Ole Miss - 31, National champs - 30.... You honestly think this is cool?

"Oh my God, we just beat Florida!"

These are the words of a one Juco All-American, a rogue bloggeur with a love and knowledge of Ole Miss unlike most. At the time of this utterance, the Ole Miss Rebels had pulled off what then seemed to be the most unlikely of upsets. It was a damn, damn good feeling which proved to be the first in a long string of good feelings. This season was incredibly memorable and absolutely thrilling to watch (and subsequently blog). During the points-orgy that was the 2nd half of our season, our middle fingers flew high, bourbon flowed like the Mississippi, and every Hotty was Toddied.

Yet, now, after all of those successes, folks are still stuck on beating Florida. They want to sell you ugly t-shirts and bumper stickers and whatnot because "DAMMIT WE BEAT FLORIDA WHOOO!" You would think that after having defeated the Gators during three of our last four meetings that we'd be used to it by now (ooooh, burn) but this is still some incredible novelty to many of us. Yes, it's a memorable game, and one of the single greatest games in the history of all of Ole Miss football, but to make that the focus of our very successful 2008-9 season is pretty durned foolish.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time I've seen we Rebels fail to see the forest for the trees. In the original Abner's on the corner of University and South Lamar, there hangs a copy of the 1977 Notre Dame football schedule. The Irish were crowned the national champions of that season despite having one blemish on their record: a 20-13 loss to Ole Miss in Jackson. At that game, Joe Montana sat on the bench as the backup quarterback for the Irish as he watched the domers shock the country by falling to the Ole Miss Rebels.

Yet, this example is different from its modern counterpart because, for those times, such celebration of a single game was necessary. This is because the 1977 Ole Miss season was pretty forgettable otherwise. The Rebs finished that season without a bowl appearance, having lost to Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Mississippi State, LSU and *gulp* Southern Miss (the State game was later forfeited, but still).

Why do this? Do you think this hurts the feelings of Florida fans or something? Well, it doesn't. After watching the BCS title game at a bar armed to the teeth with Florida fans, an Ole Miss cohort of mine began shouting "we beat the national champions!" The Florida fans effected enough to respond generally said things along the lines of "WHOOOOOOOO FUCK YES MOTHERFUCK YEAH BCS CHAMPS MOTHERFUCKERS!"

A few of them even thanked us for "lighting a fire under their asses" and took the time to congratulate us on our win over Texas Tech.

"The SEC owns the Big XII, broseph!" Yeah, I got that and, while incredibly douchey in that uniquely Florida way, it goes to show that our win over them isn't so much a blip on their radar screen. Hell, most Florida fans are glad they lost to us early in the season as opposed to shitting the bed against someone else (Florida State, Bama) with bigger BCS implications later on.

We became a nail in Tommy Tuberville's pine box, royally embarrassed LSU in Tiger Stadium, and stunned 90-something-percent of Americans after smacking around the Texas Tech Red Raiders of the "mighty" Big XII South. Yet, all some of us seem to give a rat's ass about was beating Florida in the Swamp.

We're the shin snappin', fin slangin', Jevan Snead and Dexter McCluster havin' Cotton Bowl Champions. We're not some bullshit, vicarious National Champions. Let's quit dwelling on that game and focus on our successful season at large.

Of course, it's more than alright to have cheered for the Gators in the BCS Championship Game. The Sooners are a dastardly, bastardly group and, as a fan of an SEC school (that isn't Georgia), you're expected to pull for the Gators in such a situation. But you should pull for them for the sake of the conference as a whole; not just for the benefit of Ole Miss. Their defeat of Oklahoma marked the third consecutive year in which the crystal football was hoisted high by SEC hands which makes, not just one, but five of our victories that much more impressive. The SEC IS the best conference out there and we no longer need to waste our time trying to prove that.



P.S. - Alright, I will admit that making Tim Tebow cry still reminds me of all of the good things in life (Sex, pie, the 2nd Amendment, et cetera)

P.P.S. - Oh, and to whoever my temporary "broseph" may have been that evening: the SEC does, in fact, own the Big XII. Suck it, SEC haters.

A Message to the 30-some-odd Bowl Committees

What are you looking for in bowl matchups? Are you looking for the pair of teams which will provide your bowl with an interesting, competitive, and relevant matchup?

No.

