Texas Tech Tuesday Morning Notes - We Should Be The Top-Rated One Loss Team Edition
Double-T Nation News:
I'm not politicking.
I'll be completely honest, the BCS mess just gives me tired-head and honestly, if you asked me to explain the mechanics of the BCS, the computers, the weight that all of it has, I'd tell you that I've got no f'ing clue.
Here's what I do know, Texas Tech needs to win on Saturday.
I've given this quite a bit of thought and I have no clue as to whether my voice here on DTN would actually persuade any writer in believe that Texas Tech is better than A, B or C. Perhaps that's just me knowing that as much as I love DTN, writers and broadcasters probably don't need me to tell them who should be voting for and why. I just don't believe I carry that kind of clout.
If the Red Raiders take care of business on Saturday, the let the chips fall where they may. The best case scenario would be if Oklahoma and Texas both lost. That's simple math and I can handle that. If either OU or Texas win and the other loses, then the winner goes to the BCS, Texas Tech goes to the Big 12 Championship, and we move on from there.
I hate that politicking is part of the process, rather than playing on the field and I know that this is the process that's here for a while, so I had better get used to it, but I don't necessarily want to endorse it. For good discussion, head on over to Crimson and Cream Machine, who doesn't believe that Texas Tech should be dismissed quite yet, as well as Burnt Orange Nation who feels that Texas Tech is out of the picture entirely. Be respectful and be nice.

One of my weekly favorites, Rock M Nation's The Boy's Beyond The Boxscore's Rankings and Projections. One thing to note, is that The Boy's computer projections are currently 19-0, which means that the computers are predicting Oklahoma State to upset Oklahoma. I'm just sayin'.

EDSBS with Captain Leach's inner monologue during the Oklahoma game.
Texas Tech Football:
However, that doesn't stop Captain Leach from voicing his opinion, per the LAJ's Don Williams (emphasis mine):
"Probably, we shouldn’t be dropped behind them," Leach said Monday during his weekly news conference. "As far as I’m concerned, we shouldn’t."Snip
When asked if he thought Tech should remain above Texas, Florida, Southern Cal and Penn State, he said, "Throw them all in there. We should be the top-rated one-loss team."
Leach does go on to say that he knows that he can't control the process and is a strident believer in the 64 team playoff:
"I’ve got my hands full with things I can control," he said, "so I’m not going to worry about things that I can’t. I’ve said from the beginning they ought to have a playoff. I’m pretty well on the record as to how I’d solve this thing."
So wait a second . . . Texas Tech beat a Top 25 team in Kansas and then went on to beat two Top 10 teams in Texas and Oklahoma State in two connsecutive weeks and we should be completely out of the picture? Huh.

FWST's Dwain Price has a Texas Tech football notebook of sorts, with the headline being that Texas Tech is getting back to work, per senior defensive end Jake Ratliff:
"It’s over and there is nothing we can do about it, so there is really no need to get down about it," defensive end Jake Ratliff said. "You’ve just got to bounce back from it. We have been through some tough times before with this team. We’re a family, we will stick together and pull through it."
And Ratliff has high praise for Baylor QB Robert Griffin:
"He’s the most talented running quarterback we will face this year," Jake Ratliff said. "Everyone’s seen what he can do with the ball."If he scrambles, he is going to make a play. If you leave him in the pocket, he is going to throw. He can do pretty much whatever he wants with the ball."
Lots of other notes as well, check it out.

ESPN Big 12 blogger Tim Griffin writes that both Nebraska's Bo Pelini and Captain Leach let everyone know who they believe to be the best team, Oklahoma. Tim also breaks-down and predicts the bowls for the Big 12 teams.
Texas Tech Basketball:
Don't forget that we've got a game tonight, 7:00 p.m. and it will be on TTN for those of us not in Lubbock.
LAJ's Jeff Walker profiles one of my favorite players, sophomore forward D'walyn Roberts, who has improved mightily from last year. Here's Junior Knight on Roberts and forward Michael Prince:
"He and Mike Prince, to be honest just from last year - we went in here with about seven or eight guys and they really weren’t (considered to be) in the rotation," Tech head coach Pat Knight said. "I couldn’t watch them all summer, but when practice started - individual workouts in the fall - they started showing us some stuff. After the first week of practice, we started looking at the stats and every team they played on they were winning. They were doing the little things, so I said, Hey, we’ve got two new guys that we didn’t have last year who are going to play for us.’"
Roberts says that one of his biggest problems last year was that he wasn't just playing the game:
"My focus during the offseason was to try and not think too much when I was playing. I think that hurt me last year," Roberts said. "I also worked a lot on my shooting and dribbling, and I’m still trying to get stronger."

RRS.com's Tech's Top Three is also free this week, which reminds me that after this week I have plans to do a weekly basketball report, it's just that until football season ends, I need to prioritize.

