BCS National Championship: History Heavily Favors Texas Over Alabama

They say history doesn't wear a helmet.

Actually, I've never heard anyone say that. So hopefully, I just coined a phrase.

But if history could buckle up a chin strap, it would be an All-American and play for Texas in Thursday's BCS National Championship.

The Longhorns own a 7-0-1 record against Alabama, one of college football's most storied programs.

The two teams first met in 1902, the first of three straight shutouts in favor of Texas (the others coming in 1915 and 1922). After a hiatus of more than two decades, the series resumed in the 1948 Sugar Bowl, which is where we pick up the story of the Alabama-Texas series, a limited but intense rivalry.

*Special thanks to MackBrown-TexasFootball.com for their extensive archives and information.

1948 Sugar Bowl

A gut-wrenching one-point loss to Doak Walker and SMU was Texas' only regular-season blemish, but meant that the Longhorns had to settle for a Sugar Bowl berth to face No. 6 Alabama.

73,000 packed a sold out Tulane Stadium to see a 27-7 Texas victory.

Bobby Layne rushed for a touchdown and passed for another. The Longhorns also scored on a blocked kick and an interception return by Lewis Holder.

*Image courtesy of allstatesugarbowl.org

1960 Bluebonnet Bowl

Traditionally, Texas' policy had been to only accept invitations to one of the four major bowls of the era—Cotton, Sugar, Orange, and Rose.

However, in part because of a personal friendship between Longhorns head coach Darrell Royal and his Alabama counterpart Bear Bryant, the two programs agreed to meet in just the second annual Bluebonnet Bowl, despite Texas' 7-3 record.

The game was held at Rice Stadium in Houston and produced a 3-3 tie which could only have pleased a '60s-era crowd of 70,000.

Outstanding player honors were divided between Texas halfback James Saxton and Alabama linebacker Lee Roy Jordan.

1965 Orange Bowl

Coming off a 1963 national title, Texas nearly ran the table again in the fall of 1964. A failed two-point conversion against Arkansas cost the Longhorns their undefeated season and handed Alabama the national crown. (At the time, the final polls were issued before the bowl games.)

The lone Texas loss also sent the Razorbacks to the Cotton Bowl, while the Longhorns headed east to face the Crimson Tide in Miami, creating a matchup of national champions from each of the past two seasons.

It was the first ever nationally televised Jan. 1 bowl game.

Because of a knee injury, Joe Namath was held out for the early portion of the game by Bear Bryant, but when he did come on, he rallied the Tide to within 21-17.

On a late-game 4th-and-goal, Namath was initially stopped on a sneak and whistles blew before the Alabama quarterback spun off the pile and into the end zone. In the modern day, the controversy would have raged for days on SportsCenter, but Bryant simply said, "When you can't score from the one, you don't deserve to win."

1973 Cotton Bowl

As you can see from the cover of the program, Bryant and Royal's uncanny balance between friendship and competitive rivalry had become stuff of legend by the time the two men collided again in the 1973 Cotton Bowl.

The contest was also nicknamed the "chicken bowl," in part because of the matching wishbone offenses, but more directly because Alabama chose to face Texas rather than higher-rated opponents in the Sugar or Orange.

As it turned out, 72,032 packed the Cotton Bowl to see Alan Lowry overcome tonsillitis and a 100-degree fever, weaving 34 yards with 4:22 to play, giving Texas a 17-13 victory. Replay indicated he may have stepped on the sideline at the 10...

1982 Cotton Bowl

Earlier that season, Paul "Bear" Bryant had become the winningest coach in the history of college football, and a little more than a year later, would die of a heart attack.

1982 was his final trip to the Cotton Bowl and final meeting with Texas. It's also the last time these college football factories met on the football field prior to Thursday's BCS National Championship.

Bryant's friend, Darrell Royal had been replaced on the Texas sideline by Fred Akers, who was making his second Cotton Bowl appearance.

Alabama built a 10-0 lead with 12:30 remaining in the game. However, Robert Brewer led the Longhorns on back-to-back scoring drives, the first capped by his 30-yard scamper, the second on a plunge by fullback Terry Orr.

The Tide had two more offensive chances, and Texas intentionally took a safety to narrow the margin to 14-12. However, on the strength of a William Graham interception and a Kiki DeAyala sack, the Longhorns' defense held.

With a 1982 Cotton Bowl victory, Texas improved to 7-0-1 all-time against Alabama. And that's where the series stands heading into the 2009 BCS National Championship.