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Big 12 football fans got a splendid gift last weekend in San Antonio. First, just getting to be in San Antone for the conference title game. Second, getting to compare a venue like San Antonio with a stale venue like the Big 12’s been playing in recent years: Kansas City, Houston, Irving, Texas.San Antonio is a spectacular venue for the game. The Alamodome is nothing special, although it’s certainly OK. But the city itself, with its centralized marketplace, the Riverwalk, provides a wonderful setting. Fans can mingle and congregate. It’s like no other sports city in America with the exception of
New Orleans, with a massive entertainment district within walking distance of the stadium.

And it’s a great lesson for OU and Texas fans. Compare the revelry and atmosphere around San Antonio’s Big 12 title game with the Big 12 title games in other cities. The Sooners haven’t played at Texas Stadium, but I was there for the 2001 UT-Colorado game, and it was like 2002 in Houston or any of the Kansas City games. Just a big parking lot; lots of tailgating, but otherwise fans spread all over the city until just before kickoff.

Which is exactly the difference between an OU-Texas game at the Cotton Bowl during the fair or an OU-Texas game at Jerry Jones’ new stadium in Arlington. The parking-lot atmosphere is no match for the fairgrounds, just as the parking-lot atmosphere is no match for the Riverwalk.

Texas A&M and Arkansas are starting a series at Arlington in 2009. Oklahoma State and Texas Tech have considered the same, although they also are considering a state-fair matchup at the Cotton Bowl. The in-game atmosphere in Arlington will be great, I assume. But no way will the weekend revelry match what you have at the Fair or on the Riverwalk.

Air Traffic (out of) Control

Darndest thing happened to us last Sunday, trying to fly home. We had a direct flight from San Antonio to Oklahoma City, with a stopover in Dallas. We landed in Dallas, took off again and got somewhere between Ardmore and Pauls Valley. Then we turned around and went back to Love Field.

The pilot said something about fuses blowing, which seemed like indeed a good reason to get out of the sky. But I couldn’t figure out why we couldn’t go ahead and drop us off in Oklahoma City? The plane was going on to Denver, and Southwest needed a jet to get to Denver, but even if that replacement plane was in Dallas, wouldn’t it have been quicker to send it up to OKC and keep the schedule as close to smooth as possible?

Coaching Carousel

We’re up to 16 coaching changes in the NCAA division formerly known as I-A. My latest takes on the changes.

Arkansas: New athletic director Jeff Long is off to a rocky start. He went after a couple of great coaches, Auburn’s Tommy Tuberville and Wake Forest’s Jim Grobe, but was rebuffed. Which is not a bad thing. But Long also was rejected by a mediocre coach, Clemson’s Tommy Bowden, which is a very bad thing. One question: why not make a run at OU defensive coordinator Brent Venables?

Baylor: If Art Briles wins, he’ll be the next coach at Texas Tech. If he loses, he’ll be the next guy fired at Baylor.

Colorado State: Fort Collins, Colo., ranks among the top 10 towns to live in among college football locales.

Duke: Did the Blue Devils really make a run at Navy’s Paul Johnson. If so, that’s the first sign of life from Duke football in years.

Georgia Tech: Navy’s Johnson is a heck of a coach. But it’s still not for certain he can win with the YellowJackets. Option football works at the service academies. We’ll see if it works against Virginia Tech, Florida State and Miami.

Houston: Interim coach Chris Thurmond was on the John Blake staff at OU. Solid guy.

Michigan: I’ll be believe Les Miles isn’t the next Michigan coach just as soon as the Wolverines hire someone else.

Ole Miss: I think Nutt will win. Not big. Not Sugar Bowl big. But it wouldn’t shock me if Ole Miss wins the SEC West sometime in the 5-10 years. Mississippi is the only SEC West school never to win the division.

Navy: Polynesian Ken Niumatalolo replaces Paul Johnson. I assume he doesn’t count in the list of black coaches.

Nebraska: I like the hire of Bo Pelini. I like all victories of substance over style. Pelini isn’t smooth. He isn’t slick. But the Huskers don’t need smooth and slick. They need someone who will teach ballplayers to knock the snot out of the foe.

Northern Illinois: I assume you already knew that the 2007 Mid-American Conference was the greatest testimony to parity since the dangling chads of Florida.

SMU: $1.7 million isn’t what it used to be. No one seems to want this job.

Southern Miss: I’ve weighed in on this one already, if Larry Fedora gets the job. But you know what I said about Fort Collins? Hattiesburg, Miss., is the opposite. One of the 10 worst places to live in college football.

Texas A&M: You know, Dennis Franchione didn’t do a terrible job in 2007. He went 7-5, with road games at Miami, Norman, Lubbock, Columbia and Lincoln. Mike Sherman’s road foes in 2008: New Mexico, OSU, Iowa State, Baylor and Texas.

UCLA: Has anyone noticed that UCLA keeps getting worse in football? Red Sanders was a big-time coach in the 1950s. Tommy Prothro got UCLA back on track in the 1960s. dick Vermeil went 15-5-3 in two seasons in the 1970s. Terry Donahue was solid for 20 years (1976-95). Bob Toledo had his moments but had a winning percentage of just .605. Now Karl Dorrell is out after going 35-27. Not a good trend.

Washington State: I never knew Kevin Sumlin was a graduate assistant in Pullman, back in the 1980s. I’m pulling for him to get the job. 

Eating on the Riverwalk

I love the Riverwalk, but I’ve really never found a place there that I just have to get back to. We tried to get into some joint that’s supposed to be good but the wait was too long. Boudreau’s, or something like that. Al Eschbach ate there and said it was average. Anyway, we ended up at Casa Rio, I think it was, and it was OK Mexican. I enjoy dining outside on the Riverwalk, but the atmosphere, not the food, is the key. Saturday at noon, I went to Fuddrucker’s. I love Fuddrucker’s. Best burger going. I wish we had one in Oklahoma City.

Ten Big Winners From Week 14

10. Steve Kragthorpe: The Louisville coach had a rocky first year but avoided a losing season with a fourth-quarter rally against Rutgers. Down 14, the Cardinals won 41-38 to finish 6-6.

9. Kevin Smith: The Central Florida tailback ran wild on Tulsa, 284 yards, and now has a bogus shot at Barry Sanders’ NCAA single-season record of 2,628 yards rushing. Of course, Sanders’ actually rushed for almost 3,000 yards, but the NCAA doesn’t include his Holiday Bowl performance. You can’t blame the NCAA; OSU doesn’t recognize it either.

8. Oregon State: The Beavers beat arch-rival Oregon 38-31, the first road win in the series since 1996 and Oregon State’s first win in Eugene since 1993.

7. Howard Schnellenberger: The Colonel has Florida Atlantic in the New Orleans Bowl against Memphis, thanks to a 38-32 victory at Troy, a place where OSU got routed in September. The Owls lost big at OSU, Kentucky and Florida but beat Minnesota and played South Florida tough.

6. Brigham Young: The Cougars routed San Diego State to cap their second straight 8-0 Mountain West season. Bronco Mendenhall isn’t Lavell Edwards, not yet anyway, but he’s restoring a little luster to BYU.

5. Florida International: Not all 1-11 seasons are created equal. An 11-game losing streak is no way to go into the off-season, but a one-game winning streak can make the winter a little more bearable. The Golden Panthers beat North Texas 38-19 to avoid an 0-12 finish.

4. Dave Wannstedt: The beleaguered Pitt coach has not gotten the job done; 5-6, 6-6 and now 5-7 in three years. But Pitt fans long will remember the 13-9 upset of second-ranked West Virginia.

3. Brent Venables: The OU defensive coordinator produced his second straight masterpiece performance, shutting down high-powered Missouri 38-17. The Tigers had not been held to less than 31 all season.

2. Hawaii: The Rainbows trailed Washington 21-0 in the first quarter, and the Sugar Bowl  was fading away. But a stirring rally lifted Hawaii to a 35-28 victory and a chance to upset Georgia in New Orleans.

1. LSU: Thanks to Pitt, the Tigers go from playing Hawaii in a no-win New Orleans bowl to playing Ohio State for all the college football marbles. 

Ten Big Losers From Week 14

10. Karl Dorrell: Last year, Dorrell’s UCLA Bruins knocked arch-rival Southern Cal out of the national title game. This year, USC beat the Bruins and Dorrell was fired for going 6-6.

9. Chase Daniel: The Missouri quarterback slipped in the Heisman voting and slipped in public opinion, for his animated frustration at being shut down by Oklahoma.

8. Troy: The best team in the Sun Belt Conference is not going bowling, thanks to a 38-32 home loss to Florida Atlantic. The Trojans routed Oklahoma State and played tough in road games at Arkansas and Georgia.

7. Tyrone Willingham: His Washington Huskies led Hawaii 21-0 but lost 35-28 and finished 4-9. In three UW seasons, Willingham is 11-25.

6. Boston College: The Eagles will have few chances to win the ACC. But they led Virginia Tech 16-7 and lined up for an extra point. It was blocked and returned for two points. Tech eventually forged a 16-16 tie and won 30-16 with two late touchdowns.

5. Army: The Cadets lost 38-3 to Navy, falling to 3-9 and bringing their record the last 10 years to 27-99, with no wins over Navy since 2001.

4. Arizona State: The Sun Devils beat Arizona 20-17 to finish 10-2 and co-champions of the Pac-10. But Arizona State found no love in the BCS and will play Texas in the Holiday Bowl.

3. Erik Ainge: The Tennessee senior has not been the winner Volunteer fans hoped for, but he had his chance in the fourth quarter of the SEC title game. Instead, Ainge threw his second interception, deep in LSU territory, and Tennessee lost 21-14.

2. Jeff Tedford: On Oct. 13, California led Oregon State in the fourth quarter and seemed poised to rise to No. 1 in the nation. But Cal lost 31-28, and since then, the Bears have won once  —  a 20-17 home win over Washington State  —  to fall to 6-6, and Tedford’s status has slipped.

1. West Virginia: The Mountaineers merely had to beat lowly Pitt to play for a national title. Didn’t happen. Might not happen again for a long while.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 13

The final week of the regular season, and a good week it was. Two days of college football, which is great for fans and even better for writers, since we’re at games and can’t enjoy the wall-to-wall football. Thanksgiving Friday was a world-class day for me. Almost every game went the way I wanted.

Didn’t really care about Nebraska-Colorado, but who can resist a 65-51 game? And Texas A&M-Texas was fascinating theater; a coach and team fighting on the edge of the plank, knowing there’s no chance to get back on the ship but winning anyway. Finally, the epic triple-overtime game in which Arkansas took out top-ranked LSU with nothing more than pure enthusiasm and the nation’s best football player, Darren McFadden.

