LONGHORNS DECLARE THEMSELVES 2008 BIG 12 CHAMPS*

Apparently, Oklahoma’s victory over Missouri in the Big 12 Championship didn’t mean much to Mack Brown and the folks in Austin. Even though OU won a three-way tiebreaker against Texas and Texas Tech in the Big 12 South race, the Longhorns have declared themselves Big 12 Champions in 2008*.(Asterisk included.)The Longhorns 45-35 victory in the Red River Shootout over Oklahoma has Texas unwilling to concede losing their division to their rivals, even if the BCS ranking used as the tiebreaker had them on the outside looking in.A school official told the Austin Statesman, “We beat both teams (OU and Missouri). I thought the championship was for the runner-up spot."Even with Mack Brown bringing in BCS experts to help explain why scheduling games against teams like Louisiana-Monroe, Wyoming, and UTEP might have a negative effect on their computer ranking, it’s understandable why the Longhorns might have a few sour grapes.But just because you put it up on your wall, doesn’t necessarily mean you won.Unless you’re Alabama.