Number Nine, Number Nine: The first BCS standings came out Sunday and things don't look so hot for the Texas Longhorns, who debuted at No. 9, despite being ranked No. 5 in the human polls. It will be mighty difficult for the Longhorns to get into the championship game over a one-loss SEC team, a one-loss Ohio State, or an undefeated Louisville or West Virginia. But crazier things have happened.

AD, Good Night: As if Oklahoma's season could get any more disappointing, they lost Adrian Peterson for the rest of eternity on Saturday afternoon after AD broke his collarbone diving into the end zone after a highlight-reel 53-yard scamper which capped the Sooners’ 34-9 victory over Iowa State. So, the best player in college football will not win the Heisman Trophy for about the 43rd time. Players like Peterson come along about every 20 years, even at factories like Oklahoma, and for him to have only played one full season of college football is really a shame, no matter who you root for.

Remember all those mean things I've said about TO in the last few weeks? Probably not – that last sentence is based on the assumption that I have regular readers other than my dad, and the creepy guy who lives in the apartment above me. I have, however, taken a few cheap shots at Terrell Owens, all of which I would've been more than willing to eat if he'd managed to score three touchdowns against the Eagles last week. Unfortunately for him (because I'm sure he reads this blog all the time), he caught the hat trick against the Texans, something even an average player could do without trying. All he really had to do was stand in the end zone with his arms out. Honestly, I wouldn't have been too surprised if one of the Texans had intercepted a pass in the end zone, gotten confused, and handed it to TO.

Somewhere behind perfectly manicured hedges, Donovan McNabb’s patronizing mama comforts her sobbing son with a warm bowl of Campbell’s Chunky Soup. The bruises on McNabb’s hip from Charles Grant's helmet make every swallow a wince-filled reminder of the New Orleans Saints’ 27-24 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday afternoon. Former Westlake Chaparral Drew Brees filled McNabb’s temporarily-vacated hero role by tossing three critical touchdowns and meticulously leading his team on an eight-and-a-half minute drive that clipped the wings of the visiting Eagles with a game-winning field goal. As the Superdome crowd enjoyed its team’s third straight home victory, football pundits nationwide could be heard in mass literally thrusting themselves upon the Saints bandwagon with the urgency of a ravenous carpetbagging herd.

This weekend's headline game should be a corker, or at least closer than McCallum's 52-0 blowout over LBJ last night. (Stamp Cedar Park's playoff passport too, though the T-Wolves were lucky to get past Stony Point by a single, stony point, 14-13.) Hurry up and head out 290; even with Friday afternoon traffic, there's still plenty of time to get to Giddings in time for the kickoff of a game with the outcome of 23-3A in the balance. The hometown Buffs entertain the fightin' Leopards of La Grange, and whoever walks off the field with fewer points will do so for the first time all year. The visitors are playing for more than that: the Buffs tied them to the whipping post 58-6 last year, plus La Grange hasn't been scored on since the fourth quarter of their September 15 game at Sealy.

If you'd rather head north, Hutto drops by Cameron Yoe for some payback – the Hippos advanced to the 3A Division II state finals last year but lost to the Yoemen 17-13 at home. Cameron is likewise looking for revenge – Hutto ended their season in the playoffs.

The Crying Boy of OU is apparently getting his mug plastered all over T-shirts and e-mail attachments slinging back and forth across the Red River. See the above photo of the sobbing youngster who may or may not have been upset that his beloved Sooners got squashed by the University of Texas Longhorns. Or maybe his dad wouldn't buy him a corny dog.

In either case, he's not the only one in Norman with crocodile tears. OU Coach Bob Stoops has also been letting a few drip over what he sees as "questionable" calls made in favor of Texas in the Sooners' 28-10 loss last Saturday. Was it a lateral or was it a forward pass? Did Adrian Peterson actually fumble or did the ground knock the ball loose? Who cares, Bob? You lost.