Then at nightfall, I caught some Hawaii-Boise State, but I must admit, I didn’t stay with the Rainbow Warriors. During a commercial, I flipped channels and came across the final 30 minutes of “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.” Jimmy Stewart gets me every time, and the final scene, where as an old U.S. Senator, thinking about how he got to where he was, riding a train through the prairie back to Washington, well, that’s one powerful movie moment.

Then Turner Classic Movies kept me hooked with “The Best Years of Our Lives,” easily one of the 10 best movies ever made. If you haven’t seen it, go find it. With my son-in-law deployed with the 45th and headed for Iraq, the movie packed even more of a punch. Sorry,
Hawaii. You can’t stand up to that.

Coaching Carousel

Thirteen Division I-A coaching posts have come open this month. The problem most of those schools face is this: replacement level. Changing coaches does not automatically lead to better times. You want to hire someone better, you think you’re hiring someone better, but often you don’t.

Here are the 13 changes so far and their chances of improvement.

Arkansas: Houston Nutt. The Hogs won two SEC West Division titles in the last six years under Nutt. Chances of winning two the next six years? Fat. Nutt had some personal issues that led to his demise, and maybe he needed to go, but it’s not likely the Razorbacks will win as much they did under Nutt.

Baylor: Guy Morriss. The Bears hired Houston U.’s Art Briles to replace Morriss, who didn’t win nearly enough but improved the talent level. Briles has a chance to improve the record, thanks to the work of Morriss. I still wouldn’t have fired Morriss.

Colorado State: Sonny Lubick. It was time for Lubick to go, but what a job he did in Fort Collins  —  108-74 in 15 seasons. Lubick is nearing 70 and hasn’t had a winning season in 2003, but he plowed the ground that made Colorado State a decent football school. The next guy can go there and win.

Duke: Ted Roof. Who cares? The worst football job in America. Coaching Temple is better than coaching Duke.

Georgia Tech: Chan Gailey. Some schools have their head in the clouds. Gailey was 44-26 in six seasons at Georgia Tech, excluding his 0-6 record against Georgia. Gailey had a winning record every year and still lost his job. G-Tech plays a solid schedule; the ACC, plus a non-conference slate that includes very few rumdums. I don’t like the next guy’s chances.

Michigan: Lloyd Carr. I’ve always loved this job. It might be the best job in college football, considering all factors, including administration loyalty and fan patience. Whoever Michigan hires, he will win.

Ole Miss: Ed Orgeron. Houston Nutt is replacing Orgeron, and talk about a cushy spot. Anyone will be better than Orgeron, who never should have gotten the job. Mississippi fired David Cutcliffe three years ago in a fit of madness; Cutcliffe went 44-29 in six seasons and was cut loose after his only losing season. Nutt will win in the 55-60 percent range and be a hero, as Cutcliffe should have been.

Nebraska: Bill Callahan. Nobody plays defense these days; nobody is allowed to play defense. But the Huskers were ridiculous under Callahan. A disastrous hire, with embarrassing loss after embarrassing loss. Nebraska tied for last place in the Big 12 North this season. The next guy will do better. There’s no way he couldn’t.

Northern Illinois: Joe Novak. Retired after 12 seasons and actually coached NIU to great glories; in 2003, Northern Illinois beat Maryland, Alabama and Iowa State, and reached No. 12 in the AP poll. I wouldn’t expect a repeat.

SMU: Phil Bennett. A 1-11 season and 18-48 record in six years is hard to defend. But this certainly seems like a dead end job. I guess you could argue that it’s better than Duke.

Southern Miss: Jeff Bower. This one bothers me. Bower was head coach 17 years, a player or coach at Southern for 29 years, has had 14 straight winning seasons and just got USM into a bowl game for the 10th time in the last 11 years. And Southern Miss pressured Bower out. Sorry, but I can’t see the Golden Eagles doing much better. What? Is an invitation to join the SEC coming?

Texas A&M: Dennis Franchione. I’m not defending Fran’s goofy newsletter, nor his losing Big 12 record, nor his 25-23 overall record. But it’s about time we quit labeling A&M some kind of great football job. Some reader in Texas, usually of a sound mind and not even an A&M fan, argued with me this week that newly hired Mike Sherman would eventually run Bob Stoops out of Oklahoma. You’ve got to be kidding. Bear Bryant and Gene Stallings are two pretty fair country football coaches, wouldn’t you say? Together, they head coached A&M 11 seasons, and their combined record was 52-59-3. Jackie Sherrill cheated like crazy, caught the hated Longhorns in a down cycle and still won just 64.8 percent of his games. Here’s the truth. If Texas slips, A&M can be pretty good. If Texas is dominant, no way the Aggies will be. Bob Stoops, rest easy.

Washington State: Bill Doba. Fired after a fourth straight season without a bowl, but goes out with a 30-29 record in five years. Everyone loves Mike Price, but his 14-year record at WSU was 83-78. Give the Cougars credit, though. They don’t hire bad coaches. Here are the WSU coaches going back 40 years: Doba, Price, Dennis Erickson, Jim Walden, Warren Powers, Jackie Sherrill and Jim Sweeney. Every coach left WSU and won elsewhere, except Walden, who was an interesting guy but didn’t really do much at Iowa State.

Ten Big Winners From Week 13

10. Colorado: The offensively-challenged Buffs needed a win over Nebraska to reach a bowl game. Sixty-five points later, CU was bowl bound in Dan Hawkins’ second year.

9. OU rumdums: In the craziest exacta this side of Pimlico, the two awful teams that have been dragging down Oklahoma’s computer ranking  —  Utah State and North Texas  —  both won on the same Saturday. Utah State beat Idaho 24-19, and North Texas edged Western Kentucky 27-26. Now both teams have two wins.

8. Sylvester Croom: The Mississippi State coach isn’t flashy, and his offense stinks, but give Croom this after a 17-14 victory over Ole Miss. His Bulldogs play defense. His Bulldogs don’t quit, considering they were down 14-0 with eight minutes. His Bulldogs are going bowling after a surprising 7-5 finish. And his emotion is real. We’ve seen Les Miles and Dennis Franchione tear up in recent weeks, and some of it seems contrived. When Croom broke down on the field after the game, you knew it was pure.

7. Phil Fulmer: Love or hate the beleaguered Tennessee coach  —  I love him; down to Earth guy  —  he’s in the SEC title game. Urban Meyer and defending national champ Florida are not. And neither is red-hot Georgia.

6. UCLA: The Bruins beat Oregon 16-0 in an epic that featured 22 punts and teams that have lost more quarterbacks than some schools lose in a decade. Believe it or not, UCLA still can make the Rose Bowl. If the Bruins upset Southern Cal, and Arizona upsets Arizona State, then UCLA is the Pac-10 champ, even though Karl Dorrell’s team is a mediocre 6-5. A series of tiebreakers puts UCLA in.

5. Virginia Tech: The Hokies climbed back into the longshot national title picture with a victory over Virginia. Remember that October game against Boston College, when all the contenders were rooting against unbeaten BC? Turns out, Boston College did everyone a favor by pinning another loss on Virginia Tech.

4. Houston Nutt: Remember in “High Noon,” when Gary Cooper, with no help at all from the townsfolk of Hadleyville, stood up to the band of killers while defending Hadleyville as town marshal? Then he rips off the badge and rides out of town? That’s what happened Friday in Baton Rouge. Nutt’s Razorbacks stunned top-ranked LSU in three overtimes, then Nutt ripped off his Hog hat and rode off to Ole Miss.

3. West Virginia: The Mountaineers routed UConn and are going to the Big Bowl if they beat Pitt. West Virginia will make New Orleans by playing as weak of foes as possible and as few games as possible. They’ve basically won in dodgeball by standing with their back against the wall.

2. Hawaii: A 39-28 win over Boise State lifted Hawaii to No. 12, the magic line to reach the BCS. If Hawaii beats Washington this week, the Rainbows will make the Sugar Bowl. But that makes the Sugar Bowl a big loser. Boise State brought a ton of fans to the Fiesta Bowl last season. Hawaii will bring few to New Orleans.

1. Missouri: Let’s see. First No. 1 ranking since 47 years. Biggest win in school history, and it comes over arch-rival Kansas. Quarterback Chase Daniel skyrockets into Heisman contention. Hard to see how anyone ever has been a bigger winner than Mizzou was with a 36-28 win over KU.

Ten Big Losers From Week 13

10. Florida State: Here’s how far the Seminoles have fallen. They lose to arch-rival Florida 45-12, fall to 7-5, finish fourth in their division of the ACC, are 58-35 since losing that Orange Bowl to Oklahoma seven years ago, and no one really seems worked up.

9. Vanderbilt: The Commodores haven’t been to a bowl game since 1982, the longest drought among BCS conference teams. Vandy needed to beat Wake Forest to get to 6-6, no small order considering the kind of program Jim Grobe is building, and it didn’t happen. Wake won 31-17.

8. North Carolina State: Nothing represents pure mediocrity more than a matchup of 5-6 teams, with the winner going to a bad bowl. But if you play in one of those games, the least you can do is win it. N.C. State didn’t. Maryland rolled 37-0.

7. Miami: A 28-14 loss to Boston College relegated the Hurricanes to 5-7, sending Randy Shannon to a rocky off-season in his debut year.

6. Kansas State: What happened to the Wildcats? They were 4-2 and about to win in Stillwater in October before Jason Ricks’ last-second field goal. Then K-State collapsed, beating only Baylor down the stretch. A 45-29 loss at Fresno State dropped KSU to 5-7 and out of the bowl picture.

5. Chan Gailey: The Georgia Tech was fired after his sixth straight loss to Georgia, then wondered if he had set a world’s record. Only coach ever to be fired despite NFL playoff berths in his only two seasons as head coach and fired after going bowling in all six of his college seasons.

4. Steve Spurrier: He’s a good coach, and South Carolina will have its moments, but a 23-21 home loss to Clemson dropped the Gamecocks to 6-6 and reminded everyone that life in the SEC East is rough, even with a flamboyant and great coach.

3. Bill Callahan: Everyone got all worked up when the Huskers allowed 73 points to Kansas. But giving up 65 points to Colorado is much more of a travesty. KU has a good offense. Colorado doesn’t. No way you can criticize Tom Osborne’s firing of Callahan.

2. Texas: The Longhorns seemed headed for the Orange Bowl, where they haven’t been since Tommy Nobis turned back Joe Namath’s quarterback sneak more than 40 years ago. But UT failed to slow Texas A&M’s vaunted passing game and lost 38-30.

1. Les Miles: Playing at home with a superior team, against a one-dimensional opponent with a lame-duck coach, with a chance to play for the national title in a virtual home game in New Orleans, LSU went splat. Arkansas had the ball three times in overtime and scored a touchdown every time. But one silver lining  —  Miles now can take the Michigan job earlier.

