The Wiz of Odds

Why Texas Tech Is Better Than Texas

Texas Tech and Texas don't play until Sept. 19 in Austin, but Red Raider fans want the world to know which team to cheer for. Thanks to Tom Kirkendall of Houston's Clear Thinkers.

The Great Hate of Texas

Spring is inching its way across the country, but any hopes of a thaw in the chilly relations between Oklahoma and Texas have been dashed for another year.

The latest round of hay-makers between the rivals started innocently enough with a jab. Reporters who entered the Longhorns' training facility after Sunday's spring scrimmage noted a "2008" with an asterisk under Big 12 titles won by Texas. This sent the blogosphere into a tizzy and within 24 hours, Texas' Mack Brown said it was all a big misunderstanding and that the "2008*" would be removed.

Fair enough, but then Texas officials piled on by agreeing to give 12 assistant coaches and support staffers bonuses as if the Longhorns had won the title.

Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, above, answered by saying, "It doesn’t matter to me at all. I know there isn't one [an asterisk] on ours. I know where the trophy is."

State of Denial (Updated)

There is a new addition to a wall inside Texas' Moncrief-Neuhaus training facility. Note the "2008" that is included among the Big 12 titles won by the Longhorns. It comes with an asterisk. Why? The asterisk notes that Texas beat the teams that actually played for the Big 12 championship, Oklahoma and Missouri, in the regular season, according to Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News.

Texas shared the Big 12 South title with Oklahoma and Texas Tech but was nosed out by the Sooners in representing the South in the title game because of the league's controversial Bowl Championship Series tiebreaker. Oklahoma then won the Big 12 title with a victory over North champion Missouri.

None of this was good enough for Texas, which is still making a claim for the title.

Tim Griffin of ESPN.com notes on his blog that the image was taken by Suzanne Halliburton the Austin American-Statesman with her cell phone camera. Thanks to reader Troy for his help.

Update: Texas' Mack Brown says the it was all a big misunderstanding and that the 2008 will be taken down.

Texas Turning Grass Into Green

Today's innovation award goes to Texas, which has figured out a way to replace its Bermuda/rye grass field with FieldTurf and turn a healthy profit.

On April 5, Texas will have a one-day sod sale that coincides with the spring scrimmage. Fans will be able to purchase a 12-inch by 12-inch square of grass for $20. There will be 57,600 available for purchase, with distribution to start an hour after the end of the scrimmage.

If Texas sells all the turf squares, it will take in $1.152 million.

The cost to install FieldTurf is $400,000, leaving Texas with a possible profit of $752,000.

Thanks to TV Tan Line for the image.

Visit by Texas Is Making Laramie a Scalper's Paradise

When it comes to elevation, Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie can't be beat. It sits at 7,220 feet, the highest Division I-A stadium in the nation.

Now, thanks to a Sept. 12 visit by the Texas Longhorns, the Wyoming Cowboys have ticket prices to match the elevation.

A ticket to the Cowboys' game against the Longhorns is already commanding up to $349 on Stubhub. Take into consideration that Wyoming, with a string of several mediocre seasons in a row, has not been a box office draw of late and that the game game is still more than six months away. But this is all about the Longhorns.

Texas Comforts Oklahoma

Texas tries to ease the sting of a postseason loss for its good friend and rival Oklahoma. Language warning.

Thanks to Deep South Sports.