While I understand that my beloved BON is primarily a college sports site, I have an unusual (for a Texan) and intense love of ice hockey. With that love comes all of the insanity and odd traditions that hockey fans celebrate. Specifically, the mighty playoff beard.

It seems that in the past few years (or going much farther back in some sports) the 'Horns find themselves in "the playoffs" in a couple of sports. Seeing as many of us already celebrate No Shave November and March Mustache Madness, I find it totally appropriate to bring the playoff beard tradition to college sports. On a personal note, I've already embarked on a few of my own quests for baseball and basketball (football is kind of a futz until we get the playoff for which many of us so dearly yearn).

In addition, many athletes from sports other than hockey have adopted the tradition, including Ben Roethlisberger and many members of the Houston Astros. I realize that college level playoffs aren't typically a 2-month affair like they are in hockey, but the possibilities are practically endless.

As soon as the NCAA baseball tourney starts, I encourage y'all to sacrifice your clean-shaven mugs for the good of Longhorn Nation. I already have a little of a head start on you (and hopefully will maintain a health lead if my Red Wings manage to pull through in Game 7).

Before I go, a few rules for those unfamiliar with the art of the playoff beard.

1. As long as your team keeps winning, keep away from the razors and trimmers.

2. If your team suffers a defeat, you're permitted a trim, to rid yourself and your team of the bad vibes.

3. If your team wins a playoff series, you're allowed to trim. Just to keep things semi-presentable.

What are your thoughts, BONizens?

Hey guys, I wanted to let you know about an opportunity y'all may be interested in. During every home football game, volunteer group UT EMS quietly watches over our fanbase at DKR-TMS. If you're a 'Horns fan, NREMT + Texas certified and want to get your hands a little dirty, gimme a shout at c_connolly@mail.utexas.edu and I'll put you in touch with the right people. I know this isn't ENTIRELY football related, but I figured it would fly alright with y'all.

Hook 'em, and be safe this weekend.

In the interest of you, the casual BON'er, wasting more of your precious time at work/in class/away from Xbox and my own interest in making this offseason go by faster, I decided to do a little thinking out loud about the 2010 running back situation. After watching what can only be described as a three-to-four headed monstrosity in the backfield during the last two seasons, I decided to do a little light reading and publish my opinion on our (presently) lackluster running game. At this point I’m kind of upset that science hasn’t progressed to the point that we can simply splice players together into some form of superhuman, or in our case a complete running back. Alas, all we can do is speculate, and hope to Bevo that maybe, just maybe, something will give this season and the all-but-absent running game of yesteryear will disappear into the abyss of forgotten things.I only took the time to think about running backs we’ve actually put on the field for a significant amount of time, so no disrespect to Berryhill, Hills, Padgett, Smith, or Whaley.

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So, let's get things started. After nearly three months of fasting, this is your mid-offseason football fix. If you're not at the game, it's being broadcast on FSNSW (Time Warner 430 in CenTex). 

Let's talk storylines:

- Garret Gilbert under center, fluidity and chemistry with the wides

- The Emergence of a Power Running Game

- The Enigma of the Depth Chart

- A Bigger, Badder, Nastier O-Line?

- Wideouts - Who makes the cut, who rides the pine?

- The Battle for Backup: Case vs. Connor vs. Sherrod

- Gideon the Great (work with me here) and the Texas Secondary.

- Feel free to add your own...there list goes on.

When: Now

Where: The Death Star, Arlington, TX

Who: 19 Oklahoma State (9-3, 6-2 Big 12) vs. Ole MIss (8-4, 4-4 SEC)

As the Cotton Bowl Stadium passes into relative obscurity in the shadow of Jerry's Behemoth, the game itself loses no luster as two excellent squads from the Big 12 and SEC face off in Dallas. Hopefully the disappointment I feel over the Cotton Bowl Game not being at the Cotton Bowl (what the hell?) doesn't affect how much I enjoy the game...

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Seeing as many of us who were lucky enough to grab tickets now likely lack the funds for the "Super-Official-UT-BCS-Tailgate-on-the-Beach-with-Unlimited-Booze," where is your party? Texas-Exes tailgate sounds like a blast, but will also cost a little green to get a wristband.

Also, for those who are blessed enough for this to be a repeat trip (looking at you, PB & Andrew), where is the best place to party post-game?

I'll also propose a BON tailgate for the game, but regrettably can't volunteer myself (no grill = no good, lack of sufficient funds, '05 Mazda6 proven wildly inadequate for tailgating).

