 "Photo: Karl Anderson")
Normally, having a bye week has its competitive advantages.
Coaches get extra time to look over game film while players can rest up their ailing bodies, which is especially helpful toward the end of the season when minor injuries are countless.
However, those advantages cancel each other out whenever the other team has the same week off. So is the case in No. 2 Texas Tech's next monumental matchup against No. 5 Oklahoma on Nov. 22 in Norman, Okla., as both teams are idle this week for the second time this season.
"In the end, you're both off, you both have a little more time to prepare and look at tendencies," OU coach Bob Stoops said. "But you do that even if you have one week to work. You're aware of everyone's tendencies. (A week off) doesn't change anything. It still gets down to your execution and how you play."
Tech coach Mike Leach sees the next two weeks in the same light as Stoops, who Leach worked with as an offensive assistant coach in 1999 before coming to Tech.
"I can't really think of (an advantage) because they get two weeks too," Leach said. "If they were playing this week, maybe, but they're not."
Stoops said his team will finish practicing today and tomorrow, with Thursday's practice scaling the intensity down a notch with a short day and less contact before giving his players this weekend off. He mentioned Monday's practice was light as well.
The break could be coming at an inopportune time for both teams, particularly the offenses.
Tech and OU are second and third nationally in total offense, respectively. The Sooners are one of two teams in the nation averaging more than 50 points per game while the Red Raiders are right behind them at 47.9.
Tech quarterback Graham Harrell and OU quarterback Sam Bradford are two of the nation's best right now. Therefore, the game has Heisman Trophy implications written all over it. Bradford, a sophomore, has 3,406 passing yards, 38 touchdowns and only six interceptions to go along with a 188.94 passer rating - good for second in the nation.
Then there is Harrell, who in the last three weeks has led his team to victories against then-No. 19 Kansas, then-No. 1 Texas and then-No. 8 Oklahoma State, becoming the Heisman frontrunner in the process.
Both team's ground attacks are established as well.
Tech is averaging 132.6 rushing yards per game with running backs Baron Batch and Shannon Woods emerging out of the backfield. On the flip side, the Sooners' DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown have combined for 1,586 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns while averaging 5.8 yards per carry. The offensive lines have allowed a combined 14 sacks all season, with Tech at five and OU at nine.
So the offenses are a push.
Since his team is 10 games into the season already, Leach said he does not see his offense losing any kind of steam heading into the upcoming bye week.
As far as who has the top offense, that remains to be seen, he said.
"I guess we'll find out (which offense is better)," Leach said. "They're really good this year there's no question about it. Over the last nine years clearly we've had (the better offense). I don't know about this year, they're really good and obviously we'll have the opportunity to compare a little bit."
Tech receiver Michael Crabtree, who leads the nation with 18 touchdown receptions, is probably the most prominent player looking forward to the bye week. He has dealt with a left ankle injury since Oct. 18, when he hobbled off the field after a 50-yard kickoff return against Texas A&M.
"It's always good to have a bye week," Crabtree said. "Everybody can regroup. It's not just me, everybody got little nicks and bruises, so it will give us time to heal."
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