I, like you, was jumping around with excitement when Nebraska took the lead with 1:44 left. This is it! This is the year we don't get two clear top teams! This is the straw that breaks the playoff-averse camel's back! But because college football is high on spectacle but low on fundamental play, it took just nine seconds for Texas to get down to Nebraska's 26-yard line.

An email being forwarded to pretty much every newspaper columnist in the country is trying to claim that since the Big 12's instant replay rules forbid the use of replay after the clock has run out, NU are the rightful conference champs. Nice try, but sorry. The whole point is, the clock didn't run out, even though Colt McCoy appeared to try his best. (That sequence was especially delicious after we had spent the drive putting up with the announcers praising Mack Brown's clock management.)

No, Texas won fair and square, just like Alabama. Tim Tebow's eyeblack highlighted John 16:33, a verse from the Last Supper. You have to wonder if he knew his run defense would betray him. Alabama owned Florida from the start, and Mark Ingram put an emphatic 3-TD stamp on his Heisman application.

Oh, Gators. We didn't want things to end like this. We need a too-perfect, media darling QB in our lives as long as we can get him. We did want to see Tebow crying on the sidelines after his national title hopes were dashed, but we didn't want to see it until the National Championship game.

Oh, Longhorns. We didn't want to see you make it this far. Not the we-only-hung-13-on-Nebraska Longhorns team. They'll be outclassed by the Crimson Tide's running game, and they'll be outmatched on defense.

Here's the worst part of it all: if Alabama had to win, we needed Texas to lose. A high-flying TCU or dark horse Cincinnati would give the title game some novelty, and have the country dissecting the failings of the BCS for a month. But if Texas had to win, we needed Alabama to lose. If we can't have some new faces, we at least need two big-name, dominant programs meeting, even if they weren't the best teams.

Now, it wouldn't have BCS Chaos if Nebraska held on. In decreasing order of likelihood, Alabama would have had to face Cincy, TCU, Florida (yikes), or Boise State. All fascinating matchups, and all great arguments for a playoff.

Here's a good solid prediction for the final BCS standings. You're telling me a four-team playoff, with the Bearcats and Horned Frogs getting their shots at the top two, wouldn't make for a great couple weeks? Even better, how about an 8-team bracket? Alabama would open with a feisty Ohio State, Texas would go up against an evenly matched Oregon, Cincinnati and Boise State would be able to make their cases against each other, and Florida would have another chance to prove themselves against TCU.

That sounds like an amazing month of football to me. And it's what we could have had, if not for the current BCS system. While it would be wonderful to see the rankings flail about to find a disputed No. 2 team, it's a much more damning indictment of the system to have, laid out for us, what we're missing out on.

Kindle's own lawyer said he was "probably text messaging" when he lost control of his car and smashed into a campus apartment building, driving half-way into the bedroom of 21-year-old Ashley Zapata. Witnesses said Kindle and his friends then got out of the car, pushed it back into the street, and then abandoned it. More genius-level logic to follow:

"He knew he was hurt at the time and that he needed to go home and go to bed," Roark said.

I guess Kindle's not a pre-med major. The accident caused over $8,700 in damages, not counting the smashed furniture and computer that used to belong to Zapata. By the way, Kindle was suspended three games back in 2007 for a DUI, but I'm sure that had no bearing on his decision to "sleep it off" and not tell anyone what happened until the next morning. However, since he is not a 16-year-old girl I think the text messaging excuse is equally pathetic.

Kindle has concussion after car hits apartment [Austin American-Statesman]

Edwin Dailey, a 73-year-old—I believe that the proper nomenclature is "coot"—from Austin, Texas, was arrested on Monday after pulling a gun on three golfers at a local municipal course. Dailey had begun arguing with the men out on the ninth hole, when he complained that they were playing too slowly and had improperly parked their cart. The argument continued for several holes and when they got back to the parking lot, that's when Dailey decided to take it up a notch.

After the 18th hole, all of them ended up in the parking lot together, the affidavit said, and Dailey reignited the confrontation and told the three men to stay away from him because he felt threatened.

After a verbal exchange, Dailey pulled out a .25-caliber Browning handgun loaded with hollow-point bullets and pointed it at Nader, the affidavit said. The three men took cover behind cars, fearing for their lives, the affidavit said. Dailey then concealed the gun and went back to the clubhouse while the men called 911, the affidavit said.

