Ring that bell Raiders

The ringing of the bell at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock is an odd sight but it's a small price to pay for a classic game with an unbelievable ending that will live on for generations of Tech fans. Texas looked spent after last week's OSU game and they certainly looked on fumes to start this one but I anticipated and got the inevitable comeback. So many what if's in this game.

What if the flag for illegal block in the back had not been picked up by the officials thereby nullifying the momentum booster TD punt return by Jordan Shipley (is this guy having a monster senior year or what?)? Maybe I didn't see the best angle or playback but I'm still clueless as to why the penalty was not enforced.

What if Michael Crabtree is not called for a pass interference with Tech inside the Texas 10 and threatening to seal the deal with a TD that would have put Tech up two possessions? Cheap call and raises the eyebrow of the conspiracy theorists that believe Texas gets the calls in the Big 12.

What if Blake Gideon holds on to a floating deflected pass that would have iced the game for the Longhorns and prevented the Crabtree heroics?

Tech was better than Texas last night. However, I would not be surprised to see Tech lose to Oklahoma State next Sat. The Pokes are solid but Tech may not be able to come down off Cloud Nine to focus enough on the task at hand. If the game was not in Lubbock, I would say bet the house on OSU. Oklahoma is trying to solve some issues on defense but their offense can outscore anybody and Tech has to visit Norman on November 22nd. Therefore, I think Penn State fans should stay calm over the latest developments.

Florida sure moved up in a hurry. They have been very impressive but maybe a tad bit of a kneejerk reaction. Remember, college football is like an HR department reviewing resumes and the Gators still have the home loss to Ole Miss as a strike. Maybe the SEC just isn't that good for a change. The defense argument has kind of fallen apart in recent weeks. Alabama's signature wins over Clemson and Georgia have lost their initial wow factor. Both are overrated.

I think Matthew Stafford has a bright future but maybe now the overhyping can stop. Gary Danielson tried to cheapen the Big 12 QBs last week and the respected Tony Barnhart called Stafford the best QB in college football last week in one of his columns. Stafford is not in the top tier of college QBs. Not talking about what he might do in a pro day or combine workout, just playing the actual game. Great physical tools but the consistency is still not there.