Holland Crew Football

Now that the BCS Bowl Selection dust has settled and we’ve had a little more time to somewhat come to terms with all that took place in the Big 12 title game, it’s time to start looking ahead to January 7.

But in looking forward, I can’t help but look back.  It has been discussed high and low how the Longhorns will play the title game at the Rose Bowl, facing the Heisman Trophy-winning running back, just as they did in 2005. But if you dig a bit deeper – and what the hell else do we have to do before bowl season starts? -  the parallels that we are seeing between the 2005 national title Longhorns squad and the ’09 team are kind of freaking me out…

The 2005 Story  

The undefeated, Big 12 Champion Texas Longhorns are ranked #2 in the BCS standings as they head to Pasadena’s Rose Bowl as a prohibitive underdog to play undefeated, #1 ranked University of Southern California (led by failed NFL coach Pete Carroll) for college football’s national championship.

On offense, the Horns are led by AP First Team All-American quarterback Vince Young. Young was a Heisman finalist, only to lose the award to his BCS Title Game opponent, running back Reggie Bush. But Young didn’t come away empty-handed from awards season, winning the Maxwell Award for the most outstanding college player and the Davey O’Brien Award for the top quarterback in the country.

Defensive coordinator Gene Chizik, who joined the Longhorns after coaching at Auburn, has masterminded the #8 scoring defense in the country this year, led by AP First Team All-American safety and Thorpe Award Finalist Michael Huff.

The Longhorns put themselves in position to play for the title by building on their success from the year before. Texas finished last season with only one defeat, and capped off the year with a dramatic, last-second, come-from-behind win in the BSC Rose Bowl over Big 10 opponent Michigan.

The Horns entered 2005 season with high expectations, ranked #2 in the pre-season poll behind last year’s BCS Champion, USC.  

The 2009 Story

The undefeated, Big 12 Champion Texas Longhorns are ranked #2 in the BCS standings as they head to Pasadena’s Rose Bowl as a prohibitive underdog to play undefeated, #1 ranked University of Alabama (led by failed NFL coach Nick Saban) for college football’s national championship.

On offense, the Horns are led by AP First Team All-American quarterback Colt McCoy. McCoy was a Heisman finalist, only to lose the award to his BCS Title Game opponent, running back Mark Ingram. But McCoy didn’t come away empty-handed from awards season, winning the Maxwell Award for the most outstanding college player and the Davey O’Brien Award for the top quarterback in the country.

Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, who joined the Longhorns after coaching at Auburn, has masterminded the #8 scoring defense in the country this year, led by AP First Team All-American safety and Thorpe Award Finalist Earl Thomas.

The Longhorns put themselves in position to play for the title by building on their success from the year before. Texas finished last season with only one defeat, and capped off the year with a dramatic, last-second, come-from-behind win in the BSC Fiesta Bowl over Big 10 opponent Ohio State.

The Horns entered 2009 season with high expectations, ranked #2 in the pre-season poll behind last year’s BCS Champion, Florida.