Are you looking for emotional, heartwarming side stories or 4th quarter heroics?

No and no.

Are you looking to make a shit-ton of money off of ticket sales, TV ratings, and foolish spending by visiting fanbases?

Fuck yeah!

Well, then Ole Miss is the school which you should schedule for your bowls.

Certainly, your skepticism is natural. We're one of the SEC's smallest fanbases, being as how we hail from a small state and a relatively small university and, as of late, have not been a postseason presence. But, as we have established, you're looking to make money and, despite these hard economic times, we're helping to sell out stadiums, setting bar sales records, and boosting TV ratings.

Granted, being a part of the record setting Cotton Bowl crowd isn't too spectacular, considering that this is the first Cotton Bowl after the stadium expansion and that Texas Tech fans deserve a half of the credit with these respects. But, to say that the bar sales records and television ratings aren't intriguing would be 'tarded.

Think about it for a minute. Of all the conventions, sporting events, and other massive gatherings of thirsty people that have ever been held in Dallas, this last Cotton Bowl's band of Rebel fans set the record for booze sales at hotel bars.

And, to have a Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss matchup draw a TV rating that was a mere one-tenth-of-a-point lower than a Wisconsin vs. Florida State matchup must turn some heads.

So, bowl committees, you should certainly consider the Ole Miss Rebels in future bowl pairings. We'll fill the pockets of your corporate sponsors, respective cities, and broadcast partners with sweet, green cash. You'd be a damned fool to think to look us over come next year.

More salt, more wounds

I'm bored, alright?

Salt in the wounds

Ole Miss 47, Texas Tech 34 - Postgame Ruminations

I'm certain Whiskey Wednesday will provide a more in-depth, vulgar, and somewhat intoxicated postgame report but, for now, I'd like to offer my thoughts.

We dominated Texas Tech. If you nullify our mistakes (a pair of fumbles, Jevan's pick-six, and Marshay's stepping out of bounds) we would have been able to easily win by a margin greater than 13. Don't get me wrong; a 13-point victory over a top-10 team is fantastic even if it is, at times, sloppy.

Our offense was fantastic. Our defense, considering the high caliber talents on Tech's offense, got the job done. Our special teams were serviceable.

Most noteworthy, though, was our coaching. The offense was an excellent blend of conservative, traditional plays and innovative plays which utilized misdirection and spacing to create mismatches in the open field. We also managed the clock almost as well as one possibly could. At the half, we had more than double the time of possession and towards the end of the game we began to see the real benefit of holding onto the ball for as long as we were able to. In the second half, Tech simply could not stop our running game. Their defenders were sucking wind and absolutely depleted.

Defensively, we blitzed early and often. This surprised me in that one would assume that to be a pretty bad defensive tactic against a Mike Leach offense but it worked. Certainly, it left some folks open and gave up some big plays but, as with our offensive strategy, it served well to weaken their offensive line.

Simply put, we defeated Texas Tech by wearing their lines down.

Wasn't really "feeling the Cotton Bowl"

Of course, this is a huge win for our program. Not only have we lifted ourselves out of the SEC cellar, but we have also proven that these coaches can have us prepared for almost any game. The national news media (especially a certain fat asshole), recruits, and, most importantly, the rest of our conference are definitely taking notice of our victory. We embarrassed a top-10 football team which many felt was a worthy contendor for the BCS Title. Leading up to the game, just about every member of the major sports media, the Texas Tech fanbase, and even a few of their players predicted a blowout victory for the Red Raiders.

They deserved better than the play some 8-4 team in the Cotton Bowl. They were going to do to us what we would do to Oklahoma State. This guy was somehow going to scare Peria Jerry.

We heard it all month long but we nor our players listened. Yesterday we had a confidence and swagger that I could have never imagined as an Ole Miss fan. If an Ed Orgeron led team had fallen behind by two touchdowns in the first quarter, would they have turned around and won by 13? This team isn't afraid to play anyone and that attitude is what won our 9 games.

Shocking Texas Tech and the 90-something percent of folks who thought we didn't have a chance gave me (and, I imagine, all of us) an incredible feeling. Watching Graham Harrell put his head in his hands, seeing the Tech OL rack up personal foul penalties because they couldn't handle losing, and reading the meltdown on some Tech websites were all incredibly satisfying.

