The staff bus of Alabama had to give up for goalpost-induced visitors on its means out of Nashville. Tennessee nonetheless believes there's time remaining on the game clock. Missouri's standing as a respectable contender is now in want of a diamond tester for verification.
Yes, contemplating all the pieces, the sofa would possibly've been the optimum place for a extremely ranked Southeastern Conference soccer staff to dwell this previous Saturday.
“Remarkable weekend for fans,” Steve Sarkisian, soccer coach of Texas, remarked throughout the introduction of his weekly media availability on Monday.
(*1*)Chaos hits AP Top 25 with 4 groups ranked in the highest 11 dropping to unranked opponents
Perhaps much less so for these tasked with navigating the unstable setting. Texas — which had a bye this previous weekend however nonetheless superior from No. 2 to No. 1 in Sunday’s AP Top 25 ballot — witnessed three of the 4 SEC groups that have been ranked in the highest 10 final week endure defeats on Saturday. Unranked Vanderbilt precipitated an upset by defeating top-seeded Alabama and enabled the Longhorns to reclaim their high spot after a quick stint at second place. Unranked Arkansas handed No. 8 Tennessee its first defeat of the season. Texas A&M — beforehand ranked No. 25 and now risen to No. 15 — achieved the identical towards No. 9 Missouri.
Texas is slated to face Vanderbilt (Oct. 26), Arkansas (Nov. 16), and Texas A&M (Nov. 30) earlier than the conclusion of the common season. Fifth-ranked Georgia — the solitary top-10 SEC staff that emerged victorious this previous weekend — can be on the agenda.
Before any of that: No. 18 Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry this Saturday on the Cotton Bowl. If the Longhorns need to stay a viable opponent for the convention's perennial celebration crashers later in the season, they're going to have to steer clear of a 3rd defeat in 4 seasons towards the Sooners.
“I believe what the SEC does,” Sarkisian acknowledged, “it challenges you mentally, in terms of intensity, such that you must prepare every week as though it's a championship Saturday. Across the board within the conference, any team can defeat any other, and I think we witnessed that this past weekend.”
Not that Sarkisian and his staff required a reminder. Texas' solitary loss in the common season final 12 months got here by the hands of the Sooners in the latest version of the Red River Rivalry. The forthcoming bout would be the first inside a convention the place, seemingly, all outcomes are believable. The Longhorns trailed by a double-digit margin halfway by way of the third quarter, surged forward in the fourth quarter, and succumbed to a landing cross from Dillon Gabriel to Nic Anderson with 15 seconds remaining in regulation.
“There are valuable takeaways from that game that we prioritize within our organization,” Sarkisian remarked. “But when they're spotlighted in real-time and we can subsequently revisit them, hopefully, it reinforces why we prepare the way we do to possibly avert some of those occurrences from last year's game.”
Among them is composure. Sarkisian admitted on Monday that Texas was often “emotional” in final 12 months's defeat to Oklahoma and clarified the excellence between possessing feelings and being consumed by them.
“Emotions are heightened in games like this, particularly in this one,” Sarkisian defined. “I'm not implying that our players won't experience emotions; they're entitled to it, and rightfully so.”
Especially in a game of such significance. Oklahoma, with a file of 4-1, stays a contender for a berth in the expanded College Football Playoff, albeit with a slender margin for error. The undefeated Longhorns, in this occasion, would supply a noteworthy increase to their credentials. Texas hasn't faltered because the nation's top-ranked staff since November 1, 2008, when Michael Crabtree and Texas Tech, ranked sixth, shocked the Longhorns with a last-gasp 39-33 triumph. They slipped to fifth in the AP Top 25 the following day and endured 16 years earlier than reclaiming the highest spot after a formidable victory over Michigan in Ann Arbor earlier this season.
Crabtree, Graham Harrell, and Mike Leach will not set foot on the sphere this Saturday or on any of the remaining Saturdays throughout which the Longhorns might compete as the game's premier staff. The formidable depth of the SEC — the variability that is been inclined towards havoc among the many convention's elite — will.
“Our approach to preparation is fundamentally about us,” Sarkisian affirmed, “and I believe this team comprehends that. It's not to diminish our opponents, but we aim to determine our performance on Saturday, not the opponent. We're truly focused on our requirements.”
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