Yesterday an old Longhorn buddy I've only seen maybe twice in the past 10 years (but we talk on the phone a bit) happens to be in the area so we agree to meet up for dinner. We talk all the stuff - Supreme Court, what's up with his new marriage, how his insane ex and mine are Siamese twins joined together at the bank account, etc - and of course we get our way around to football. We're planning to go to the Texas/Alabama game in coming years, and he has a little experience now in Austin as to what's good and what's bad. And then he asks me - "Doesn't all this blowing folks out by huge scores get to be boring after awhile?"
We got interrupted eventually by his ex calling, but I was on point.
"Yeah, I'll admit it's kind of hard to get up for games like tomorrow, but that's not much different than ten years ago. This year what I want is to blow everyone out by at least three touchdowns, and I don't care how boring it is. Why? Because don't you WANT to be 'the greatest college team of all-time?' Don't you want to be mentioned in the same breath as 95 Nebraska and 01 Miami, especially since those were now so long ago that a lot of folks don't even remember? I'm willing to put up with a year or two of non-challenging games to put a three-peat in the bank - which btw we only missed by a single play. I'd love to break Oklahoma's 47-game winning streak, which I doubt will happen but this is the best chance we've ever had. I want things that nobody has ever done and to collect some scalps we owe ash whippings to along the way - Ohio State and Oklahoma most notably. There will come a time - and it's closer than we think - when we will again have seasons with five or six or even more close games. Those years - like 1991 and 1994 - are both exciting and yet nerve-racking. And for years there was always that little media hum about how we'd have trouble with a fast break, high powered offense (Baker Mayfield, Marcus Mariota). This year we have a gunslinger who can keep us in any game no matter how far behind at any time.
There will be enough years in my life for some close, exciting games. I'm willing to take a dominant team to be an all-time team for a year or two or three. Keep in mind we lost an entire decade to Phil Fulmer's shenanigans, but they're paying for it now."
We parted and for the record, he has never once brought up "if Colt hadn't got hurt."
We got interrupted eventually by his ex calling, but I was on point.
"Yeah, I'll admit it's kind of hard to get up for games like tomorrow, but that's not much different than ten years ago. This year what I want is to blow everyone out by at least three touchdowns, and I don't care how boring it is. Why? Because don't you WANT to be 'the greatest college team of all-time?' Don't you want to be mentioned in the same breath as 95 Nebraska and 01 Miami, especially since those were now so long ago that a lot of folks don't even remember? I'm willing to put up with a year or two of non-challenging games to put a three-peat in the bank - which btw we only missed by a single play. I'd love to break Oklahoma's 47-game winning streak, which I doubt will happen but this is the best chance we've ever had. I want things that nobody has ever done and to collect some scalps we owe ash whippings to along the way - Ohio State and Oklahoma most notably. There will come a time - and it's closer than we think - when we will again have seasons with five or six or even more close games. Those years - like 1991 and 1994 - are both exciting and yet nerve-racking. And for years there was always that little media hum about how we'd have trouble with a fast break, high powered offense (Baker Mayfield, Marcus Mariota). This year we have a gunslinger who can keep us in any game no matter how far behind at any time.
There will be enough years in my life for some close, exciting games. I'm willing to take a dominant team to be an all-time team for a year or two or three. Keep in mind we lost an entire decade to Phil Fulmer's shenanigans, but they're paying for it now."
We parted and for the record, he has never once brought up "if Colt hadn't got hurt."
I like competitive games only if I could see into the future and know BAMA would end up winning. I love watching other teams play competitive games though.