We were foolishly doubted. We had our program dogged by everyone outside of the Southeast. You won't see that happening next season. Ole Miss is here. Get 'cha popcorn ready.

Game Day

I'm a lot of things right now.

I'm excited. I'm nervous. I'm focused. And I'm pissed.

I'm sick of a vast majority of the mainstream media downplaying our Rebels. I'm sick of fairweather Rebel fans who aren't at all ready to cheer for our Rebels against an excellent team for fear that they'll be cheering on a losing effort. I'm sick of Texas Tech fans acting like their Red Raiders don't deserve to play our "lowly" Rebels in the cotton bowl and I'm sick of them acting like we're just going to roll over and die out there.

Above all of this, though, I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. This four losing seasons in a row bullshit has finally ended and I don't anticipate it coming back for quite a while.

I know that this game has been placed on the back burner in favor of the BCS title game and the ESPN-boner (Rose) Bowl but when all things are considered, this is a pretty impressive bowl game. The Cotton Bowl has an incredibly storied history. National championships have been won and lost in Dallas on New Year's Day and to earn the opportunity to be one of the final teams to play in the actual Cotton Bowl stadium itself is pretty impressive. This game will also actually allow us to play out the heated debate of SEC defense vs. BigXII offense in real, on the field play. Perhaps, though, the greatest aspect of this game is the fact that we've a slew of All-Americans headlining both of these teams, all of which have something to prove.

All-Americans, all of 'em

Here's to a damn good Cotton bowl, Rebels and Raiders. Hotty Toddy and go Rebels.


Post Scriptum - Just an FYI, Leach: Peria Jerry isn't afraid to hurt a motherfucker. You can't say I didn't warn you.

Post Post Scriptum - Cotton Bowl open thread is below. If you're not in Dallas or at your favorite local sports bar and have elected to watch the game at home with a laptop nearby, leave your very own running commentary. Anything and everything goes.

A moody, introspective letter to Graham Harrell

Graham:

You don’t know me… No one really does, I suppose, but you, Graham: you will soon be privy to the smitten rage of my most blighted of hearts. You see, Graham, you are everything that my soul loathes. Heisman candidate, Texas All-American boy, the popular kid with the golden arm at quarterback… You were on my mind just the other day, while I was listening to the new Juliana Theory album that just leaked while taking pictures of myself from skewed upward angles. And it made me hurt inside, Graham. It just isn’t fair. I crouch in a tiny desk in graphic design class, as big as any three of the other kids stapled together, and none of them invite me to the Airships shows on the weekends. None of the guys on the team let me go to the Library with them after practice. Coach makes me go to class, or else play behind Chris fucking Bowers. I just don’t fit in, you see. I’m a freak. I spend all my time chasing you. You and your superficial pretty boy counterparts, with your clean jerseys, your waving locks of auburn hair. All I want is to catch you. Drag you down into the ground, make you taste the dirt that is my filthy, reprehensible existence. And I WILL catch you, Graham. That left tackle there? The crew-cut heifer who’s sworn away twenty years off of his strangled life, busting buffets, pushing sleds, lifting weights and pounding back protein to protect his precious Golden Boy? He’s a fucking suit. He’s corporate. He lines up inches from my wretched face, but he can’t know me. What was that move, he’ll ask? The one where I double-fake with my head, start to swim inside, then spin outside, leaving him standing there, a depleted mess of a man-mountain? Oh… don’t worry. It’s some move you’ve probably never heard of. You wouldn’t appreciate it the way I do. I am a fallen soul, Graham, but I can drag you down with me. Your victorious ride into the sunset is about to get wrecked. No bowl victory for you, Graham, no Texas gunslinger’s grand finale, no vapid blonde bimbo on your arm. I’m here to take all that away, Graham. I’m six foot five, 265 pounds, faster than some of your receivers, my dad hates me, and I haven’t taken my pills IN A FUCKING WEEK AND A HALF!!!!!!!! Your happiness ends here, Graham. I haven’t been this upset since The Dismemberment Plan sold out and signed a big record deal.

It reminds me of this poem:

two shots of hate from a mouth as loud as a gun,
like an assasin ... who does it for fun.

two deafening blows in a war that has just begun,
life gone away...i'm done.

two red roses sitting on my coffin, the wind blows, leaving only one
the world i know disappears...like the setting sun.

