'Horns still a mystery on D

Texas' ground game solid heading into OU, but is the defense for real?

Derrick Johnson and the Texas defense is revamped, but is it good enough to stop Oklahoma? Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

All right, let's go ahead and get this out of the way: Yes, I realize I should have taken that Ohio State-Northwestern bet last week. If there's one downside to this job, it's that your objectivity becomes so deeply entrenched that you can't help but look at every game analytically, whether it involves your alma mater or not. Let's face it: No one of sound mind would have picked the 'Cats to win that one ahead of time.

Fortunately, most fans are not of sound mind, which allows me to post e-mails like this one (sent before Saturday's game):

What's with you putting all those pretenders above Ohio State in your Power Rankings? There is no way that Purdue, Minnesota or Virginia could beat the Buckeyes. You obviously have no eye for talent!
--Bob Dutiel, Newark, Ohio

Or this one ...

LSU put the ball on the ground twice and downed a kickoff at its 1-yard line. Take that away and you have an eight-point game. Don't get me wrong, Georgia has a great QB, but the Dawgs are not that good.
--Joe Petijean, Rayne, La.

Clearly Joe has a different definition of "put the ball on the ground" than does Thomas Davis.

This one, however, is my absolute favorite:

As a Michigan fan, I watched with amusement last year as Nick Saban was touted as a great coach. This year he is returning to his usual form that he displayed at Michigan State. We were more sad to see him leave East Lansing than the Spartan fans.
--Mike Pare, Canton, Mich.

How can I respond in a way that will hit closest to home? ... Ah, I've got it: Mike, the last time I checked, Saban had one more national title ring than your boy Bo Schembechler.

Now, on to more pressing matters. As I'm sure you're well aware, one question hovers over us this week like the scent of hot corn dogs at the Texas State Fair:

How will Amy Poehler do as the new co-host of Weekend Update?

There's also this one:

Are the Texas Longhorns for real this year? Or are they in for another Red River Shootout letdown?
--Benny Garcia, San Angelo, Texas

I don't think there's any question the Longhorns' running game is for real. And Oklahoma has yet to play anyone capable of running the ball right at the yet-untested middle of the Sooners' defense. So for all we know, Cedric Benson might be able to slice and dice his way through OU like the Iron Chef. I'm guessing, however, beating Oklahoma will require a balanced approach. Darren Sproles wouldn't have put up 235 yards on the Sooners in last year's Big 12 title game if Ell Roberson weren't such a threat himself.

What remains a mystery, however, and what keeps me from putting too much faith in the 'Horns, is their defense. We've heard all about the impact of new assistants Greg Robinson and Dick Tomey, their new aggressiveness, yada, yada, yada. But in Texas' only game so far against an upper-echelon offense, Arkansas was able to move the ball 409 yards. The 'Horns ultimately won because they forced four turnovers, and they're going to have to do the same against OU. The Sooners have as complete an offense as you'll find in college football. Their quarterback (Jason White) is near-flawless, their running back (Adrian Peterson) is a man amongst boys, their receivers (Mark Clayton, et al.) are fearless and their offensive line is sound. Where last year K-State and LSU were able to shut OU down by blitzing the heck out of White, Peterson's presence now makes that impossible. I think the game will be much closer than in years past, but the 'Horns will have to play out of their minds defensively to pull it off.

MAILBAG MAILBAG Stewart Mandel will answer questions from SI.com readers each week in his mailbag. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

Are you the only national media member that gives Minnesota any respect? Why can't people see this team has star power and is for real?
--Bryan Horwath, Menomonie, Wis.

It would appear so. However, I don't fault my colleagues for their skepticism about the Gophers. As many games as they've won since last year, they've yet to beat anyone significant. And while it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that running backs Laurence Maroney and Marion Barber III are the real deal, I'm sure many people aren't yet sold on the defense and/or QB Bryan Cupito. For me, though, watching this program from afar the past few years it became fairly obvious they were a team on the rise. Two years ago Minnesota won eight games and beat Arkansas in the Music City Bowl despite starting a boatload of freshmen and sophomores. Last year the Gophers won 10 games and showed how close they really were to turning the corner in the Michigan game. This year they have the most experienced team in the Big Ten. Obviously, though, this weekend's game in Ann Arbor, Mich., will go a long way toward proving whether or not they're truly for real.

While we're on the subject, I'd like to take a second to commend the good people of Minnesota for being the rare Northerners who have their priorities straight. As someone who's living in New York for the first time since 1998 after spending the last five years in the college football epicenter that is the Southeast, nothing was more frustrating than what happened two Saturdays ago -- walking into a sports bar and seeing every TV tuned to Red Sox-Yankees (as if they haven't already played 37 times this season and won't meet again in the playoffs). Last Saturday, though, when the Twins-Indians game went into extra innings, Metrodome officials basically said, "Sorry, guys, we've got a Big Ten football game to get ready for" and suspended the contest. Priceless! The only thing that would have possibly made it better is if the two teams were then bused to a high school field to finish things up.