He later returned while they were on the phone and said, "If I feel threatened, I am morally obligated to destroy you," according to the affidavit.

Emphasis added for badassness. One of the three men, Matt Nader, is a student-assistant football coach at Texas. He is on scholarship there but does not play, because during his senior season of high school he had a heart attack on the field and nearly died. Having a crazy old man pull a gun on you for slow play should definitely help with that shaky ticker.

Man, 73, accused of aiming pistol at slower golfers [Austin American-Statesman, via Pat's Papers]

The Houston Press was following along with Brown's blog as he toured Europe, the Middle East and Africa with other college football coaches. The purpose of the tour was to visit with American troops to cheer them up, thank them for their valuable service, and maybe talk a little football, but a troubling trend started to develop in Mack's dispatches. According to Brown, the rest of the world is hot, dusty, loud, and disease-ridden, jet lag sucks and somebody (I'm looking at you, Tressel) snores.

Just listen to some of the hardships he endured:

May 29 — The upper part of the plane is very hot, while the lower part around your feet (and of course your feet and head if you lay down) could get to 10 degrees or lower. Needless to say sleeping was tough.

Still May 29 — You learn around these folks fighting for our freedom that at war, you can't sleep in on Saturday because you are tired and sore. No weekends off and I'll have to catch up on my rest when I get back from the tour.

May 30 — [The base] probably would look great flying in, but there are no windows in the cargo plane!....it is very hard to keep the time zones and days of the week straight, but it's even harder to keep up with the events in the States, especially sporting events. They have a military television station, but night TV games are on live at 3 or 4 a.m. It's tough to watch the game and go to work early the next morning... I'm worn out and headed to bed.

May 31 — The terrain in Iraq is pure desert, with some breeze, and very thin sand that really burns your eyes. The sun is so hot and so bright the glare makes it hard to be outside without sunglasses...

June 1 — The plane is slow, very loud and hot. You can't hear anything. You must either put ear plugs in or use your iPod....We are tired...Some people have questioned whether I should come on this trip and or why I would....The conditions are very tough. It is very hot and dusty. You feel dirty all the time, and the sand constantly blows in your nose, mouth and eyes. Your eyes start to burn, it is very hard to breathe, and you get a sore throat....We didn't eat at dinnertime because we had a 30-minute practice for the troops....

June 3 — As far as Djibouti is concerned, it was very hot when we got out of bed at 5 a.m. and it was also very smoky because they burn their trash. There were also French planes from next door that flew fighter jets all night. That was very loud and made sleeping difficult.

Mack did learn some things about the rest of the world. He saw a starving family in Djibouti and that made him sad. And on his last day, he finally took back all the mean things he said about the KC-135 cargo planes. (They are actually quite useful!) Yes, it was a rough week for Brown, but he's safely back home in lovely, climate-controlled Texas and will never have to fly commercial again.

UT's Mack Brown Visits The Troops, And Complains Endlessly [Houston Press]
MackBrown-TexasFootball.com [Texas Football]

(NCAA buckets. Duh.)

Today has pretty much been a snoozer as far as basketball action is concerned. That may all change tonight during the NCAA's evening sessions.

Purdue vs. Washington, 5:40 PM, Portland. You gotta fight! For the right! To get demolished by UConn next week!

North Carolina vs. LSU, 5:45 PM, Greensboro, NC. The North Carolina schools' annual NCAA tournament tour of North Carolina's arenas continue. Will Hansbrough ever close his mouth and/or get a rebound? Tune in to find out!

Oklahoma vs. Michigan, 5:50 PM, Kansas City. Will Michigan avenge their 1976 Orange Bowl loss to Oklahoma? Tune in to find out!.

Gonzaga vs. Western Kentucky, 8:10 PM, Portland. Chicago sports radio host Dan Bernstein has a theory that every year in the NCAA tournament, one of the Cinderella teams has red jerseys. Is Western Kentucky this year's Crazy Red Team? Tune in to find out!

Duke vs. Texas, 8:15 PM, Greensboro. Tonight, we are all Texans. Hook 'em, Horns!