God, it makes my soul bleed. My heart is a blackness, LoveIsToTheDeath,

emo Greg Hardy

f0t0$h0ppe courtesy of the Ghost of Jay Cutler

Blogger Q&D - Double T Nation

Double T Nation, a very well written and detailed Texas Tech blog, agreed to exchange some questions with us in traditional game-week fashion. Juco All-American's questions and Seth of Double T Nation's answers are below. You should also earnestly peruse the last few weeks of posts on the blog. They've gone all "in-depth" and shit.


1. What do you think holds teams back from using the Mike Leach spread? Is it a lack of ability to coach it, fear that it won't work with other players, or something else? Explain specifically what makes your offense tick.

It's pretty ugly when it doesn't work, but when it does, it's an absolute thing of beauty. Teams and coaches have to be patient, something that's not very common in today's coaching circles (see Auburn). Just like any other kind of offensive or defensive scheme, it takes commitment on the part of the administration and school to make sure that the coach is able to fully implement his system. Keep in mind that a lot of Texas Tech fans believe, me included, that the spread helped even the playing field for Texas Tech. Mike Leach was able to take traditionally less talented players, put up tremendous offensive numbers and win more than a handful of games, something his predecessor could not do on a consistent basis. The spread can work with just about any group of players, so long as they're talented, so long as the quarterback can quickly read a defense. If you have a quarterback that reacts slowly then it's disaster.

As to the specific portion of your question, what makes it tick is that Mike Leach has written the book on the spread, he knows it inside and out, and is able to teach his quarterbacks (I'm pretty sure its some sort of voodoo) how to quickly assess a situation and react correctly. There's nothing fancy to the plays, it's merely a matter of reading the defense. What's made this offense even better than in previous years is an absolutely insane athlete in Michael Crabtree, a quarterback who has had 3 years in the system in Graham Harrell, and two running backs that have run like their lives depended on it.


2. We've all heard the debate. SEC defenses look good because SEC offenses are so bad. Big XII offenses look good because Big XII defenses are so bad. Talk a little bit about Texas Tech's defense and why that argument (with respect to Big XII defenses) is wrong.

For Red Raider fans, the defense took huge strides this year and the biggest reason for the improvement has been up front, in particular the play of the two defensive ends, Brandon Williams (1st in the conference) and McKinner Dixon (6th in the conference). As I'm sure that Rebel fans are aware, having two guys who can rush the passer makes everything easier, especially in the Big 12. In previous years, Texas Tech would have one talented pass rusher, but not much elsewhere, however, with the arrival of McKinner Dixon, it meant that teams had to focus on both defensive ends. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that quite a few of the defensive players had another year under their belt as 8 of 11 starters returned from last year. A big part of the team's success was/is continuity, plus the defensive coordinator's willingness to put the most talented players on the field rather than play players who were maybe more experienced but not as talented (remember, Leach replaced defensive coordinators in the middle of the year of 2007).


3. Who's the best player on your team that no one talks about? How do you think he can impact this game?

I know you only asked for one, but receiver Detron Lewis on offense and linebacker Brian Duncan on defense. Lewis is Michael Crabtree-lite. He is a big receiver with speed, agility, and were it not for the incredible Mr. Crabtree, Lewis would be and probably will be next year, a bonafide star. Duncan may be the best linebacker at Texas Tech since Zach Thomas. Of course, that can be interpreted that there haven't been that many good linebackers since that time, and that's probably true, but Duncan is one of those rare players who is athletically gifted and able to correctly read an offensive play.


4. What has made this season different than other recent Texas Tech seasons where a high-powered offense yielded an 8 win team?

Two of the things mentioned above: improved pass rush and improved running game. Again, the improved pass rush made it easier on the team in general from top to bottom. A better pass rush helps the secondary, which allows for the safeties to help the run, which allows the linebackers to play a little more free in space, etc. It's cyclical.

The running game has really been a revelation this year. Texas Tech went from 3.13 yards a rush in 2007 to 4.71 in 2008 and there's no doubt that Leach has learned that a more balanced attack is a better offense. This may surpsise some folks, but I believe that Leach could care less about the passing statistics, it's all about putting the ball in the endzone, that's the ultimate goal, although I do think he believes that passing the ball is a more efficient way of accomplishing that goal. In any event, Leach's reliance on the rush meant that Harrell threw for 1,000 less yards than last year and 100 less plays, but more than 4 points more per game than in 2007. In fact, don't be surprised if you see a two tight-end set or a two running back set on Friday.


