Meet the Texas Longhorns: The Biggest Coward Program in College Football

AR182

Registered User
Forum Member
Nov 9, 2000
18,654
87
0
Scottsdale,AZ
Clay Travis
Senior NCAA Writer

Conference realignment died because the Texas football program is made up of cowards who are aware that the Longhorns program can't compete at the top levels of the SEC or the Pac-10. That's what your takeaway from the past two weeks of conference realignment really needs to be. Yep, the state that values masculine swagger more than any other in the nation features a top football program that is yella.

All hat, no cattle.

The Longhorns had offers to move on to compete with top echelon talent in the SEC and the Pac-10. Instead, like recalcitrant female cattle, they balked, choosing to remain in a weakened Big 12 that is minus two of the traditional powers in the league.

How bad is Texas' schedule now even with a round-robin nine-game slate to come in 2012? It's likely the Longhorns will have one top 25 conference game a season, the annual Texas-Oklahoma tussle in October. Meaning Texas will try and back door its way into the BCS title game each season by avoiding challenges rather than competing with the best in college football.

If Sam Houston had known the cowardice of the Longhorns in 2010, he would have forgotten the Alamo.

What's more, while Texas is a coward in the larger universe of college football, the Longhorns are a bully in their own conference, the equivalent of a mob boss extracting loyalty payments from the five weakest members. Why did Texas (along with Oklahoma and Texas A&M) take a larger share of contractual payouts owed by Colorado and Nebraska for leaving the conference?

Because it could.

But that's how bullies always behave, right?

They beat up on the weak and then get their asses kicked or turn tail when someone steps to them. Ask Colt McCoy and Texas about that. The Longhorns quarterback threw for 4 billion yards in his career against the sisters of the poor defenses in the Big 12. He lasted for less than a full quarter against an SEC defense. Yep, the SEC and the Pac-10 would have been the barbed wire to Texas' BCS title dreams.

And that's what the Longhorns feared more than anything. Once it joined the SEC or the Pac-10, Texas is just another program, packing a six-shooter with no bullets. Waving that gun around in the air and yelling ain't scaring away Marcell Dareus on the blitz. He's calling your bluff and slapping you with your own empty gun. People might start to realize that for all the swagger, the Longhorns have just one national title in the past 39 years, nearly two generations of failing to capture the ultimate prize. They might also realize that most years, Texas can't even get past Oklahoma, the overrated team you've last seen being stomped by whatever opponent the Sooners draw in the BCS games, title or otherwise.

That's because when it comes to Texas football, the perception of success is much greater than the reality of success. Hell, give Texas credit though, at least it's the best of a bad lot. What can you say for Oklahoma or Texas A&M? Two ostensible rival schools that had the opportunity to prove they could stand on their own in the new world order of college athletics and instead hid behind Texas' skirt. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare wrote during his famous balcony scene, "It is the East and Juliet is the sun!" If the bard dove into the mess that is the Big 12, he could adopt the same phraseology, "It is the Big 12 and Texas is the sun!"

Because never in the history of college athletics has one program so dominated the puny conference sisters it surrounds itself with. Texas is not just the sun, but the moon and the stars, while the rest of the teams in the conference are its piddling orbiting satellites. It's only a matter of time, one would think, before the Longhorns demand the gate for games they play on the other school's campus.

That's what mob bosses do, they take and take and take until someone kills them.

You think anyone in the Big 12 has the stones to step to Texas?

Hell no.

And if you've cast your conference lot with a program that doubles as the sun, moon and stars, it might be worth asking how you ever compete with that school. Do you think Texas is ever losing a recruit to a program that voluntarily turned over its millions so you could continue to be extorted in the future? Does the mob boss have a smaller house than the poor schmuck he takes down for more money? Those are rhetorical questions. And there's your answer right there, every other school in the conference has no desire to be number one. They're just comfortable basking in the penumbra of Texas' exaggerated greatness.

Of course, the ultimate irony of this entire mess is that the joke is on all college football fans. All of us, the poor sots who tramp to our respective campuses each week in an effort to determine the best team in the nation. Because we've actually created a BCS system that encourages bullying cowardice like Texas'. Instead of forcing the best to compete and crowning a champion on the field by rewarding the two best teams, we've created a system where avoiding challenges and beating up on weaker programs gives you an automatic invite to the BCS title game.

How else to explain Texas and Oklahoma appearing in six BCS title games between them and racking up a bully-like 2-4 record with an average margin of defeat of more than 18 points in those games? Texas isn't just a coward, it is gaming the system, rigging the results to allow it a position it can't earn on the field.

