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Football Around the Big 12

Posted by Scipio Tex on September 28th, 2009 under Football

A few thoughts on our past/future opponents:

Texas Tech is in revolt after Leach blew the smart play to kick a field on 4th and 1 with a five point 4th quarter lead against UH. Brandon Carter has been stripped of his captaincy and suspended from the team indefinitely. He announced it via Twitter and then immediately canceled his account along with his Facebook page. These game suspensions mean a significant cut in mascara sales for the Lubbock Piggly Wiggly. Marlon Williams expressed his discontent via Twitter too. They’ll have a chance to get things right and make Everybody Love Everbody against New Mexico and Kansas St before embarking on a Nebraska road trip.

Baylor’s season is effectively over. With Griffin gone, Baylor hands the reins to Blake Szymanski - when he gets well. Right now he’s week to week with a bruised shoulder. Szymanski was Baylor’s starter pre-Griffin and he has 13 career starts, but Baylor’s offense is now transformed from a multi-dimensional spread attack with run/pass options into a conventional - and second rate - spread attack. They also lost a starting cornerback. Those bowl hopes look slim.

The biggest beneficiary of these developments is Texas A&M and their minor bowl aspirations. The Aggies still don’t have the components they need on defense (though Von Miller leads the nation in sacks), but Jerrod Johnson is coming into his own as a QB (he’s running a lot more now and not treating the pocket as an invisible fence) and they have a stable of good RBs. The Arkansas game will be highly entertaining and is likely to be played in the 30s/40s. The Thanksgiving game is getting interesting.

Kansas won’t get the credit it deserves for the tough victory over Southern Mississippi. Kansas will have a quality year - perhaps even win the North against a prohibitive conference schedule - but this is a team that, unfortunately for them, Texas was designed to pummel. They’re having trouble protecting Reesing and stopping the passing game. Not a good combo when you play the Longhorns.

Missouri’s Illinois win continues to look weaker by the week, but you can’t fault a team for winning convincingly in their opener and then reeling off three more. This is not looking like the 6-6 Mizzou squad I anticipated. Blaine Gabbert is the real deal (leads the league in passing efficiency and has yet to throw a pick in 144 attempts) and although their inability to blow out Nevada by their margin of dominance on the field puzzled (as well as Pinkel overcoaching 80% of the game) these guys are shaping up to be a pesky road thorn in our lion’s paw. WR Danario Alexander is as good as advertised. After their bye, their schedule goes: Nebraska, @ Okie St, Texas. We’ll know what’s up soon enough.

Colorado is still a disgrace, but some fans are still hoping for ten wins. What CU will do for us is give us a good look at a two back offense, play action, and a downhill running game before we play Oklahoma. Think of them as an upgraded scout team. That serves a very useful function for us as we’ve seen very little traditional running game and I don’t want our first two quarters in Dallas to look like us trying to tackle Beanie Wells. Because Colorado is so very Colorado, we also have a good chance to game plan Oklahoma specifically for at least half of our bye week. CU takes on West Virginia this week and the team is still unsettled on the OL. If I were CU, I’d be doing whatever I could to replace their safeties - these guys run like parking meters.

OSU proved the depths of their racism by pummeling Grambling by 50. They didn’t play Bryant or Hunter and found a new RB star in freshman Jeremy Smith.
Despite the mismatch, Grambling still forced four turnovers and OSU had nine penalties. Gundy is an old Cherokee word for “sloppy.” They now have a two week bye before heading to Aggieland.

The Sooners are starting to get right, but is it illusory? Landry Jones is getting comfortable in the offense and the defense is still stout. The question is how does one phase in Bradford when and if he’s recovered sufficiently to play. And if he can play, is Sam Bradford at 75% better than a healthy Landry Jones? And is this all moot when OU plays a real defense (read: Texas) that can take away Ryan Broyles, gang up on the running game, and make someone else beat them? This is why no Gresham is such a crippling blow for the Sooners. He made defenses more honest than Jimmy Stewart.

The Unsavory Bowl between OU and Miami should be absolutely fascinating. There’s no game I want to watch more because the loser likely ends up in a dramatic tailspin while the winner is reinvigorated and energized. It’s like watching fire ants battle killer bees - I’m pining for mutual destruction.