5. What is your prediction for the game? How will it play out?

I think this one is closer than many Texas Tech fans would like for it to be. I've always thought that one of the equalizers for the spread offensie is an athletic defense (i.e. Ole Miss) and if the defensive front can put pressure on Harrell and force him to make some bad throws then I really like the Rebels chances. However, I'm not sure how well Ole Miss will match up with Crabtree and Lewis on defense as these are two bigger receivers, one of them will be a top 5 pick in April's NFL draft. There's more size in the Texas Tech receiving corp than some might think and I think that's going to be the toughest matchup for the Rebels. I think Texas Tech is going to win every game (I'll be disappointed if you don't feel the same way about Ole Miss) so I'll take Texas Tech, 38-35.

I don't see his questions and Juco's answers just yet but when I do I'll link 'em up.

This "Landshark" Gimmick isn't at all Overdone

Guest contributor: really anybody from the Spirit or Rivals free boards


ARE?! YOU!? READDYYYY!?!!

I know I am. I'm headed to DALLAS soon to watch Jevan Sneed, Gerald Poe, and the rest of our REBS beat the tar outta those Texas Tech DEAD Raiders! Teh Big 12 sucks and cant play DEFENSE like the SEC! I konw we're going to beat Texas Tech because we've got something which they have never seen... THE LANDSHARKS!



LMAO @ TYSON LEE!!! YEAH!!! HOTTY TODDY GO REBELS GO!!!

I don't give a hoot whether or not they've got some OVERRATED quarterback and wide reciever because they're probably going to have to change their pants (after they doodoo in them) after seeing this video!!


If they don't know anything about the landsharks, perhaps they should ask those LEGHUMPIN' BULLFRAUDS!!! And those bayou kitties! WATCH THE VIDEO AGAIN!

I've been watching Jaws while drinking LANDSHARK beer to get pumped up for this one. WHOO! I love Jimmy BUffett!

You've got LANDSHARKS to your Left! LANDSHARKS to your right! And you're the only Dead GAYder in town!!!1

Catchy, huh? I only wish the Techies were the Blue Raiders so I could wear my RED sharkfin hat! Guns up, whatever more like FINS UP!!

LANDSHARK!

New RSC Poll: Who's crazier?

Friday afternoon will feature some interesting matchups. Everyone will undoubtedly compare Texans Graham Harrell and Jevan Snead; observe Tech's offensive line battle the Rebel defensive line; and debate the merits of the two completely different football philosophies on display. However, no matchup is more intriguing than that of the battle for the "most batshit bonkers head coach" title which will be up for grabs between Mike "Yarrrgghh" Leach and Houston "Giggity, let us pray" Nutt.

Mike Leach shows up at local news stations, has a fascination with pirates, and generally spouts off long-winded yet eloquent diatribes about nothing while staring off into space. He also runs a pretty precisely timed spread.

Houston Nutt gesticulates like a person having hallucinations that they are on fire, shouts incoherently, and has a wacky smile which screams "I'm on barbiturates."

It's a tough decision to make, so I'm leaving it up to you, Cup fans. And, just for shiggles, I'm throwing in a third candidate:

Chaining a hyena is pretty fucking insane

By the way: I know that giving a person three choices to determine who's craziER is technically grammatically incorrect. But, c'mon, this is so a two horse race. Hyena guy doesn't stand a damn chance.

Texas Tech Hate Week

It's on, Tech. Put your guns up or whatever that shit is because you're going to need it.

TLV #70

Click the graphic for the full PDF. Look below for our column as written by The Ghost of Jay Cutler.

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Rebels, the time is nigh. On January 2nd, we will have made our long anticipated return to postseason college football play and we must make sure to convince all observers not of the Ole Miss persuasion that we're going to be here for awhile. To effectively do this, we must convincingly defeat a team which many feel are worthy of a BCS title in some bizarre, Texan universe: the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

This will not be an easy task. Texas Tech was a mere 44-point ass-beating at the hands of the all-worldly Oklahoma Sooners away from being the undeniable number one team in the land and has some excellent, Heisman-worthy talent on the offensive side of the ball. If we're not careful, these Red Raiders could score at will against our Rebel D and simply keeping up with the offensive pace that they will undoubtedly set will be a challenge.