As much as I want Cal to destroy USC (and I'm pretty sure they can do it), let's assume for a second that Cal loses. The Bears and Trojans then go on to win all the rest of their games (another stretch assumption). USC remains No. 1 and heads to the Orange Bowl. Cal manages a No. 12 finish, just high enough for a BCS at-large bid. Would you agree that it is very likely for the Rose Bowl to select Cal over other higher-ranked opponents due to tradition?
--Tom Sullivan, Thousand Oaks, Calif.

I wouldn't call it "very likely" -- I'd call it a lead-pipe cinch. No way would the Rose Bowl pass up a Cal team making its first trip to Pasadena since 1959. The only thing that would prevent it is if the decision were to be taken out of the Rose Bowl's hands. How does that happen? If two other teams wind up qualifying for guaranteed BCS at-large berths -- i.e. a team doesn't win its conference but finishes third or fourth (say, the loser of Saturday's Oklahoma-Texas game), and a non-BCS team (say, Utah) finishes in the top six.

You're a smart guy. A leading expert in the field. Can you explain to me why 2-2 Central Michigan received two votes this week in the Coaches' poll? One coach's vote I could understand, but two?
--Eli Cohen, Brussels, Belgium

What, you weren't impressed with the grit the Chippewas showed in their 41-10 loss to Indiana? Your guess is as good as mine. First of all, I'm sure it was one coach voting them 24th rather than two different coaches voting for them. I sure hope it was a case of someone writing down or calling in the wrong team (though I'm not sure who you could confuse them with other than equally undeserving Western and Eastern Michigan). Or, maybe the guy was trying to vote for Michigan, but just before he said it, he coughed, and the person at USA Today taking the call thought he said "Central." If, however, someone really, truly did vote for them, he should not only have his ballot removed immediately, he should be handed the most severe punishment imaginable: He should have to watch an entire Central Michigan game.

Stewart: A friend and I were debating this the other day: Who is/was more important to USC's success -- Mike Williams last year or Reggie Bush this year?
--Janet Riegelmayer, Strongsville, Ohio

Now that is a good question. We need more like you, Janet Riegelmayer.

Williams couldn't have had a better season last year. He was phenomenal. He made plays no other receiver in college football could have made in some of the most important games of the year. And yet, I've got to go with Bush. Even without Williams, the Trojans' offense last year still would have had an NFL-caliber receiver in Keary Colbert, a veteran O-line and a Heisman-finalist quarterback. Would they have won the national title? Probably not. But they would have won a lot of games. Take away Bush from this year's Trojans, though, and they would have already lost to Virginia Tech and Stanford. With USC's offensive line and receivers still developing, Bush has been the one constant, a guy who can single-handedly turn the outcome of a game. It will be interesting to see what Cal does this weekend to try to lessen his impact.

Cal wide receiver Chase Lyman is having a helluva year, but the real gem of that family is Colby, his gorgeous sister, a sophomore setter for the UCLA women's volleyball team. Do yourself a favor and look her up. You can thank me later.
--Ian, Los Angeles

I told you guys, I'm done posting gratuitous pictures of women. There's really no place for it in a college football mailbag. I've got better things to do.

How come Braylon Edwards isn't getting any mention as a Heisman Trophy candidate?
--Joe Wallace, Ann Arbor, Mich.

It's pretty hard for a receiver to garner serious Heisman attention, unless your name happens to be Larry Fitzgerald, and you happen to be have one of the most amazing receiving seasons in the history of the sport (at least until you run into Antrel Rolle) and you happen to have a certain alumnus of your school campaigning for you ad nauseum on ESPN's airwaves. The thing that has always vexed me about Edwards -- this happened again in the Notre Dame game -- is he'll make some of the most unbelievable catches you'll ever see, then drop a couple of easy ones. He's having a fantastic season, no question, but Michigan fell from the spotlight after the Notre Dame game and no one cares how many balls you catch against Indiana. A big game against Minnesota this week could open some people's eyes.

I realize this is old news, and I'm just as tired of hearing about it as everyone else, but I can't read it again in your column without saying something. Stop writing that LSU was last year's "co-national champion." The AP poll is nothing more than a component of the BCS formula that everyone agreed to. Just a component. I'm not taking anything away from USC or anyone else, but LSU was the national champion last year. Period.
--Russell McLendon, Mer Rouge, La.

Well, at least we won't have to worry about that this year.

Stewart Mandel covers college sports for SI.com.