*****

It's arguably the greatest day of the sports year, and I'm here to help kick off the third leg of it live blog style. That's right, it's Texas vs. Minnesota. Longhorns vs. Gophers. Barnes vs. Smith. Chris Mihm's alma mater vs. Joel Pryzbilla's alma mater. Six Flags vs. The Mall of America.

What do we know about these two teams heading into tonight's matchup? Texas, led by all-conference battering ram Dexter Pittman, made it into the tournament by finishing the regular season as the #5 team in the Big 12. That's right, the same Big 12 in which teams #1-3 and #5-7 are dancing, and the little ol' #4 team gets the shaft. Even Will Hunting can't figure out the math behind this one.

As for the Gophers, they're led by Saul Smith's dad - a guy who I hear has a National Championship under his belt. The #9 team from the Big Ten upset #8 Northwestern in the first round of the conference tournament before being knocked out by Michigan State. Apparently they don't understand rank order here either, as #6 Penn State and #8 Northwestern are both NIT'ing.

But none of that matters now. It's March Madness time, and we can all take pleasure in the fact that ESPN has unplugged their Joe Lunardi bracketology robot until next year. Let's play some ball.

Pregame: VCU is getting some serious love in the pregame show. That should crush any chances they have of pulling off an upset against UCLA. In other news, North Carolina squeaked by Radford while UConn was able to fend off the Mocs of Chattanooga. That can only mean the older lady in your office is probably mathematically eliminated from the pool now.

7:10 PM: Jim Nantz just said Abu-Shamala. This should be a good one. Clark Kellogg just chimed in that Texas should try to get the ball up court. I would hope so.

7:13: Abu-Shamala just laid one in to give the Gophers a quick 7-0 lead. I thought the Big Ten was supposed to be a defensive conference...

7:18: Nantz just announced that Pittman has lost almost 90 pounds since his arrival as a freshman, putting him at a lean 293 pounds. He still looks like a tight end to me. Meanwhile Minnesota holds a 13-5 lead.

7:27: Damion James cuts the lead to 15-13 before Connor Atchley ties it up with a dunk. Minnesota regains the lead at 17-15 before Nick Cage saves the world. Oh wait, that last one was a commercial.

7:30: We're back from commercial. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that there has never been a bigger dork-to-hotness gap than the one between the Texas pep band and their dance squad. Those girls could be naked and I bet the tuba player wouldn't bat an eye. Minnesota 20, Texas 18.

7:33: "Texas is the same team as a year ago...with one big exception: D.J. Augustin," Jim Nantz announces. By my calculations they're pretty much the same team as two years ago, minus Augustin and Kevin Durant. And 90 pounds of Dexter Pittman. Still 20-18.

7:40: There was a point in time when Gene Hackman was a well-respected actor. Then he was the coach in "The Replacements." Now he's doing voice-over work for Lowe's commercials. If he comes to my door tomorrow trying to sell me a vacuum cleaner I probably wouldn't bat an eye. Texas comes back after the break to take their first lead before little Lawrence Westbrook puts Minnesota back on top 26-25.

7:45: Travis Bush becomes the 12th Minnesota player to step on the court. Fifth graders giggle while basketball fans marvel at how Tubby Smith manages the game. The shuffling seems to be working, as a free throw from Westbrook puts the Gophers back on top 29-28.

7:53: Clark Kellogg takes a trip down memory lane as Texas takes a 33-29 lead after two Dexter Pittman free throws. I guess he used to play basketball against the father of Ralph Sampson III or something. I was too busy trying to count the number of vowels in Abu-Shamala to pay attention.

7:57: Down 36-32, Minnesota calls time out with 0:22 left in the first half. The Horns are leading and Howie Long is hawking Chevy's on TV. Everyone in Texas must be smiling.

8:04: Westbrook does his best Denis Clemente impression as he hits a quick three to cut the lead to one. A.J. Abrams responds with a trey of his own and Texas goes to the locker room up 39-35. Both coaches will make the necessary half-time adjustments as coverage is switched to the American-Villanova game. In an absolutely shocking turn of events, American is leading 38-31. A confused Toby Keith just wrote a song about it.

8:08: There's feeling good, there's feeling great and then there's the feeling of hitting the bathroom after being afraid to leave your laptop while live-blogging the first half of a basketball game. And if you're still following this, be sure to check out the other live blogs while we break.