What’s on your mind? Any thoughts on the Big 12?

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68 Responses

  1. The Truth Hurts said:

    September 28th, 2009 at 12:45 pm

    “OSU proved the depths of their racism by pummeling Grambling by 50″

    Greatness

  2. Iowa State and Kansas St. both received votes in the Harris Poll. Thank goodness we don’t have to play them this year, at least in the regular season. And thank you Harris Poll voters for restoring my faith in the system.

  3. texastough -

    That’s awesome in its ignorance. I didn’t know that. Still, ISU has to feel pretty good about where Rhoads is taking them. 3-1 is beyond their wildest expectations even against a slate of weaklings and a bad Iowa blowout.

  4. Speaking of awesome ignorance, did CAC even bother to make it to the UTEP game? He probably left after the Colt pick 6 because he was too hot and figured Texas was doomed anyways.

  5. The game on Thanksgiving will look much less interesting a few weeks into conference play.

  6. I look forward to watching the Texas/CU game in two weeks from a sports bar in Denver. Will any CU fans even show up? They’re probably already looking ahead to ski season.

    I like Mizzou at home against Nebraska. Gabbert hasn’t faced any tough defenses but he seems well ahead of the curve as a rookie QB in the Big 12. Danario Alexander will never be confused with Maclin but he can exploit the Huskers’ secondary and they’ll need to because I don’t see Mizzou being able to run the ball consistently against Nebraska’s front 7. Hopefully Weatherspoon starts tackling the opponent soon instead of his own guys. Dude needs to reel it in a bit but I do like their RS freshman LB from Plugerville, #25. HenryJames thinks this game comes down to running, passing, scoring, defense, coaching, and special teams. We have a visionary in our midst, people.

    Since it’s at home, 24-20 Tigers.

    Tough break for Griffin. I was actually looking forward to the trip to Waco, mainly for the kolaches at the Czech stop but also to see RGIII in action.

    The OU/Miami game has Sugar’s written all over it. Just a dirty matchup that deserves a dirty venue.

  7. hgo3 -

    I enjoy manunfacturing drama. For example, sometimes before I open my fridge I like to imagine that there are Thai leftovers even when I know that there aren’t. Those few moments of anticipation make the exercise worth it.

    Vasherized -

    I anticipate a round robin of beatings in the North - how they fare against their South slate will determine the title game sacrificial lamb.

  8. Beautiful analogy Scip.

    When I think of Texas A&M football leftovers is exactly what comes to mind.

  9. Since this is an “around the Big 12″ post, can I ask if there are any reports on how the AgAssist message service responded on Saturday?

  10. All I said was “Hey you pirate fucking doucher, ever consider kicking a god damned field goal?” And he goes all Billy Martin on me..

  11. And Leach told Carter, “The time to tell me that you can’t get a yard is before the ball is snapped.”

  12. texastough: It was a huge success. Sheep rape dropped 40%.

  13. Jimmy Stewart said:

    September 28th, 2009 at 1:57 pm

    “He made defenses more honest than Jimmy Stewart.”

    Now, now wait a minute. Me, Harvey & Clarence are going to punch you in the face for defaming my name with a no-good land thief. Why I outta.

  14. Dr. Mike McKinney said:

    September 28th, 2009 at 2:29 pm

    AgAssist is working great - an unfortunate binocular incident was quickly treated before things got out of hand and my imagination ran wild.

  15. Danario Alexander is a monster, the guy is a huge and awesome WR. I would not be surprised if he ends up all big 12.

    Bummer for CTJ.

    The reason Tech gets to keep Leach is because his insanity scares off all the schools that he is interested in. Sometimes you gotta take the bad with the good. He is still an offensive genius. Tech was bound to have a letdown after the Texas game. The U of H QB played great and is super quick.

    Great point about tackling practice at CU. It is tough to live practice tackling because of the risk.

  16. Leach is like an elephant. I love elephants. They’re amazing. Fun to watch. They do things that make you laugh. They do things that are awe inducing. They’re smart, pecuilar, and capable of great mischief and mayhem.

    All of that said….

