Still Mr. February? Will Mack Brown ever earn any respect?

Mack Brown once owned a 5 game losing streak to Oklahoma, and in those five games twice gave up 60+ points. He failed twice in Big XII championship games to Nebraska and Colorado.

Yet, during all this time of failure, Brown continued to haul in top recruiting classes, but still through his first 7 seasons he had failed to capture even so much as a conference championship.

Now, Mack Brown owns two Rose Bowl titles, a Big XII title, a national title, and has won his last 4 bowl games. Oh yeah, and he's won 3 of the last 4 against Big Game Bob and the Sooners.

Yet, people outside of the Texas fan base still don't respect Mack.  

People thought Pete Carroll would out coach him in the Rose Bowl, but if anything he out coached Pete. People, despite Stoops' recent struggles in big games, still thought that Stoops would out coach Mack, even though Mack by far out coached Stoops (i.e. a fake punt with the lead that forced his punter to run a total of 20 yards to get a first down, and then not going for fourth and short at mid-field and giving the ball back to a team they had been unable to stop the entire game).

The point is that no one respects the coach that has the winingest record in the nation during his tenure at Texas. His early failures will forever mar his image as far as the rest of the nation is concerned.

Part of his image problem I believe is that he is the head coach of the Texas Longhorns.  Texas is a very polarizing team for whatever reason. Maybe it's because people who aren't Longhorn fans believe that Texas fans and the Texas program is arrogant. I don't know, but I do know there is a definite bias by non-UT supporters against UT, especially in the media.

Another part of his problem is first impressions can last a lifetime. His first 7 seasons were mostly failed seasons, at least compared to the expectations that preceded them.  Therefore, the public forged an image of a man who is a very charismatic recruiter, but at the same time a man who couldn't coach a peewee team.  

Then comes his two Rose Bowl victories, but rather than change their opinion of Mack, people said, "well Vince did it all by himself" (despite the fact that several of those players were first round picks, and many more, especially on the offensive line are now starting in the NFL, but let's forget about that). OK fine, VY was a man among boys.

Now, going into a big game in which Mack was expected to be beat down because his team only had one player, Colt McCoy, that the rest of the country knew about (and given his struggles last season didn't think highly of), Mack pulls out a victory.  

Wait, not just any victory, it was a victory against his long time tormentor, Bob Stoops.  Oh, and not just any Bob Stoops team, a #1, star studded Bob Stoops team. Not one single TV. Sports analyst, that wasn't affiliated in some way with UT, gave Texas any chance of beating OU. Still, Mack wins, and still has no credibility.

Maybe, if Texas manages to run the gauntlet that is their schedule this year, maybe he can have at least a little respect from people, but I doubt it. Unfortunately, Mack, I think it's too late for ya buddy, but that's ok because I know you don't really care.