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There's no stopping the Longhorns

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Updated Nov 1, 2009 2:12 PM ET
     
 
CFN's Instant Analysis of Texas' 41-14 win over Oklahoma State.

Only Texas A&M can keep Texas from Pasadena

If it's possible, Texas is making a run for a national title look boring. That's not a rip. The Big 12 is so bad, and Texas is starting to execute so well, that getting to the BCS Championship has been nothing more than a coldly methodical exercise. This is a team that's playing up to its talent level on defense, and hitting its stride on offense, and there's nothing anyone can do about it over the final few games on the slate and in the Big 12 title game. Now, the only team with a chance of keeping the Longhorns out of Pasadena will be Texas A&M. Oklahoma State played like a team that knew it was outmatched and couldn't stop the momentum once the boulder started rolling. The Aggies will have nothing to lose and should be able to let it rip in the rivalry shootout, but even if the offense is working, it might not be enough to get by the IBM of college football. Texas, at the moment, is continuing the season of brand names winning (or being close to winning) championships. From Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl, the Lakers in the NBA championship, North Carolina in the Final Four, and the Yankees in baseball, there aren't any Arizona Diamondbacks or Baltimore Ravens among the champions. And Texas might be added to the list because the talent is there. From a defense that's playing as well as any in America, to a scoring offense that will finish in the top three, if not No. 1 overall, and with a veteran in QB Colt McCoy who gives the team a big advantage over everyone in college football outside of Florida, Texas is winning by being better than everyone else. This was the statement win the program needed to show once and for all that yeah, a spot in the BCS championship game is for real and won't come just because it's in the Big 12 and because everyone felt like things didn't work out quite right last year. With this win, this year's Longhorns are getting it done on their own merits, and while the sports world might not be doing jumping jacks for them, like it did last year for Oklahoma, it might not have a choice but to pay attention in January. — Pete Fiutak

Who's going to stop them — UCF?

Is the BCS about to get a free pass in December?
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It's looking more and more as if Texas is going to face the SEC champ, likely Florida or Alabama, in Pasadena for a national championship. Not there's anything wrong with that. For as well as programs like Cincinnati, Iowa, TCU and Boise State have played, most would agree that the 'Horns, Gators and Tide are the three best teams in the country at this stage of the season. However, the ease with which Texas has cruised past Missouri and Oklahoma State recently makes you wonder if an already bland season will have much drama in November. Other than that SEC title game on the first Saturday in December, will there be much heated debate over which two schools deserve a shot at playing for the crown? No one in the country is playing better than the Longhorns. Period. Sure, Colt McCoy has started to heat up, but the best part for UT is that it hasn't really needed him to be special. Will Muschamp's defense belongs at some level above the FBS because the unit continues to be otherworldly, creating pressure, stopping the run and piling up the non-offensive touchdowns. Of course, anything is possible, but now that the highest hurdle has been cleared in Stillwater, who's left to make the race to Pasadena interesting? UCF? Baylor? Kansas? Texas A&M? The Big 12 North representative? You get the point. It's going to take a huge upset at some point in November or December for this race not to be anti-climatic. — Richard Cirminiello

No Big 12 team poses a threat

1. It's not even November (at the time this game ended, anyway), and yet it's hard to see Texas not occupying a place in Pasadena ... on Jan. 7, that is (not Jan. 1). Central Florida, Baylor (without Robert Griffin), and Kansas (in Austin) aren't likely to come within 17-20 points of the Longhorns. Only Texas A&M, in what a wise friend of mine would call a "jihad game," has a half-decent chance to knock off Mack Brown's boys ... and that's if all the stars are aligned. Given the poor quality of the Big 12 North, a conference title game doesn't feel all that threatening. It's all there. Colt McCoy and Co. just have to take care of business against a less-than-imposing schedule. 2. Holy Hubert Anyiam, Batman! The absence of Dez Bryant just might have had a wee bit to do with the trajectory of the first half in Stillwater. Thanks, NCAA, for punishing an act of lying far worse than other more severe offenses, and for also showing us that the welfare of student athletes is not at the top of your priority list. — Matt Zemek

They can't run, but they don't have to

For a lot of teams, the length of the season is a huge impediment to finishing undefeated. For Texas, the long span has allowed the Longhorns to get things going at top efficiency and production. Granted, the UT offense remains something that isn't going to overwhelm people, but when you are forcing five turnovers against an attack that is supposed to be one of the nation's most formidable, you don't have to pile up 500 total yards. Colt McCoy is back to being his efficient self, and the Texas defense has become a shutdown unit that should be able to handle anything that appears on the rest of the schedule. Texas fans shouldn't feel too cocky, because their team can't run the football at all. But with a defense that good and a QB who can make the plays when necessary, the Longhorns have a pretty good formula to handle the rigors of a long season. Were this last year, Texas might have to worry about getting outscored by someone in the Big 12. But the high times that characterized last season are gone, and the Longhorns don't need to be explosive. They just need to keep winning, and it would appear as if they have found out how to do that. — Michael Bradley
Tagged: Colorado, Texas, UCF, Florida, Baylor, North Carolina, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh, Missouri, Boise State, Arizona, Kansas

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