Bowl Projections

Jan. 7 Big Bowl: Missouri vs. West Virginia

Jan. 6 GMAC: Tulsa vs. Bowling Green

Jan. 5 International: Rutgers vs. Ball State

Jan. 3 Orange: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas

Jan. 2 Fiesta: Georgia vs. Arizona State

Jan. 1 Rose: USC vs. Ohio State

Jan. 1 Sugar: LSU vs. Hawaii

Jan. 1 Outback: Tennessee vs. Wisconsin

Jan. 1 Cotton: Oklahoma vs. Arkansas

Jan. 1 Gator: Texas Tech vs. Clemson

Jan. 1 Capital One: Florida vs. Illinois

Dec. 31 Armed Forces: Air Force vs. Purdue

Dec. 31 Sun: Oregon vs. South Florida

Dec. 31 Humanitarian: Maryland vs. Boise State

Dec. 31 Music City: Kentucky vs. Florida State

Dec. 31 Chick-fil-A: Auburn vs. Boston College

Dec. 31 Insight: Oklahoma State vs. Indiana

Dec. 30 Independence: Colorado vs. Mississippi State

Dec. 29 Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest vs. UConn

Dec. 29 Liberty: Central Florida vs. Alabama

Dec. 29 Alamo: Texas A&M vs. Penn State

Dec. 28 Texas: TCU vs. Houston

Dec. 28 Champs Sports: Virginia vs. Michigan

Dec. 28 Emerald: Georgia Tech vs. UCLA

Dec. 27 Holiday: Texas vs. Oregon State

Dec. 26 Motor City: Michigan State vs. Central Michigan

Dec. 23 Hawaii: East Carolina vs. Fresno State

Dec. 22 Papajohns.com: Cincinnati vs. Southern Miss

Dec. 22 New Mexico: New Mexico vs. South Carolina

Dec. 22 Las Vegas: California vs. BYU

Dec. 21 New Orleans: Troy vs. Memphis

Dec. 20 Poinsettia: Utah vs. Navy

WILD TIMES IN LUBBOCK

Anyone who has read me for awhile knows how much I like Lubbock, Texas. Wide streets, good people, old-West feel. I like it. I like it a lot. You can’t find 10 people walking the earth who would take Lubbock over Austin, but I would. Austin has its good points; it also has a lot of fruitcakes and a lot of traffic, neither of which do much for me.

Anyway, our road trip to Lubbock was fun. Andy Hutchison, newly-installed president of the Texas Association of Builders, took us out to lunch. Andy is an Oklahoma Christian University graduate from
Oklahoma City who is an OU football fan. He took us to Spanky’s, a great burger joint adjacent to campus, then gave us an auto tour of Tech. A few things I learned:

1. Tech’s campus is huge. Andy says it’s the largest continuous campus in America. That’s one of the things I like about Lubbock; lots of land.

2. Tech’s architecture is big-time cool. The Spanish Renaissance look is affixed to most buildings (although not, ironically, the architecture building, a truly horrible structure that is a first cousin of OU’s Physical Science monstrosity).

3. It’s not just at OU and OSU where the university has leveled neighborhoods to expand campus. Jones Stadium is on the east side of campus; Tech bought out blocks of houses east of the stadium and has put up contemporary apartment buildings, with retail along the ground floor. A similar enterprise is being built in Norman, about a mile east of Owen Field, and don’t be surprised if David Boren doesn’t endorse something similar next to campus.

4. United Spirit Arena, Tech’s basketball arena, is the grandest exterior coliseum I’ve ever seen. I love the architecture, which fits in perfectly with most of campus. I don’t know what would be second on that; LA’s Staples Center, I suppose.

5. Lubbock not only has wide streets, its side streets are wide AND have alleys. Amazing. 

TEN BIG LOSERS FROM WEEK 12

10. Jeff Tedford: The California coach once was a hot commodity and might still be. But since the night of Oct. 13, when the Bears seemed on the verge of ascending to No. 1, Cal is 1-5.

9. Mid-American Conference: The MAC’s apparent best team, Central Michigan blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost at home 48-45 to lowly Eastern Michigan. With only one week left in the regular season, the MAC has no teams with more than six wins.

8. Todd Dodge: The rookie North Texas coach didn’t do much to alleviate fears of how a high school coach can fare in major-college football. UNT is 1-9 after blowing a 27-17 lead with six minutes left against Arkansas State and losing 31-27.

7. Louisiana media: The poor guys who cover LSU face six weeks of speculation about Les Miles taking the Michigan job.

6. Kirk Ferentz: The Iowa coach rallied his Hawkeyes after a slow start, only to stumble against Western Michigan, 28-19, which probably will cost Iowa a bowl bid.

5. Ohio State-Michigan: These old war-horse programs never looked less athletic than in the Buckeyes’ 14-3 victory. It was rainy and cold, but still, no way these teams are that slow. But that’s exactly how they looked.

4. Vanderbilt: The Commodores get few chances to beat in-state rival Tennessee. Especially in
Knoxville. Especially when doing so would cost the Volunteers the SEC East. But Vandy led 24-9 in the fourth quarter before falling 25-24.

3. Nick Saban: Losing to Louisiana-Monroe was bad enough. Then Saban compared Alabama’s need to rebound from a “catastrophic event” like America did from the 9/11 attacks and Pearl Harbor. Uh-oh.

2. Oklahoma: The Sooners fell from the national title hunt with a loss at Texas Tech, but at least OU didn’t lose a possible Heisman Trophy as well. Like…

1. Dennis Dixon: The Oregon quarterback was the Heisman front-runner, but when his knee buckled against Arizona, away went the Heisman hopes  —  and Oregon’s national championship dream. 

 GOOD EATS

As I said, Andy Hutchison took us to Spanky’s for lunch Saturday, and I had some sort of triple cheeseburger, which had a politically incorrect name that I won’t repeat. Easily one of the best 10 cheeseburgers I’ve ever had. Mayo, mustard and ketchup, with a bunch of meat and bunch of cheese and a bunch of fixin’s, mashed tight.

But it wasn’t the best meal of the trip. Friday night, we went to Cagle’s, a steakhouse that ranks as my favorite Big 12 eatery, if you throw out Kansas City. Cagle’s sits out west of town and is set up like an old West town. Specializes in rib-eyes, with a slaw-and-beans bar, and cobbler for dessert.

Let’s make a deal. I’ll take all the spots that have cobbler and cannolis for dessert; you can have the chocolate mousse and cheesecake places.

 TEN BIG WINNERS FROM WEEK 12

10. George O’Leary: The once-shamed coach again has Central Florida in the Conference USA title game, thanks to a 49-20 rout of SMU.

9. Indiana: The Hoosiers not only beat arch-rival Purdue for their first Old Oaken Bucket win since 2001, they reached seven wins to likely qualify for a bowl and make for a storybook season in the wake of coach Terry Hoeppner’s death.

8. Troy Calhoun: The Air Force looks like a winner in succeeding long-time coach Fisher DeBerry. Calhoun coached the Falcons to a 9-3 record after a 55-23 rout of San Diego State.

7. Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights’ aren’t the national rags-to-riches story they were a year ago, but a 20-16 victory over Pitt lifted Rutgers to seven wins and shows that Greg Schiano’s program is on solid ground.

6. Illinois: The once-lowly Illini beat Northwestern 41-22 to finish 9-3 and secure second place in the Big Ten.

5. Big East: West Virginia won 28-23 at Cincinnati in a solid game that shows this league has some depth.

4. Utah State: The Aggies seemed headed for a winless season under ex-OSU Cowboy Brent Guy, but Utah State won 35-17 at New Mexico State.

3. Charlie Weatherbie: The ex-OSU quarterback, now the coach at Louisiana-Monroe, produced one of the great upsets of the season, a 21-14 victory over Alabama that had perhaps the greatest salary discrepancy among head coaches as any game in NCAA history. Nick Saban: $4 million a year. Weatherbie: $130,000.

2. Matt Ryan: The Boston College quarterback, once a Heisman contender, reminded America he’s still a force, and so is BC. The Eagles won 20-17 at Clemson to secure one of the ACC division titles; Ryan threw for 315 yards.

1. Arrowhead Stadium: The college game of the year matches Kansas and Missouri in Kansas City? Who could have guessed? KU routed Iowa State and Missouri beat Kansas State, setting up a match in which the winner could play for the national championship.

DRIVING WEST

Nothing better than driving west out of Oklahoma City. We went I-40 because it’s a little quicker and we heard there is severe construction in Wichita Falls. Either way is fine with me. I like I-44 to Wichita Falls, then west on Highway 82 to Lubbock. You’re on the frontier when you’re west of Wichita Falls. There’s an exotic animal farm somewhere the other side of Seymour, with camels  —  yes, camels  —  roaming the range. But I-40 is interesting, too, and here are the highlights.

1. It’s never a bad idea to stop off in Weatherford or Clinton or Elk City, three of my favorite
Oklahoma towns. Our man Jake Trotter needed to hook up to the Internet to ship a story back to the office, so we pulled into the Weatherford Best Western, where some nice ladies let us use their wireless connection in the lobby. You meet good people in western Oklahoma.

2. The huge cross in Groom, Texas, does not produce the intended results. The giant steel cross is billed as the second-largest cross in the Western Hemisphere. You can see it from miles away. But somehow, the building labeled “Gift Shop” sitting next to the cross ruins it for me. Drive past the cross on I-40, and you end thinking not about your soul, but about your pocketbook.

3. Amarillo is overrated. Literally. Lubbock is twice as big as Amarillo, Lubbock has Texas Tech and Lubbock has superb medical facilities, including a medical school. Yet Amarillo is more famous. Ask 100 Oklahomans or downstate Texans which is bigger, and 75 would say Amarillo. Why? Because of Interstate 40, America’s new Main Street.

4. KOMA still packs a punch. I know, I know, 1520-AM now is called KOKC, but every Baby Boomer from Oklahoma City to Bakersfield feels a kinship with KOMA, the mega-powered radio station that once flew top-40 hits to teenagers all across the western U.S. and now delivers OU football and basketball to anyone in need. We listened to the OU-Gardner Webb game on I-27, between Lubbock and Amarillo. We’re 350 miles from home and still picking up the Sooners.

Which reminds me of a 1995 trip to Wyoming for an OSU football game. Comrade Mac Bentley and myself drove to Centennial, Wyo., 30 miles west of Laramie, for dinner. On the way back to Laramie, we picked up KOMA and listened to a Moore-Putnam North football game. Strangest feeling in the world; driving by the Rockies, thinking how big is the world, and listening to J.D. Northcutt call the Moore Lions and thinking how small is the world.

5. The Texas Panhandle is BIG. I’ve driven from Amarillo to Dalhart, and from Amarillo to
Lubbock, and you’re talking about some serious real estate. Think of it this way; western Oklahoma, from Oklahoma City to the Texas Panhandle and from the Kansas line to the Red River, is 34,000 square miles, not counting the Oklahoma Panhandle. The Texas Panhandle alone is 25,823 square miles. It’s one big place. 

