"We Don’t Lose because We’re Not Losers"

by DanSwany on Nov 4, 2009 1:08 PM CST Comment 24 comments

Just a thought-

I first started to “really” follow Tech football my frosh year at the school in 2001. I had always known our school to have a decent team, but UT and A&M were the dominators in the state in terms of football. This was okay with me, as I came from a high school team that won zero games my senior year in a class 5A high school.

I always liked being the underdog in most games, and pulling off tough wins that made you feel proud to be victorious. I would pride myself for being the main one of my friends that followed our team win or lose, and could spit off certain stats or answer questions not too many seemed to care about. As years past, from 2001 to 2007, I remained in close contact with a lot of Tech friends and still remained the Texas Tech football guru out of our group.

Then the 2008 season came around, all my friends that were once only cheering when we won the big-time games became “uber” fans in this magical season. They were once screaming how we “sucked” every down, and “stunk” every play. Now they cheered our own made-up favorite drunken chant “we don’t lose because we’re not losers”. It was a grand time in my life; I would travel from town to town with an entourage of six or more. We would fly into the cities, rent hotels, and hold our guns up high. I was no longer the guru, but an equivalent as an expert of Tech football with them all. We would debate for hours, and foresee predictions.

Since this 2009 seasons first two losses, my entourage has only made one game. They no longer travel from town to town with me. They have stopped chanting drunken cheers for our team, and have once again started to tell me about us “sucking and stinking”. I am no longer an equivalent fan and expert of the team, but once again the guru of our group.

Now tell me, because I have this glimmer of hope that is on the rise. I feel something special rumbling about this next season and don’t want to be excited prematurely, but I feel 2010 will once again reconnect my friends and I to new travels and adventures. My question is, are we going to be winners again in 2010? Or was 2008 just a fluke? I believe we will have the power, strength, and talent to win it all; but maybe just maybe, as I learned from my high school football team, some things just aren’t meant to happen.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Double-T Nation's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Double-T Nation's writers or editors.

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2008 was NOT a fluke.

With a little discipline and better play calling, we cud’ve been a 1-loss team right now. The 1-loss coming against A&M of course.

Florida won the 2006 title and went 9-4 the next year… that included a humiliating loss to a Big Ten team – Michigan. Humiliating coz it was a Big Ten team.

Just wait and watch. We’ll be BACK.

by Red_Raider on Nov 4, 2009 2:00 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Exactly

To say ‘fluke’ is inaccurate in every way. There has been consistent progress and improvement in this program under Mike Leach and last season was part of that. The program is building from where last season ended.

by TallMike on Nov 6, 2009 2:44 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

See my post below yours for path to 2010 glory, it's starts next weekend

by TTUMAR on Nov 4, 2009 2:25 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I will look to 2012-2013

Offensive Play makers
WR- Eric Ward, Jr.
WR- Kadron Boone, So. or Jr.
WR- Shawn Corker, So. or Jr.
QB- Scotty Young, So. or Jr.
RB- Harrison Jeffers, Sr.

Defensive Play makers
DT- Pearlie Gravies, Jr. or Sr.
LB- Brandon Mahoney
CB- Will Ford
FS- **Cody Davis, Sr., is already a beast

I will keep my fingers crossed for the 2010 season, but my feeling is that it will take a little more time to build a national title contender. I do however think these players I have listed will have the skill set to compete if we continue what we have built up to this point. Every offensive player listed here is/was a four star recruit according to rivals. If you look at the class from 2008 that made a big 12 title push the players were not rated as highly as the recruits we are bringing in now. I think if we make another push for the big 12, we will finally be able to recruit with the big boys. I hope we can do it next year though and I really enjoyed the post.

by harrell4heisman on Nov 4, 2009 5:39 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Why not

back to back to back title games? ha ha

by RdrPwr on Nov 4, 2009 6:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I like the schedule in 2010

