College Football | No. 4 Texas hammers Texas A&M

AUSTIN, Texas — All Texas and Colt McCoy can do now is wait.

McCoy passed for two touchdowns, ran for two more and No. 4 Texas snapped a two-game losing streak to rival Texas A&M with a 49-9 victory Thursday night, a performance that might or might not have been impressive enough to boost McCoy's chances for the Heisman Trophy and his team's position in the Bowl Championship Series.

The 40-point margin was the largest in the rivalry since a 48-0 Texas victory in 1898.

McCoy was 23 of 28 passing for 311 yards and he added 49 yards rushing for Texas (11-1 overall, 7-1 Big 12 Conference) to earn his first victory over the Aggies (4-8, 2-6) in three tries. He also got career victory No. 31, passing Vince Young to set a Texas record for starting quarterbacks.

"Colt started making plays to turn that thing around," Longhorns coach Mack Brown said. "He made a huge statement tonight. I do think he's the best player, he's the most valuable player, on one of the best teams in the country."

Cody Johnson rushed for 102 yards and two scores for the Longhorns, with most of his yards coming in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach.

Texas, second in this week's BCS standings, must wait to see what happens this weekend to determine if its national-title dreams are intact. The Longhorns are in prime position for at least a berth in a BCS bowl, but need some help if the team that spent a month at No. 1 will be able to play for the Big 12 title and in the BCS National Championship Game.

A potential three-way tie for the Big 12 South division could swing to No. 3 Oklahoma if it beats No. 11 Oklahoma State on Saturday and leaps Texas in the BCS rankings. Even if the Sooners lose, No. 7 Texas Tech holds a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Longhorns going into the Raiders' game against Baylor.

That is why Texas needed an emphatic win over a big rival in front of a national-television audience. Style matters at this point in the season and the question is whether Texas' victory impressed BCS voters. The Associated Press rankings are not part of the BCS.

Shortly before kickoff, dozens of Longhorns and Aggies players were exchanging words in the end zone before coaches and game officials broke it up.

McCoy deflected questions about what should happen to his Longhorns at this point.

"We can't control all that. We wanted to leave it all out on the field and we did that," he said. "It's been a great season."

Hawaii coach

respects Pac-10

HONOLULU — Hawaii coach Greg McMackin dismisses talk about how the Warriors should hula dance over Washington State on Saturday night and make plans to stay in the islands for the holidays.

Hawaii (6-5), a victory from securing a berth to its hometown Hawaii Bowl for the fifth time since 2002, seems to have finally found its rhythm and is a 28-½-point favorite against the Cougars (2-10).

That doesn't matter much to the first-year Warriors coach because he knows there is a big difference between the Western Athletic Conference, which includes Hawaii, and the Pac-10, which includes WSU.

"The Pac-10 is up here," said McMackin, raising his arm. "And the WAC is down here."

Hawaii is 13-34 against the Pac-10, including a 45-7 drubbing at Oregon State earlier this year. Hawaii is 1-2 against WSU, which won the last meeting between the schools in 1999 during McMackin's first stint as the Warriors' defensive coordinator.

McMackin refers to Saturday's game as a "must win." But it technically isn't because the Warriors still have another game. With No. 16 Cincinnati the opponent in its finale, Hawaii wants to get the job done this weekend.

"Quite honestly, it's a real important ballgame for us," McMackin said.

WSU beat visiting Washington 16-13 in overtime Saturday in the Apple Cup.

"You come off a big game like that and hopefully you can utilize that win in confidence building and see if you can apply it to the next ballgame," Cougars coach Paul Wulff said. "I'm anxious to see if we can respond and play better football."

WSU will be without tight end Tony Thompson, who suffered a concussion in the Apple Cup.

For Hawaii, receiver-running back Kealoha Pilares' start was in question after he missed practice earlier this week with a sprained right foot. Pilares leads the team with an average of 5.2 yards a carry and five rushing touchdowns. He also has 26 catches for 230 yards and two TDs.

Hawaii safety Ryan Mouton has a sprained ankle, but could see limited action.

Nebraska seeks

Gator Bowl bid

LINCOLN, Neb. — Bo Pelini's first Nebraska-Colorado game as Cornhuskers coach won't affect the Big 12 North standings. It will have an effect on the bowl season.

Nebraska is looking to play in one on New Year's Day.

Colorado is merely looking to play in a bowl.

The Cornhuskers (7-4, 4-3 Big 12) have won four of five to move into position for a Gator Bowl bid if they can beat the Buffaloes.

"If that happens, great. I'd love to get to a New Year's Day bowl game," Pelini said. "If it's not a New Year's Day bowl game, I know this: If we win the football game, we'll have more options than if we don't."

Injury-depleted Colorado has lost six of eight after a 3-0 start and needs a win over the Cornhuskers to become bowl eligible. The Insight, Independence and Texas bowls would be possibilities.

The Buffaloes (5-6, 2-5) find themselves in the same situation as Nebraska when the teams met in Boulder, Colo., last year. Colorado won 65-51, denying Nebraska a bowl bid and marking the end of the coach Bill Callahan era.

"There's a lot on it," Colorado coach Dan Hawkins said. "It's the last game, and you always want to finish. It's Nebraska. That means a lot. Like I told our guys, 'All the chips are in the middle. You're all in. There's no reason not to be.' "

This will be the third time in four years, but merely the fourth time since 1988, that neither team is in the Top 25 when they have met.

Note

• No. 25 Mississippi (7-4, 4-3 Southeastern) hosts Mississippi State (4-7, 2-5) in today's intense Egg Bowl.

If Ole Miss wins, it will finish second in the SEC West and perhaps play in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. That game would pay two to three times more than the bowls the Rebels would likely be invited to with a loss and is set in one of first-year coach Houston Nutt's favorite recruiting grounds.

"There's a rivalry, and it's competitive," Nutt said of the Egg Bowl. "This will be the most competitive game of the year, forget about the records. You throw it all out. It's going to be a fight."