BOWL PROJECTIONS

The bowl lineup is a long way from completion but is a little more focused each week. My predictions:

Jan. 7 Big Bowl: LSU vs. Missouri

Jan. 6 GMAC: Tulsa vs. Bowling Green

Jan. 5 International: Cincinnati vs. Ball State

Jan. 3 Orange: Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia

Jan. 2 Fiesta: Kansas vs. Arizona State

Jan. 1 Rose: Ohio State vs. USC

Jan. 1 Sugar: Georgia vs. Hawaii

Jan. 1 Outback: Auburn vs. Wisconsin

Jan. 1 Cotton: Oklahoma vs. Tennessee

Jan. 1 Gator: Texas Tech vs. Virginia

Jan. 1 Capital One: Florida vs. Illinois

Dec. 31 Armed Forces: Air Force vs. Purdue

Dec. 31 Sun: California vs. South Florida

Dec. 31 Humanitarian: North Carolina State vs. Boise State

Dec. 31 Music City: Arkansas vs. Florida State

Dec. 31 Chick-fil-A: Kentucky vs. Boston College

Dec. 31 Insight: Colorado vs. Indiana

Dec. 30 Independence: Kansas State vs. Mississippi State

Dec. 29 Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest vs. Connecticut

Dec. 29 Liberty: Central Florida vs. Alabama

Dec. 29 Alamo: Oklahoma State vs. Penn State

Dec. 28 Texas: Texas A&M vs. Houston

Dec. 28 Champs Sports: Clemson vs. Michigan

Dec. 28 Emerald: Georgia Tech vs. Oregon State

Dec. 27 Holiday: Texas vs. Oregon

Dec. 26 Motor City: Michigan State vs. Central Michigan

Dec. 23 Hawaii: Southern Miss vs.  Fresno State

Dec. 22 Papajohns.com: Rutgers vs. Memphis

Dec. 22 New Mexico: New Mexico vs. South Carolina

Dec. 22 Las Vegas: Oregon vs. BYU

Dec. 21 New Orleans: Troy vs. East Carolina

Dec. 20 Poinsettia: Utah vs. Navy

Saturday morning had to be one of the five best mornings of my life. My job: baby-sit my granddaughter, now 16 months old. We had the time of our lives. I gave Rileybird a wagon ride down to the park area in our neighborhood. We got out and played in the gazebo. Then we played over an angled foot bridge that spans a small creek, and when Rileybird headed down one side of the bridge at a speed I thought unsafe, I bolted to get in front of her to cushion a fall. And I was the one who slipped, giving me a good lesson in the cycle of life.

The weather was pristine. Somewhere around 63 degrees and crisp. Smelled like autumn. Nice breeze. We watched dogs and birds and airplanes (she loves airplanes). Then we went home and raked leaves, and Rileybird wanted to play in my truck cab, which is her favorite thing to do, and then grew tired and stretched out her arms.

I took her inside, and she laid her head on my shoulder, and she got a kick out of Lee Corso on ESPN’s GameDay donning the purple cow head of Williams (which was playing Amherst), and then she fell asleep. So I did some work, watched some early kickoffs and wished that every Saturday could be that fun.

ORANGE BLOSSOMS

The Orange Bowl stadium will no longer host football. Miami U. is moving to Dolphins Stadium, where the Dolphins and the Orange Bowl game long ago moved. The last game was Virginia’s 48-0 rout of Miami. ESPN.com listed the top 30 football games in Orange Bowl history, and only OU game made the list  —  the Sooners’ 20-14 loss to Miami in the 1988 Orange Bowl. So I made my own list. The 10 best OU games played in the ancient old stadium:

10. 1985 Orange Bowl: Washington’s 28-17 victory over OU is remembered for two things  —  UW’s constant trapping of Sooner nose guard great Tony Casillas, and the penalty against the Sooner Schooner for going onto the field when a penalty wiped out a Sooner field goal.

9. 1956 Orange Bowl: The second showdown between Bud Wilkinson and the man who brought him to Oklahoma, Jim Tatum, who was coaching Maryland. The Terrapins led 6-0 at halftime, but Carl Dodd’s 82-yard interception sealed OU’s 20-6 victory.

8. 1986 Orange Bowl: Keith Jackson’s 71-yard TD catch from Jamelle Holieway helped beat Penn
State 25-10 in a national-title showdown.

7. 1988 Orange Bowl: A national title game was largely a dud; Miami dominated, but OU scored late on a fumblerooski to make it interesting before losing 20-14.

6. 1976 Orange Bowl: The Selmon brothers’ last OU game was a defensive masterpiece, a 14-6 win over
Michigan that sealed the Sooners’ fifth national title.

5. 1975 OU-Miami: Before the Hurricanes became a national power, they gave the eventual national champ Sooners all they wanted before succumbing 20-17.

4. 1986 OU-Miami: Hurricanes won a showdown in which quarterback Vinny Testaverde outdueled Sooner linebacker Brian Bosworth in a battle royale, won 28-16 by Miami.

3. 1954 Orange Bowl: The first Wilkinson-Tatum showdown. Larry Grigg’s 25-yard TD run in the second quarter provided OU with a 7-0 win.

2. 1981 Orange Bowl: J.C. Watts’ late heroics, including a 2-point conversion pass to Forrest Valora, gave the Sooners an 18-17 win over Florida State.

1. 1968 Orange Bowl: Chuck Fairbanks’ first OU team zipped to a 19-0 halftime lead over
Tennessee, then held on to win 26-24 when the Vols missed a late long field goal.

TEN BIG WINNERS FROM WEEK 11

10. Tennessee: Critics said the Vols’ run defense might get gashed by Arkansas. But Tennessee held Darren McFadden to 117 hard-earned yards and routed the Hogs 34-13 to keep the driver’s seat in the SEC East.

9. Clemson: Tommy Bowden is in constant hot water, but he might be nearing his first ACC title. The Tigers routed Wake Forest 44-10 and now host Boston College for the division title.

8. USC: A few weeks ago, the Trojans’ demise was a popular theory. But SC beat California 24-17 and plays at Arizona State on Thanksgiving night for a likely BCS berth.

7. North Carolina State: Tom O’Brien left behind a good thing at Boston College and got off to a 1-5 start with the Wolf Pack. But after a 31-27 win over North Carolina, NC State is 5-5 with two winnable games left, at Wake Forest and home to Maryland.

6. Cincinnati: Beware the Bearcats. Cincinnati routed Connecticut 27-3 to set up what could amount to a Big East title game this week against West Virginia. And the game is in River City.

5. Black shirts: Georgia coach Mark Richt agreed to let his Bulldogs wear black against Auburn, and while I don’t like color changes, I’ve got to admit, pretty sharp. Same as Georgia’s performance: 45-20 over Auburn.

4. Kansas: In the previous 10 years, the Jayhawks had four Big 12 road wins. But after a 43-28 win at  Oklahoma State, KU has four Big 12 road wins this year alone, in some tough places. Stillwater, College Station, Manhattan and Boulder.

3. Sylvester Croom: The Mississippi State coach, overlooked by Alabama, his alma mater, in 2003, exacted his revenge for the second straight year. The Bulldogs beat Bama 17-12 and are 6-4, with games left at Arkansas and home against Ole Miss.

2. Nebraska: To all the detractors who claimed the Huskers had quit, check out Nebraska’s 73-31 rout of Kansas State. One week earlier , the Huskers lost 76-39 at Kansas. Surely, no football team in the history of shoulder pads has scored 70 points the week after allowing the same.

1. Ron Zook: The original Internet victim  —  remember fireronzook.com?  —  is proving he’s a solid coach. Zook has turned around Illinois, witness the Illini’s 28-21 upset at top-ranked Ohio State.

BOWL BUSINESS

The bowl lineup is a long way from completion but is a little more focused each week. My predictions:

Jan. 7 Big Bowl: Oregon vs. LSU

Jan. 6 GMAC: Tulsa vs. Central Michigan

Jan. 5 International: Rutgers vs. Bowling Green

Jan. 3 Orange: Kansas vs. Virginia Tech

Jan. 2 Fiesta: Missouri vs. West Virginia

Jan. 1 Rose: Ohio State vs. USC

Jan. 1 Sugar: Georgia vs. Hawaii

Jan. 1 Outback: Auburn vs. Wisconsin

Jan. 1 Cotton: Texas vs. Tennessee

Jan. 1 Gator: Oklahoma vs. Clemson

Jan. 1 Capital One: Florida vs. Illinois

Dec. 31 Armed Forces: Air Force vs. Indiana

Dec. 31 Sun: California vs. Cincinnati

Dec. 31 Humanitarian: North Carolina State vs.Boise State

Dec. 31 Music City: Arkansas vs.Wake Forest

Dec. 31 Chick-fil-A: Alabama vs.Virginia

Dec. 31 Insight: Colorado vs. Iowa

Dec. 30 Independence: Kansas State vs.Mississippi State

Dec. 29 Meineke Car Care: Florida State vs. Connecticut

Dec. 29 Liberty: Central Florida vs. Kentucky

Dec. 29 Alamo: Oklahoma State vs.Penn State

Dec. 28 Texas: Texas A&M vs. Houston

Dec. 28 Champs Sports: Boston College vs. Michigan

Dec. 28 Emerald: Georgia Tech vs. Purdue

Dec. 27 Holiday: Texas Tech vs. Arizona State

Dec. 26 Motor City: Michigan State vs. Miami-Ohio

Dec. 23 Hawaii: East Carolina vs.Fresno State

Dec. 22 Papajohns.com: South Florida vs. Memphis

Dec. 22 New Mexico: Utah vs. Nevada

Dec. 22 Las Vegas: Oregon State vs. BYU

Dec. 21 New Orleans: Troy vs. Southern Miss

Dec. 20 Poinsettia: TCU vs. Navy

TEN BIG LOSERS FROM WEEK 11

10. Michigan: The Wolverines played without veterans Michael Hart and Chad Henne and lost 37-21 to Wisconsin, looking much more like the team that lost to Appalachian State than the team much of America was hoping would beat Ohio State.

9. Purdue: The Boilermakers were 7-2 and headed for a prime Florida bowl. But after losses at Penn
State and to Michigan State, 48-31, Purdue is fast sliding down the bowl ladder.

8. Mike Leach: The Texas Tech coach came off looking bad following a 59-43 loss to Texas in which Leach challenged the integrity of the officials. Trouble was, the zebras got right the calls in question.

7. Colorado: The Buffs won at Texas Tech and beat Oklahoma, but a 31-28 loss at Iowa State spiraled Colorado to 5-6, and now Dan Hawkins must beat Nebraska just to go to a minor bowl.