Discuss.

During the last minutes of the Kansas game, my friend and I snuck down to the railing, and congratulated my fellow seniors walking the field afterward. As I left, I turned to look at the field. I had watched so many incredible things happen there over the past four years. It was really hard to leave.

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The game will be held today at 7:30 at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. Greg (21) and Chris (24) will both be playing on the South Team (Red) for Katy HS coach Gary Joseph.

The two are the only participants in the game committed to Texas. So, if you find yourself with nothing to do on a Tuesday (not hard to envision) and still need your football fix, head on down to DKR. Personally, I'm pretty stoked to see what Whaley can do in-person, despite the fact that I'll be working instead of watching.

Full Roster

Not quite bad news, but not encouraging. This seems old news, but over the weekend, Seastrunk made another visit to Auburn. According to Orangebloods($), Seastrunk had a grand ole' time getting to know Chizik and the campus. Granted, the article is a product of an AuburnSports.com beat writer, so there is a slight slant. However, Seastrunk sung a lot of praise for both Chizik and Auburn, saying it was the best trip he ever had.

Personally, this worries me. We know Seastrunk already has ties to Auburn, but after the number of visits he has made to Austin I figured that he was practically a lock. It appears we have underestimated the recruiting savvy of Coach Chizik. Sounds like he picked up a thing or two from Mack during his time at Texas.

Seastrunk also discussed his perception of the Auburn staff's intent on developing the person as opposed to only the athlete. This is something that Mack also hits pretty hard on during recruting, but Seastrunk seemed thoroughly impressed.

Also, did I mention he wants to win the Heisman as a freshman? No matter where he ends up, let the Seastrunk v. Gilbert debate commence.

What I'm about to share with all of you is possibly the greatest, most beautiful bracket ever created. It accompanies March Madness on a yearly basis, although it has little to do with the religious holiday tournament itself. It does, however, include the names of some collegiate athletes, such as a linebacker from LSU and a Baylor tennis player. I'm aware that it's not 100% sports relevant, however I think it's necessary to complete the March Madness experience.

Here is the link. Go forth and vote. EDSBS is pulling for 4-seed Barkevious Mingo (LSU linebacker).

I know, I know - it's only going to make things worse. The fact of the matter is that I'm hopeless addict and I needed my fix, and this seemed like the only way to get it. I would feel bad about it...but I just...I like it. I mean, I love it...

Just so we're clear, I am talking about Texas football. Spring football to be exact. The unavoidable, scrumptious midnight snack after the smorgasborg that is College Football Season. The prelude to the preview of the season to come. Out of curiosity (and necessity), I decided to make a trip over to Denius Fields to get a feel for what will be going on for the next month. As expected, it was a mix of good and bad, and I wasn't able to see everything I wanted since Coach Muschamp had the defense down on the far field for most of practice, until the short scrimmages. I did, however, get a good look at Chiles in his new job at WR alongside the rest of the Longhorn offense.

It's obviously much too early for anything definitive, but here are some nuggets from today's open practice...

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Despite my inability to find any news sources with updates, the South Endzone at DKR is currently being renovated and will feature permanent stadium seating for the 2009 season. I'm not sure how far construction will proceed before next season to fully enclose the stadium, as pictured here, but the temporary bleachers are now gone and the south end is full of dirt piles and backhoes. Also, while I'm at it, I'd just like to say how wonderful the renovated North End is, what with the restaurants, the quiet, and the simple enjoyment of relaxing in the Horns' House.

Also, some raw nuggets from cyberspace:

College Football Live! places the 'Horns at No. 3 in their NCAA Football Family Atmosphere Rankings, markedly improved from last season's No. 9.

"The Texas program has enjoyed over a decade of strong leadership and coaching from head coach Mack Brown. Brown ensures his athletes avoid off-field distractions in a place where football players are treated with reverence. In addition, Brown is an advocate to several causes including the Texas Council on Family Violence."

The Swamp is undergoing renovations, and will soon be home to a brand new megatron.

"Fresh off two national football titles in three seasons, the University of Florida now gets championship-caliber stadium upgrades to match.

The Swamp will get a facelift as Florida negotiates a multimillion-dollar deal to add state-of-the-art video boards to the end zones, university officials told the Sentinel.

The biggest presence will come on the south end-zone board, a 137-by-30-foot space that will be covered by a Light-Emitting-Diode (LED) video screen, in time for the 2009 season's kickoff. That space is currently reserved for an orange-and-blue backdrop with a 28-by-21-foot video screen."