    I have no desire to OWN an elephant.

  17. The reason Tech gets to keep Leach is because his insanity scares off all the schools that he is interested in. Sometimes you gotta take the bad with the good. He is still an offensive genius.

    Mike Leach is not a genuis. Mike Leach is an idiot savant.

  18. Scipio, you have just successfully and precisely summarized a decade of Texas Tech football under Mike Leach in less than 50 words. I bow to your greatness.

  19. The biggest beneficiary of the RG4 tragedy and the Leachplosion is likely Nebraska. Having to play at KU and at Missouri put them in the hole to start, and a road trip to Waco was looking like a possible deal breaker, not to mention TT at home. Now they can afford to drop one to Mizzou or Kansas and still have a decent shot, especially with Kansas on the road at TT and with OU and UT on the slate. Mizzou’s Nebraska game is a must win. Frankly, if we beat Nebraska and lose by a combined four quadrillion @OSU and against UT, we still have a very good shot at the title game. As much as I hate to be this sort of fan, beating NU is infinitely more important than how we perform against OSU and UT.

    I have a hard time seeing Nebraska moving the ball consistently at Faurot in a crazy Thursday night game. If Gabbert plays relatively error-free and we can sustain a few drives, I see a 31 - 20 sort of game. However, it is very possible that the offense implodes a’la Bowling Green first half, in which case Nebraska will be able to work its ball control offense. Should be an entertaining game that I will, unfortunately, barely remember due to the 4 barrels of alcohol I will have consumed to quiet my nerves and loosen my bowels.

  20. Nate -

    Thanks, man.

    Gene Claude:

    Regarding a preference for beating NU over UT - are your feelings strategic in terms of the Big 12 North title game or are you simply motivated by a desire to crush Nebraska?

  21. Scipio, your post confirms Pelini’s “camouflage” factor vis-à-vis press coverage. He’s such a strangely two-dimensional personality that people can do write-ups of the Big 12 and stop after 11 teams, forgetting to mention him.

    It’s great that Tiger fans bring this blind spot to your attention: they hold bitterness in their hearts still, and can be counted on to nurse this grudge like a slightly less tan version of Ricardo Montalban.

  22. parlin -

    Pelini camo is effective, but I was actually just looking at our opponents. That’s why no coverage of ISU, KSU either.

  23. Both. Nebraska’s schedule is such that if they beat us, it is going to be tough to get ahead of them for the North title. I realize that winning the North serves only to offer us up to the alter of the South, but that’s the only route to a BCS bowl and real national prominence, so I’ll keep hoping. And trips to Dallas are always fun.

    Plus,I’m a realist. We are a long ways from competing with Texas, either on the field or the recruiting trail. Sure, we have a puncher’s chance with UT at Faurot this year, but it isn’t like a win over the Horns is going to suddenly establish Missouri hegemony for Texas recruits. On the other hand, we are locked in a guerilla war with Nebraska for control over the north. We recruit against them every day, and really, Nebraska is the one team I legitimately fear could take over the North and make us fighting for Holiday and Alamo Bowls year in, year out. We need to keep them down as long as possible. I loathe KU more, but Nebraska is a bigger long term threat.

  24. Excellent assessment. Thanks.

  25. I may or may not have an internet crush on Scipio for his ability to use the English language in such creative and stimulating ways. The elephant analogy was fabulous.

    I was so sad to hear about Griffin. Tough loss for Baylor. But, perhaps we’ll see exactly how good of a coach Briles is without his star QB to make him look all the better.

    Can’t wait for the ou/Miami game. Hopefully I’ll get to watch it. Stupid studying always getting in the way…

  26. Ah Scipio — the UNSAVORY BOWL. Wonderful. And what would the trophy look like for said game?

    Handcuffs around a bottle of snake oil mounted on a partially burned copy of NCAA rulebook with numbers of Bail Bondsmen on the back cover?

  27. But, perhaps we’ll see exactly how good of a coach Briles is without his star QB to make him look all the better.

    I’m not sure this will be instructive.

  28. Losing RG3 is crushing. However, not an end to our season. Syz is only a few solid games away from being the all-time leading passer at Baylor. Wow… that just gave me a head-rush and an overwhelming sense of being nauseated. God can’t hate us THAT much… any bowl will do, like a homeless man standing at a Baylor soup kitchen.