6. Steve Spurrier: When South Carolina opened the season 3-0, including a win at Georgia, 2007 seemed like a magical year for the ol’ ball coach. But now the Gamecocks are 6-5, with Clemson remaining.

5. Bobby Bowden: The Florida State icon had little to preserve from the proud program of the ‘80s and ‘90s. He has even one less, after his first loss ever to Virginia Tech, 40-21, dropped the Seminoles to 6-4.

4. Orange Bowl: The proud old stadium deserved better than Virginia’s 48-0 rout of Miami for its final football game.

3. Pac-10 officiating: Now the Oregon State athletic director is calling out his own league’s officials, after a shoddy fourth quarter against Washington. Of course, if it happens in conference games, the rest of the nation doesn’t care.

2. Ohio State: The Buckeyes drew within 28-21 of Illinois with eight minutes left and never got the ball back. Quarterback sneaks and quarterback draws did in Ohio State’s national title hopes.

1. Football as we know it: Halftime score of the Navy-North Texas game was 49-45. Halftime! OSU-Texas Tech was a 49-45 final, and we all talked about what a wild and woolly game it was. The final in Denton, Texas, 74-62 Navy, might become the trend. And I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit. 

A fun Saturday. Watching football from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the house, then a quick trip to Owen Field to set up in the pressbox, a walk back to Campus Corner for some radio duties, then back to the stadium for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

I saw some wild stuff. From my living room, I saw Kansas annihilate Nebraska 76-39. From Campus Corner, on a TV set on the Sports Animal stage, I saw Navy end its epic losing streak to Notre Dame with a 46-44, triple-overtime victory. From the base of the stadium, via cell phone, I learned from my brother’s play-by-play, the end of the OSU-Texas game. From the pressbox, I saw most of the LSU-Alabama holy war, following the final few minutes on the Internet.           

ANCHORS AWEIGH

Navy’s ending of a 43-game series losing streak to Notre Dame made me wonder what are the longest streaks in the Big 12. The North has been so upside down in recent years, there are no long streaks between North schools. Here are the five longest in the league:

1. OU-Baylor 16: The Bears never have beaten the Sooners.

2.  Texas Tech-Baylor 12: Ironically, this series is close; Tech leads 33-32-1. But Baylor hasn’t won since the Southwest Conference days.

3. OU-Iowa State 11: Sooners are 37-1-1 against the Cyclones since 1961.

4. Texas-Baylor 10: John Mackovic’s final Longhorn team lost 23-21 inWaco.

4. Texas-OSU 10: You know the plot. Cowboys get way ahead, but the streak continues. 

BOWL BUSINESS

Last week, I handicapped the Big 12 bowls. This week, let’s do every bowl.

Jan. 7 Big Bowl: Ohio State vs. LSU

Jan. 6 GMAC: Bowling Green vs. Tulsa

Jan. 5 International: Miami-Ohio vs. Louisville

Jan. 3 Orange: Boston College vs. Kansas (It’s looking more and more like the Big 12 will get a second BCS team)

Jan. 2 Fiesta: Oklahoma vs. USC (Dream matchup if the Sooners don’t make it to
New Orleans)

Jan. 1 Rose: Oregon vs. Michigan

Jan. 1 Sugar: West Virginia vs. Hawaii

Jan. 1 Outback: Wisconsin vs. Florida

Jan. 1 Cotton: Missouri vs. Georgia (Mizzou last played in the Cotton in 1946)

Jan. 1 Gator: Texas vs. Virginia Tech (if Gator skips the Big 12 this year, it must take the Big 12 both of the next two years)

Jan. 1 Capital One: Penn State vs. Auburn

Dec. 31 Armed Forces: South Carolina vs. Air Force

Dec. 31 Sun: Arizona State vs. Connecticut

Dec. 31 Humanitarian: Boise State vs. Georgia Tech

Dec. 31 Music City: Alabama vs. Miami

Dec. 31 Chick-fil-A: Tennessee vs. Virginia

Dec. 31 Insight: Oklahoma State vs. Iowa (If OSU beats Kansas, it moves up the ladder)

Dec. 30 Independence: Kansas State vs. Mississippi State (Independence picked OSU over K-State last season)

Dec. 29 Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest vs. Cincinnati

Dec. 29 Liberty: East Carolina vs. Kentucky

Dec. 29 Alamo: Texas Tech vs. Illinois (Red Raiders haven’t played in San Antonio since 2001)

Dec. 28 Texas: Texas A&M vs. Memphis (Aggies will be needed to fulfill Big 12 bowl obligations, despite coaching upheaval)

Dec. 28 Champs Sports: Florida State vs. Purdue

Dec. 28 Emerald: Clemson vs.  Oregon State

Dec. 27 Holiday: Colorado vs. California (Don’t laugh; Big 12 will be short of bowl teams that aren’t 6-6) 

Dec. 26 Motor City: Central Michigan vs. Indiana

Dec. 23 Hawaii: Nevada vs. Southern Miss

Dec. 22 Papajohns.com: South Florida vs. Houston

Dec. 22 New Mexico: Utah vs. Fresno State

Dec. 22 Las Vegas: Arkansas vs. BYU

Dec. 21 New Orleans: Troy vs. Central Florida

Dec. 20 Poinsettia: TCU vs. Navy

TEN BIG WINNERS FROM WEEK 10

10. Troy: The Trojans were solid in defeat, a 44-34 setback at Georgia. Another big statement for the best of the Sun Belt Conference.

9. Missouri: Quietly, the Tigers have risen to No. 6 in the BCS, and they are deserving, after a 55-10 rout at Colorado.

8. East Carolina: The Pirates were 7-28 the three years before Skip Holtz’s arrival as coach. Now, after a 56-40 win over Memphis, the team coached by Lou’s son has command of Conference USA’s East Division. If East Carolina can beat bottom-dwellers Marshall and Tulane, it will host the C-USA title game.

7. Darren McFadden: The Arkansas flash rushed for an SEC-record 323 yards, reviving a fading Heisman campaign, and the Razorbacks beat South Carolina 48-36.

6. Chuck Long: His San Diego State Aztecs beat Wyoming 27-24, the best win of Long’s two-year tenure. The Aztecs are 3-5 overall but 2-2 in the Mountain West, good for fifth place in the nine-team league.

5. Iowa: Hawkeyes started 2-4 overall and 1-4 in the Big Ten. But after two straight rallies for victory (28-17 over Northwestern this week), Iowa is 5-5. With Minnesota and Western Michigan left, Hawkeyes could be headed for a decent bowl.

4. Kansas: In the decade of the ‘80s, KU scored 67 points total against Nebraska. Saturday, the Jayhawks scored 76 points on the Huskers.

3. Virginia: The amazing Cavaliers set up a season-ending showdown with arch-foe Virginia Tech for the ACC’s Coastal Division title, by beating Wake Forest 17-16. Virginia is 8-2 overall, with wins by 11, 2, 5, 30, 2, 1, 1 and 1. That’s right. Six of its eight wins are by less than six points, five by less than three points and the last three wins by one point.

2. America: Navy beating Notre Dame was good for the nation.

1. Les Miles: Losing to Nick Saban, a patron saint of LSU football, would not have been good for Miles’ qualify of living in the Baton Rouge. But beating Alabama 41-34 kept alive LSU’s national title hopes.

TEN BIG LOSERS FROM WEEK 10

10. Michigan State: Spartans led 24-14 with seven minutes left but lost 28-24 to arch-rival Michigan. Now State, 5-5, might not make a bowl, since it plays at Purdue and hosts Penn State.

9. Kansas State: The Wildcats, one of the nation’s great up-and-down teams, lost at Iowa State 31-20 to threaten its bowl hopes.

8. UTEP: Rice was 1-7 before pinning a 56-48 loss on Texas-El Paso, which fell out of Conference USA’s West Division.

7. Turner Gill: The ex-Nebraska quarterback has done a remarkable job at Buffalo U., but in the game that likely will decide the Mid-American’s East Division, Miami-Ohio beat Buffalo 31-28. With the Nebraska job about to come open, Gill needs all his markers.

6. South Florida: A few weeks ago, the Tampa Tribune’s Joey Johnston called me on a week night. He was gauging national perception about the undefeated Bulls, who seemed like a possible national title contender. But now South Florida has lost three straight  —  including a 38-33 loss to Cincinnati in which USF gave up 31 first-quarter points.

5. Randy Shannon: The first-year Miami coach got off to a 4-1 start, losing only to Oklahoma. But now Miami is 5-4 and is losing close games, including 19-16 in overtime to North Carolina State, which had been 3-5. This is not what Miami had in mind when Larry Coker was fired.

4. Oklahoma State: It’s kosher to say OSU doesn’t get many chances to beat Texas, but that’s not true. The Cowboys have led the Longhorns by at least 19 points in three of the last four years. And won none of them, including a 38-35 defeat Saturday in which they led 35-14 with 12 minutes left.

3. Nebraska: Kansas has beaten Nebraska 76-39, or something similar, often. But always at Allen Fieldhouse.

2. Charlie Weis: Who says Notre Dame’s not getting better under Genius Charlie? Bob Davie’s five-year winning percentage, .583. Tyrone Willingham’s five-year winning percentage, .583. Charlie Weis’ three-year winning percentage, .588. I say build the guy a statue.

1. Boston College: The Eagles are who we thought they were, but still, BC could have made November awfully interesting on Chestnut Hill. Instead, Boston College lost to Florida State 27-17 and tumbled from Big Bowl contention. 

An off week, so no travel adventures. Just a Saturday full of watching wall-to-wall football. So this week’s big blog will be all football. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Let’s go straight to the gridiron. 

BOWL BUSINESS

We’ll start a new feature this week. Analyzing the Big 12 bowl outlook. The Big 12 has eight bowl tie-ins. In descending order…

* Fiesta: Oklahoma. The champ goes here, unless it makes the Big Bowl in New Orleans. The Sooners could make the Big Bowl; they also could lose in San Antonio. But my bet’s on Glendale, Ariz. Most likely foe: USC.

* Gator: Texas. The Gator passed on the Big 12 in 2006, which means now the Jacksonville folks must take a Big 12 team two out of the next three years. A common theory says the Gator most covets OU or Texas. If the Longhorns win out to go 10-2, the Gator seems a good fit. If the Gator passes, the Sun comes into the rotation, but further down. Most likely foe: Virginia Tech.

* Cotton: Missouri. The Tigers never have played in the Cotton Bowl and have an excellent team; 8-1, with a 10-point loss at OU. Dallas would be a good spot for an 11-2 Mizzou team. Most likely foe:
Georgia.

* Holiday: Kansas. I’m assuming a Jayhawk loss to Missouri, but if KU beats Mizzou and goes to the Big 12 title game, then Kansas could be in Dallas. Of course, if Kansas keeps this up, it could be in Glendale. Heck, forget the desert. Kansas could make it to New Orleans. But I don’t think so. Most likely foe: Arizona State.