Rush the Court, an excellent college basketball blog, looks at the Big 12 this week.
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8 comments
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Comments
Computers Got It Right
BCS computers have it thus;
1. Bama
2. UT
3. OU
4. Tech
5. Utah
6. Florida
7. Penn State
8. USC
Of course the human polls are 2/3rds of the BCS formula, which lands Tech at #7. But honestly, how can Florida and USC be ranked ahead of Tech? Neither have beat a top 10 team and both lost to unranked teams. TTU beat a #1 and lost to a #5. Granted, their loss was a spanking, but the computers don’t look, and shouldn’t look, at margin of victory. You win the game or you lose the game.
OU, USC and Florida look strong now. Problem is, they needed to look strong in September and October when Mississippi, Oregon St. and Texas were on their schedule, and they didn’t. A team’s body of work should be considered in the rankings, not the last 2 weeks.
If OU wins at OK State, I think they go to the Big XII CG because they will have the only impressive road win of the bunch. TTU and Texas held serve at home but couldn’t bring it on the road. If OU loses, it’s simple…Tech vs UT head-to-head…Tech.
Still a lot of football to be played, but this week’s polls show what the human pollsters think about Tech now.
by natkcole on Nov 25, 2008 7:09 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
Humans will care about margin of victory.
We weren’t competitive. But, then again, we didn’t lose at home to Ole Miss either. The issue with Florida is that because they’ve been systematically spanking opponents, much like OU since Texas, voters are really worked up about how good they are. Ditto with USC. We can claim a tougher schedule but not more convincing victories, albeit over more difficult competition.
I have a real issue with anyone suggesting that a 12-1 Texas Tech should be leap frogged by an 11-1 Texas in the event OSU beats OU. In a 1:1 comparison, there’s no sense saying that Tech is behind a Texas team they beat. You can toss out head-to-head where there is a three-way-tie, but in the event of an OU loss and a Texas and Texas Tech win, there is no three way tie.
I’m skeptical that the voters will see things that way, though.
by Skin Patrol on Nov 25, 2008 7:34 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
What's the goal?
Let’s go out and beat our opponent this week,
or
Let’s go win by 40?
Alabama doesn’t beat teams by 40 because their offense isn’t high-powered. But they don’t lose. Only in college football is their a ‘convincing victory’. UT>OU>TTU>UT. I agree, you can throw out the head-to-heads. It’s a wash.
by natkcole on Nov 25, 2008 7:50 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Alabama doesn’t beat teams by 40 because their offense isn’t high-powered.
That’s right. And Washington doesn’t have a high powered defense, which is why they get beat by 40. Alabama should be commended for winning but not for sucking at offense. The point of a football game is to beat your opponent. The point of ordering teams from best to worst is to compare either how good they are or how well they’ve played, which has to include their propensity for “high-powered offense”. All things equal, more points are better, right? The point isn’t necessarily to win by 40, but when that is the result, you sure look a lot better. Were you not impressed with the Texas Tech team that played Oklahoma State? I was!
by Skin Patrol on Nov 25, 2008 7:33 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
The problem with polls...
Horns say we’re out because they’re all a bunch of entitlement babies. Ten years ago it was the Aggies ranting on and on about how great their PROGRAM (not team) is and how Tech sucks. And that’s why we hated them and have had such a fired up attitude for that game. Now it’s Texas saying that. (and I’m not sure why, aside from because it’s an idiotic argument that favors them)
Look horns, I can take the LOGICAL arguments, I can take the:
-Tech lost late
-Tech lost big
-Tech won close (against UT)
I can take those. You don’t want to stick on those too closely because if OU somehow loses then it’s all moot, but at least those make sense. What I can’t STAND is idiot Longhorn fans saying that Tech is out of it because a 1 loss Tech should not go in over a 1 loss “traditional power”, like a Texas, an OU (or even a USC). And THAT is garbage. (and yes, I am hearing this argument already)
Texas Tech should win the games we have left. If we get into the Big12 championship (no matter how we do it) and WIN that game, we should go to the NC, period. If we don’t get into the Big12 championship, then we probably shouldn’t go. (but then, I’m also a proponent of a playoff of conference champions and screw the “we like the traditional powers” polls)
by HeeroTX on Nov 25, 2008 9:24 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
I think
The gap between us and UT/OU/Fla is too much to make up in the BCS rankings if they keep winning. Don’t forget about a USC team that somehow is moving up despite lackluster wins in a lackluster conference.
The loss to OU killed our national title hopes unless a very, very weird and unlikely combination of events happens between now and the end of the conference title weekend. We simply dropped too far this week to be a title player. USC, Florida, Alabama, UT, Utah and OU will all have to lose in the next few weeks; we’ll have to reach, and win, the Big XII conference championship game. THEN we will play for all the marbles.
If OU wins Saturday, it’s doesn’t matter at all. We will be headed to the Cotton Bowl in all likelihood. It’s totally out Tech’s control at this point. To play for all the marbles, you have to win your games and you can’t have a loss to any of the teams who move in front of you – in my opinion.
The system this season really shows how flawed it is…yet again…there is almost always a team left out of the top two that has a great argument to be included. It may/may not be Tech this year, but there’s always one. I’m guessing the team with the best argument this year will be OU.
by Tech92 on Nov 25, 2008 10:07 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I’m not trying to argue that we should be in. In my opinion, if Oklahoma wins against OK State, they should be in the Big12 championship, period. If OU loses and we beat Baylor we DO go to the Big12 championship, period. All I’m saying is that if we win the Big12 championship we SHOULD go to the NC. (I’m not saying we will)
But what I was really saying is I hate the “subjectivity” of the polls. I can take that voters threw us down because we lost late. I can take that we’re dropped because we lost big. What I’m SICK of is people voting down our program because we’re not a “traditional” power. (I think more than anything, I need to get the heck out of Austin, it’s not good for my sanity to listen to Longhorn proponents EVERY DAY -_-) I hate how the polls reward schools that are “supposed” to be good. (whether they actually ARE or not)
by HeeroTX on Nov 25, 2008 10:20 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
one other thing
And again, yes, I AM hearing people say that Texas should be ranked ahead of Texas Tech on the basis of “tradition”. THAT has me ticked more than anything else.
by HeeroTX on Nov 25, 2008 10:22 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

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