Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin
LUBBOCK, Texas -- The thought of a weekend without football might have sparked some discontent when Michael Crabtree was younger.
But now, with a nagging foot injury and needing a mental break, Texas Tech's playmaking wide receiver can't wait for a week off before his team's huge South Division showdown with Oklahoma on Nov. 22 in Norman, Okla.
"It's always good to have a bye week because everybody can regroup," Crabtree said. "It's not just about me because everybody has some nicks and bruises. This will give us some time to get healed."
This is perhaps more important for Crabtree than anybody else, even if it didn't appear that way in Tech's resounding 56-20 victory over Oklahoma State. Crabtree snagged eight receptions and scored three touchdowns, but could still be seen limping at times during the game.
It wasn't as noticeable as the previous week, but the returning Biletnikoff Award winner has been playing with the painful foot injury since it was injured on a kickoff return Oct. 18 against Texas A&M.
And while Crabtree hasn't talked much about the injury, a week of rest could do wonders for him as the Red Raiders will try to make more history against the Sooners.
"Yeah, the bye week will do us good, but the other guy is getting one, too," Tech coach Mike Leach said with a sly smile as he noted that Oklahoma is also on a bye. "You'd like it where you got one and he didn't. All we can do is rest and get ready to play."
Tech will take a 10-0 record and a likely position in the top two nationally into that huge game. The Red Raiders will be looking for their first victory in Norman since 1996. Mike Leach has lost all four games there since arriving at Tech after serving as Bob Stoops' offensive coordinator in 1999.
A victory in Norman would give them no worse than a tie for the South Division championship. And already having a tiebreaker over Texas, it would provide them with an assured place in the Big 12 Championship Game Dec. 6 in Kansas City for the first time in school history.
This team might be better suited to challenge the Sooners than any other -- particularly if it can play like they did Saturday night against Oklahoma State. It made history as only the second team since 1965 to win against a top 10 team after beating a No. 1 team the week before.
If the Red Raiders can put aside that excitement and play so strongly the following week, it will be interesting to see what they will do next time after a week off.
The Sooners' defense likely isn't as good as some that Stoops has had in the past. Oklahoma will be missing starting middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds, who's out for the season with a knee injury. Top Oklahoma pass rusher Auston English likely will not be ready to play. And Oklahoma's secondary looks more susceptible to Tech's passing attack than any previous Sooner team coached by Stoops.
The Red Raiders also will have a more balanced offensive attack and confidence gleaned from beating the Sooners in two of the last three games in the series.
The question remains whether their defense can contain Sam Bradford and a high-powered Sooner attack that has averaged 57.8 points in their last four games, topped by a resounding 66-28 victory at Texas A&M earlier on Saturday.
"This will be a good two weeks for us," Texas Tech safety Daniel Charbonnet said. "We get a couple of days off to rest and recuperate. It's always good to have an extra week to prepare. It will be fun to come back to work on Tuesday and start working on getting to be 11-0."
Tim Griffin joined ESPN.com in February 2008. He has covered the Big 12 since its inception, among a variety of beats during a 24-year career at the San Antonio Express-News. Griffin, a Memphis State University graduate, lives in San Antonio with his wife and son.
