Next Saturday is a big day for Mack Brown's future at Texas: No matter what, a win for Texas at Baylor next week gives the Longhorns a share of the Big 12 title. Oklahoma knocking off Oklahoma State would make it an outright title, but I'm betting Brown is back in 2014 if Texas pulls the upset against Baylor in a winnable game in Waco next week. Worth noting: the Bears' best defender, safety Ahmad Dixon, will miss the first half after being ejected for targeting against TCU on Saturday. Can Case McCoy and Mike Davis take advantage? Brown deserves a ton of credit for rallying his team from a 1-2 start, which included firing defensive coordinator Manny Diaz and bringing analyst Greg Robinson to campus. That's paid off big time. Brown has underachieved the last three seasons, and still needs help for a BCS bid, but there's one major factor that helps Brown's case: No clear candidate. Art Briles told me he cannot envision talking to other teams after the season after signing a contract extension. He was the best candidate for the job. The Nick Saban talk is wasted breath, though fascinating. David Shaw doesn't sound like he's going anywhere. Mike Gundy might make the jump, but it'll take more than a less-than-ideal relationship with his AD to make him say goodbye to his alma mater. This isn't Ohio State after 2011. Urban Meyer's not out there. There's no clear candidate that Texas could easily convince to come to Austin. It might be better off for Texas to keep Mack. That could change if the regular season ends in a rout.