We get a top 5 & top 15 team in non-conference, both at home: TCU and Houston. If we can win those, we should be able to sweep through the 1st 10 games. I’m not saying A&M in College Station or Colorado (who we’ve never beaten in Big 12 play) will be easy, but we are a stronger program at present & should win those games. Then week 11 we have to revisit Norman, OK. God knows we couldn’t do any worse than we did the last time we visited Norman at 10-0. Then we finish the season with UT in Jones Stadium. So our two toughest conference games are the last two of the season. We should be ready for them. As ready as we’ll ever be.

by mbrown603 on Nov 5, 2009 7:19 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

We HAVE beaten Colorado in Big 12 play

It was in 2003 at home 26-21.

by Red_Raider on Nov 5, 2009 8:38 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Correct me if I'm wrong

But wasn’t that the game where Wes broke the return record?

Wreck 'em Tech! Go Rockets!

by Rock Creator on Nov 5, 2009 9:07 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

I belive that is correct. I’m also pretty sure we beat them two years later because I remember Cumbie I believe throwing like 5 pics in the first half and then we killed them in the second.

by logan5555 on Nov 5, 2009 9:54 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

We only see Colorado 2 of 4 years

We didn’t play them this season or last, so here are the years we would have played them:

2007 – Lubbock – loss (last home loss before A&M this year if I’m not mistaken)
2006 – Lost Boulder to an 0-6 Colorado Team. I was there, it was ugly
2003 – I’ll take your word for it that we won this one. I’m a season ticket holder so I’m sure I saw it
2002 – Lost in Boulder 37-13 – Chris Brown had a field day (I remember watching this one on TV in East Texas)
1999 – won at home
1998 – lost in Boulder

Maybe it just feels like we can never beat Colorado.

by mbrown603 on Nov 5, 2009 12:24 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Don't take my word...

take espn.com’s word.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/teams/schedule?teamId=2641&year=2003

speaking of espn, why does it say GamePlan next to the @OSU game? I thot it was on ABC.

by Red_Raider on Nov 5, 2009 2:57 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

If you have gameplan....

I’m assuming it’s 2:30 right? If you pay for that package and don’t live in this region, you can watch it instead of the B10 crap they’re rolling out for people who live in Muncie, Indiana.

by Plano Jeff on Nov 5, 2009 6:48 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

HEY!!!

The game with CU is still a young competition between both teams. Give it some time, Tech should indeed come around. Being 2-4 since the inception of the BIG 12, could easily turn into 4-4 in the next 2 seasons. Heck UT had trouble with them at the beginning of the BIG 12 years, going 2-3 against the Buffs before winning the next 5 games… heck the horns had a 6 game losing streak against CU, didnt even win 1 game in the 90’s.

The same with Mizzou… Tech is 1-5 against the Tigers at the moment, but this one is still a young series also. Next two seasons could easily turn the record into 3-5 since the inception of the BIG 12. Tech is only 4-7 against the Huskers, but the Red Raiders have won 4 straight…. only being the third team to do that in over 20 years (other two teams are OU and UT).

All in all, the series with both MU and CU are young, and those could easily turn in Tech’s favor or disaster within the next 6 years. Tech had trouble beating NU before the 4 game winning streak, but they have been able to do that…. never know, same could happen against the Tigers and Buffs.

Dont forget, TT is not the only team in the South that is having trouble with North Division teams… UT vs. KSU. The cats have won 4 of the 6 meetings against the Horns since the inception of the BIG 12. UT had only won those 2 games by a total of 7 points… so yeah, Tech is not the only team having troubles with North Division teams.

by txt3ch6uy on Nov 5, 2009 12:56 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Thats right..

In fact, KSU’s the only team that Colt McCoy hasn’t beaten. He got beaten 45-42 and 41-21 when he played them in 2006 and 2007.

