Austin, Texas ? Within minutes of beating Michigan in the Rose Bowl, the Texas Longhorns started dreaming of winning there again Jan. 4, 2006.

“We had so much fun,” quarterback Vince Young said amid the confetti and pandemonium of the post-game celebration. “And we want to come back!”

A return trip to Pasadena would land the Longhorns in the BCS title game, giving them a crack at their first national championship since 1969.

Judging from the way Texas has marketed its Rose Bowl victory – including a billboard off Interstate 35 that proclaims the campus as “Home of the Rose Bowl Champions!” – the school’s backers are counting on it.

“There’s an exciting buzz around the program,” coach Mack Brown said. “More than I’ve ever seen.”

Most of it is generated by Young, whose jaw-dropping, five-touchdown performance against the Wolverines put him among the top contenders for the Heisman Trophy this season.

After nearly being benched midway through last season, Young led the Longhorns to six straight victories and almost single-handedly rallied Texas to the victory over the Wolverines, which was secured by Dusty Mangum’s wobbly last-second field goal.

“Anybody who watched the Rose Bowl got a whole new perspective on the University of Texas,” Young said. “It put me out a little bit more as a quarterback and as a person. It showcased me.”

He was so good that the story line to this season isn’t replacing running back Cedric Benson and linebacker Derrick Johnson, both of whom went among the top 15 picks in the NFL Draft, but what Young can do for an encore in only his junior season.

“He flipped the switch and had confidence and took over our team,” Brown said. “This is now Vince Young’s team.”

That buzz Brown talks about is also fueled by the wishful thinking that Oklahoma might stumble a notch or two.

As usual, the Oct. 8 matchup with the Sooners likely will determine who wins the Big 12 South. This year’s game will the 100th meeting between the schools, and a sixth straight loss could dash the Longhorns’ hopes of another Rose Bowl by midseason.

“We owe them one,” said fifth-year senior Jonathan Scott, an offensive lineman who has endured losses of 14-3, 35-24, 65-13 and 12-0.

The Longhorns will have four games to prepare for the Sooners – and they might need it.

Tight end David Thomas excelled last season, but the rest of the returning receivers hardly scared anyone.

Junior Selvin Young will be the leading candidate to replace Benson. The Longhorns also return speedy sophomore Ramonce Taylor.

Defensively, the Longhorns have a new coordinator, Gene Chizik, who helped Auburn to an undefeated season last year.

Two of his biggest jobs will be filling the gap left by Johnson and developing a pass rush on a front line that hasn’t had a double-digit sack leader since 1999.