8:23: The second half is now underway. A quick Damion James basket puts Texas up 41-35. James makes one of his two free throws, and one of the kids from "The Sandlot" checks in for Minnesota.

8:29: A.J. Abrams hits another three-pointer to put the 'Horns up 47-39. That guy can flat out stroke. Big 12 fans everywhere can sleep easy knowing that guy will never step foot in their arena again. (I looked up while typing that last sentence and saw Steve Nash shove his banana into a Vitamin Water. And no, that wasn't a euphemism).

8:34: Clark Kellogg notices that Lawrence Westbrook hasn't taken a shot yet this half at the same moment he drills a three. Texas has their lead cut to 47-44.

8:37: Abrams drills two more threes to give Texas a 53-44 advantage. If Tubby doesn't find an answer for him quick this one could get ugly pretty quick.

8:38: I spoke too soon. Kellogg's "Little Fella" drains another to make it 56-44 Texas. This should keep the folks in the Lone Star state happy until they realize the Cowboys signed John Kitna this offseason.

8:46: 61-46 Texas as I switch over to the MMOD player while CBS switches over to coverage of the pending mayhem about to ensue if American can hang on to their lead against Villanova. If you haven't checked out GreggyD's coverage of that game yet, now would be a good time. (http://deadspin.com/5175677/ncaa-tournament-live-blog-3-villanova-vs-14-american)

8:58: Texas is up 64-52 as Minnesota calls a timeout with 6:37 left. It's been the A.J. Abrams show in Greensboro. Jim Nantz just had the EXACT same thought. If that's all it takes to cover the Masters every April, sign me up.

9:03: The shots aren't falling for Minnesota as Westbrook, an 85% free throw shooter, misses both attempts at the charity stripe. Texas will most likely try to eat up the clock and Pittman will most likely try to eat up the basketball.

9:06: Jamal Abu-Shamala just met the wrong end of a Damion James dunk. James will shoot free throws after these messages from Old Spice, the official sponsor of both NASCAR and pre-pubescent kids across the country.

9:12: Conner "KU Killer" Atchley picks up a foul, leading to two free throws from Ralph Sampson's kid. Clark Kellogg again mentions that he used to play basketball while Dexter Pittman throws one down. Texas leads 74-60. I feel like the announcer from "Major League" at this point.

9:16: Nantz points out that Tubby Smith made the tournament with Minnesota while Kentucky toils away in the NIT. It seems that Kentucky fans wish they hadn't treated him as harshly as they did. Somewhere Ashley Judd is weeping over a glass of Johnny Walker.

9:18: Texas is up 74-62 as Abrams steals the ball with just over a minute left. Westbrook and Abrams are your players of the game, as it appears Rick Barnes' boys will advance to the round of 32.

9:20: Texas 76, Minnesota 62. They'll play the winner of the Duke-Binghampton game later tonight. A big thanks to Sussman and the rest of the Deadspin crew for letting me live blog the game tonight. Be sure to check out the rest of the live blogs tonight/tomorrow as we continue to fuel the economic downfall that is March Madness.

2) Win At All Costs Rick Barnes is my least favorite coach in all of college basketball for one little incident that occurred at the end of last season. On Senior Day at Frank Erwin Special Events Center in Austin, Barnes played neither of his seniors in a 62-57 win over Oklahoma State. Sure, the Big 12 regular season title was on the line, but that's why you start your seniors and then take them out after a minute of play. They get the applause and you still get the win. Instead, Barnes decided to relegate seniors Ian Mooney or J.D. Lewis to the bench for their last game in front of the home crowd.

3) Shooting Blanks Despite having possibly the best pure shooter in college basketball on their team, Texas is statistically an awful shooting team from behind the arc. The Longhorns are last in the Big 12 in 3-pointers made (152) and 3-point field goal percentage (32.1%). The good news for Texas fans is that the Longhorns grabbed the most rebounds in the Big 12 this season. Of course, rebounds are easier to come by when you're missing shots. — Jacob E. Osterhout (Storming The Floor/Examiner.com)

MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS

1) Offensively, well, they are offensive. If you are looking for a stylish, up-tempo offensive team to entertain you this March, look elsewhere. The Gophers under head coach Tubby Smith are known for their defense, ability to create turnovers and fast break baskets. They rank 195th in the nation in PPG and 237th in the nation in three point field goal percentage. On the flip side, they are 34th in the nation in PPG allowed and opponents field goal percentage, holding teams to 61 points and 39% shooting a game. If they are to advance, their defense and timely baskets will be the keys to victory. Their scoring can come from anywhere, as they are the deepest team in the Big Ten and use a rotation of as many as 11 guys on any given night.

