How do we spell Texas? Let me count the ways.

Who is my favorite team forever and ever?

I usually don't post these on the rare occasions when the Horns lose, but this one took a little more effort than others. Just wish we could've "rolled the Tide"!

Who (barely) won the Big 12 championship?

Those "children of the corn" were certainly scary! Holy cow. I had a bad feeling about this game—for good reason, it turns out. Suh is a monster on D, and he held our offense to 13 points. Crazy! Our play-calling was pitiful for most of the game. Those dumb sideline passes WILL KILL ME SOMEDAY. The dropped sure-TD alone took a year or two off my life. And our return coverage? Why is it STILL so bad? I can't believe we haven't been able to figure out that part of the game throughout this season. Fortunately, our D returned to form and held the Huskers to four field goals.

I'm so thankful for "Big Game Hunter" Lawrence and that huge field goal he hit with 1 second remaining. That kick gave my Horns their third Big 12 championship and sent us packing for Pasadena! When we booked our flight to California a while back, I titled the itinerary "Holding Our Breaths." But now that it's official and we're on our way to the BCS national championship game, I still can't breathe! My Horns have a whole lot of work to do between now and Jan. 7.

But I BELIEVE! And you can bet we'll be spelling TEXAS in the Rose Bowl parking lot next month!

Who won the Texas-a&m game?

We used turkey legs last year, and my in-laws happen to have a collie. I couldn't resist the temptation to spell Texas with our own Reveille look-alike!

I must admit: I had a TERRIBLE feeling about this game all week. Watching JJ and Michael run all over our defense didn't assuage my fears any, but how 'bout that Colt McCoy? The guy ends up rushing for a career high 175 yards on a night when we needed all the offense we could get. What a stud.

Texas 49, a&m 39. WHEW!!! Now let's beat Nebraska! Corn on the cob, anyone?

Who won the Kansas-Texas game?

For our last home* tailgate, we feasted on chili! It was the perfect food for a chilly afternoon, but have you ever tried to spell TEXAS using chili?

Instead, we chose to recognize KU's famous chant, "Rock chalk Jayhawk!" Since we were fresh out of rock chalk, we opted for the sidewalk variety.

Texas 51, Kansas 20.

*We have one more tailgate coming up in two weeks at Jerry World! So nice to know that we'll actually get to use those Big 12 championship tickets we bought so many weeks ago!

Who won the Texas-Baylor game?

We didn't intend to repeat last year's use of Teddy Grahams for the Baylor Foodspell, but we couldn't find any bear claws! I have to admit, though: these little cookies are a whole lot easier to work with than meat on a smoky grill or sticky Rice Krispie treats or nasty turkey legs!

We had a great trip to Waco--details to come!

Who won the Central Florida-Texas game?

In honor of this week's opponent, we feasted on STEAKS at the (postgame) tailgate! Why steak, you ask? Since we were playing the Golden Knights, we figured Sir Loin was appropriate!

Props to Dan (a.k.a. "Rice Boy") for coming up with that one!

Texas 35, UCF 3.

Who won the Texas-Oklahoma State game?

How 'bout some dip for the Cowboys? Don't old 'pokes indulge in some chaw out on the trail? OK, so it's a stretch, but we just happened to have a plethora of Fun Dip on hand for Halloween!

And speaking of a plethora, Texas leads the nation in non-offensive touchdowns! We had two more pick-sixes tonight. Gotta love that!

Texas 41, OSU 14.

P.S. - ChaCha was a BIG help as I was trying to take this picture:

Who won the Texas-ou game?

Last year we spelled TEXAS using our favorite fair fare, so this time around we chose another State Fair staple: the wax cup. These represent the sooners better since the fairgrounds seem to be crawling with them!

Texas 16, ou 13.

Who won the Colorado-Texas game?

In honor of this week's opponent, we grilled buffalo burgers at the tailgate! Talk about yummy! However, I cannot tell a lie: We didn't use the exotic meat to spell TEXAS. These letters are made out of plain ol' hamburger patties. As the Horns struggled mightily in the first half, I was seriously rethinking our decision to spell TEXAS using beef! Bevo burgers = no offense, apparently.

Texas 38, Colorado 14.

Who won the Texas Tech-Texas game?

It wasn't pretty, but Texas WON! Since Tech fans used to fling 'em at their games back in the day, we used tortillas to spell TEXAS this week.

Texas 34, Tech 24. Hook 'em!

Who won the Louisiana Monroe-Texas game?

At our tailgate we have a tradition of spelling TEXAS with a food that somehow references our opponent: e.g., frog legs for TCU, tortillas for Tech, Rice Krispie treats for Rice, shrimp for Florida Atlantic, pork for Arkansas. The ULM Warhawks were a challenge, but we settled on the closest "food" we could think of: Warheads!