* Alamo: Kansas State. If OSU beats Texas and Kansas, the Cowboys would likely finish 8-4 and be prime for San Antonio. But at 7-5, the Alamo would probably make a play for K-State, which is 5-3 and more likely to go 8-4. Most likely foe: Illinois.

* Insight: OSU. The Tempe, Ariz., bowl hasn’t had the Cowboys and will be interested in letting OSU fans prove themselves as good travelers when they have to fly. And this is a good place to fly to. Most likely foe: Indiana.

* Independence: Texas Tech. Any bowl will take any team over Colorado. The Red Raiders likely are headed for a 7-5 finish. Most likely foe: Mississippi State.

* Texas Bowl: Colorado. Buffs are headed for a 7-5 finish, and Houston bowl organizers will have to scramble to sell tickets. Most likely foe: Houston U. 

TEN THINGS I LEARNED SITTING ON THE SOFA

10. Texas Tech is a fraud. The Red Raiders are 6-3 with victories over SMU, UTEP, Rice, Northwestern Louisiana, Iowa State and Texas A&M. Tech still has Baylor to play, so the Raiders will get to seven wins, but this is not a vintage Tech team. Colorado’s Terrence Wheatley covered Texas Tech freshman phenom Michael Crabtree much of the game. Crabtree had 12 catches for 131 yards and a touchdown  —  yet Wheatley won the duel that was as much fun as anything on TV all day. Wheatley’s three interceptions of quarterback Graham Harrell won the game.

9. Kid Nichol has a future at Michigan State. The OU freshman committed to Michigan State before switching to the Sooners; now Nichol is stuck behind Sam Bradford, who doesn’t seem likely to give up the job until, oh, 2011. So Nichol has a choice to make. Transfer, sit out and have three years eligibility remaining somewhere. Or be patient and likely be the OU quarterback as a fifth-year senior in 2011. Michigan State has a decent junior quarterback in Brian Hoyer, a 60-percent passer with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. But the Spartans will need a QB in 2009.

8. Barry Tompkins is the worst network announcer in America. Any sport. The Fox Sports Net play-by-play man called the USC-Oregon game; why he is the lead voice on Pac-10 telecasts remains a mystery.

7. Good news for Big 12 officiating. The zebras are just as bad everywhere else in college football. I saw two of the most horrendous calls I’ve seen in years. In the Mississippi State-Kentucky game, Mississippi State’s Derek Pegues was called for an out-of-bounds hit on scrambling Kentucky Andre Woodson. Trouble was, Woodson was not out of bounds. He was striving for the first-down marker, and Pegues hit Woodson in bounds and kept him from reaching the first down. Yet here came a flag. In the Arizona State-California game, Cal fumbled a punt and the Sun Devils recovered, but a Pac-10 official inexplicably whistled the play dead. Horrible calls. Just horrible.

6. Oregon’s Jonathan Stewart might deserve the Heisman. Stewart, who played awfully well in that duel against OU’s Adrian Peterson in September 2006, ranks with Arkansas’ Darren McFadden as the best tailbacks in college football. The demise of USC is vastly overstated; the Trojans held Oregon to 339 yards, though the Ducks won 24-17. Stewart’s 103 yards on 25 carries were all big.

5. The SEC East is grand fun. Georgia leads at 4-2. Vanderbilt and Kentucky are tied for last at 2-3. That’s 11/2 games separating first from last. Georgia still has to play Auburn. Tennessee controls its own destiny; it wins the East with victories over Arkansas, Vanderbilt and at Kentucky. But who knows what will happen in this crazy division.

4. Tennessee is a total mess. The Vols are like Seinfeld’s girlfriend in that episode when she alternately looked beautiful and hideous. Tennessee got routed in September road games at California and Florida, then whipped Georgia. But Alabama walloped the Vols on Oct. 20, and Phil Fulmer’s job security seemed shaky. Then Tennessee went up 21-0 on South Carolina on Saturday night. But the Gamecocks scored 24 straight points to take the lead, and the Volunteers needed a 48-yard field goal with five seconds left, just to send the game into overtime. There, Tennessee won and now is in control of the East. Totally unpredictable team.

3. Texas’ slump is not over. The Longhorns rallied to beat Nebraska 28-25, thanks to Jamaal Charles’ 216 rushing yards in the fourth quarter, but no way the Huskers should have extended the ‘Horns. Nebraska has been awful the last month; Texas should have rolled in this game. And didn’t.

2. Kansas saw Dead Poets Society. Robin Williams’ character urged his prep school students to “seize the day,” and the Jayhawks certainly have done that. They have taken advantage of a cream-puff non-conference schedule, a favorable conference schedule and a generally down year in the Big 12 to forge a 9-0 record. Give Kansas credit. The Jayhawks have won in Manhattan, Boulder and College Station. And get this; Kansas is a 19-point favorite this Saturday against Nebraska.

1. Ohio State is better than we thought. The Buckeyes routed Penn State in Happy Valley, and now it appears only Michigan can derail Ohio State’s return to the Big Bowl. 

TEN BIG LOSERS FROM WEEK 9

10. Rice: The Owls lost to Marshall 34-21 in perhaps college football’s dud game of the year; the 0-7 Thundering Herd vs. the 1-6 Owls.

9. South Florida: After beating Auburn and West Virginia, the Bulls now have lost two straight, to Rutgers and Connecticut, which is not as bad as it sounds but still is not kosher for a team that a couple of weeks ago had national-championship aspirations.

8. Phil Bennett: The SMU coach had to know he would get the axe, but the Mustangs wasted little time after SMU officially was eliminated from bowl eligibility. The Mustangs led Tulsa 23-21 late in the game and had first-and-goal on the TU 5-yard line. Somehow, that turned into a 29-23 defeat, and Bennett was fired the next day, effective the end of the season.

7. Mark Sanchez: The USC quarterback, with his chance to shine in relief of injured John David Booty, played not so well in a 24-17 loss at Oregon. Booty can’t get back fast enough for the Trojans.

6. Michigan State: The Spartans blew a 17-3 halftime lead and lost 34-27 in overtime to Iowa, and now 5-4 Michigan State might not make a bowl game.

5. Karl Dorrell: The UCLA coach just can’t get over the hump. The Bruins went to Pullman, Wash., controlling their own destiny in the Pac-10, 4-0 in the league with games against Washington State and Arizona next. But UCLA was dominated 27-7 by WSU, and now a bowl game might not even be in the cards.

4. Southern Miss: The Golden Eagles should be the class of Conference USA but were routed at home by Central Florida 34-17 and fell to 4-4.

3. Mike Leach: Another year in which the Texas Tech coach will fail to even challenge for the Big 12 South title. The Red Raiders are amazingly consistent, but after a 31-26 home loss to Colorado, Tech is headed for a fifth-place finish in the South, their worst in the Big 12 era.

2. Virginia Tech: Let’s see. Playing the nation’s No. 2-ranked team, on your home field, leading 10-0 with six minutes left, in rainy conditions, and you punt the ball away and never really get it back in losing 14-10. The Hokies could have been in the BCS race.

1. Tim Tebow: The Florida quarterback went from Heisman front-runner to beat-up quarterback as Georgia popped the Gators 42-30. 

TEN BIG WINNERS FROM WEEK 9

10. Turner Gill: I know I’ve lauded Gill before, but he’s got Buffalo U. 4-1 in the Mid-American Conference after a 26-10 win over Akron. If Gill keeps winning, Tom Osborne will have to look at him for the Nebraska job.

9. Mark Mangino: The leading candidate for national coach of the year. Kansas is 9-0 after winning at Texas A&M, and the Jayhawks figure to be 10-0 going to Stillwater.

8. Phil Fulmer: The Tennessee coach went from the hot seat to riding shotgun in the SEC East. The Vols beat South Carolina 27-24 in overtime after squandering a 21-0 lead. If Tennessee wins out (Arkansas, Vanderbilt, at Kentucky), the Vols reach the SEC title game.

7. Matthew Stafford: The Georgia quarterback upstaged Tim Tebow in the Bulldogs’ 42-30 upset of Florida. The sophomore looked good in beating Oklahoma State in September. He looked awfully good in beating Florida  —  11 of 18 passing for 217 yards and three TDs.

6. Dennis Dixon: Don’t rule out Dixon for the Heisman after he led Oregon to a 24-17 victory over USC.

5. Connecticut: Has ever there been a BCS contender that is no better than the third-most popular team on its own campus? UConn hoops rule in the state, both men and women, but make way for football after Connecticut took over the Big East lead with a 22-15 victory over South Florida.

4. Arizona State: Two momentum-changing calls went against the Sun Devils and still they beat California going away, 31-20, to remain undefeated. The Sun Devils won’t stay that way, but Dennis Erickson has Arizona State playing well.

3. Sylvester Croom: The Mississippi State coach got a big win, 31-14 at Kentucky, and suddenly the Bulldogs have a shot at 7-5, if they can win at Arkansas in two weeks.

2. Todd Boeckman: No, not Tim Beckman, the Oklahoma State defensive coordinator who came from Ohio State. Todd Boeckman is the Ohio State quarterback making Buckeye fans think of Craig Krenzel, who led Ohio State to the 2002 national title. Boeckman might do the same, if the 37-17 rout of Penn State is any indication.

1. Matt Ryan: The Boston College quarterback looked like anything but a Heisman contender for 55 minutes against Virginia Tech. Then Ryan looked like Brett Favre in delivering two touchdown passes that beat Virginia 14-10.

Question of the week

Who should OU fans cheer for tonight when Virginia Tech hosts Boston College? The obvious answer seems BC. But maybe not. The 7-0 Eagles are No. 2 in the BCS; 6-1 Virginia Tech is No. 8 in the BCS. The Sooners are sixth in the BCS.

If BC loses to the Hokies, they almost surely would fall below OU. But Virginia Tech almost certainly would rise above OU. So it could come down to this: Who is more likely to lose after Thursday, Boston College or Virginia Tech? Let’s look at the schedules.

BC: Florida State, at Maryland, at Clemson, Miami. I’d say all winnable, all losable.

V-Tech: at Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami, at Virginia. Wild, isn’t it, how similar are those schedules. Both host Florida State and Miami; both have two interesting road games. That
Virginia game is a bear; the Cavaliers are 7-1, but they’ve been scraping by.

Here’s my suggestion. Cheer for Boston College. In times like these, where who knows how the rankings will end up, the goal is to get two losses on every team and remove all doubt. If Virginia Tech beats Boston College, they still both could lose. If BC wins this one, I don’t see them losing two more. 

