"A Blessed Program"
In a season filled with "stories of
the season," none stands out quite as much as Texas Christian
University's rise to BCS-caliber play.
This Fort Worth campus has
begun to adjust to the program's winning ways. Football, already
off-the-charts popular in Texas, has been all the rage for the
well-mannered Christian student body of 8,600 since 2000 -- the same
time Gary Patterson took over the reins of the program.
In
college football, there is no other aspect more important to the game
than the coaching staff. It is the beginning and the end, the be-all
end-all of the sport. These are the men that walk into family rooms
across the country, look mothers and fathers in the eye and say that
their child will be taken care of for the next four years. Patterson, a
former player himself at Kansas State, excels at the process,
developing what others describe as a knack to find "the other" players,
the ones bigger programs routinely overlook.
The philosophy,
borne mainly out of necessity, has reaped plenty of rewards. A look at
the rolls of many NFL teams show a Patterson player, and they certainly
aren't the type of players that you overlook anymore. LaDainian
Tomlinson, Aaron Brown and Jason Phillips are just some of the recent
standouts.
And the team keeps reloading. It has 73-27 record
(.730), including five bowl wins in eight appearances, and in 2008
posted its highest season-ending national ranking (No. 7). As of this
writing, the Horned Frogs are undefeated, ranked No. 4 in the country
and headed to the Fiesta Bowl to play this season's other Cinderella
team, Boise State.
Both teams are undefeated. Both teams' fans
think they deserve a shot at the national title, but they won't get the
opportunity. The winner will more than likely end up ranked third, and
the winner of the Alabama-Texas game will be crowned champion. Once
again, the setup will bring cries for a playoff system; once again, the
president will more than likely be quoted as saying there should be a
playoff; and once again the schools will say no because the bowl system
brings in too much money.
Regardless, the Horned Frogs are
already in contention for the national championship next season. As the
Dallas Star Telegram wrote in a recent editorial, there is precedent:
In 2009, Texas won the Fiesta Bowl; in 2010, the Longhorns will play
for the national championship. In 2007 and 2008, Oklahoma played in the
Fiesta Bowl; in 2009, the Sooners played for the national championship.
In 2006, Ohio State won the Fiesta Bowl; in 2007 and 2008, the Buckeyes
played for the national championship.
For Texas Christian, it's secondary to the second coming, but a blessing nonetheless.
Mark Vasto is a veteran sportswriter and publisher of The Kansas City Luminary.
(c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.