I don't mean to alarm you, dear reader, and I don't mean to sound like a pessimist. While this bowl opponent could prove to be one of the most difficult we've ever attempted to surmount, a Rebel victory is nowhere close to impossible and our team and coaches are putting together a helluva game plan to take care of business on the field.

Now, we, the fans, must put together our game plan to deal with these pesky west Texans off of the field. While there certainly isn't a definitive and brief (key word) list detailing all of the problems one could potentially encounter with this, err, unique fanbase, I'm going to do my best to arm you with the tools and knowledge you'll unquestionably use over these next two weeks.
So, without much more ado, I present to you The Red [REDACTED] Cup's Guide to "Understanding" the Red Raiders.

-They're all from rural west Texas. Don't logically assume that there are Red Raiders from the *ahem* sophisticated metropolises of Dallas, Houston, or San Antonio. While they may have mailing addresses or even own real estate in these areas, their hearts and minds are held captive in Lubbock. Flat terrain, dust storms, alcoholism, and grizzled characters fit for Cormac McCarthy novels are all that they will ever know. Just picture Yosemite Sam with an engineering degree and a generally vulgar demeanor and you've got a Texas Tech fan.

-Their students have the air of a an MTV show about them. Shiny hair gel, baggy pants, and black tees are all the rage right about now on the Tech campus. Couple that with a few "brahsephs," petty drama, and Smirnoff Ices and you've basically got The Real World: Lubbock every day among their student population. They're loud, crude, begging of your attention, and unapologetically obnoxious. Why is this? Well, most of this is due to the fact that...

-They suffer from a horrible case of "Little Brother Syndrome." This season is the greatest Tech season in recent memory, if not ever, and they're still not even the most relevant team in their own state. Hell, it would be hard to argue them as historically being anything better than the 5th most relevant NCAA program in the Lone Star State. Just imagine a larger, louder Southern Miss in an inconsequential city on the Texan plains. The world is out to get them and they know it. If the oftentimes bizarre attitude of the Ole Miss fanbase can be attributed to historical relevance, the same for Texas Tech could be attributed to decades of people forgetting about their existence.

Tread lightly and carefully, Rebels. We've got quite a foe with which we will be dealing and it's going to take a complete effort on our collective behalf in order to vanquish them. Hotty Toddy; I'll see you in Dallas.

Bowl Pick'em

We decided to use the same website for the Bowl Pick'em that we used during the regular season. They've set everything up for us.

Here is the link to join.

I have already auto-invited everyone who did the regular season pick'em. Still, just click the link to make sure that you get an invite.

Also remember that whoever wins the pick'em gets Cotton Bowl merchandise. You can check out all the AT&T Cotton Bowl merchandise here. We're hoping we get the rugby shirt.

Cotton Bowl Remembered

Recently, a representative from the Cotton Bowl sent us an e-mail to discuss a poll that they were conducting over at their website. Having discussed it at length with them, we felt it was worthy of a post on our blog. Here is the entirety of her e-mail to us.

Hope you’ve had a nice Friday. As the Rebels gear up for their matchup against the Red Raiders, thought you might be interested in a little Cotton Bowl history… it has had many memorable moments in its 72 years. Now here's your chance to choose THE Greatest Moment in Cotton Bowl History for a chance to win tickets to the 2009 or 2010 game! Go to www.attcottonbowl.com/vote or AT&T customers can text A, B or C to 7313. Choose from three classic plays selected by the Cotton Bowl Committee:

· A: The “Bench Tackle” of 1954

· B: The “Fourth-Down Catch” in 1970

· C: “Montana’s Miracle Comeback” in 1979

There is no limit to the number of votes you cast, and voters are automatically entered for a chance to win tickets to the 2009 or 2010 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. The Greatest Moment winner will be announced at the 2009 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic on January 2 in Dallas.

We are currently in talks with this nice woman to get a media pass to the game as well as merchandise that we can give away to you all. Please go vote on one of their three cotton bowl moments. My favorite is "Bench Tackle" because the player thought, for a moment, that refs wouldn't notice when he ran onto the field.

