Just maybe the Big 12 football coaches thought they had seen the South Division at its most competitive in 2008 when they voted this spring not to change the league's three-way tie-breaker guidelines.
They might want to re-think that one.
The ultra-competitive Big 12 South could again have as many as three teams in a logjam for first place if the best teams take turns beating up on each other as they did last season. Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech all swapped wins and finished tied for first in the South with 7-1 league records at the end of 2008. They Big 12 had to sift through four tie-breaker stipulations before coming up on the fifth that named the Sooners the South champs by virtue of their BCS poll standing. .
Texas Tech coach Mike Leach is like the high school teacher you had who drove a Volkswagen Beetle, read quotes from an obscure Roman philosopher such as Marcus Aurelius to begin class, said things like, "I decided I'd rather teach a future U.S. Senator than be a U.S. Senator," and gave one question final exams. Basically he's eccentric, honest, and occasionally he breaks things down so simply that you're left scratching your head, overcome by the brilliance of his mad-scientist rantings.
The cries near the end of the Big 12 football season were for change.
The system for deciding the divisional champion in the event of a multiple-team tie seemed unjust when Oklahoma received the South Division's spot in the Big 12 title game over Texas and Texas Tech, after all three finished with identical 7-1 league records last season. During the season, UT had beaten OU, but lost to Texas Tech. The Red Raiders claimed a dramatic win over the Longhorns, but got crushed by the Sooners.
Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.
With the 10th overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft, the San Francisco 49ers had the good fortune of having one of the best (if not the best) players fall into their laps.
There are a number of theories as to why Michael Crabtree was still available at the No. 10 spot, ranging from his lack of a 40 time, to the alleged "diva" attitude he displayed in St. Louis and Cleveland during his visits, leading to an hilarious battle of wits between Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach and Browns coach Eric Mangini.
There are usually a few surprises over the course of the NFL Draft. Maybe I watch too much college football, but I was stunned during the fourth round Sunday.
That was when the Dallas Cowboys selected Texas A&M quarterback Stephen McGee with the 101st overall pick. I understand that college stats don't mean much when it comes to having NFL-caliber talent, but this seemed quite odd to me.
Mike Leach has never been a soft-spoken guy. And after Eric Mangini supposedly questioned the type of person that Michael Crabtree is -- potentially causing the former Texas Tech wideout to slip in the draft -- Leach got a little worked up.
According to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, Leach was so angry that he started taking (possibly well-deserved) potshots at Mangini and the Browns organization.
Mike Leach doesn't have much of a track record when it comes to developing NFL quarterbacks, but then again, that's not his job. Since coming to Texas Tech in 2000, he's taken a football backwater to big-program prominence, amassing a 76-39 record and nine bowl appearances.
Two days after missing the supposed "final deadline" for agreeing to a new contract, Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach got a deal done on Thursday afternoon.
The deal was completed only after much saber rattling on both sides, including school officials saying Leach could be fired this week. Instead, Leach will sign a five-year deal that keeps him under contract through the 2013 football season.
Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach is seeking a contract extension. The university is open to giving him one. However, the end result of their negotiations could be Leach getting fired.
Yes, you read that right. A coach with a 76-39 career record, coming off an 11-2 campaign that saw his team in the midst of national championship talk in November, could lose his job. Why? Because it appears schools are sick and tired of watching their successful coaches flying all over the country to interview for jobs they perceive as better than the one they have.
Just maybe the Big 12 football coaches thought they had seen the South Division at its most competitive in 2008 when they voted this spring not to change the league's three-way tie-breaker guidelines.
Texas Tech
The cries near the end of the Big 12 football season were for change.
Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 
There are usually a few surprises over the course of the NFL Draft. Maybe I watch too much college football, but I was stunned during the fourth round Sunday.
Mike Leach
Two days after missing the supposed "
Texas Tech football coach 