2) Overcoming tragedy Lawrence Westbrook certainly has overcome a lot to become the Gophers leading scorer this year. The first cousin of Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook, he had to deal with the news of his 18-year-old brother, Tajh, being involved in a serious accident last September. He was thrown 50 feet from a car, airlifted to a local hospital and suffered numerous fractures and bleeding on the brain. Doctors didn't know whether he'd live or die. Westbrook was one of the main reasons why the Gophers are in the tournament this year, singlehandedly carrying them to wins over fellow bubble team and hated rival Wisconsin twice this year.

3) Our coach, the savior Tubby Smith, in his most recent stop as head coach, led Kentucky to one National Championship in 1998, a perfect 16–0 regular season conference record in 2003, five SEC regular season championships and five SEC Tournament titles with six Sweet Sixteen finishes and four Elite Eight finishes in his nine seasons. It wasn't enough to keep Kentucky fans happy. We're just happy with a big dance bid here in Minnesota! Some UK fans went as far as to place "for sale" signs on his front lawn during his final years in Lexington. No wonder he wanted out so bad. Remind me, how's Kentucky doing now under Billy Gillespie? —Robbie Rosenhaus

Join the Deadspin Pants Party Group Pool [ESPN]
Download the Deadspin Bracket [PDF or JPG]

I used to think that Notre Dame bias was just a myth, until I saw this. Also, Georgetown needs to schedule more games. Thanks to sharp-eyed viewer Cole Dabney, whose camera is always at the ready.

Well, back to our game. How many overtimes are we up to now?

Once this game is decided tonight, all disputes between the schools, nay, the two states, are henceforth terminated. That's the beauty of sports, folks! The way it so clearly and cleanly ends all debate. Also, the way the light shines off Blake Griffin's nearly bald head as he expertly collects his double-digit points and rebounds, pairing them off two-by-two, like cute little endangered animals waiting to be rescued from the flood.

Oh, yeah. Hero worship. That's the other thing I love about sports.

Anyway, this Top Ten matchup will immediately follow the Top 20 matchup between Louisville and Notre Dame, making tonight's TV double-header an excellent time to start weaning yourself off of college and pro football. Unless, you're a New York Giants fan. You folks may continue to wallow in self-pity for as long as you like.

Game To Watch: Texas at Oklahoma [SI]
Game Preview: Louisville [Irish Eyes]
Let's do this again [Card Chronicle]

With his right hand wrapped tightly in ice, Carmelo Anthony bounded around the locker room, elated over what he had just witnessed on the big screen.

Anthony's beloved Texas Longhorns stormed back in the final seconds to beat Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, temporarily dulling the pain he was feeling in his hand.

Yes, yes, Carmleo Anthony broke his shooting hand, but what was that last part ... his "beloved Texas Longhorns"? As we all know, Anthony spent his one and only college year at Syracuse. He was born in Brooklyn. He grew up in Baltimore. (His favorite pro football team? The Ravens.) He played prep ball at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia. His entire NBA career has been based in Denver. None of those places are within spitting distance of Texas. In fact, his only apparent connection at all with the Longhorns or Austin is when he smoked them for a freshman-record 33 points in the National Semifinal back in 2003. You always hurt the ones you love?

Is there any documented evidence anywhere that Carmelo had any feelings at all for the University of Texas athletic department before last night? It's weird, right? Maybe he thought they were called the Burnt Orangemen?

In a completely unrelated story, Texas won the Fiesta Bowl straight up, but did not cover the spread and both teams missed the over.

