Our eyes are upon Texas

Can talented Longhorns finally get past Oklahoma?

Continuing our discussion of the nation’s top teams for 2003, we turn our attention this week to Texas.

I will start by answering what may seem at first to be a completely unrelated question but, through a shrewd literary technique known as "drawing a parallel," will help emphasize my point about the Longhorns. You kids at home, pay close attention.

Wally Burns of South Bend, Ind., writes:

This upcoming season is ripe with questions. Can Ohio State repeat? Will Miami lose a step on offense? Who is the Heisman frontrunner? Most important of all, though ... what are your impressions of the newly released NCAA College Football 2004?

Though not a video-game player in general, I own a PS2 solely because of the existence of this game, which, if you’re one of the unfortunate few yet to see it, is simply the most realistic replication of college football imaginable. It just so happens I’ve been playing the new version for a couple of weeks now, thanks to an advance copy from the fine folks at EA Sports.

In terms of actual game-play, this year’s edition isn’t much different from its predecessors. The coolest new feature -- and I swear this is not meant as a plug -- is the addition of mock Sports Illustrated covers that change each week based on your season.

Which gets me to my point. When I played out the coming season, the two teams that reached the Sugar Bowl were Ohio State and … Texas. In the three years I’ve played this game, Texas has reached the national championship every time. Why? Because let’s face it, the Longhorns are the perfect video-game team. Coaching and intangibles aren’t taken into account, just raw talent. You can only imagine what Roy Williams and Cedric Benson do in this thing.

It’s not that I think Mack Brown is a bad coach. He’s one of the best in the country. How many guys out there would give their right arm to be 49-15 at their school? It’s just that he has the misfortune of being in the same division and on the Cotton Bowl sideline opposite arguably the best coach in the country. Mack’s staff does tend to err on the side of conservatism, and you can’t beat a staff like Bob Stoops’ by being conservative.

Once again, Texas is loaded across the board, and, once again, the difference between a great season and a storybook season will come down to the Oklahoma game. And while I think the circumstances -- slightly lower expectations, a diversified offense with Chance Mock -- finally could be right for a Longhorns victory, I still can’t bring myself to pick Texas over OU in the South standings.

While video games do a great job of mimicking real life, I’ve yet to see real life mimic a video game.

UCLA and USC don't need on-campus stadiums, as they're huge programs that can recruit nationally. On the other hand, my beloved Gophers, who have a tough time recruiting nationally, have played in the stale, uncool Metrodome for over 20 years now. Is it merely a coincidence that they haven't been to the Rose Bowl since 1961?
-- Brian, Minneapolis

I think the Metrodome is the single biggest obstacle holding back Minnesota right now. Take it out of the equation and there’s no reason the Gophers shouldn’t be a consistent Top 25 program. They play in a major league sports city in a talent-rich state (see Chris Weinke and Larry Fitzgerald, among others) in a prestigious conference. But let’s face it, most recruits grow up dreaming of fall Saturdays in a place like The Horseshoe or the Big House, not a dark, sterile, half-empty dome.

Ironically, this issue could come to the forefront very, very soon. In my opinion, Minnesota could have its best team in decades this season, one capable of contending for the Big Ten title. Unfortunately, it may lose one, possibly two Big Ten home games if the Twins make the playoffs. Think that won’t get some politicians' and donors’ attention?

In a recent article on (gasp!) another sports Web site, a so-called "expert" of college football listed his top 10 stadium venues based on history, atmosphere, etc. Of course, this brought some ire from certain fan bases. Out of curiosity, what are your top five college football stadiums?
-- S. Ivey, Dallas

I know the list’s author, Dennis Dodd, very well, and while I thought it was a great concept, I did wonder whether Dennis, a Kansas City native, was on the sauce -- barbecue sauce, of course -- when he compiled the rankings.

Keeping mind that I’m young and there are still several notables I’ve never visited (the biggest being Tiger Stadium, Autzen Stadium, Husky Stadium and Kyle Field, all of which I’ve heard great things about), my unofficial list would be …

1. The Swamp -- simply the loudest, most intimidating venue imaginable. If I were an opponent, I’d feel like the sky was caving in.

2. The Horseshoe -- It's not so much about the stadium itself, though magnificent, but the crazy scene along Lane Aveneue before the game.

3. Memorial Stadium -- It’s an idyllic setting for college football, right in the middle of everything, and a virtual shrine to the Huskers.

4. Notre Dame Stadium -- Not the loudest venue by any means, but there’s just so much history oozing from seemingly every square inch.

5. The Big House -- When the sky is gray and there’s a chill in the air, you can almost picture Bo and Woody down on the sidelines.

Not far behind: Doak-Campbell, Neyland, Royal-Memorial, the Orange Bowl (for nostalgia’s sake) and Jordan-Hare.

I've been a Clemson Tiger fan for many years. How long do you think Tommy Bowden will last this year? I really don't see the Tigers winning more than six games. He certainly hasn't produced like everybody thought he would. He just isn't getting the ballplayers like Danny Ford did.
-- Danny Leviner, Clemmons, N.C.

I apologize in advance for picking on you, Danny, but it’s fan mindsets like this that just incense me sometimes. Of course he’s not getting the kind of players Danny Ford did. Danny Ford didn’t have an 85-scholarship limit to deal with. No program in the country, save perhaps Miami, is getting the players it did in 1981. That’s why we no longer see the same 20 teams in the top 20 every year. And yet despite that, fans hold their coaches to the same expectation level they did in 1981.

It’s entirely possible Clemson will go 6-6 this year, and if that happens, reality says Tommy Bowden will get fired for it. But what good comes of that? A new coach comes in, and either he sets you back another two to three years while cleaning house, or he has one great year right off the bat thanks to Bowden’s recruits, then gets fired in three years when he fails to duplicate that success. Sorry to burst your bubble, but Clemson is never going to be a perennial top 10 program. It’s just not realistic. But I have no doubt that with a little stability, someone like Bowden could spring up and deliver a couple of contending seasons.

Have you ever played college fantasy football? Any thoughts on how a college fantasy league would best be run? Do you have any insight about how fantasy player strategy should differ in the college game from the pro game?
-- Jay Barasch, Durham, N.C.

Obviously, none of the big sports sites can run such a game (the NCAA’s cease-and-desist letter would arrive before FedEx even had the tracking number), but I don’t see why a group of friends couldn’t get a league together and have a great time doing it. After consulting with SI.com fantasy producer James Quintong, both of us experienced NFL fantasy players, we agreed the major differences would be: