College Football Corner: Texas Four-Step

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The eyes of Texas are probably a little bleary from its having to play four top 12 teams in three weeks.

But the No. 1 Longhorns have handled the first three challenges, dispatching then-No. 1 Oklahoma three weeks ago, then No. 12 Missouri, followed by a nail-biter last week over Oklahoma State, which came in ranked sixth.

Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell
and wide receiver Michael Crabtree

This week's predicament is a trip to face the No. 7 Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-0).

Texas Coach Mack Brown is looking forward to the excitement in Lubbock, which hasn't hosted a game of this magnitude in, well, forever. Keep in mind that the Raiders have never finished a season ranked in The Associated Press Top 10.

"I remember the couple of times we've been out there, the students were out there on Thursday, and now I hear they've been out there since Tuesday already," he said at his weekly press conference. "They'll be pumped up and that's the atmosphere you want to play in as a college football player, for both teams."

Atmosphere aside, this game is vital for both teams with four Big 12 schools ranked in the BCS' top nine (remember, conferences can place on two schools into the 10 BCS bowl berths). Texas should still get a BCS bowl bid even if it loses Saturday, but it's now all about the national championship. Texas' remaining schedule favors a trip to the BCS title game with a win here.