My last post on the issue. One thing is for sure: this game will involve big time hoopla, as well it should. I think your quote above is a slippery slope, E. Cannot the same be said about USC's schedule? USC had 3 games where they won by 10 or less: Ariz St., Fresno St., and ND. Ariz St. lost to Stanford. Yes, 5-6 Stanford. Fresno State lost to LaTech. Shoot, we stayed within 40 of LaTech, so you know they must be horrible. Notre Dame lost to 5-6 Michigan State. ... I'm not putting any stock in this argument, I'm simply saying that that which can be criticized about UT can also be criticized of USC. No doubt, the Big XII was down this year - especially the north. Nevertheless, I think TX actually lived up to the hype this year... for once. As for USC, no doubt they've found a way to win, which is definitely impressive, and though the Pac-10 is historically known as a weaker BCS conference, running the table is running the table. I don't think the Austin media market is quite up there with L.A., and trust me you will not find a greater ally in terms of frustration with the UT hype machine... but that's pretty much a Texas thing. In New Orleans, if you say UT, people aren't sure if you're talking about Texas or Tennessee. The hype, outside the state, is not comparable. I will be cheering for the less-evil empire (UT) against the evil empire (USC) in January.... Does that make me a commie?