Texas coach Mack Brown has a theory about bowl games. If the teams are even, he figures the group that wants to be there the most is more motivated and usually wins.
The third-ranked Longhorns would rather be in Miami preparing to face Florida for the BCS title. But they still have plenty of motivation against No. 10 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl tomorrow night.
Texas will try to take out its frustration against an Ohio State team making its fifth bowl trip to Arizona since 2002.
The Longhorns finished in a three-way tie atop the rugged Big 12 South and thought their 10-point victory over Oklahoma should have put them in the Big 12 title game.
But Oklahoma was declared the division winner on a BCS standings tiebreaker, and the Sooners ripped Missouri in the Big 12 playoff to earn a trip to the national title game.
The Longhorns still have a shot at a national title, but it's slender.
Either Oklahoma or Florida will claim the BCS national title. But the 65 pollsters who vote in The Associated Press Top 25 are free to select the Longhorns No. 1.
Six AP voters have the Longhorns atop their ballots, and that number could swell if the top-ranked Gators lose and their 50 first-place votes go up for grabs. Some voters might choose Texas because it beat Oklahoma.
It's a long shot, but it's the only shot Texas has. The Longhorns will have no shot if they don't take care of the Buckeyes.
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