The Wiz of Odds

Is Big Ten Playing a Game of Hook 'em Horns?

A report by Tom Keegan of the Lawrence Journal-World sent the college football world into another spin on Thursday. The Big Ten has had "preliminary exchanges" with Texas about changing conferences, according to an anonymous source.

"People will deny that, but it's accurate," the person told Keegan.

True or not, it's another signal that we're about to enter a new era of college football. It's no longer if expansion is coming, but when.

Columnists and bloggers were busy placing their bets. Will the Longhorns leave the Big 12 and jump to the Big Ten, or is this just idle chatter.

A look at where they stand:

Kirk Bohls, Austin American-Statesman: Texas isn't joining the Big Ten. No way, no how. So put down your Ohio State pompoms and that JoePa pennant.

Richard Justice, Houston Chronicle: Lubbock for Columbus? Check. College Station for Ann Arbor? Don't ask. As for giving up Stillwater and Manhattan, well, it would be a struggle, but the Twin Cities is way nicer than any Big 12 city. Let's do it!

The Real McCoy

Have to feel for Colt McCoy, whose last game for Texas lasted only five plays.

Pelini's Anger Surfaces in Postgame Presser

Nebraska's Bo Pelini had a few minutes to cool off when he appeared at the news conference after Saturday night's loss to Texas in the Big 12 championship game, but it was obvious that he was still steamed about the officials' decision to put one second back on the clock, which allowed the Longhorns to kick the winning field goal.

Moments earlier, Pelini and his brother, defensive coordinator Carl Pelini, each had an outburst in the tunnel leading to the Cornhusker locker room. According to Dirk Chatelain of the Omaha World-Herald, Carl twice turned and screamed back toward the field, "You should be ashamed to accept that trophy!"

Bo was looking for Nebraska assistant athletic director Marc Boehm as he neared the locker room door.

"Marc, I want to see [Big 12 head of officiating] Walt Anderson in there right [expletive] now!" Pelini shouted.

"BCS!" Pelini said as he entered the locker room. "That's why they make that call!"

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

Does anybody care? Texas didn't have a clue at the end of Saturday's Big 12 title game against Nebraska. The Longhorns, who still had a timeout in hand, were walking around without purpose as time ticked off the clock and nearly lost the game.

While officials were sorting it out, Pete Thamel of the New York Times wrote on his Twitter page: "If there's no time left. This would be the biggest coaching blunder in college football history."

Nonetheless, the clueless Mack Brown is taking his Longhorns to the BCS title game. This is the second-best team in the land? Unreal.

Next to unbelievable was Lisa Salters' postgame interview with Brown.

The college football world was waiting for the questions: Coach, can you explain the clock mismanagement at the end? Were you saving that timeout for the BCS title game?

Somehow, Salters failed to ask the questions. 

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."