Lubbock lunacy

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This is why the Heisman Trophy , its various ‘watch lists’ and even the award itself shouldn’t matter so much.

How to pick whether Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, who stayed poised in the pocket and out while the Longhorns fought from way behind to almost beat Texas Tech in Lubbock, or Tech quarterback Graham Harrell, who operates well in a certain system and who was unflabbable in a final, desperate, game-winning, upset-inducing, USC-popular beating of top-ranked Texas, or Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, who put up big numbers for the Sooners against a Nebraska team that might be able to compete in the state of Washington but not many other places, is now in the lead for college football’s most coveted individual award?

Because it doesn’t matter.

All that mattered was watching Texas Tech overcome its own ‘prevent defense’ caution in the fourth quarter to score a game-winning touchdown with one second left. Whichever team you were rooting for, or even if you weren’t rooting, it was hard not to scream when Tech’s Michael Crabtree made a leaping catch of Harrell’s last pass, tiptoed along the sideline and scored just after Texas had taken its first lead of the game. Texas Tech fans rushed the field three times and started tearing down the goalposts even before Texas tried to return the ensuing kickoff.

Brent Musberger finished as the second-most disliked sports play-by-play broadcaster in our Fabulous Forum poll last week, but Brent and Kirk Herbstreit were pleasantly compatible and properly calm in the final, frantic seconds. It was a well-called game by both men.

The only bad part of the college football day? Alabama probably gets to be ranked No. 1 after beating Arkansas State. Just for playing Arkansas State, the Crimson Tide should fall behind Penn State. And Texas and Oklahoma and Texas Tech and, yes, USC.

-- Diane Pucin