Nuggets: Anthony has 'probable' fracture in hand [AP/IHT]
The Nuggets can overcome the Melo injury. Here's why... [Denver Stiffs]

The untrustworthy Buckeyes seemed ripe for another BCS bowl stomping, but their two-quarterback game plan, an excitable Beanie Wells, and some aggressive defense turned the Fiesta into arguably the best bowl of the season. (Just imagine if Terrell Pryor ever learns how to play quarterback. Yikes, he's sneaky.) The bad news, of course, is that instead of having their hearts crushed in the first 10 minutes, Texas patiently waited until the last possible moment before ripping the Buckeye's collective pumper out of their chest and showing it to them while still beating. The boys from Columbus acquitted themselves admirably but a few two many mistakes—and an untimely concussion to Wells—did them in in the end.

Meanwhile, Longhorn Quan Cosby flizzum-flazzumed his way through the secondary for 173 yards and a dagger of a touchdown with 16 seconds left in the fourth. His Crabtree-esque heroics were not unlike the fateful play that cost Texas a shot at the national title that they clearly don't deserve. Seriously ... great comeback, but does anyone really think this team beats Florida? Or even Oklahoma again?

What? It's not like I've been wrong before.

Oh, by the way. The real MVP? Freshman Luke Poehlmann's hairdresser.

Justice: Longhorns show determination in win [Houston Chronicle]
Texas impressive, but not title-worthy [Arizona Republic]
Ohio State's QB rotation had its moments [Dallas Morning News]
Fiesta Bowl Slideshow [AZ Central]

Ohio State may have now lost three straight bowl games, but there is still no known successful defense against Jim Tressel's devastating stinkeye.

Meanwhile, is that ... Mike Cooper? Somebody alert Carl Monday.

This year, the Big 12 gets their shot at embarrassing an entire conference, an entire state, and the spirit of decency and fair play by having their way with an over-matched Ohio State squad. Sure, it's not the national championship game this time and maybe Texas doesn't have that legendary Southern speed, but they do have a very, very large axe to grind. Completely dismantling Jim Tressel and his pampered freshman quarterback in the Fiesta Bowl, would be a nice way to take some of the air out of the Big Game on Thursday and remind the nation that they might be better than all your USCs and Floridas and (certainly) Oklahomas combined.

Not that you should avoid watching this pointless, drama-deprived blowout. I'm sure it will be very entertaining. Colt McCoy got an extra ticket for his girlfriend, right?

(10) Ohio State vs. (3) Texas [Yahoo]
Five Fiesta Bowl Questions And Predictions [Burnt Orange Nation]
It’s Party Time [Buckeye Commentary]
Longhorns Hope to Further Muddy the National-Title Picture [NY Times]

For the last six months, Jamarkus McFarland, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive tackle from Lufkin High School in Texas, let The New York Times follow him through the recruiting process and they learned several interesting things about the way Oklahoma and Texas—particularly Texas and its legion of shadowy boosters—approach their dealings with top recruits. You really need to read the whole thing, but some choice highlights might wet your whistle.

• McFarland's mother was initially sour on OU, because she was not impressed by her first visit to Norman. (Who is?) But d-line coach Jackie Shipp refused to give in, emailing her every day to try and win her over.

• Texas coach Mack Brown has a flat-screen TV in every room of his house, including the bathrooms.

• When Sooner coach Bob Stoops flew to Texas to meet McFarland at his home, he set the table, ate ribs and potato salad, then watched the Queen Latifah movie "Beauty Shop" with the recruit's grandmother. "Stoops occasionally chuckled."

• A former classmate of McFarland's mother called one day asking her to convince her son to attend Texas, because if he did so, a banker had promised the former classmate an interest-free loan.

• Mom did not like LSU because "hostesses" at a reception would sit on recruits laps.

• Oh, and football players at LSU get weekly maid service in their dorm room.

The best part of the story comes directly from a class paper that McFarland wrote about a party he attended in Dallas, which was thrown by Longhorn fans the night Texas beat Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl.

I will never forget the excitement amongst all participants,” McFarland wrote. “Alcohol was all you can drink, money was not an option. Girls were acting wild by taking off their tops, and pulling down their pants. Girls were also romancing each other. Some guys loved every minute of the freakiness some girls demonstrated. I have never attended a party of this magnitude ... The attitude of the people at the party was that everyone should drink or not come to the party. Drugs were prevalent with no price attached.

A sorority party that he attended in Norman, was much more low key. There was very little "romancing," leading McFarland to conclude:

Some people who attend the University of Oklahoma seem to represent different values than some people who attend the University of Texas.

Man, I hope he got an A.

