As we say goodbye to 2010, let’s take a final look at the top sports stories in Texas in what was a very exciting year.

1. THE DEMISE OF UT FOOTBALL

This was a no-brainer for the top spot. Nobody in the country saw it coming and the repercussions have been massive, especially in a football-crazy state like Texas.

The Longhorns began the season as a preseason AP top-4 team destined for great things in 2010.

Months later, the Longhorns were so far out of the rankings that they may now need a GPS navigation system to find their way back in 2011.

During the latter stages of their forgettable 5-7 season, folksy Texas coach Mack Brown told anybody who was still around to listen that every move he made in the foreseeable future would be about “fixing” the Longhorns’ problems and be focused on “moving forward” instead of pointing fingers.

Brown added that the program had seen down times before in his 13 seasons and that he had been successful in fixing it before. He vowed to do it again in 2011.

But even the highly successful Brown faces an uphill battle if he intends to repair the current mess he has on his hands down in Austin.

That’s because the current predicament happened almost overnight, just a year after Texas posted a 13-1 record and secured a berth in the BCS National Championship Game. The program is now down four coaches since UT’s loss to arch-rival A&M.

One of Brown’s closest friends and longtime offensive coordinator Greg Davis was the first Texas coaching departure, announcing his retirement about a week after a disappointing loss against A&M.

Offensive line coach Mac McWhorter and defensive line coach Mike Tolleson also announced their retirements from coaching.

McWhorter produced five current NFL players and two collegiate All-Americans during his nine years in Austin. Tolleson coached current pros Lamarr Houston and Roy Miller, plus four others, in his 13 years at Texas.

With the fiery Muschamp also moving on to greener pastures in Florida, there have also been rumors circulating that current running backs coach and fan-favorite Major Applewhite is set to join him in Gatorland.

Brown could prevent Applewhite from moving on by naming him the new offensive coordinator to help secure incoming stud Steele tailback Malcolm Brown – who was heavily recruited by Applewhite. Brown would be the big playmaker the Texas offense so sorely lacked this season.

Losing Muschamp to Florida should spur Mack Brown to take swift action to create some positive momentum in a program stuck in a downward spiral.


2. TEXAS RANGERS REACH WORLD SERIES

The Rangers have spent decades wandering in search of a winning formula. They almost got derailed by ownership woes the past couple of years but found stability in the nick of time under the tutelage of their own legend, team president Nolan Ryan.

When reliever Neftali Feliz struck out former Ranger Alex Rodriguez in a perfectly scripted ending to preserve the win, many bitter, barren years became ancient history.

It was a monumental upset that brought tears of joy to longtime fans and had others in the media scratching their heads.

Even though they disposed of the talented Tampa Bay Rays in the division series, the Rangers were viewed by many as only a stepping-stone for the Yankee ballclub that seemed destined to win another one for their longtime owner George Steinbrenner, who had recently passed away.

I felt as though the Rangers were the younger, hungrier and more talented team.

And over the next week of that series, they proved me right. The ease in which they beat the Yankees, clicking offensively and pitching almost flawlessly, was a thing of beauty.

Texas went on to lose to San Francisco in the World Series, but a new and exciting chapter has definitely begun in Ranger baseball history.


3. SPURS RACE OUT TO BEST START IN TEAM HISTORY

Even though they are by far the hottest team in the NBA, as always, the San Antonio Spurs are operating under the radar.

San Antonio (29-4) currently sports the best record in the NBA while many in the media continue to fawn over Miami’s Big Three, praise Boston’s Big Four, drool upon contact with Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and love my Los Angeles Lakers. But here are the Spurs doing what they always do – win.

Since Gregg Popovich took over the franchise in 1997, San Antonio has won the NBA championship four times while making the playoffs 13 consecutive seasons. Granted, the Spurs have not produced the same spark the past two years, dealing with injuries and age while adjusting to change.

But a San Antonio core of Popovich, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili remains intact, while recent additions such as Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, George Hill and DeJuan Blair have added both proven veteran experience and passionate youth.

Factor in that longtime general manager R.C. Buford is still discovering diamonds such as 26-year-old rookie reserve guard Gary Neal, who is averaging 6.1 points and 2.5 assists while shooting 45.2 percent behind the 3-point line – and there is no doubt that the Spurs are still championship contenders.

They’re younger, deeper and hungrier than any team in the league right now.

The demise of the Spurs has been greatly exaggerated once again. And that’s bad news for the rest of the NBA.


4. LAKE TRAVIS WINS FOURTH STRAIGHT STATE TITLE

What a difference a few months makes.

Lake Travis, who had a 48-game winning streak snapped in the third week of the season, appeared to be out of the Class 4A state title picture this season.

A blowout loss to Cedar Park in district play appeared to spell doom for any chances the Cavs had of winning their fourth straight state title.

The dreaded injury bug hit Lake Travis early this year like a tornado. One of their top receivers, Connor Floyd, blew out his knee in the season opener against Westlake.

Things appeared to get worse when the one of the best receivers in the state, junior Griffin Gilbert, also went down with a serious knee injury a few weeks later.

But as the injuries piled up and the adversity became stronger, Lake Travis seemed to thrive.

Once the playoffs rolled around, first-year head coach Hank Carter and his troops were virtually unstoppable and were eventually parading around the House that Jerry Built with their fourth consecutive title secured.

They have now won 24 playoff games in a row, with three different head coaches, which is one shy of the state record. Incidentally, the last time Lake Travis lost a playoff game was to Hays in 2006.

The amazing thing about Lake Travis’ run is they have now won four titles with three different coaches.

With a very strong junior class returning for their senior seasons in 2011, expect the scarlet-and-black Cavaliers to make a historic run at a fifth consecutive state championship.


5. DALLAS COWBOYS FORGETTABLE SEASON

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had circled February 6, 2011 on his calendar for quite some time.

His new $1 billion stadium has hosted everything from marquee boxing matches to the NBA All-Star Game last year, but there’s no question why the mega-facility was built – to host a Super Bowl.

The Cowboys began the season with the pressure on them trying to become the first team to host a Super Bowl in their own stadium.

But Dallas went from a team that gave up the second-fewest points in the league last year, to one that allowed the most in franchise history this season.

Coach Wade Phillips was fired at midseason after an abysmal 1-7 start. Key players Tony Romo, Marcus Spears, Roy Williams, Dez Bryant and Marion Barber all missed a combined 22 games to injuries this year.

The tone of the season may have been set in the regular-season opener at Washington when running back Tashard Choice was stripped of the ball on the final play of the first half by Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who scored on a 32-yard fumble recovery.

Although Dallas rallied to finish the season 5-3 under interim head coach Jason Garrett, a 6-10 overall mark certainly wasn’t what Jones had in mind heading into 2010.