In the end we're left with only one conclusion: Deep in the heart of Texas lives a football program of cowards.

Time for a new burnt orange slogan:

Hook 'em ... unless you can run and hide from 'em.
 

kegray1

Benneteau fan
Forum Member
Nov 4, 2004
9,663
9
0
53
Houston
This Clay Travis is an idiot and clearly a hater.
There is so much more to them not going to the SEC/Pac10 for reasons of competition.
I do agree it played a part in it, but consider the following:
1. Texas got a ton of preesure from politicians in Texas to cling on to Baylor. Kenneth Starr is now Baylor president and has tons of political clout.
2. Texas joining the Pac10 or SEC would have meant less chances for the families and fans to travel to games in all sports which could hurt recruiting. Also it would have opened a bigger door for schools outside of Texas to invade recruiting in Texas.
3. The tv deals offered by those other conferences don't give them the same they got now by any means.
4. The college football bowl prestige is GONE. It means nothing to any team in any year of a highly ranked team to win a bowl other than a BCS bowl or title. So if you have a formula to put yourself there then why not do it. Football is no longer about football. It is about $$$$$ to these schools.
If there was a playoff and a team could afford a loss or two then teams would schedule harder.
The NCAA should schedule 1 game a season for each team.

When the day is over then you can point the finger at Texas, but what about A&M.
They could have bailed to the SEC and that would have officially killed the Big12 forcing Texas out west. A&M got bullied by politicians like Texas to stay where they were.

I do agree Texas schedules very soft and as a fan of them I wish they would step up the opponents again as I am tired of watching them pummel the Rice's and Wyoming's of the world.
They played @Ohio St in '05 when Texas won the title, but have not played anyone of that nature since.
In 2011, Texas does play @UCLA and home vs BYU so that is not as bad as the last few years.
This years Texas schedule is down right pathetic.
 
Last edited:

Cie

Registered
Forum Member
Apr 30, 2003
22,391
253
0
New Orleans
No doubt this guy is a PAC 10 homer.

I'll say this, I wanted Texas in the SEC in a big way.... Texas and TAMU to the SEC west, and FSU and Miami to the SEC East.


In a 16 team SEC, the SEC west with LSU, Bama, Texas, TAMU, Auburn, Arky, Ole Miss and Miss St would have been the best division in the best conference in the nation...
 

AR182

Registered User
Forum Member
Nov 9, 2000
18,654
87
0
Scottsdale,AZ
No doubt this guy is a PAC 10 homer.

I'll say this, I wanted Texas in the SEC in a big way.... Texas and TAMU to the SEC west, and FSU and Miami to the SEC East.


In a 16 team SEC, the SEC west with LSU, Bama, Texas, TAMU, Auburn, Arky, Ole Miss and Miss St would have been the best division in the best conference in the nation...

Cie....I know as a SEC fan you would love them becoming a more powerful conference than they already are, but I like to have some competitive balance beween the conferences.That is why I wasn't crazy about Utah moving out of the MWC, because I thought that with the inclusion of Boise, the MWC was on par with a few bigger conferences. The debate about which conference is stronger adds a lot to college football, not to mention the bowl games being more exciting with conference vs. conference playing against each other.
 

RollTide72

June 8, 2013
Forum Member
Apr 4, 2002
5,401
39
0
52
Greenfield, IN
www.facebook.com
If Texas can win the Red River Shootout and avoid a trap game against A&M or Tech then they can waltz right into the BCS Championship game. I would have included Okie State in this comment but they love to jump out to huge leads against UT only to gag them away in the second half.

And Cie, while I agree it would have been great to add the Longhorns and Aggies to our beloved SEC, the conference is so cut throat and tough as it is, throw those two teams in and I don't know if anyone would go undefeated.
 
Last edited:

kegray1

Benneteau fan
Forum Member
Nov 4, 2004
9,663
9
0
53
Houston
Texas was bully and got their way in the B12 or B10 whatever it is now. Look how the money got divided up.

The funny thing nobody is talking about in the money thing is the Neb/CU $20M buyout.

It was reported that it would be divided to all 10 remaining teams.

Not so, it only went to Texas,OU,and A&M.
It was part of the clause to keep the Big12 together with the other schools.
That is greed. Pretty sure this was all Texas doing.
 
