Tech Cracks BCS: Raiders No. 8 with chance to rise in first rankings
The Big 12 South Division could put a hurt on Texas Tech’s record. But let Tech beat those teams, and they’ll do nothing but help the Red Raiders in their attempt to climb the Bowl Championship Series ladder.
Tech (7-0) came in at No. 8 in the first BCS rankings released Sunday. As long as Tech can remain unbeaten, it has plenty of fuel to move up – among the Raiders’ remaining opponents, Texas is No. 1 in the BCS standings, Oklahoma No. 4, Oklahoma State No. 6 and Kansas No. 23.
Tech coach Mike Leach remained typically focused on the here and now after Sunday’s practice.
“I don’t pay any attention,” he said of his team’s BCS slot. “It’s all well and good for people to help them follow and take an interest in college football, but it doesn’t do me or the players any good. We just need to worry about practicing and preparing well.”
Much as has been the case lately with the major polls, half the top eight teams in the BCS ranking come from the Big 12 South.
“It’s not just shocking,” Leach said. “The Big 12 South, I think, is the toughest division in the country.”
Viewed as a whole, Leach said the league’s four teams from Texas and two from Oklahoma might be as good as they’ve been in their 13 seasons together in the South.
“I’d say offensively for sure,” Leach said. “Is (the division) as tough as it’s ever been? Good question. Hard to compare. I’d say offensively, it probably is.”
Texas was way ahead of the field when the season’s first BCS standings were released – as expected. Texas appears to be in position to play for the national title on Jan. 8 in Miami if it can stay unbeaten.
Texas is an overwhelming No. 1 in the USA Today coaches’ poll and the Harris Poll, and rated first in each of the six computer rankings, giving the Longhorns a BCS grade of .998 out of 1.000.
Alabama is second across the board, behind Texas in the polls and the computers. The Crimson Tide has a BCS average of .949, which bodes well for Alabama. The Tide will be tough to catch from behind if it can stay unbeaten.
With an .867 average, unbeaten Penn State will have to keep winning and hope Texas or Alabama slips.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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Hey Don…(still waiting to hear from you)
Watched Coach Leach on CF LIVE discussing the BCS…I saw a confident yet cautious leader of a top ten team with still much to gain this season…great job of “handling your business” in the
second half…I just know you haters out there were just falling
over yourselves at the half…THAT IS WHY we play four quarters!!
Offense “got crunk”…. Defense “got crackin”… Enuff said
20-23 half…43-25 FINAL (23-2 second half) those are ALL the
stats you really need>>>GUNS UP!!
NC HOMEBOY
World B Free
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Hey William…YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT A&M! These teams that you tech fans say “suck” and act like it’s a cake-walk are making you guys work. A&M for goodness sake! Lets not forget about Nebraska whom OU beat no contest. I can’t wait for THE LONGHORNS to come in to “the jones” (with its 55,000 scared fans) and WRECK shop on tech.
HOOK ‘EM HORNS!!!!
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Sailor, Once again I have to remind you that UT has lost 2 STRAIGHT GAMES to A & M! And I live in lubbock and I don’t hear people saying these teams suck. You say that to feel better about bashing Tech. But you’re right, it will be decided on the field and trust me, the 55,000 fans will not be scared at all. They will be screaming so loud you won’t be able to hear yourself think. Wreck ‘em!
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Lets check out some stats to start things off at this moment. Tech has had an average of 92 yards per game, which is 3.0 yards per carry ran against the Rush Defense…. thats second in the BIG 12, only behind UT. In the secondary, Tech has had about 258 yards against them, which breaking it down is right around 10 yards per completion. Take into consideration this…. ALL these BIG 12 teams have an average of NO LESS than 201 yards per game thrown on them. Only one team in the BIG 12 has less than 10 yards per completion on average, OSU with about an average of 9.9 ypc. The teams with less than 10.5 yards per completion against the Secondary….. Tech, KSU, and A&M. The remainder of the 8 teams are well over 10.5 ypc. No matter what people are thinking about the Tech secondary, they are doing fine, considering the competition in the BIG 12. Tech has only 7 TD’s against the Secondary, second to only OU and CU…. both with 5. Tech has only 8 TD’s against them, tied for 3rd with Mizzou and KU…. only behind OSU with 7 TD’s and UT with 2 TD’s.
As for the Offense, everyone knows what is being done there…. they are doing a fantastic job in this area. Almost 300 passing yards more than the 2nd best in the BIG 12, sacked only once, an INT every 57 passes (including Potts 1 INT), along with 23 TD’s (only behind OU…. 27). On the ground this team is effective….5.5 yards per carry….TIED for 1st along with OSU in the BIG 12. The team is 3rd in TD’s with 20 only behind OSU with 24 and UT with 21. This team may have struggled against NU, but take into consideration this…..
Tech destroyed them in Lubbock last time 70-10; Tech beat them at their homecoming the following season by an amazing comeback drive in the closing minutes; NU had just lost 2 straight games…. V Tech, which they had won by costly turnovers and to Mizzou, in their worst Home loss ever. Tech had all odds against them in that homecoming game, yet came out ontop. In the A&M game, its always been a tough one in College Station… 2nd half adjustments paid off greatly in this game. As for KSU, they did BEAT UT the past two seasons under Ron Prince. I am proud of what Tech is doing this season and have decided to cut out all speculations from commentators and analysts until I do see this team lose. Does it mean I will stop being a Tech fan if/when they do lose??? H3!! NO, I am proud of this team…. always have always will.
