Texas Against the World

In a classic display of knowing your audience, the good folks over at Orangebloods.com, the Rivals network's Texas affiliate, are drumming up reason No. 6,532 for Longhorn lovers to hate Bob Stoops and Oklahoma.

Apparently, Stoops has grown so scared of the prospect of Texas winning another national championship that he will stop at nothing in his dastardly behind-the-scenes machinations. Since he couldn't beat the 'Horns himself this year, he's now giving aid and comfort to other Texas enemies.

(Coaches helping other coaches before a big game? Why, who ever heard of such a thing?!)

See, a few weeks back, the Sooner coaches attended a 'Bama practice prior to the Sun Bowl game against Stanford. It marked the second time OU's staff has visited Tuscaloosa this year. In July, Stoops and his crew went to 'Bama for a skull session with the Crimson Tide coaches.

So this latest trip must have been about Stoops and his crew sharing notes about Texas, right? After all, why wouldn't the coach of the nation's top-ranked, undefeated squad be dying for pointers about an opponent from a colleague who has lost to that team two years in a row?

And it would certainly fit a pattern when you consider the "media reports" Orangebloods has cited that put OU defensive coordinator Brent Venables in Lincoln helping out his buddy Bo Pelini the week before Nebraska played UT in the Big 12 championshp game.

(If someone could pass one of these media reports my way, I would appreciate it. I have yet to find any.)

Interestingly, neither Stoops nor Saban have been particularly cloak and dagger about the OU coaches' visit. The reason for the trip, according to both, was a follow-up from the summer session. This time, Stoops and Co. wanted to watch a Tide practice. Both maintain the subject of Texas never came up.

Longhorn coach Mack Brown, however, was happy to play along with the black helicopter set at his press conference yesterday, courtesy of a question from Orangebloods columnist Chip Brown.

"I think it's the greatest compliment a program could have," Mack said. "I think it's really cool that people are ganging up to try to beat you if that's what happened."

Mack, of course, doesn't have any friends to help him need outside help to get an "edge."

If Stoops wasn't already shaking in his visor, I imagine he is now.