Joey Johnston

Remember the defending national champions? That’s OK. A lot of people have forgotten about the Texas Longhorns. That’s what happened when Texas was squashed by Ohio State 24-7 in Week 2.

Dismissed from national-title contention?

Not so fast.

Understand this: The Longhorns can’t see any clearing on the path to Glendale, Ariz. It’s way too cluttered, way too confusing. The only thing they can do is take care of business on Saturday at Nebraska. It’s a meeting of 6-1 teams that could be a preview of the Big 12 championship game.

At this point, the key dates are Nov. 2 (West Virginia at Louisville) and Nov. 18 (Michigan at Ohio State).

But if the improbable happens — like six of the seven Division I-A unbeaten teams going down by early December — the Longhorns could be ready to pounce.

Texas was ranked No. 9 in the initial Bowl Championship Series standings. What does that mean? Right now, not much.

“Until some of the unbeaten teams start getting knocked off, it doesn’t mean much for the rest of us,” Longhorns coach Mack Brown said. “We’ll be in a mix of one-loss teams if we’re good enough and keep winning at the end.

“The BCS is very, very unimportant to us as we get ready to head to Lincoln.”

Well said.

This week isn’t about being No. 9 in the BCS. It’s about beating Nebraska, a tough enough chore in itself, and moving one notch closer to a potential 12-1 record.

By season’s end, the Longhorns might not resemble the team that took the field against Ohio State. The defense is playing with much more of a swagger. The offensive line has found its stride. And most of all, freshman quarterback Colt McCoy no longer looks like a freshman.

He has beaten Oklahoma.

He has tied a school record by throwing six touchdown passes against Baylor.

And if he defeats Nebraska, the first-year evolution will be complete.

“I think he is just getting more comfortable taking chances down the field,” Longhorns offensive tackle Justin Blalock said. “He is trusting the playmakers we have out there. There is a lot of talent to take advantage of.”

McCoy is learning that, week by week. It seemed like Texas’ season had ended after it lost to Ohio State. In a way, it was just beginning.

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Realistically, the Longhorns can shoot for a Big 12 championship, a 12-1 record, a spot in the Fiesta Bowl and the possibility of a top-five finish.

If the unbeaten teams begin to fall, the Longhorns have a good shot at even more.

Q: So, let’s assume Ohio State runs the table, Notre Dame takes down USC, and West Virginia and Louisville each lose at least once. Does that put a possible rematch of last year’s Fiesta Bowl for Ohio State against Notre Dame?
— Jacob, Columbus, Ohio
A: Those are plenty of assumptions. I wouldn’t totally rule out the possibility of an Ohio State-Notre Dame matchup in the BCS championship game, but it’s very unlikely.

Here’s why:

• I think the West Virginia-Louisville winner on Nov. 2 will finish unbeaten.

For the sake of argument, though, let’s give the Mountaineers and Cardinals one loss each. Back to our projections:

• Other one-loss teams, such as Texas (if it wins out and captures the Big 12) and the SEC champion (either Auburn or Florida?) would have a better shot at the other spot in the BCS title game. Notre Dame isn’t going to win a lot of support with its schedule (UCLA, Navy, North Carolina, Air Force, Army) between now and Nov. 25 (USC).

Then there’s this bit of logic:

• Let’s say Notre Dame does topple USC and Ohio State runs the table. How would potential 11-1 Michigan feel about watching potential 11-1 Notre Dame play for the national title? Michigan, you remember, defeated Notre Dame 47-21 in September. So in our scenario, Michigan drives to an 11-0 start, loses on the road to the No. 1-ranked team, then gets knocked behind a team it defeated by 26 points on the road?

Senseless.