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Gameday Instant Analysis: Liberty Bowl edition
Published: 12/31/2012 10:12 PM
Last Modified: 12/31/2012 10:12 PM

The Tulsa football team will ring in 2013 on a much happier note than it did 2012.

A year ago, the Hurricane was going through the what-ifs of an eight-win season that ended with a disappointing near-miss against BYU.

A year later, Tulsa has -- for now -- ended its dreaded BCS conference curse, snapping a 24-game losing streak to BCS opposition that dated back to 1998.

The Hurricane won 11 games for only the second time in school history and looks poised for a bright near-future under the leadership of Bill Blankenship.

Here are a few observations from Monday afternoon, the 2012 season and beyond:

1. Monday wasn't a must-win, but it was pretty close
It's hard to say any meaningless bowl game is a must-win, but boy, Tulsa really needed a win in the Liberty Bowl.

The Hurricane had a good season, but to give it true meaning Tulsa had to break its BCS curse against Iowa State.

Why? Well, the win was needed to establish TU as a team with national ambitions. And frankly, Iowa State isn't very good. Losing to the Cyclones a second time would have made this year's Conference USA title look like a junior varsity championship.

2. I love Trey Watts
I've been singing the praises of the junior running back all season, and his contributions were rewarded with bowl most valuable player honors.

Watts is an electric player, who gives TU a nice foundation on which to build next season.

3. Speaking of next season...
Tulsa has a nice nucleus coming back on offense, although it will have to replace two starters on the offensive line.

Cody Green had a nice bounce-back game Monday, a good way to cap an up-and-down season. Green will be a senior with a conference championship and 11 wins under his belt.

But it will be interesting to see if Green is at all pushed by freshman Dane Evans, who has been a practice star by most accounts in his redshirt season.

The real issues are on defense, where Tulsa must replace eight starters, including its entire defensive line.

That will be some task, but the Hurricane is poised to tackle it with an intact coaching staff and 10 of the 11 players currently listed as defensive backups.

Even with those issues, the Hurricane figure to be a favorite for another C-USA title -- unless...

4. Tulsa isn't in C-USA next season
OK, so that's not realistic. But it is realistic to think TU will be in a new league by 2014.

Boise State announced Monday it will stay in the Mountain West Conference. With that, and a possible return by San Diego State, the MWC is poised to be the best non-BCS conference around.

Add Houston and SMU, and you might be onto something special. If the MWC can lure Houston and SMU from the crumbling Big East, the Hurricane should beg, borrow or steal to join the club.

As for next season, Tulsa figures to be the class of the reconfigured C-USA. Perennial favorites Houston and Central Florida are gone. Louisiana Tech, a nine-win team, joins up, but the Bulldogs will have a new coach. The other three additions -- Florida International, North Texas and Texas-San Antonio -- either had losing records in 2012 or are new to Division I football.

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The Editor's Desk

Tulsa World Sports Editor Michael Peters has nearly 20 years of daily newspaper experience. A 1993 graduate of Texas A&M, he worked at papers in Bryan-College Station, Texas, Beaumont, Texas, and Galveston, Texas, before joining the Houston Chronicle as High School Sports Editor in 2008. While in Houston, he coordinated coverage of the 2008 Texas Class 5A state football championships and the 2011 NCAA Men's Final Four.

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