There won’t be any more questions this week about whether Texas is one of the top two teams in the country. Those have been answered emphatically.
And the road back to the Rose Bowl has become much clearer for the Longhorns.
Texas did its part, sending a strong message by dominating offensively and defensively in a 62-0 victory at Baylor.
Led by Vince Young and receiver-turned-starting tailback Ramonce Taylor, the No. 2 Longhorns (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) scored touchdowns on eight straight possessions Saturday.
A few hours later, Miami pulled off a stunning 27-7 upset at Virginia Tech, which until then had become a fashionable pick to eventually overtake Texas in the BCS standings for the likely championship matchup against top-ranked USC.
The Longhorns know they’re not there yet.
“We do have a big target on our chest right now, everybody’s trying to knock us off and USC off, and that’s fair,” Texas coach Mack Brown said. “When you get to this position, you have to play like you expected to be at this position, and want to stay.”
Texas, which has won 16 straight games, has regular-season games remaining against Kansas and Texas A&M.
Assuming the Longhorns don’t lose both of those — they only have to win one to clinch the Big 12 South, but both to remain in the national-title chase — they then play in the Big 12 championship game, likely against No. 22 Colorado (7-2, 5-1).
Like Texas in the South, Colorado has to win just one of its next two games (at Iowa State Saturday or vs. Nebraska) for a spot in the Big 12 title game. The Buffaloes, who have won the North title three of the past four years, beat Missouri, 41-12, Saturday.
“No one comes to Colorado just to be competitive in the Big 12. We’re always preparing to win championships,” Buffs quarterback Joel Klatt said. “I think next week you’ll see a team even more jacked up to play, because that’s why we are here.”
Colorado and Texas weren’t the only lopsided Big 12 winners this weekend.
Kansas, the next Texas opponent, ended a 36-game losing streak against Nebraska with a 40-15 victory that was the league’s closest game Saturday. No. 13 Texas Tech won 56-17 over Texas A&M, and Iowa State beat Kansas State 45-17, while Oklahoma and Oklahoma State had the weekend off.
Texas is the only Big 12 team still in the national-title chase, and along with USC and Alabama the only undefeated teams remaining in NCAA Division I-A.
Miami (7-1) leaped over Alabama to take the No. 3 spot in the new AP poll Sunday.
After needing a big comeback last week to beat Oklahoma State, overcoming a 28-9 deficit to win 47-28 and then falling from first to second in the BCS standings, the Longhorns had an easy time with Baylor.
With Heisman Trophy contender Young accounting for 351 total yards in just more than three quarters against the Bears, and Taylor running for 102 yards and three touchdowns to go along with a 42-yard TD catch in his first start at tailback, the Longhorns followed a 606-yard performance against Oklahoma State with 645 yards.
“We started off a little slow on offense getting to that point,” Young said. “Perfect is real hard to get. I think we did a great job playing.”
Baylor was held to 201 yards and got past the Texas 36 just once, in the third quarter when a penalty against Taylor for his Superman-like dive into the end zone put the Bears at the 50.
They got to the 12, but Robert Killebrew blocked Ryan Havens’ 30-yard field goal attempt.