Last edited:

hawkeye

Registered User
Forum Member
Jun 29, 2000
26,014
104
63
denver, co-usa
CU buy out. The weak sisters gave in--ISU-KState etc--Texas gets everything here--I hope OU kicks them bad this year and others also.. They have the most $ they rule!
 

hedgehog

Registered
Forum Member
Oct 30, 2003
32,850
655
113
49
TX
I heard Arkansas wants to join the big 12 :shrug: it makes sense to me, the old swc conference then they have to add one more. :0corn
 

kegray1

Benneteau fan
Forum Member
Nov 4, 2004
9,663
9
0
53
Houston
I heard Arkansas wants to join the big 12 :shrug: it makes sense to me, the old swc conference then they have to add one more. :0corn

Ark will never leave the SEC. NEVER.

Also the Big12 is not asking anyone as the tv deal is structured for a 10 team conference.
 

pd1

Registered User
Forum Member
Feb 24, 2001
1,288
57
48
67
missouri
I now have a new favorite team-------------WHOEVER IS PLAYING TEXAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

jr11

08-18-05
Forum Member
Jul 19, 2002
5,830
29
0
114
HELL
If my memory serves me correctly, isn't this sort of what Nebraska did for years back in the 80's? Play nobody and weasel there way into the Orange Bowl every year. Pretty smart, but very cowardly to say the least. Laugh all the way to the bank....

jr11
 

Mr. Poon

Sugar?
Forum Member
Jan 14, 2006
13,160
209
0
Colorado
If my memory serves me correctly, isn't this sort of what Nebraska did for years back in the 80's? Play nobody and weasel there way into the Orange Bowl every year. Pretty smart, but very cowardly to say the least. Laugh all the way to the bank....

jr11

You are forgetting the Switzer lead Sooners teams of the 80's. The Big 8 was a pretty weak conference in the 80's outside of 2 or 3 teams, but it wasn't a given for a team to run the table. Also some of the Huskers non-conference opponents in the 80's include Iowa, Penn St., UCLA, FSU, Auburn, ASU and A&M. They certaintly didn't play 'nobody'.
 

BobbyBlueChip

Trustee
Forum Member
Dec 27, 2000
20,715
290
83
53
Belly of the Beast
You are forgetting the Switzer lead Sooners teams of the 80's. The Big 8 was a pretty weak conference in the 80's outside of 2 or 3 teams, but it wasn't a given for a team to run the table. Also some of the Huskers non-conference opponents in the 80's include Iowa, Penn St., UCLA, FSU, Auburn, ASU and A&M. They certaintly didn't play 'nobody'.

he was probably thinking about the 90's
 

hawkeye

Registered User
Forum Member
Jun 29, 2000
26,014
104
63
denver, co-usa
Poon your a Nebraska fan--it was the early 90's--they still play a pretty easy non conf--lately they have added one difficult team--this year Wash-Idaho-W Ky and S Dak St---Tex-- rice-Wyo-ULA-Fla At---Okie--Ute St-Fla St-AF-Cinn (tougher than normal)--Iowa---E Ill-IaSt-AZ-BallSt-----Fla---MiaOH-S Fla-App St--Ala---SJose St-Penn St-Duke--Ga St--Oh St--M arsh-Mia Fl-Ohio-E Mich
 

Mr. Poon

Sugar?
Forum Member
Jan 14, 2006
13,160
209
0
Colorado
Poon your a Nebraska fan--it was the early 90's--they still play a pretty easy non conf--lately they have added one difficult team--this year Wash-Idaho-W Ky and S Dak St---Tex-- rice-Wyo-ULA-Fla At---Okie--Ute St-Fla St-AF-Cinn (tougher than normal)--Iowa---E Ill-IaSt-AZ-BallSt-----Fla---MiaOH-S Fla-App St--Ala---SJose St-Penn St-Duke--Ga St--Oh St--M arsh-Mia Fl-Ohio-E Mich

Their 90's non-conf schedule wasn't as good as it was in the 80's, but some of that was due to timing of other programs not doing well. In 8 of the 10 years, they had two opponents from a bcs conference (I know they weren't called that back then). Realize games against Minny or Cal wasn't much though in the 90's. However, the timing did hurt them in their scheduling of Mich St. and Iowa I know. Mich St. was much better in the early 90's when that series was scheduled and same with Iowa in the mid-90's.

As for their current non-conf, they are still in the Callahan scheduling where only 1 big/decent program would be scheduled and it had to be on a coast (for recruiting purposes). You won't hear any excuses from me on their current non-conf schedule as I'm fully aware it is soft.
 
Bet on MyBookie
Top