FanHouse R E S P E C T

His name is Daniel Murray, and he didn't just kick the field goal that put Iowa over Penn State, 24-23. He also kicked a hole in the national title picture. Thus, the young man is not merely the toast of Iowa City tonight; they're raising a glass to him in Gainesville, Los Angeles, Austin, Norman, and Stillwater.

Or at least they'd better be.

While some fans out there think the conference's official name is The Big Ten Is Overrated, face the facts: An undefeated Penn State team was going to the national title ahead of any one-loss team from the SEC or Big 12. You don't have to think such a thing would be fair. You just need to accept that it was the truth. The voters weren't going to deny Joe Paterno another shot at the national title after he'd been shut out so many times before with teams just as undefeated as this team is. WAS. Sorry.

I tried to warn you. I told you on Thursday not to assume that Iowa would lose. I made my case for why Iowa, and not Michigan State, was the team on Penn State's schedule with the best chance to beat them.

Anton Chigurh didn't toy with his victims as much as Mike Leach toyed with Mack Brown tonight. After letting Texas take its first lead of the game with less than one and a half minutes left, the Red Raiders put together a ruthlessly efficient up-tempo drive capped by a Graham Harrell to Michael Crabtree touchdown pass with only one second left, putting Tech up 38-33.

The Lubbock crowd was so amped they rushed the field twice, forcing Tech to kick off from the seven-and-a-half yard line. I'd never seen a kickoff team lined up in its own endzone before, and I hope to never see it again. Texas tried the multi-lateral kickoff trick, but it didn't work at all. The Tech faithful stormed the field again, celebrating what has to be the biggest win in school history.

Believe it: The Zorros are the sole undefeated team in the Big 12. They, and not the Longhorns, control their own destiny. If they win out, they're in the title game. Of course, to win out, they'll have to beat Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Baylor. But is that impossible for them now that they've beaten Texas?

No. Anything is possible, and Tech is no longer a mosquito buzzing in the BCS's ear. They've drawn blood.