than what the Virginia Polytechnical Institute did against President Number 4.
So much for history, let’s preview Week 3. Two conference games are scheduled, Baylor at TCU on Versus at 3:30 cst and Texas goes to the South Plains to tangle with Tech at 7 cst on ABC. Both should prove to be interesting games. Conventional wisdom says that TCU should handle Baylor, because, well because they are Baylor. But Art Briles has the Bears believing, which is what they do really well at Baylor, and Robert Griffin has them winning. Do not be surprised if this game goes down to the wire. As for Saturday night, oh my gosh, for you youngsters I guess that would be OMG. Let’s see, the last time Texaswent to Lubbock they had everything right where they wanted it.Undefeated, late in the season, national television, and playing on the road against a Top 5 team. All the ingredients needed to get into the BCS Championship Game. And with 0:02 seconds left, it was looking good. But it fell apart at 0:01. The fact is that over the last six visits to Lubbock the series is tied at three apiece. Now, the pirate may have been forced to walk the plank, but Tommy Tuberville is smart enough not to mess up a good thing. Taylor Potts looks as good as any of the QBs from the Leach years, which will force Muschamp to come up with full 60 minute plan this time. If you cannot catch this one live, be sure you have your DVR set. It could be one of those instant classics the four letter network shows on Sunday mornings while the rest of us are at church. An interesting non-conference game is Arkansas going over to Athens, the one in Georgia, not Greece.Whipping up on the SEC is always fun and let’s hope the Hogs run wild. As you can see, SWC is off to a great start in 2010. Let’s hope it keeps going that way. See you next week.
