Bohls: Rivalry or not, Texas vs. Texas Tech has lots at stake in possible final matchup

While I got ya, here are nine things and one crazy prediction:

Texas Tech might not make the top list of rivals, but this week ...

1. Big enough: Just how big is Texas’ rivalry with Texas Tech? Pretty, pretty, pretty big. The rivalry overall falls far behind Oklahoma and Texas A&M. The No. 3 on the enemy list always rotated among Arkansas, Tech Tech, Kansas State, Houston for a time, SMU with the Pony Express, etc. Tech was never that high on the list, especially among burnt orange fans, but the 6-5 Red Raiders are Texas’ biggest rival this week. … Last year’s overtime loss in Lubbock and field-storming by fans, coupled with Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark’s inflammatory pep talk to the Red Raiders this summer, does fuel the fire for Friday’s game. “I have a distasteful taste in my mouth,” said sixth-year senior offensive tackle Christian Jones, one of 25 seniors on hand for their last game. “Losing that game and all their fans storming the field.” … For the record, the Big 12 ought to root for the Longhorns to win the league and gain a College Football Playoff berth for purely selfish reasons because such a bid guarantees the conference a $6 million payday and the league can claim a third CFP team in history, along with TCU and Oklahoma. A Big 12 spokesman told me Monday there are 128 possible outcomes with tiebreakers for the title game … … Texas has one of the toughest defensive front sixes I’ve seen in a long time. They are hard to budge. T’Vondre Sweat is likely to play in the NFL for a dozen years, and he should have NFL company in defensive teammates Byron Murphy II, Jahdae Barron and Jaylan Ford. Sweat reminds me somewhat of defensive tackle Kenneth Sims, who was a man among boys his last season.

More: Golden: Bo Davis' 2021 Ames rant helped build Texas' emerging winning culture

Jordan Whittington is finally ready for final game

2. Say goodbye: Jordan Whittington will play his final home game Friday but couldn’t really say if he’ll cry. “I don’t know about crying, but this will be my real last game,” the hugely impactful senior slot receiver said Monday. “I do know Christian (Jones) is always crying.” … Head coach Steve Sarkisian waxed eloquent about his leadership role on the team and said, “I don’t know if there is another guy in the locker room who is more respected than J-Whitt.” He has famously been the first in the building every morning and set the standard, but Sarkisian said several others are now giving him a run for his money in that regard. Whittington said backup quarterback Maalik Murphy “is the one who’s getting me now. I think he gets there at 5:25 in the morning, and I walk in about 5:30. But I have to drive farther, so I’m pretty sure I wake up before he does.” … Whittington said his mother will come see him play for the very first time and explained she has a back disability. He also said “jumping in with Bevo” after the Iowa State game last season may be his best memory from his DKR days. J-Whitt said that he wants people to know how much this team loves one another and added that it’s not just lip service. “I really mean it. It’s 100% love. It’s like the best gasoline you can put in your car.”

More: Steve Sarkisian: Texas expects Xavier Worthy, others to be available for Texas Tech

Words of wisdom from the great DeLoss Dodds

3. Tail wagging the dog: That’s what DeLoss Dodds told me recently about the current state of affairs in college sports and all the upheaval with realignment. The legendary Texas athletic director said the powers that be messed up when they didn’t push to carve out their own niche in the television market. “We made a mistake 20 years ago,” Dodds said. “When television contracts were open to the conferences, the presidents and athletic directors should have gotten together and taken over the NCAA business. That group could have negotiated television contracts with the networks and cable systems and be the NFL in terms of structure. We could have put it all together in four regions and you could play people in travelable distance.” The College Football Association took over negotiation of television contracts until the SEC broke away and negotiated its own with CBS. Then it was every man for himself. “The television people told UCLA and USC to go to the Big Ten,” Dodds added. “They did it because of money. It can work in football because there are not that many trips. But for the other sports, I don’t see how they’re going to do it. … It’s crazy. It’s not right. It’s bad for the kids, bad for the fans. It was about money and television. The institutions don’t control TV. The networks control the institutions. And I blame us back when we could have done it.”

Spoiler alert: you're about to read about Lubbock 2008

4. Memory lane: I think many, if not most, would agree the Crabtree Catch at Jones Stadium in 2008 is the most memorable Texas-Texas Tech football game ever because of the drama and all the consequences, costing the Longhorns a shot at the school’s fifth national championship. Others that I’d put in the top five are Texas’ loss to Tech in 1968 at the dawn of the wishbone era when Darrell Royal replaced Bill Bradley with James Street and set in motion the Longhorns’ 30-game win streak starting with the next game and two national championships; Chance Mock’s two-minute drill for a win in 2003 after Mack Brown temporarily replaced Vince Young; Sam Ehlinger’s toss to Lil’ Jordan Humphrey in the closing seconds of a Texas win in 2018; and Ehlinger’s interception and Texas’ loss in 2017 to save Kliff Kingsbury’s job. … I wonder when, if ever, Texas will again play a current Big 12 team in football. My guess is because the administrations are close, it might be Texas Tech, but almost certainly the game would be in Austin. I don’t expect Texas will ever play a road game against a Big 12 team again.

More: After career game, Kadin Shedrick draws comparison to former Texas star LaMarcus Aldridge

The NCAA is in need of a Harbaugh Rule

5. Sark on sign-stealing: When he was asked about the possibility of incorporating available technology and adopting coach-to-player helmet high tech, Sarkisian said, “Yes, please. I spend hours on signs and changing signs when I could be coaching football.” He’s right, of course. The NCAA has to fix this problem before next season.

How to get more college football? Let me count the ways

6. Gone too quickly: So there’s now just one week of regular-season college football left. One. Where did it go? Seems like just yesterday that Tyler of Spartanburg was throwing things at his television when Duke upset Clemson on Labor Day night. I’ve long been a proponent of a longer season. To get to 13 or even 14 regular-season games, college football could start play in mid-August, and every team could get two byes. Heck, start the first weekend in August and go with three open dates scattered throughout. Hey, volleyball starts before the school semester does, and track, baseball, golf and tennis seasons go beyond the spring semesters, and there’s no outcry.

This and that, including some outrage

7. Tidbits: Fox’s Charissa Thompson owes all of her fellow sideline reporters — and viewers — a profound and heartfelt apology for admitting she has made up quotes from coaches. In her careless remarks, she demeaned her job and those countless smart and hardworking reporters such as Lesley Visser, Andrea Kremer, Pam Oliver and Lisa Salters. I can’t believe Thompson would risk her job and make light of such a serious offense. … I just heard last week for the first time that the girls drill team for Patrick Mahomes’ alma mater, Whitehouse High School, is called the First Ladies. Awesome.

The year after the Crabtree catch

8. Scattershooting: While wondering whatever happened to Dan Buckner, who scored a big touchdown in Texas’ win over Texas Tech in 2009.

Meanwhile, from the greatest seat in the world ...

9. On the couch: Watched “Love at First Sight.” This Netflix movie should have been called “Love at First Flight.” Quirky tale of a young man and woman who fall for each other after their flights to see their parents in London were delayed. Gave it seven ducks.

Don't feel too bad for Jimbo Fisher

Crazy prediction: Jimbo Fisher will coach again — at West Virginia.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas has a taste for revenge in rivalry game with Texas Tech