TEN BIG WINNERS FROM WEEK 8

10. Oklahoma State: Cowboys kept alive Big 12 South title hopes with rousing 41-39 win over Kansas State.

9. Michigan: Wolverines, given up for dead eight days into September, have won six straight and still could make the Rose Bowl after a 27-17 win at
Illinois.

8. Sonny Lubick: Venerable Colorado State coach ended a 13-game losing streak with 48-23 win at UNLV.

7. Temple: Kicked out of the Big East, the Owls might have found a home in the Mid-American Conference, a reputable league of upstarts. Temple beat Miami-Ohio 24-17 to raise its record to 3-2 in the MAC.

6. Kansas: Jayhawks won another Big 12 road game, 19-14 at Colorado, and now we’ve got to get serious about 7-0 KU running the table.

5. Rutgers: Scarlet Knights popped South Florida 30-27, signaling again that Greg Schiano has put together a solid program at the University of New Jersey.

4.  Tim Tebow: The Florida sophomore won a quarterback derby royale in a 45-37 victory over Kentucky. UK stud Andre Woodson completed 35 of 50 for 415 yards and five touchdowns. But Tebow completed 18 of 26 for 256 yards and four TDs, ran 78 yards on 20 carries, and solidified himself as the Heisman favorite.

3. UCLA: Don’t look now, but the Bruins are 4-0 in the Pac-10 after a 30-21 victory over California. UCLA has proven it’s not a powerhouse, not with a blowout loss to Utah and being Notre Dame’s only victim. But staying in Pac-10 contention into November is a solid feat.

2. Jonathan Stewart: The Oregon junior looks like a big-time pro prospect  —  we saw him excel against the Sooners a year ago  —  and showed it Saturday against Washington, rushing for 251 of Oregon’s school-record 465 yards.

1. North Dakota State: Coach Craig Bohl was a big winner, too, after a 27-21 victory over Minnesota that will elevate Bohl into consideration for the job at Nebraska, his alma mater. But North Dakota State, which left the comfort of NCAA Division II to compete in I-AA, made a big name for itself and thrilled more than 30,000 of its fans who made the trip to Minneapolis. This will rank as one of the 10 biggest moments in North Dakota sports history.

ZANY ZEBRAS

Big East commissioner Mike Transghese this week called the University of Louisville, saying officials erred in allowing a Connecticut touchdown on a punt return. Seems UConn’s Larry Taylor waved his right hand above his head, appearing to make a fair catch signal, then caught the ball and ran 74 yards for a touchdown.

Connecticut won 21-17, and Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe was livid at the non-call. I didn’t see the play. But that’s just horrible officiating. This wasn’t holding or a bang-bang pass interference. This was a signal made in the open, not in a split-second situation. And still the officials couldn’t get it right.

College football officiating is mostly terrible. First off, there are too many convoluted rules, and these weekend zebras can’t possibly stay on top of every situation. Also, not enough leagues are like the Big East and publicize transgressions; the Big 12, for instance, operates in virtual secrecy on its officiating errors. Better to come clean and let the public know how the sport is dealing with its arbiters.

A play in the Jacksonville-Indianapolis game Monday night showed the vast difference between college and NFL officiating. A Jacksonville runner went up the middle, was tackled just shy of the end zone, then scooted across the goal line. The umpire stepped right in, without looking for help from either of his side officials, and pointed at the ground, indicating no touchdown.That’s exactly what was needed in the 2005 OU-Texas Tech game, when Tech’s Taurean Henderson was ruled to have scored on the last play of the game, but by the sideline official who waited several seconds to make the call, by which time Henderson had crawled well into the end zone.

At Lubbock that day, the Big 12 crew needed an umpire who would stick his nose into the act. In Jacksonville this week, the NFL had an umpire willing to do just that. 

SWEET 16

This could be the season we have a two-loss team in the Big Bowl. It almost happened in 2001, when 10-2 Colorado finished fourth in the BCS. Only 16 teams in Division I-A have fewer than two losses, and we’ve still got a Saturday left in October, much less the nail spikes of November.

We can throw out 7-0 Hawaii and 6-1 Boise State. The Rainbows could make the BCS, but they’re not making the BCS title game. So that gets us down to 14 teams still eligible to beat two losses:

Boston College 7-0: Likely record, 11-2. As you saw earlier, lots of tossup games, plus we didn’t even count a potential ACC title game. BC is leading the Atlantic Division.

Virginia 7-1: Likely record, 10-2. Can the Cavaliers keep skating by? They’ve won their last three games by four points total and they’ve won five of their last six by five points or less.

Virginia Tech 6-1: Likely record, 10-3. I saw Virginia Tech try to keep up with LSU in September; I can’t believe the Hokies have improved enough to be national-title contenders.

UConn 6-1: Likely record, 8-4. The biggest fraud on this list. Connecticut’s victims include Duke, Maine, Temple, Pitt and Akron. Only Louisville was a good win, and that was referee-tainted.

South Florida 6-1: Likely record, 11-1. The Bulls have road games left at UConn, Syracuse and Pitt. Don’t discount USF to be back in the Big Bowl.

West Virginia 6-1: Likely record, 11-1. Mountaineers play at Rutgers and Cincinnati. I don’t see them losing again.

LSU 7-1: Likely record, 11-2. Only one tough regular-season game left, but it’s a holy war  —  at
Alabama and former coach Nick Saban. Then there would be an SEC title game matchup against perhaps Florida, which should have won in the Bayou a few weeks ago.

Arizona State 7-0: Likely record, 9-3. Sun Devils have avoided the top four teams in the Pac-10. That changes beginning Saturday, against Cal. Then comes at Oregon, at UCLA, USC and finally a breather in
Arizona.

Oregon 6-1: Likely record, 10-2. The Ducks get USC and Arizona State at home this week and next. If they go 2-0, watch out. The schedule lightens up after that.

USC 6-1: Likely record, 9-3. The Trojans have a brutal path to New Orleans. At Oregon, home to Oregon State, at California, at Arizona State, home to UCLA, which don’t forget is unbeaten in the Pac-10. If USC goes 11-1, they deserve the No. 1 seed in America.

Ohio State 8-0: Likely record, 11-1. Buckeyes don’t have an easy game left. They hosted Michigan State last week and won 24-17. Every team left is better than the Spartans. At Penn State, home to Wisconsin, home to Illinois, at Michigan.

Kansas 7-0: Likely record, 10-2. I don’t like the Jayhawks. Nothing personal, I just think they’ve scheduled themselves to success. But you know what? They could win out. Their toughest game left is Missouri on a neutral-field in Kansas City. Next toughest is at Stillwater.

Missouri 6-1: Likely record, 11-2. I think Mizzou wins out, if the Tigers can get past Kansas State in Manhattan. How about this showdown  —  OU vs. Missouri in a Big 12 title game that is a virtual national semifinal? It could happen.

Oklahoma 7-1: Likely record, 12-1. The Sooners have a breeze until they get to Lubbock. It won’t be easy to win at Texas Tech, but OU always defends the Red Raiders well.

So, if my likely records pan out, here’s your final BCS rankings:

1. Ohio State. 2. Oklahoma. 3. West Virginia. 4. South Florida. All of which means two things:

* Watch out for Florida. If the Gators win out, they would be 11-2, as SEC champs and victories over LSU, Kentucky, Florida State, Tennessee and South Carolina.

* The Big 12 title game would be a great blessing to OU (or Missouri, or even Kansas). Rip it all you want, but the game can help a team as often as hurt it. This year is a perfect example. The Sooners need all the good games they can get on their schedule. 

GOOD EATS

I’ve got to start paying more attention. We used the drive-through at the Stillwater Arby’s about midnight Saturday, and there were two lanes to order in, which merged into one to go past the windows.

It’s all marketing. It doesn’t speed up the process; in fact, it slows it down, because the guy in the window has to ask which order is yours. It’s all a way to make you think the line isn’t as long as it really is. But as long as I get plenty of Arby’s sauce, I won’t complain too much. 

TEN BIG LOSERS FROM WEEK 8

10. Oklahoma: Style points count when the BCS is this crazy, and OU’s 17-7 squeaker over Iowa State cost the Sooners some in the human polls as well as the computers.

9. Cincinnati: The Bearcats had a chance to go deep into Big East contention, but a 24-17 loss at woeful Pitt brought Cincy back to reality.

8. Texas Tech: The Red Raiders have laid a lot of road eggs, but fewer bigger than a 41-10 loss at Missouri. Until Tech starts playing better away from Lubbock, it won’t be a Big 12 South contender.

7. Tulsa: After looking strong for awhile in a loss to OU, the Hurricane had visions of going 11-1. But losses to UTEP and Central Florida have Tulsa scrambling just to get a Conference USA bowl berth.

6. Gary Patterson: The luster is off the TCU coach, who has produced three 11-win seasons in the last four years. After a loss to Utah, the Horned Frogs are 4-4.

5. Bobby Bowden: Hard to believe, but the Florida State-Miami game was an afterthought on the national scale. Sort of like OU-Texas in the mid-90s. Florida State’s 37-29 loss to Miami  —  how did those two teams score so many points?  —  left Bowden at 370 coaching victories and susceptible to Joe Paterno, who is at 369 and gaining.

4. Phil Bennett: The ex-OU defensive coordinator is dead man walking at SMU, especially after a 41-34 overtime loss to hapless Tulane. SMU now is 1-6, and no one believes Bennett can save his job.

3. South Carolina: The Gamecocks were a little bit of a fraud at No. 6 in the nation, but the clock shouldn’t have struck midnight at home against Vanderbilt. The Commodores not only won, they dominated.

2. Phil Fulmer: The Tennessee coach always wins more than enough to keep his job, but a 41-17 loss to Alabama can’t make the Vol Nation happy.

1. South Florida: The Bulls are likely to win out, which makes their 30-27 loss at Rutgers sting all the more. 

Another whirlwind football weekend. A flight to Kansas City on Friday with Mike Baldwin and Miss Saigon, followed by a drive to Omaha. Saturday morning, a drive to Lincoln for a morning kickoff and Oklahoma State’s historic rout of Nebraska, then a night drive back to KC. Sunday morning, a quick flight home, a mad-dash drive to east Norman for church, then back to the interstate, where I met boss Mike Sherman for the drive to Dallas and the game of the season in the NFL, Patriots-Cowboys. Finally, a late night drive home.

AMERICAN HEARTLAND

Omaha is a charming city. Nice downtown. Lovely parks. Easy to get around. It’s sort of a small Kansas City, another Midwestern city I just love. And Lincoln is a quality place, too. Sort of a small Austin — university and state capitol all nestled together downtown — without the pretensiousness. Nebraska has got to be one of my 10 favorite states. That’s a ranking I need to do. My favorite states, in order.

