Whichever staff handles the distractions better can prepare better. I loved seeing Vince on TV yesterday. I don't know if Vince has 100% access to the team, but he sure can help the players stay focused, I believe. lm sure everyone here remembers Vince "Whoever wants to beat Ohio St. show up at xxx hour". Obviously I don't remember the exact quote but the Ohio St. victory and the Alabama victory this year are comparable.
I am not personally in favor of any additions to play packages. I think the team changed when Brooks went down. I remember typing that when he went down we weren't going to win the Big12 without him.
Did Sark really discover over the middle passes after Brooks went down? I have seen a few over the middle passes since Brooks. I think Washington will have trouble preparing for all we can do offensively. And Ewers hasn't run the ball, except for the one run yesterday, since getting injured, so with him 100% healthy that is another aspect Wash should prepare for.
This team reminds me of possibly only two teams, the 2004 and 2008 teams. No team should ever be compared with the 2009 team, being held together by a dominant QB and one receiver on offense.
I believe both the 2004 and '08 teams had a will to win and a next man up philosophy this team has. This team has improved vastly as the season went on much better than any of Mack's teams. I think this team is much more versatile on offense. This team has enough good RBs to run the wishbone, and enough really good receivers to run the run and shoot.
Of course none of that matters. At this point, there are only three factors remaining. Luck, injuries, and the football gods. And we all know the football gods owe us big time for January 2010. It is payback time.