We are going to give away the Cotton Bowl merchandise (most likely a hat) based on who wins a bowl pick'em that we will launch later today. I hope you'll all participate in that since we actually have a prize to give now.

I'll have the bowl pick'em set up very soon.

How Disappointed are the Raiders?

Michael Crabtree is not jazzed about playing in the Cotton Bowl. He and Graham Harrell were snubbed by the trophy people, Crabtree hasn't (wink, wink) decided whether he's leaving Lubbock, and did I mention that both of them were injured in the season finale against Baylor.

Baylor, who they beat in an inspired comeback win by the margin of 38-35.

Something is fishy with this team. It was fishy three weeks ago when they got shellacked by Oklahoma. It got wrapped in newspaper and forgotten when they scored 14 first-half points against Baylor. And since that game it's only gotten to smelling worse.

The Texas Trio in Lubbock all have plenty of reason to have their minds somewhere other than Dallas. Perhaps someone out there is maintaining focus. Maybe they do not need a great deal of focus to beat an Ole Miss coach who has a 2-5 record in the post-season. Maybe the Rebels have exactly the wrong weakness to match up against Texas Tech.

Wait, there's no maybe about that.

But, maybe there's some merit in being the team that has every reason to be excited, focused, and motivated, rather than the team that is none of the above.

Plus, we got that ESSSS EEEEE SEEE SPEEEEEEEEEEEEED!!!!1!1! ARF! ARF!

The question is, what reasonable basis is there to believe that the off-the-field circumstances surrounding the Red Raiders should give folks cause to doubt their unimpeachable chances against the home team?

Cotton Bowl Bound

Sources have informed le Cup that the coaches met with the players today to inform them that they will, in fact, be headed to Dallas in January.

Your thoughts?

I know many people wanted to see our Rebels in Orlando for the Capital One bowl. While the mental images of Jerrell Powe and Peria Jerry giddily waiting in line to hop aboard a rollercoaster and Greg hardy getting his picture taken with Minnie Mouse were pretty fun, going to the Cotton Bowl is still going to be a real treat for these players. All things considered, it was nice to be debating not if, but rather which New Years Day bowl we'd get the invite to one season removed from laying a goose egg in conference play.

Mike Leach to Washington?

Been wondering why Captain Mike's gimmick offense is in the Big 12 South and no the Pac-10? Apparently so has Mike Leach. ESPN is reporting that the Pirate King met officials from Washington in Seattle last night and might be raising the old jolly roger in the great northwest next season.

Plunging and pillaging has gotten too difficult in the Big 12 South. Mike must be looking at his potential new shipmates to the south, Oregon State, who looked potentially Rose Bowl bound with three losses, and decided that the Cotton Bowl is not sufficient booty for his 11-win mastery. Avast, lads, the captain be abandoning the ship and leaving the Lubbuccaneers to wonder why is all the fun gone.

What does this mean for the Rebels? Well, hopefully it means that Captain Mike will have his one good eye on the recruiting trail and not on Dallas when the new year rolls around.

Now THIS Is Just Adorable

Get ready, Tiger fans. You're going to want to start rooting for the Rebels.

Because down in Death Valley, they've figured out that a Rebel trip to Orlando, is the only chance they've got at Dallas.

Tell 'em 'bout it, JoJo:

"The key is if the Capital One Bowl in Orlando takes Cotton Bowl target Ole Miss instead of Georgia, which it has been courting for weeks. But on Saturday, BCS No. 11 Georgia was upset by BCS No. 22 Georgia Tech, 45-42, and fell to No. 16 in the BCS and to 9-3 on the season with its second loss in four games ... If Ole Miss does go to the Capital One, the Outback Bowl in Tampa is then expected to take Georgia out of the SEC East, leaving the Cotton Bowl no choice but to take 7-5 LSU out of the SEC West."

I've decided that there may be no more satisfying piece of journalism composed since the dawn of man than that which recognizes the dim and dreary reality that Les Miles and LSU would be "chosen" because there was, literally, no one else.

While part of me want LSU to be left out of its most desired bowl location, I cannot dispel the schadenfreude that would most certainly result from watching the Tigers' suddenly non-existent defense being eaten alive bite by bite by good ol' Graham and the Lubbuccaneers, leaving Les Miles feeling rather like the victim of those wicked freaking ants from the new Indiana Jones movie.