Kickin' Rocks

I know I should comment on the Alamo Bowl, but damn it...right now all I feel is apathy. Pairing us with Oregon shows one of two things: selection committee had way more respect for Texas, or they wanted to exploit a decimated team with a lame duck coach. (C'mon, this is the NCAA and anything is possible.)
I feel sick that someone like Mack Brown received that kind of send off. Anyone who knows anything will tell you it was a huge mismatch. You may think I am making excuses, I promise you, I'm not. If it weren't for our defense we would have lost by 1 zillion points. The offense (injuries or not) just couldn't get anything going. And, before everyone jumps on the "blame Case McCoy" bandwagon, this was not entirely his fault. If you are a receiver, and you run the correct routs, you have one job....CATCH and HOLD onto the damn ball.
Mack deserved better, the players definitely deserved better, the fans..well we expected better.Those who think hiring a new head coach, and most likely changing the entire coaching staff, should not expect Texas playing for the National Title immediately. If they do, they are so delusional, they might need medication.

Can Texas turn things around with new head coach?

            There has been something lacking at The University of Texas for the past three years. So, when Mack Brown "resigned", I was in total shock. After the year he, and the team, has had, I was almost 100% sure he'd have one more season. Many people, fans or not, think his coaching this year was one of his best.I won't sit here and say that the injuries many key players suffered was  the main cause, but losing 8 of 10 starters, many on key position. The team lost sophomore QB David Ash to a concussion against BYU and was out for the season.Texas  also lost starting linebacker Jordan Hicks during the Kansas State game, he did not return the rest of the season.During Texas' win over West Virginia, defensive tackle Chris Whaley (ACL) and running back Jonathan Gray (achilles) were lost for the season. Even after this adversity, Mack Brown coached this team to a chance of winning the Big 12  championship.
         After three sub-par to mediocre seasons, (5-7, 7-5,and  8-4 respectively) changes needed to be made. While 7-5 or an 8-4 season would be respectable for a great many other teams, at Texas, it's a disappointing season. However disappointing, did Mack Brown deserve forced resignation? I don't think so. He deserved at least one more year. Was it necessary to part ways with a man who came to Texas, which had been struggling mightily for years, and put together 10+ winning seasons? Again, not on your life. But Texas wants to win, and that has precedence over everything.
           One of the main issues Texas has is amnesia, This team was terrible under John Mackovic (41-28-2/1992-1997), and David McWilliams (31-26, 1987-1991), so what Mack did here was nothing short of amazing. If Mack has a fault, maybe he was to nice, too like-able, and too soft on player development. But his positives outweighed his negatives. Recruits wanted to come to Texas because of what Mack Brown was doing for Texas. He's a generous, genuine, and graceful even as he was being forced to resign.
         The trend emerging in regards to college football, is that like-ability is not necessarily in a head coach's job description, winning is the only job description. But, do we really need a high paid hard-ass who would rather cut corners and cheat than just play the game? It seems as if there is no loyalty anymore in any sport, so this gives head coaches a much more difficult job. Today's sports landscape is constantly tarnished, especially college football. Every season the NCAA (I won't even get into she sham that is the NCAA) finds violations with some team or another, and the fans have become desensitized. We no longer care how we win games, and it is the players that suffer. Coaches are often time goaded by alumni and booster to win by any means. College football has become a business. The coaches know it, the players know it, and the fans know it. So schools continue to rebuild, some are successful, others are not. The bottom line is that loyalty has fallen by the way-side, and instant gratitude is all we think about.
          So, what is next for Texas? Transition and rebuilding, sure. But Brown's resignation will not solve the problems Texas now faces, and the 'lucky man" who gets this job is going to be under immense scrutiny and pressure. Fans, players, and alumni are going to see how this "rebuilding" is going to effect recruiting. I think it will have a huge impact due to the fact that we signed players because Brown could recruit. All-in-all, Texas will become relevant again, but we should realize that our relevance is part of Brown's legacy, and the changes he made.

Double Standard with regards to the University of Texas athletics

              There is a clear double standard when it comes to athletics at The University of Texas, and it has never been clearer than now. A recent Forbes article stated that The University of Texas athletic department is worth $139 million dollars, 20% more than any other school's athletic department in the country. Logic follows that Texas athletics should be competing for a championship in any sport, every season.
            When Texas' football department suffered three uncharacteristic seasons, ranging from sub-par and no bowl game, to more respectable 5-7 and 8-4 seasons, many were calling for Mack Brown to resign. However, after a 1-2 start this year, it looked like this season would be Mack's last season. But he rallied, and motivated the players, beat Kansas State and Oklahoma, and suddenly the Longhorns could win the Big 12. The losses to Oklahoma State and  Baylor, ended hopes of a BCS game, and Mack was forced to resign.
            There are people who claim Texas is a football school and the coach is under way more scrutiny. But, is he was forced to resign because he wasn't winning games for the university, why do Rick Barnes and Augie Garrido still have their jobs? Texas athletes are recruited well, and we should have a shot at a championship not only in football, but also baseball and basketball.Both the baseball team and the basketball team have been nothing short of mediocre. The last time Texas wasn't knocked out of the NCAA basketball tournament, was when Kevin Durant was playing. The baseball team has not won a championship since 2005. Since winning seems to be the only way a coach at UT can keep his job, it seems Barnes and Garrido should have been fired long ago. Unless the new athletic director Steve Patterson cleans house, so to speak, the reasons behind Mack resigning will be suspect.