Going to a game at Nebraska is extra special. The fans really are classy and take great pride in their status as the nice folks of college football. The Husker fans were hard-pressed to even boo their team’s own sorry performance; down 38-0 at halftime to Oklahoma State, then a 45-14 loser. OSU academic guru Marilyn Middlebrook told the story in pregame that on their 1999 trip to Lincoln, a cold front blew in, and the Cowboy contingent wasn’t dressed properly. So Nebraska fans outfitted them in blankets to help keep warm. The story doesn’t surprise me one bit.

NU’s Memorial Stadium is one of my favorite ballparks in college football. Very strangely built. The east side is not as high as the end zone seats; the west side is a huge structure, with several stories of luxury suites. But somehow, it all works and makes for one of the great settings for the sport.

SATELLITE RADIO

I’m no big fan of satellite radio; I think it has the potential to harm local radio, and I don’t want to harm anything local. But Thrifty outfitted us with satellite radio in the Dodge Nitro we rented, and it came in handy driving home Saturday night. We listened to OU-Missouri, the  Tigers’ crew, and it was a very professional production. But Arkansas-Auburn and Louisville-Cincinnati were on the radio, too, and both were great games that went to the wire. If you’re a sports fan, and you’re driving a lot on the weekends, I have to say, satellite radio is the way to go. 

GOOD EATS

I don’t patronize ala carte joints. But sometimes you get caught. Friday night, we went to Omaha Prime, an old-money steakhouse in downtown. Great, great beef streak. I had a New York strip, medium rare, that was just unbelievable. But throw in a scrumptious salad, a potato and asparagus (don’t ask), and the bill climbed into the $50 range. Omaha Prime was good, but it wasn’t that good.

A few other food adventures on the trip:

1. In St. Joseph, Mo., we stopped at a McDonald’s for Miss Saigon to get a salad. They made us pull up and said they would bring it out to us. We sat for 10 minutes, then she went in and retrieved it. My wife figured out this problem years ago. When at a drive-through and asked to pull up or pull around, she says no thanks. Usually, this stuns the drive-through controller. But my wife says, no, that’s OK, I’ll just sit here. They never forget about you when you’re blocking the drive-through.

2. Here’s the best way to get a thick milk shake. Don’t ask for one. Years ago in Creede, Colo., I went into an old-fashioned ice cream shop and asked how thick they could make their shakes. “As thick as you want it,” I was told. Make it as thick as possible, I said. Moments later, I got a shake that I swear was pure liquid. Saturday night, we stopped at some gas station in northwest Missouri that included a Baskin-Robbins. I told the gal I wanted something thick, with sprinkles. We settled on a shake. Same thing. Pure milk. I give up.

3. Arby’s is the best fast-food buy in the business. We stopped on the way to Omaha, and me and
Baldwin shared the 5 for $5.95; a splendid deal. Coming home from Dallas on Sunday night, me and
Sherman did the same. Except in Gainesville, the deal was 5 for $6.95. Huh? Roast beefs with melted cheese and potato cakes cost more in Cooke County, Texas, than anywhere else in America?

10 BIG LOSERS FROM WEEK 7

10. Miami: The Hurricanes had a chance to stay in the ACC race but gave up a fourth-quarter field goal and lost 17-14 at home to Georgia Tech. Now Miami is 1-2 in the Coastal Division, with little chance of making Randy Shannon’s first year special.

9. Rice: The 1-4 Owls had a chance to go 2-0 in Conference USA. They led crosstown foe Houston 48-35 after three quarters. But the Cougs rallied for a 56-48 victory.

8. Vanderbilt: The Commodores get few chances to beat Tennessee, Georgia or Florida, the upper crust of the SEC East. But Vandy led Georgia 17-7 in the third quarter. Then the Bulldogs rallied to tie, a Vanderbilt fumble wiped out a sure field goal try and Georgia won 20-17.

7. Missouri: The Tigers hadn’t won in Norman since 1966 but led OU 24-23 in the fourth quarter. Then the Sooners rallied for a 41-31 lead that delays Mizzou’s ascension into the national spotlight.

6. Connecticut: The Huskies were 5-0 and had a chance to be one of the few undefeated teams left halfway through the season. But UConn gave up a fourth-quarter field goal and lost at
Virginia 17-16.

5. Charlie Weatherbie: The Louisiana-Monroe coach  —  and ex-OSU quarterback  —  coached the Indians to a loss to hapless North Texas, and ULM fell to 1-5. Weatherbie’s team looked competitive in a opening-week loss to Tulsa, but his program is going nowhere, at 16-36 under Weatherbie.

4. Cincinnati: The Bearcats were ranked 15th and had a chance to be 7-0 with a home victory over
Louisville. But the Cardinals rallied for a 28-24 victory, and Cincy’s November showdowns against South Florida and West Virginia lost some luster.

3. UTEP: The Miners seemed the likely West Division winner in Conference USA, but after an overtime loss to East Carolina, UTEP has no margin for error. Tulsa, UTEP and Houston all are tied at 2-1.

2. Kevin Riley: The backup California quarterback played well in relief of Nate Longshore but tried to be the hero in the waning seconds. Rather than throwing the ball out of bounds to allow Cal to try a tying field goal, Riley tried to run the ball in for a touchdown. He was tackled at the Oregon State 10-yard line, and the Beavers kept Cal from ascending to the No. 1 ranking with a 31-28 upset.

1. Les Miles: Miles is one heck of a coach, but he became predictable in the third overtime, and Kentucky emerged a 43-37 upset winner over LSU. Facing 4th-and-2 from the UK 17-yard line, Miles called timeout. Baldwin, the OSU beat writer who covered Miles when he coached the Cowboys, said Miles wouldn’t throw, that he would stay conservative. Sure enough, Miles sent LSU up the middle, and Kentucky stuffed the run for the big upset.

TWO SIDES OF THE RIVER

Entering Oklahoma, you are greeted by WinStar casino. Entering Texas, you are greeted by DW’s adult video store. I don’t know which is worse. Well, yes I do. Texas’ side of the river is more embarrassing. And I would assume less lucrative. 

TRAVEL GRIPE OF THE WEEK

Will Rogers has got to be the world’s most convenient airport. I sometimes can leave my house an hour before takeoff, drive the 25 minutes there and be at the gate on time. I don’t recommend it, but I’ve done it. But the parking at Will Rogers has gone south. Way south. A few years ago, trying to add more spaces to the big lot north of the terminal, the airport wiped out the center lane where the tram could patrol for pedestrians. You could walk to the center, stroll down the middle and a tram was sure to spot you. Now, it’s just pure luck if a tram picks you up in a reasonable time. So I started parking in the garage, which is a dollar more a day but far more reliable, since you walk yourself to the terminal.

Trouble is, last Friday, the garage was closed. Said it was full. Which is nonsense. Cars leave the garage as often as they go in; nobody lives at the airport. They are expanding the garage, which will be nice. But parking at Will Rogers will remain a crapshoot.

10 BIG WINNERS FROM WEEK 7

10. Kirk Ferentz: A train wreck of an Iowa season found a little substance when the Hawkeyes stunned upstart Illinois 10-6.

9. Boston College: Usually, it’s BC ruining a special Notre Dame season. When the Irish had the chance to turn the tables, Boston College wouldn’t give in, holding off Notre Dame 27-14.

8. Navy: Midshipmen beat Pitt in overtime to reach 4-2 and soon will be bowl-bound.

7. Penn State: The Nittanys routed Wisconsin 38-7 and now have only one tough game left,Ohio
State on Oct. 27. At 5-2, Joe Paterno is headed for a solid year.

6. Pat Fitzgerald: The young Northwestern coach had shown nothing to excite in his 1 1/2 years as head coach. The Wildcats were 6-11 in Fitzgerald’s first 17 games. But now in consecutive weeks, he’s beaten
Michigan State 48-41 and Minnesota 49-48, the latter in overtime after trailing by 21.

5. Jim Grobe: The best coach in college football took out Florida State for the second straight year. His
Wake Forest Demon Deacons, who can’t have five players worthy of a  Florida State scholarship, beat the Seminoles 24-21.

4. Hawaii: The Rainbow Warriors remain in the hunt for a BCS bowl, but only after surviving cagey Dick Tomey and San Jose State in overtime.

3. Arizona State: Sun Devils trailed Washington at halftime but spurted to a 44-20 victory that keeps Arizona State among the unbeatens going into the roughest stretch any team will face this season. Cal,
Oregon, UCLA and USC.

2. Thursday Night Football: A great game, Wake Forest 24-21 over Florida State, and a fabulous setup for the next two weeks. South Florida, No. 2 in the BCS, at Rutgers this Thursday. Then Boston College, No. 3 in the BCS, at Virginia Tech the next Thursday.

1. Tom Osborne: Let’s see. Old pal Frank Solich gets a victory, Ohio U. over Eastern Michigan. Old quarterback Turner Gill gets his third Mid-American Conference win of the year, 43-33 over Toledo. Old foe Steve Pederson is axed as Nebraska athletic director after Oklahoma State’s rout of the Cornhuskers. And old school Nebraska asks Osborne to be interim AD and decide the fate of the football program.

FRIENDLY SKIES

I love flying Southwest. Sometimes you get a really witty flight attendant, which we did on Friday. He told us to be careful getting our bags after landing, because “shift happens,” and he suggested any complaints be directed to the airlines’ northern office, “Northwest.com.”

CAPITOL TIMES

State capitols are sort of a travel hobby of mine. I like to drive past as many as I can. Check out the architecture, the setting. I rarely get out and go inside, although I’ll bet they are fascinating. I still get a charge any time I go inside the Oklahoma capitol; it just feels like freedom at work. Let’s do a quick count. Earlier in the year, I went through Montgomery, Ala., which means now I’ve been to 30 of the state-capital cities. Here are top 10 capitol buildings:

10. Indianapolis: Unique green dome sets this capitol apart.

9. Lincoln: Skyscraper capitol. Three-story building has a 400-foot domed tower, adorned with “The Sower” at the top.

8. Montgomery: Traditional Southern look.

7. Austin: Big and classic, with the Goddess of Liberty atop the pink granite structure.

6. Denver: A glinting golden dome.

5. Oklahoma City: Used to be domeless, and I thought the dome project was a big waste of money. But after The Guardian, the Indian sculpture, was placed atop the capitol, I love it. Simply love it and marvel at it every day I drive past on the Broadway Extension.

4. Albany: Massive building, inspired by Paris’ Hotel de Ville, that sits on a hill in downtown, with a look straight out of a Tim Burton film. Think the original “Batman.”

3. Hartford: Topped by a gold leaf dome, looks almost like a castle.

2. Jefferson City: Setting makes it special, sitting high on the bluffs above the Missouri River.

1. Des Moines: Golden dome, with a belvedere and a golden lantern on top. Plus a bonus  —  four smaller golden lanterns are attached to copper-covered domes at every corner of the building. Those domes are decorated with vertical lines of intermittent gold.