Texas Longhorns National Championship

So, now that football is for the most part over one has NFL playoffs, NBA season, NHL season, and college basketball. I am looking forward to a good Texas Longhorn basketball season. They have started out pretty strong with a solid win over UCLA. Their only loss was to a good Notre Dame team, which I would have liked to see them beat so they could have played North Carolina. I guess they will get their chance against them later.

So, keep an eye out for the Longhorns if you enjoy college basketball. Abrams is already having an awesome year, and the team will only get better.

Til next time.

Update on BCS

Ok, so now the games have been played and most media is saying that it will surely be Florida versus Oklahoma. However, the coaches poll did not put Florida convincingly ahead of Texas. This means there is still a chance that we could see a Texas-OU rematch. Please Harris poll voters and computer polls, make it happen.

Another scenario

This blog will be significantly shorter than the last. So, I have another scenario that would probably be my favorite, however I find it to be less likely to happen. This scenario would have OU beating Missouri preferably in a close game, as to not hurt the view of Texas' win over Missouri earlier in the year. Then Florida beating Alabama by a slim margin, but in an absolute sloppy game. It would have to be something so sloppy, that voters would look at both Florida and Alabama and say there is no way either of these two teams are the best team in the country. Since I am really going out on a limb on this one, let's go ahead and say that UCLA beat USC too so that there is no chance of USC getting into the National Title game under the idea that a team that does not win their conference should not play for the National Championship. And finally the result of this scenario, Texas versus Oklahoma in a rematch of all rematches for the National Title. I am sorry Florida and Alabama fans, but honestly with everything that went on with OU jumping Texas in BCS standings the last week of the season and Texas beating OU this year in Dallas. There simply would not be a more hyped Championship game. The debate would be settled where it should have been settled... on the field.

Go Texas!

Do you hear what I hear?

BCS should stand for Best Complicated System. So without further ado, let me try to explain. First off the system is comprised of three elements. Two elements are human polls, and the third element is I believe six computer ranking systems. They are all equally weighted, i.e. 1/3 of the total BCS ranking. The computer rankings have the highest and lowest ranking dropped out. Through this complicated system each year the "supposed" two best teams are determined and play each other for the National Title. If everything was determined on a piece of paper, many would tell you that this year will be Oklahoma and Florida playing for the title. However, if it were that simple, they wouldn't play the games. So, let me give you my rendition on how things are going to shake out. Tonight, Oklahoma is going to lose to Missouri. That's right, you heard it hear first. Last week they were embarrassed by a Kansas team that went from good, to not even ranked through the second half of the season. Last year, they were embarrassed by Oklahoma in the Big XII championship and knocked out of consideration for the National Title game. Today, they will play with nothing to lose. Missouri is was a preseason favorite, and some would say this has been a disappointing season with such high expectations starting the year ranked high. I have heard the announcers talk about how Oklahoma's offense is rolling. They can't be stopped. Tonight, I think they beat theirselves. Watch for the weather, and Bradford's ability to handle the ball with his broken hand. Sounds like turnovers to me.

I don't watch much SEC football, but I have followed the National Title race closely with Texas being in the picture since beating Oklahoma in October. I know that both Alabama and Florida have good records and handled in their in state rivals last weekend with ease. However, I do not think either of them are the best team in college football. I believe Alabama will come out strong defensively and slow Florida's offense down. However, I think Tim Tebow will take over and play like the Heisman candidate that he is. I look for Nick Saban's team to come up short in the scoring category and lost by a couple of touchdowns.

So now we make a full circle back to the BCS. Oklahoma obviously relents the #1 seed in the computer polls most likely to Florida. Texas with the bye, probably stays at number #2. Now we have the human polls. This is where things get confusing. An article I read recently, said that one voter did not even know that Penn State had lost a game this season. However, I think with this being championship week, most voters will be watching the games. They will probably move Florida ahead of Alabama after watching them beat Alabama. I also think that alot of them, after seeing a Missouri team that got handled Texas, beat Oklahoma will put Texas in the #2 spot. After that it is really hard to say. I believe ballots will be mixed after the number two spots, with something voting for USC and some leaving either Alabama or Oklahoma in the top 3. There you have it. #1 Florida vs #2 Texas in the Orange Bowl for the National Championship.

Go Missouri beat OU!

Congratulations to Texas Tech

I guess you could say I put my foot in my mouth. Instead of giving reasons why Texas could have won the game or why they did not, I would like to tell you why I think Texas Tech won this game.

1. The offensive and defensive linemen of Texas Tech controlled the game for 3 1/2 quarters.

That is the main reason why I think Tech was able to win this game. Other notable was Crabtree making the catch at the end and getting in the endzone even when Texas had two players there to at least make the tackle. There is still alot of football to be played. I would be surprised to see two teams finish undefeated out of the top conferences. Texas just needs to win the rest of their games, and I believe they will win the Big XII and find themselves back in the top 2. Goodnight.

Upset in Lubbock... I don't think so

Tonight we will see that an 8-0 Texas team is alot better than 8-0 Texas Tech team. Here are some reasons why I think Texas will win.
1. Muschamp is an awesome defensive coordinator and will have something for Mike Leach's offense.
2. Orakpo will prove to be too fast for Ryan Reed. Who cares if he benches presses more than 600 lbs?
3. Graham Harrell (sp?) is a great qb, but is has been putting up top numbers for the past three years and they have still lost.
4. Colt on the otherhand is considerably better than he was last year win Texas beat Texas Tech. I think he will continue to show his leadership skills and lead Texas to a 4th straight win against a top 11 team.
5. Texas has proven they are a top team over the last three weeks. Tech's only win against a ranked team was last week against Kansas. Although impressive, it is not as impressive as Texas' last three wins.