WRECK EM TECH!!!!!
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Hey Sailor,
Let me throw out some scores 38-30 and 12-7.
A&M was the higher scoring team on both these scores.
The last two times they played which team?
The University of Texas. Yep, the same A&M for goodness sake.
Games are decided on the field. Glad you look forward to your teams trip to the Jones.
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I like boys. Hook ‘Em Horns
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Tech has the ability to score with the BEST of them, while if we keep seeing the defense improve as they did against a&m in second half we may be looking at a NC not just a Big 12 Championship. That is if they play up to their potential. I was concerned with the score at halftime, a&m always plays hard at home as they proved beating Texas, but the defense starting shutting down the junk up the midddle and turned the game around. And in reference to the comment on another post stating we should go for 2 instead of the 1 after TD I completely agree. if we make it haf the time we will be in the same place as making every extra point, if we make more than half then we are better off and if we only make it 1/3 of the time, we are no worse of than now. Go for the two, or get someone to kick higher than the lines head. Go TECH!
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I’m a Tech alum but Tech has to do a lot of improvement to do if they think they can give Kansas, UT, OK State and OU a challenge. The way they have played the last two weeks, they wouldn’t stand a chance against those teams. Harrell needs to get some class too, quit the talking trash to the crowd, just do your damn job Harrell and shut up!!
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TOTAL OFFENSE G Rush Pass Plays Yards Avg/P TD Yds/G
1. Texas Tech………. 7 343 236 6 68.8 2929 8.5 23 418.4
2. Oklahoma………… 7 262 186 6 71.0 2660 10.2 27 380.0
3. Missouri………… 7 276 204 5 73.9 2586 9.4 19 369.4
4. Kansas………….. 7 282 197 5 69.9 2348 8.3 17 335.4
5. Nebraska………… 7 234 164 6 70.1 2040 8.7 13 291.4
6. Texas…………… 7 209 170 3 81.3 2034 9.7 21 290.6
PASS DEFENSE: G Att Cmp Int Pct. Yds Avg TD Yds/G
1. Texas Tech………. 7 970 2929 518 3899 7.5 43 557.0
2. Oklahoma………… 7 1149 2660 563 3809 6.8 46 544.1
3. Missouri………… 7 1060 2586 478 3646 7.6 37 520.9
4. Oklahoma State…… 7 1982 1528 500 3510 7.0 38 501.4
5. Texas…………… 7 1354 2034 501 3388 6.8 42 484.0
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RECALL PREVIOUS STATS.
PASS OFFENSE: G Att Cmp Int Pct. Yds Avg TD Yds/G
——————————————————————
1. Texas Tech………. 7 343 236 6 68.8 2929 8.5 23 418.4
2. Oklahoma………… 7 262 186 6 71.0 2660 10.2 27 380.0
3. Missouri………… 7 276 204 5 73.9 2586 9.4 19 369.4
4. Kansas………….. 7 282 197 5 69.9 2348 8.3 17 335.4
5. Nebraska………… 7 234 164 6 70.1 2040 8.7 13 291.4
6. Texas…………… 7 209 170 3 81.3 2034 9.7 21 290.6
TOTAL OFFENSE: G Rush Pass Plays Yards Avg/P TD Yds/G
—————————————————————-
1. Texas Tech………. 7 970 2929 518 3899 7.5 43 557.0
2. Oklahoma………… 7 1149 2660 563 3809 6.8 46 544.1
3. Missouri………… 7 1060 2586 478 3646 7.6 37 520.9
4. Oklahoma State…… 7 1982 1528 500 3510 7.0 38 501.4
5. Texas…………… 7 1354 2034 501 3388 6.8 42 484.0
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Stats don’t matter. Polls don’t matter. The opponent doesn’t matter. Only one thing matters………Just win, Baby! If they don’t, they will sink faster and farther than real estate prices in Florida.
Look-aheads have always been the downfall for the football team. I hope Leach has their heads straight this year.
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Ed Tyler!! Great Post!!! Great attitude!!
Raider n Cali…..Not so much…lol,,,What
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Sleepless In Plainview.
Yeah. you obviously are not a numbers person so I will not try to explain what the numbers mean or how they are read. What grade are you in?
The stats only depict the past and some people do enjoy going through them. People often like to study the past so that they may improve on the future. How were your history grades?
anyways.
In the past, I have stated pretty much what everyone here has been saying.
Everyone seems to agree with the optimism of others, the majority do not appreciate when others bash TTU and we can all agree that ’sailor’ is simply annoying. Fact is, he will probably go insane after UT loses this week. People like him know nothing about adversity.
What makes great teams great is not what idiots like sailor say, it is simply their history.
If TTU wants to be known as an elite team, they will simply have to start by winning this week. The part that gets me is that in the past, when “great” teams squeak by, then they are praised with comments like, “this is why they are great, they were down in the first half, but they take care of business in the end.”
Did anyone notice two years ago when TTU was down by 31 points? Minnesota still remembers.
Texas Tech is great, but great is not great enough, not yet…
I will give UT credit. They have a history of winning. Perhaps because they have also been around longer. Still, that is no reason for sailor to continue make his own school sound bad.
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#1 means nothing. Rankings come and go every week. The only thing that matters is if you can focus on the task at hand and win. It doesn’t matter if you win by one point or forty points a win is a win. And sailor UT fan since 2005 has shown us the mentality that alot of those fans and players have shown. From Ricky Williams in Miami to Vince Young in Tennessee. Eventually they believe everything they hear and they self destruct.
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