Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin
It's only understandable after the 8-0 start by Texas that Longhorn fans would start making plans for a trip to the BCS championship game in Pasadena.
After all, the No. 2 Longhorns appear to have a manageable path to their first title game appearance since winning the 2005 national championship in the same stadium.
It's prompted many Texas fans to already start reserving hotel rooms and arranging for flights to Pasadena for the Jan. 7 game.
The Austin American-Statesman had a story Friday detailing some of the extensive precautions that some Texas fans already are taking to arrange for their trip to the bowl game.
"I have 100 percent confidence that we are going to be there and beat the alligator skin off of any team that has the audacity to show up," Texas fan J.B. Goodwin, a 1972 Texas graduate, told the Statesman.
Texas coach Mack Brown has heard about those plans and realizes his team still has a tough road in front of them with upcoming games against UCF, Kansas, Baylor and Texas A&M before the Big 12 title game.
He remembers similar plans being made during the Longhorns' championship season.
"I think I've learned enough about it. In 2005, it wore me out," Brown said. "Here we are at midseason and everybody's saying, 'It looks good, it looks like we're on our way,' and I'm saying, 'You know, I've got practice Tuesday. I've got practice Wednesday. I don't want to hear it.' "
Brown said he has used the excitement of fans as a teaching point for his team, which is gunning for its first Big 12 title since that national championship team.
"I think that’s fair and I told the team and the coaches that, so don’t think every time somebody said, “I’ve got my tickets,” that means they’re saying for sure that we’re going," Brown said. "It means that they hope we do and they are pulling for you and they want to be there if we get that chance."
Wonder what UCF, Kansas, Texas, Baylor and most of the Big 12 North think about that confidence?