I am sure there are several more reasons why, but these are a few of the notables. I will check back after the game. Enjoy!

Life without Power

Today I had the humbling experience of going without power for several hours. I will spare you the details of the why's and what for's to really hit on what I want to share. Some of you might know that I work from home. So, without electricity and I cannot do my work at all. What a bummer (seriously). Furthermore, the food in the refrigerator stands the chance of spoiling if enough time passes without power. You cannot watch tv. The a/c doesn't work. My cell phone battery died and usually I would not be able to charge it. However, Melanie's laptop was well powered and I was able to use the USB cable to connect my phone and charge it. The ice and water dispenser on the refrigerator doesn't work. Obviously you cannot turn on the lights or any other electrical device (again keyword: obviously).

I was very irritated to say the least. The situation was avoidable, yet my neglect made it happen. To help with my irritation, the window for it to be reconnected was 15 hours. 15 hours are you kidding me? That is actually what I told one of the customer service reps.

No power = No fun. Or it is No power = No function.

Life without God is like a house without electricity. God is the power that supplies the source to our appliances. He gives us everything we need and even the desires of our heart according to his plan and purposes. Without God, most things don't work. You might have some functionality but not your fullest potential. The fun factor might seem to be one that eludes this analogy. However, what fun you do have without God will repay you 10 times over with misery that the fun will be soon forgotten.

Give God the time He deserves. Pay Him what is due. You do not want to be without His power!

iPhone? Are you kidding me?

Ok, so the iPhone is now the single largest money maker for "Apple Inc.". Wow. Who would have thought it? So Apple computers has rebranded to Apple Inc, and the iPhone, although the accounting is a bit strange, generated more than 30% of their revenue last quarter.

I don't have an iPhone. Sure, I would like to have one. But when they were 400+, I just couldn't justify it. I ended up buying an AT&T Tilt for $199 not long before Apple released their newest version for the same price. So what is it about the iPhone that makes it soo good? Curb appeal eh? Everybody has one so I am getting one too.

If people everywhere can get that excited about a phone that is simply another phone with a cooler interface and nice pretty touch screen, why is it that we have such a hard time getting them excited about the God we serve. People are hungry to fit in. People desire to be a part of something. We have such an open door to witness and share about God's greatness, but somehow timidity, fear, pride, selfishness, and many other things get in our way.

So here is the thought that kick started this blog

Earlier for whatever reason I was thinking about the Cowboy's struggles and there recent acquisition of Roy Williams. I being a Longhorn fan, believe this to be a good trade and look forward to seeing Roy Williams contribute to the Cowboy's offense. Unfortunately, I don't think this is a solution to their problems. This also led me to think about the Jason Kidd trade that Dallas made at the end of last season. It is funny how I began to think that we all to often make similar "mistakes" in our lives. So now you are probably thinking what is he talking about. First before I continue, let me side step for a minute. I had these thoughts earlier, and then ended up on Josh Briscoe's blog. He had a post that made some comparison between Jerry Jones' love for his team to God's love for us. An interesting post including the Roy William's trade, the Cowboy's, and God. However, quite different than what I am about to write about. But still similar in that we can find God speaking to us even in our interests/hobbies if we choose to do so.

So, back to the question "What is he talking about?". Rewind for a minute, last year the Dallas Cowboys finish the regular season at 13-3 tied for the best NFC record. However, they lost their first playoff game. They had lost their first playoff game the year before on a mishandled snap. So what does Dallas (Jerry Jones) do? He goes and signs Adam Jones of the Tennessee Titans. He pumps alot of money into the team and hopes to have a Championship team. He wants the team to get back to where they were at the end of last regular season. They start the season off looking strong. Then they nearly lose to the Bengals and have been struggling since then. So what now? Jerry Jones goes and gets Roy Williams to add to the already talented receiver group. Guess what? Even if Roy William's catches more touchdown passes than T.O. (doubtful), it won't help the defense.

How bout the Mavericks? Dallas loses what seems to be their Championship. Then they follow with the best NBA record the next season only to lose in the playoffs to Golden State. So last season they are doing ok in a very competitive Western Conference, instead of staying with a promising future point guard in Devin Harris, they make the "big" trade to get Jason Kidd. Guess what, they left the playoffs early again.

Ok, enough already... what is the point. The point is, I believe that in our walk with Christ on this Earth we are often too impatient. We have tasted what it is like to walk in victory, so in times of trouble we want a "quickfix" to get us back to that place of victory. Instead of weathering the storm where we are and allowing ourselves to grow and mature in God, we try to figure out something quick and easy that will "fix" our situation and help us. Ultimately, we end up finding out that where we are is exactly where we need to be. Sometimes we might even see that our "quick fix" prolongs where we are and causes us to endure what was there to begin with.

Maybe Jason Kidd will lead the Mavs to the Finals and help them win the championship as he did the Redeem Team in China. Maybe Roy Williams will shine in Dallas as he did in Texas and provide the Cowboys with the offensive spark that will produce more points than the defense allows. Maybe not? Maybe Devin Harris will be a premier guard in the league and could have gotten Dallas to the finals a few years down the road with the right co-pilots. Maybe the future draft picks that Dallas traded away had a franchise defensive player, a solid defensive back, or a hidden talented running back similar to some of the greats like Terrell Davis. At least Roy Williams is young and will be in the league for a while, but I wonder how good those three draft picks will end up being.

In a time where everybody is always trying to get somewhere and get there fast, even our food is advertised as instant, slow down. Be patient. Weather the storm and grow in God. When we are weak, He is made strong.