The Lady Longhorns had a great weekend up north, beating Kansas, 1-0, then coming from behind to beat 14th-ranked Colorado, 2-1, with freshman Emily Anderson (Westlake High) nailing the winner, the first goal of her college career. With that, the Horns ran their season record to 10-3-1, including 6-2 on the road. This week they host Sam Houston State – Friday, Oct. 13, 7pm, Mike A. Myers Stadium, $7, or four for $8 – before heading back north to Nebraska for a Sunday-afternoon game. The Huskers have been disappointing this season, after being a preseason pick to finish second in the Big 12. -------------------- The long season for national teams pretty much wrapped up this week with two very full days of Euro 2008 qualifiers on Saturday and Wednesday. It was a tough week for England, who were held to a home draw by Macedonia, then lost in Zagreb to a very good Croatian team. Likewise Ireland, who crashed badly at lowly Cyprus, to pretty much kill off their hopes. Only Scotland salvaged some British pride, surprising France, 1-0, in a battle of previously unbeatens, while Italy got two late goals and a vital win over Ukraine to get untracked in the same group. And in a tale of two teams going in opposite directions, defending champ Greece beat Norway, 1-0, and then Bosnia on the road; while Spain ended the year on a sour note with their second straight loss. Click below for the full results.

There's activity aplenty within the Ice Bats organization, but no news is more exciting than its move into Austin proper. While they made some improvements to the barn commonly known as the Travis County Expo Center, and it had a certain charm, relocating to the Chaparral Ice Arena may be the biggest news from the Ice Bats since they first dropped the puck 10 years ago. The new Bat Cave is located on I-35 North between Howard Lane and Wells Branch Parkway and has seen several improvements in the last year in preparation of hosting the Bats. Among the many renovations is the addition of a new ritzy club seating level. Here's a description: “The new second-tier Center Club and Balcony Club sections will be complete by the opening of the team's training camp. The new seating levels will comprise a private club on the arena's north side. Ticket holders in those sections will receive exclusive amenities including full wait service at their seat, a private entrance and exit, and reserved, close-in VIP parking.” Pretty sweet. Let the pampering begin.


For Ice Bats' roster moves, affiliations, and schedule ...

If you would have told Pig Skinny on Friday afternoon that the Oklahoma Sooners would outgain the Texas Longhorns 332-232 and go eight-for-16 on third down, the Skinny would have declared a certain victory for the Sooners based on early returns. Unfortunately for OU, the Sooners also loaded the ballot box with five turnovers and 11 penalties. The 28-10 final was in question well into the fourth quarter, but the defining moment of the game came in the third, when UT's offensive line moved the OU defensive front seven yards on a third-and-one quarterback sneak. Kudos to the UT program, who proved they aren't just a bunch of pansies who can't win without Vince Young, and to all the Longhorn fans around Austin who will undoubtedly not let me forget the game any time before 362 days from now. The Sooners again got jobbed on some calls in a big game, at least this time it didn't overtly affect the outcome. It's pretty obvious at this point that Herr Stoopsy has lost his vice grip on his team's focus. The false-start penalties are completely unacceptable this late in the season, and if Bob and the boys can't do any better than that, we might as well not even show up for the game.

Just in the nick of time, major dividend No. 1 darted for 65 yards and a game-winning touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The number of new friends Reggie Bush made in New Orleans Saints country Sunday afternoon with that oh-so-timely punt return puts census workers to swamp boots and pirough oars. It was indeed a murky win, with seemingly secure leads fed to visitors like tables piled with miles of crawfish. Was it some sort of gentlemanly gesture for Sean Payton’s offense to cease ramming Deuce McAllister down the throats of the baby-soft Bucs defense? No. 26 had a whopping 117 yards by halftime, yet only carried the ball six times for six yards in the second half. Drew Brees looked like his already usual steady self, engineering a somewhat loaded offense without a single turnover to spare. Yes, even stone-hands Ernie Conwell managed to embrace a share of victory with a third-quarter touchdown reception.

For more on the Saints, UT-OU, and the Reagan Raiders ...