The Cowboys Chances at Texas

Originally Published: Feb 15, 2011 11:36 PM CDT

There may not be anyone who realistically thinks the Cowboys have a chance to beat Texas in Austin on Wednesday. Not this big bad Texas squad that should be number one in the nation, dedicated to stopping teams with stifling defense.

What has to happen for the Cowboys to pull off the upset? Here are some ideas:

They have to shoot the ball better (OSU is last in Big 12 play in field goal percentage)

They have to stay out of foul trouble

They have to score off Texas turnovers

They have to hope that a slight second-half trend of relatively subpar play continues for the Longhorns

Thats a list unlikely to all be checked off by the end of the night, but Texas does have freshmen in Cory Joseph and Tristan Thompson that while very talented, can also fall victim to a "freshman" moment or two, Thompson more than Joseph. And while Jordan Hamilton has played like a first-team all-america candidate, every great player has one bad game or two. Hes due. It also wouldnt hurt if Dogus Balbay got lost in an OSU screen or two so Keiton Page has room to operate for once against the Horns.

Insurmountable odds? Maybe, but expect Travis Ford to change things up offensively, to spread things out and perhaps free some of the offensive potential that Texas bottled up so well in the first meeting. And if, IF the shots fall, well...