Big 12 tweaks 'controversial' tiebreaker

By John TaylorOct 21, 2010, 7:21 PM EDT

It comes roughly two years too late for Texas, and Will Likely never come into play again anyway, but the Big 12 conference has finally made a change to the controversial conference tiebreaker that cost the Longhorns a shot at a league title game appearance that could’ve led to a crack at the BcS crystal.

For those unfamiliar with the back story, here’s a brief synopsis: UT got screwed in 2008.

Now, for those still unfamiliar, here’s a little lengthier synopsis: at the end of the 2008 regular season, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech were tied atop the Big 12’s South division with one loss apiece. During the regular season, Texas beat Oklahoma, which beat Texas Tech, which beat Texas.

That cluster(bad word) created a three-way tie and, after the first four tiebreakers produced no South champion, it went to the fifth tiebreaker: the highest-ranked team in the BcS standings. Oklahoma (No. 2), which lost to Texas (No. 3), got the nod based on that set of rankings and went on to the conference title game against Missouri, which UT had also soundly beaten during the regular season.

An uproar in Austin and across the national media landscape ensued — Lubbock: “hey, ya know, like, what about us, man?” — and led to UT athletic director DeLoss Dodds petitioning for a change to the tiebreaker procedure in 2009. Friday, conference commissioner Dan Beebe confirmed to the Dallas Morning News that the three-way tiebreaker has been tweaked slightly.

Here’s the old version, with the fifth three-way tiebreaker: “5. The highest ranked team in the first Bowl Championship Series standings following the completion of Big 12 regular season conference play shall be the representative.”

And the new version: “5. The highest ranked team in the first Bowl Championship Series poll following the completion of Big 12 regular season conference play shall be the representative in the Big 12 Championship Game, unless two of the tied teams are ranked within one spot of the other in the BCS poll. In this case, the head-to-head results of the top two ranked tied teams shall determine the representative in the Big 12 Championship Game.”

Under the new system for breaking three-way ties, Texas, not Oklahoma, would’ve represented the South in the conference championship game.

This change was actually approved but not announced in June of this year, 18 months too late for the Longhorns and their faithful.

C’est la vie, though, right ‘Horns? Then again, if Michael Crabtree wouldn’t have happened…

Vick, Fitzgerald and Suggs among stars on College Football Hall of Fame ballot for 1st time

Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 9:04 PM EDT

RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Vick, Larry Fitzgerald and Terrell Suggs are among the college football stars who will be considered for induction to the Hall of Fame for the first time this year.

The National Football Foundation released Monday a list of 78 players and nine coaches from major college football who are on the Hall of Fame ballot. There also are 101 players and 32 coaches from lower divisions of college football up for consideration.

Vick, who led Virginia Tech to the BCS championship game against Florida State as a redshirt freshman in 1999, is among the most notable players appearing on the ballot in his first year of eligibility.

Vick finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1999. He played one season of college football before being drafted No. 1 overall by the Atlanta Falcons in 2001. Vick’s professional career was interrupted when he served 21 months in prison for his involvement in dog fighting.

Fitzgerald was the Heisman runner-up in 2003 to Oklahoma quarterback Jason White. He scored 34 touchdowns in just two seasons at Pitt.

Suggs led the nation in sacks with 24 in 2002 for Arizona State.

The 2024 Hall of Fame class will be chosen by the National Football Foundation’s Honors Court and announced in January. Induction into the Atlanta-based hall is the following December.

Alabama freshman DB Mitchell says he wasn’t sure he’d get to play again after arrest

Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 8:59 PM EDT

Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama defensive back Tony Mitchell said he feared his football career was over after his arrest on a drug charge.

The Crimson Tide freshman said in a video posted Sunday on social media that he knew “something much bigger could have happened.”

A judge in Holmes County, Florida, sentenced Mitchell to three years of probation with a fine and community service on May 24 after Mitchell pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of more than 20 grams of cannabis.

“I didn’t know if I’d be able to play football again, but I continued to work out and stay close with the Lord and those who love me unconditionally,” Mitchell said. “During those times, it helped me to keep my mind off it. But when I was by myself looking at social media, what everybody had to say about it, it just felt like it happened again.

“I didn’t sleep at night.”

He was suspended from the Alabama team following the arrest, but Mitchell’s father, Tony Sr., posted on Facebook last week that the defensive back had been reinstated. An Alabama spokesman declined to comment on Mitchell’s status.

Tony Mitchell Sr. shared his son’s video on Facebook, saying it was filmed during a talk to youth.

“I was doing things I knew I shouldn’t to try to fit in,” the younger Mitchell said, “but not everybody’s your friend.”

Mitchell, who is from Alabaster, Alabama, was a four-star prospect and the 15th-rated safety in the 247Composite rankings.

He had been charged in March with possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell after a traffic stop when authorities said he drove over 141 mph (227 kph) while trying to evade deputies in the Florida Panhandle. A deputy had spotted Mitchell’s black Dodge Challenger traveling 78 mph (125 kph) in a 55 mph (88 kph) zone on a rural highway north of Bonifay.

He also received 100 hours of community service and paid a fine of $1,560.

Mitchell and a passenger were both charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to sell or deliver, according to a Holmes County Sheriff’s Office arrest report. The other man also was charged with carrying a concealed gun without a permit.