This time, Mack Brown didn’t need to politic.

No need to question the system or appeal to voters or play pitch man for the case of his Longhorns, who were the odd-team out a year ago when a league tie-breaker sent Oklahoma on instead.

This time, his team spoke for itself, finishing off an unbeaten regular season to earn a spot in Saturday’s Big 12 Championship — the final step in a 12-month quest for a national title.

The Longhorns face Nebraska Saturday night in Arlington, Texas, where a win would clinch a spot in the BCS championship game.

“This was a goal this team had from a year ago Sunday,” Brown said, “when they learned they wouldn’t be in the game. It’s been one year.

“Their goal was to make sure they took it out of the Big 12 tiebreaker, take it away from the system, and make sure they put themselves in the game because they played well enough.

“And that’s what they’ve done.”

The Longhorns ended a three-year Oklahoma stranglehold on the South, earning their first title game appearance since 2005 by rolling to a 12-0 record.

Nebraska recovered from a mid-season slump to finish the regular season 9-3, its best mark since 2003. The Cornhuskers have won five straight and could claim the conference’s automatic BCS bid and a trip to the Fiesta Bowl with an upset.

“I came in here wanting to win football games and compete for championships,” said second-year Nebraska coach Bo Pelini. “We have a chance to compete for one Saturday night.”

The stakes are much higher for Texas.

Currently, the Longhorns are No. 3 in the BCS Standings, trailing Southeastern Conference powers Florida and Alabama, who meet Saturday in the SEC title game. With a win, Texas vaults over the Florida-Bama loser and into the BCS Championship.

For the Longhorns, it is their destiny, has been since last year’s disappointment.

“We were upset,” said Texas quarterback Colt McCoy. “Anytime you know how hard you worked and prepared and have something taken away from you, that’s really tough.

“From that time on, the (2009) seniors took hold of this team.”

Scoreboard

Texas 49, Texas A&M 39
Nebraska 28, Colorado 20
Texas Tech 20, Baylor 13
Missouri 41, Kansas 39
Oklahoma 27, Oklahoma State 0

Coaching Carousel

The end of the regular season delivered questions and answers amid rumors involving coaches.

At Colorado, athletic director Mike Bohn and chancellor Phil DiStefano decided to stick with Dan Hawkins, despite a 3-9 finish that dropped the coach’s record to 16-33 after four years.

Hawkins claims the Buffaloes aren’t far from contending.

“We just have to cinch it up a little bit, we really do,” Hawkins said. “We have to improve a little bit. We just have to build on the formula.”

Uncertainty remains, however, at Kansas, where an internal investigation is ongoing into reports that Mark Mangino mistreated players.

And in Norman, Sooner fans keep getting reassured that Bob Stoops isn’t headed for Notre Dame. Such rumors prompted Stoops to declare his allegiance to OU not once, but twice on Monday, as speculation he was in negotiations with the Irish refused to go away.

Texas defensive coordinator and head-coach-in-waiting Will Muschamp also shot down rumors linking him to a candidates list in South Bend.

Player of the Week: Grant Ressel, PK, Missouri.

The sophomore kicked the game-winning field goal with no time on the clock, lifting the Tigers to a comeback win over KU. Ressel booted four field goals on the day, connecting from 42, 28, 37 and 27 yards. Ressel ranks as the nation’s most accurate field goal kicker this season, making 24 of 25 tries.

In the Spotlight: Big 12 Championship

Players to Watch:

Texas – Colt McCoy, QB. The senior, voted Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, has turned it on late this season, thrusting himself back into the thick of the Heisman race. Another big game here could sway a lot of votes his way.

Nebraska – Ndamukong Suh, DT. The league’s Defensive Player of the Year, Suh has been a disruptive force all season. With Texas lacking a strong running game, Suh can concentrate on the pursuit of McCoy.

Key Matchup: The Huskers’ secondary, led by All-Big 12 picks Prince Amukamara and Larry Asante, vs. Longhorns wide receiver Jordan Shipley. While McCoy has begun to spread the ball around more, Shipley is his clear favorite target. When that connection is on, the Horns are hard to contain. Nebraska ranks second in the league in pass defense, giving up a Big 12-low seven touchdown tosses all season.

Key Stat: 334.8; Nebraska’s total offense average, which ranks 11th in the Big 12. While the Huskers defense draws raves, Texas is stout on that side of the ball, too. With a scuffling offense, it could be hard for the Huskers to score.

The Huskers win if… the defense pressures McCoy into hurried throws, creating turnovers and a short field for the Nebraska offense. If the Huskers can make it a grinding, low-scoring game, they’ve got a chance.

The Longhorns win if… they don’t suddenly make uncharacteristic mistakes or feel the weight of being so close to a goal that has driven them to press on for 12 months. Texas is the better team with a far superior offense.

Stock Rising:

Big 12 Bowl eligibility. Eight of the league’s 12 teams are bowl eligible, including five of the six South schools. There’s a bonus at play, too, with Texas in line for a BCS Championship berth if it can beat Nebraska Saturday.

Stock Falling:

Big 12 Bowl business. With a Fiesta Bowl invite in sight, Oklahoma State was routed by Bedlam rival Oklahoma. Barring a Nebraska upset in the Big 12 title game, that cost the conference a second team in the BCS bowl equation, which amounts to roughly $4.5 million dollars.

By The Numbers

7 — Consecutive league losses by Kansas, which started the season 5-0.

45 — Consecutive starts for Baylor linebacker Joe Pawelek, a school record.

656 — Yards punted by Oklahoma State’s Quinn Sharp, who was forced into action 14 times against Oklahoma. Sharp punted nine times in the first half, more than the Cowboys had punted in a game all season.