BTW, has anyone realized that if the Aggies win out from here on, they can win the big 12 south? They’d be 4-1 in Big 12 south play… so wud be UT. H2H tiebreaker gives aTm the div title! Unbelievable.

by Red_Raider on Nov 5, 2009 3:00 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

He got beat*

by Red_Raider on Nov 5, 2009 3:33 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I thought.....

all conference games went into that equation. Meaning that A&M actually has 2 conference losses (K-State, OSU), and thus a win out wouldn’t matter? Guess I am wrong.

by TTUMAR on Nov 5, 2009 3:09 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

The big 12 official website says...

…. record against north div is taken into consideration only if its a 3-way tie.

For 2-way ties its just plain H2H. Determining the winner of the south division does not involve looking at the record against the north division if its a 2-way tie. Like for e.g. if Tech wins out, our Big 12 record (6-2) would be the same as A&M’s if they win out but big 12 south record would be diff. Tech wud not be involved in the aformentioned tie since their big 12 south record 3-2 wud not be as good as A&M’s 4-1.

Correct me if I’m wrong here.

by Red_Raider on Nov 5, 2009 3:37 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

That makes sense.......good info.......If I could make someone dead with my mind it would be A&M.

by TTUMAR on Nov 5, 2009 3:39 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Call George Clooney, they have goats down there.......

" Answers -- Become Resources."
Without Questions; There are limited Resources...

by KWashburn on Nov 5, 2009 5:49 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

It wouldn't even ne a 2 way tie.

UT would be 7-1 and Ayunem would be 6-2. Only if they had same record would the head to head count. Kinda like if we beat Philly twice in division play, but they were 11-5, us (Cowboys, even if we were 6-0 in div play) 10-6, they’d still win the division.

by Plano Jeff on Nov 5, 2009 6:56 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Are you sure about this?

7-1 and 6-2 are north and south combined records… AFAIK, record against north team is used only if its a 3-way tie. Otherwise to determine winner of the south division, records against south teams only is used.

I mean, imagine a hypothetical situation where team A is from the south div and it wins all of its 5 games against the south teams and loses all 3 against the north teams. So now, its BigS record is 5-0 and overall Big12 record is 5-3.

Team B is from the same div and its record is 4-1 (against south) and 3-0 (against north) making its overall Big 12 record as 7-1. So you’re saying in this case, team B wins the south???

by Red_Raider on Nov 5, 2009 8:50 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

It’s just what I’ve always thought. I certainly am not going to bet my house on it, but I was pretty sure when I wrote it, now I’m just hoping Kyakyakr or Skinpatrol will weigh in cuz I’m not sure.

by Plano Jeff on Nov 6, 2009 11:00 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

From the Big-12 Site

Divisional Champion: The (eligible) team with the best winning-percentage of all divisional members in its eight conference games is declared the divisional champion and representative to the Dr Pepper Big 12 Conference Football Championship Game. A team ineligible under NCAA or Big 12 rules for postseason (bowl) competition shall not compete in the Championship Game.

Divisional Tiebreakers: The following procedure will determine the representative from each division in the event of a tie:

If two teams are tied, the winner of the game between the two tied teams shall be the representative
If three or more teams are tied, steps 1 through 7 will be followed until a determination is made. If only two teams remain tied after any step, the winner of the game between the two tied teams shall be the representative.

1. The records of the three teams will be compared against each other
2. The records of the three teams will be compared within their division
3. The records of the three teams will be compared against the next highest placed teams in their division in order of finish (4, 5 and 6)
4. The records of the three teams will be compared against all common conference opponents;
5. The highest ranked team in the first Bowl Championship Series Poll following the completion of Big 12 regular season conference play shall be the representative
6. The team with the best overall winning percentage [excluding exempted games] shall be the representative
7. The representative will be chosen by draw
___________________________________________________

If I’m reading it right, all eight conference games are used to determine the division winner. Doesn’t make a lot of sense, but I guess it would prevent something like a 5-7 team (5-0 in their div. but losing everything else) from beating out an 11-1 team (4-1 in the div and winning everything else).

by TechFirst on Nov 6, 2009 3:00 PM CST reply actions 0 recs