Some wounds go too deep...

An undefeated season. A victory over Ohio State in the Horseshoe. A national championship. The greatest championship performance by an athlete in American history. A blowout of the big rival you haven't beaten in the 21st century.

Yeah, 2005 was a great year for Texas football, and Texas has a good team this year, but if write here that I feel confident about tomorrow's game, I'd be lying. The five-year run of dominance by Oklahoma and Bob Stoops in the Red River Shootout (Combined Score 189 to 54) is still too fresh in my mind. As free as Andy Dufresne felt at the end of Shawshank, when he was sanding his boat on the deep, endless Pacific Ocean, I'm sure he didn't forget what it felt like during "those years that were the worst" for him. When Frodo destroyed the One Ring to defeat Sauron, he still bore wounds from his battles on Weathertop and in Shelob's Lair. Boston Red Sox fans experienced the greatest comeback in history against the Yankees a couple of years ago, and they still won't forget Bucky Dent, Bill Buckner or Grady Little (even if they are all forgiven). That's how I feel - free, but with scars.

That's why I want my Longhorns to beat the hell out of the Sooners tomorrow. Texas football is jellyrolling right now and Oklahoma is on the downturn, so a victory cements Texas as the dominant team in this rivalry, which affects everything from recruiting to fan morale. Not to make too big a thing of this, but if Texas wins tomorrow, I'm about 84% sure that the resultant lack of frustration and anxiety in me will add about five years to my lifespan.

OU is an easy team to hate. Their president's stated goal is "to have a university that the football team can be proud of." Their mascot is named for the squatters who sneaked into what was then known as "Indian territory" to grab land before legislation made it officially available. In other words, you might as well call them the "Cheating Land Thieves." Their first starting QB, Rhett Bomar, was kicked off the team because he made $18000 working at a car dealership for five hours a week last summer.

The Longhorns are the good guys. Our coach is a nice guy whose stated goal is to "win national championships with good kids who graduate." Our quarterback, who goes by the handle of Colt McCoy, saved someone's life last summer (no word on whether he sold any cars, but I'm guessing "No."). When we won the championship in January, we didn't burn a single couch or turn over a single car.

May the good guys (and the best team) win. Hook 'Em.