McFarland chose the Sooners yesterday, apparently because of a much greater level of one-on-one attention and because it seems that he was more comfortable with the African-American Shipp as his position coach. It really is fascinating to watch the dance between coaches and players—and their families. It's like trying to convince your dream girl to go out with you, only in this case, being an insane, clingy stalker actually works.

And while I understand that the mother is simply trying to find the best place for her son, the sense of entitlement on her side is pretty remarkable as well. It's certainly a tough situation to be besieged on all sides by aggressive and (occasionally) unscrupulous people, and judging by the story of Jamarkus—who appears to be an amazingly level-headed kid—everyone becomes changed by the situation and almost no one comes out looking clean.

Oh, and I wonder if someone reading this article might decide they want to take a look at Texas' booster situation. Someone who isn't looking for free drugs, that is.

Inside the Red River Recruiting Rivalry [NY Times]

Related: The Ballad Of Willie Williams

Your wish for a photo of Erin Andrews posing in front of a giant percussion instrument? Granted. Daniel Shiu sent this in with precious few details, preferring to go on and on about the drum.

"This picture is of the Bertha crew of Texas' Longhorn Band with the one and only EA. Bertha Crew takes care of Big Bertha, the sweetheart of the Longhorn band, and considers Erin Andrews the sweetheart of the Bertha Crew." They let her keep the oversized drumstick, which is quite handy for keeping horny louts at a distance, and for beating rugs.

Erin's wardrobe from the Hamburglar Collection.

Barton is introducing legislation today on Capitol Hill that would get rid of the BCS and force college football to adopt a playoff to determine the national champion.
Oh, did I mention that he's from Texas?

He's from Waco, to be exact, and if I'm not mistaken that's University of Texas country (well, OK; Baylor. But the Bears aren't going to play for the national title anytime soon, and UT is just up the freeway). So it's just a coincidence that he's crusading against the system that totally hosed the Longhorns this season. Yep.

"In some years the sport's national championship winner was left unsettled, and at least one school was left out of the many millions of dollars in revenue that accompany the title,'' Barton said in a statement released ahead of the bill's introduction. "Despite repeated efforts to improve the system, the controversy rages on.''

He said the bill — being co-sponsored by Reps. Bobby Rush, an Illinois Democrat, and Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican — "will prohibit the marketing, promotion, and advertising of a postseason game as a 'national championship' football game, unless it is the result of a playoff system. Violations of the prohibition will be treated as violations of the Federal Trade Commission Act as an unfair or deceptive act or practice.''

Categorizing the BCS as a violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act is total genius or complete madness, or possibly both. Either way, I like it.

And so the BCS as we know it is doomed, of course. It's caught in a perfect storm, with rabid Texas Republicans on one side, popular President-elects on the other, and the thorniest nemesis of them all, ESPN, waiting in the wings. The Worldwide Leader signed a four-year commitment to broadcast four BCS games beginning in 2011. So if you think the current system will still be alive then, keep dreaming.

One might say that the country has other, bigger problems that would tuck the BCS onto the back shelf. But it's precisely because of the big problems that the BCS is easy prey; this is something that the public wants, and it's easy to fix. And that's the kind of low-hanging fruit politicians crave.

Update: Yes, the momentum is building.

Congressman Proposing To Kill BCS System [NBCSports]
A Vote For Change The NCAA Should Heed [New York Times]

—Thanks, Frank. And thanks, flubby, who sent me a very similar image earlier in the day.

Natalie Nelson attends Halloween party in Oct., 2006, dressed in a Texas football jersey. Two months later, the USC song girl "mistakenly" cheers for Texas following a Longhorns touchdown. Wow. It's now your move, Oliver Stone.

Here are some other photos courtesy of Busted Coverage, who makes the very wise statement: "Never….ever….take photos of yourself in any jersey of a team you might be facing in the BCS Championship. Grab a Syracuse shirt. Then you’ll have no worries."

Bonus tidbit: Nelson ended up marrying former USC and current Carolina Panthers lineman Ryan Kalil.

Update: As a commenter points out, the 2006 Rose Bowl occurred before the Halloween photos were taken. Still, something is fishy ...

Answer Forum [Inside USC]
Busted Coverage Investigation: The USC Song Girl Who Cheered For Texas Back In The News [Busted Coverage]