(AP Photo/Stephen Morton; previous weekly reviews for this season are here)

Texas Longhorns 13 Nebraska 12

Has any team ever gone through an undefeated season and been in position to win the national championship with a more unimpressive offensive line than 2nd-ranked Texas (13-0)?

If there has been one, I can’t remember it.

Nevertheless, the Horns overcame an inspired Nebraska (9-4) effort and a serious brain fart in the closing seconds to win the Big 12 Championship game and set up another Rose Bowl BCS Championship Game, this time with SEC champ, Alabama (13-0).

After their only truly bad game of the season last week against the Texas Aggies, the salty Texas defense reappeared just in time to bail out the Horns out. It didn’t hurt Bthat the Huskers’ offensive line is worse than the Longhorns’ line.

Bama opened as a four point favorite over the Horns in the national championship game, but Texas has a reasonable chance to pull off its second national championship in five years. The initial line is a bit skewed by the Tide’s impressive win over Florida (12-1) and the Horns’ difficulties against Nebraska, but Bama has had its own consistency problems this season. Plus, a dynamic of such big games is that there often is a psychological advantage to the team playing as an underdog.

I expect the game to be close with the Horns having a reasonable chance of pulling it out if they can control Bama’s punishing ground game and figure out some way of giving Horns’ QB Colt McCoy enough time to distribute the ball to Texas’ talented group of receivers.

But in the meantime, Bama’s defensive front will be licking their chops to get after Texas’ offensive line. Thank goodness for Texas that Bama doesn’t have Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh.

East Carolina 38 Houston Cougars 32

In a game that was as entertaining as the Texas-Nebraska game was not, the Cougars (10-3) spirited comeback effort in the Conference USA Championship game was snuffed out in the final minute as QB Case Keenum’s pass bounced off his receiver’s shoulder in the end zone and into the hands of an East Carolina (9-4) safety.

The teams were evenly matched and neither team’s defense could consistently stop the other’s offense. So, the game came down to turnovers, and the Cougars had three more (4) than the Pirates (1). The most costly one was bad throw that Keenum made at the beginning of the 4th quarter that was intercepted to set up the Pirates’ TD that extended the lead to 11.

But not widely reported in the mainstream media is the fact that an outrageously horrendous call by the officiating crew led to one of the interceptions and may well have cost the Cougars the game.

While leading 13-7 and driving deep in East Carolina midway through the 2nd quarter, the Cougars quick-snapped while the Pirates’ defense had at least 13 players on the field. Thinking that he had a "free" play because of the obvious penalty, Keenum threw the ball into the end zone trying for a TD, but the ball was intercepted. No problem though because of the penalty, right?

Not so fast. Not only did the officiating crew not throw a flag on the play, they ignored the clear video evidence (it’s a reviewable call) of 13 Pirate defenders on the field when UH Coach Kevin Sumlin challenged the call on the field.

So, rather than Houston having the ball deep in Carolina territory ready to go up 20-7, the officials gave the Pirates the ball first and ten on their 20.

ESPN commentators Ron Franklin and Gary Cunningham were incredulous over the blown call. To make matters worse, the officiating crew proceeded to call at least two other "too many men on the field" penalties on the Pirates’ defense at much less important stages of the game. Go figure.

As usual, Keenum was again phenomenal (56/75 for 527 yds/5 TD’s/3 INT) and cemented his performance this season as one of the greatest of any QB in NCAA history.

Also, Houston WR James Cleveland came back from an injury that had sidelined him the past two games to catch an incredible 19 passes for 241 yds and 3 TD’s.

Due to Conference USA’s poor bowl tie-ins, the Cougars are again slated to play Air Force (7-5) this bowl season in the Armed Forces Bowl in Ft. Worth on New Year’s Even afternoon. The game will be a replay of Houston’s win over Air Force in last season’s game.

There are a bunch of teams in bigger bowl games that are glad that they don’t have to play this Houston team.

Jaguars 23 Texans 18

Does this sound familiar?

The Texans (5-7) start lethargically, fall far behind, battle back gamely, but ultimately shoot themselves in the foot and lose.

Key note to Coach Kubiak — Chris Brown does not remind anyone of Paul Hornung on the halfback pass play.

The Texans begin playing out their eighth straight string next Sunday at Reliant Stadium against Seattle (4-7). My over/under for actual attendance — 40,000.

Finally, the Texas Aggies (6-6) will play Georgia (7-5) in Shreveport’s Independence Bowl on the evening of December 28th.