When I was younger, I looked forward to Christmas more than any other day of the year.  Now that I’m kinda grown, it’s the day of the Texas/Oklahoma game.
I get anxious on Saturday morning, straightening up the house just in case anyone wants to come over and watch with me.  I like it when people watch the game with me because it stops me from getting too depressed when Texas loses.  Something about whining around comp’ny is unbecoming, so I can hold it together when I’ve got folks here.  By the afternoon, I’m glued to the tube, and I watch every minute of it.  Even during the misery of the 2000 and 2003 games–oh yeah, I’m all UT–I sat and watched every minute of the carnage.
I really do live for this.
Anyway, this year’s game is more interesting than any since 2000 because it’s the first in which the game really could go either way.  Even though I bet on the ‘Horns from ’01-’04, I had to convince myself that they’d win.  I even did a post in ’04 about the game that makes me laugh in retrospect.  I knew then that Adrian Peterson was the best freshman running back I’d ever seen, and I knew that he’s have a field day.
And he did, leading Oklahoma to a 12-0 victory that was just as thorough as the 63-14 beating in ’00 and the 65-13 slaughter of ’03.
But this year’s different.  Vince is gone, but Texas has the best collection of backs and receivers in America.  Oklahoma, on the other hand, has the best back in America.  Texas has clear advantages at scrimmage on both sides of the ball, but it still has Greg Davis calling plays.  And while Texas has all those players on both lines, Oklahoma has lots of talent on its defensive line.  Will it show up?  Hard to think it would ocnsidering it hasn’t done much all year.  But then someone could argue its due.  Tough call.
My prediction–Texas by double-digits.  The differential at scrimmage is too much.  However, anyone that tries to predict a game like this knows that logic’ll only take you so far.  There’s no telling what will happen, and I say that knowing that I’m uttering a friggin’ cliche.  Anyway, my real fear is that everyone will know what will happen when Greg Davis is calling plays.  Typically, everybody does.
Still, ‘Horns win this one.  D-Nunn, send me an e-mail and I’ll give you my address.
Another great thing about this game–well-documented history.  If you go to the websites for The Daily Oklahoman, The Austin American-Statesman, The Dallas Morning News or pretty much any other paper that serves Texas or Oklahoma, you’ll find some great spreads on the history of the rivalry.  I especially recommend checking out the Dallas Morning News’ piece on the spying controversy of ’76.
Anyway, back later with the link to a new piece.  I hadn’t intended to post this morning, but I was thinking about this game too much and needed to share.  Sorry ’bout that.