    That Colorado post HAS to be a joke. Perhaps its just this guy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvvEg0Cs4iE) fuckin’ with us.

    Being that I am a Dallas/Baylor/ND fan:
    Cowboys: Jones & Barber… injured
    BU: RG3 & Baker (senior CB)… done, Syz… dtd
    ND: Floyd… season over, Clausen & Allen… who knows?

    I’ll stay away from cheering for anything burnt orange with the hopes that the injury virus (burns worse than herpes) stays away from y’all.

  29. I know it’s not logical, but i can’t help it: When ou loses, i feel happy. Go canes.

  30. “Losing RG3 is crushing. However, not an end to our season. Syz is only a few solid games away from being the all-time leading passer at Baylor.”

    Losing the best player in your program’s history and replacing him with a 23 year old who has garnered starts simply by not being the biggest tard on your depth chart for the last half decade is effectively the end of your season.

    Look at the remainder of your schedule and point to four wins. Even the games in Ames and College Station are reaches without RG3. I wish the kid a speedy recovery. He is special.

  31. RG3 should have focused exclusively on track. He would be better off long term physically, financially, and culturally by being an international track star. Should have followed Michael Johnson’s lead. Michael seems to have done very well financially (and that’s ‘90’s money), and he seems to walking without a limp.

  32. The dude has a minor tear in his ACL. He’s not paralyzed.

  33. As I have posted elsewhere:

    If Leach wants his players to stop acting like asses in public, Leach ought to quit acting like an ass in publc.

  34. magnusbleuveigner said:

    September 29th, 2009 at 8:03 am

    He’ll make more money as a WR in the NFL than he would as a hurdler. That’s not to say that he doesn’t have a chance at QB. WR is worst case scenario.

    I don’t think Michael Johnson could throw a football, and RG doesn’t have MJ’s track upside. Football is a no-brainer.

  35. Sasha-

    10 Reasons to Beware Scipio

    10. Uses a thesaurus for his big words
    9. Like his namesake, from very early age considers himself divinely inspired; pride incurs
    the wrath of his enemies (Tim; NateHeupel)
    8. Maltreats family dog under guise of “researching” reach-block technique
    7. T-Boone dialogues suggest incipient psychosis
    6. Has intimate knowledge of Stoops’s crawl-space
    5. Unresolved issues with his older brother
    4. Gary Busey post (enough said)
    3. Can still moonwalk
    2. Deep-seated hatred of “Magic Running-Back” theory
    1. “Clipper” is real

  36. Losing the best player in your program’s history and replacing him with a 23 year old who has garnered starts simply by not being the biggest tard on your depth chart for the last half decade is effectively the end of your season.

    Mike Singletary would beg to differ.

  37. mikecrabtree said:

    September 29th, 2009 at 8:51 am

    I actually own an elephant. it is a lot of fun and it is awe inspiring. however, that thing sometimes takes huge dumps in my living room.

    (just confirming the genius of your analogy)

  38. mikecrabtree said:

    September 29th, 2009 at 8:56 am

    Did anyone else see Leaches half time interview about igniting the running game? that was priceless. Ag_in_TX should worry about heading to the Jones in October more than other team’s coaches.

  39. Sasha-

    e-harmony should pay us kickbacks. Thanks for the kind words. Studying on a Saturday? Not acceptable.

    BU 06 ND 09-

    Thanks for your thoughts, but I think you may be as confused about what problems Griffin posed to a defense as you are by your academic theology choices. Blake isn’t a bad player, but he’s a traditional spread QB who offers no run threat. Your entire running game is predicated on Griffin keeping the backside LB and DE honest, creating massive holes for Finley via simple scheme.

    And all teams must play their DEs in a strict contain technique and assign a LB or S spy. Which opened up all sorts of Briles misdirection. No more. You will be defended now for what you now are - a 2nd rate spread team. That doesn’t mean you won’t be competitive against the bottom and middle of the league but it does mean you’re not going to be pulling off any upsets and every game - Iowa State included - is now a dogfight.

    It’s a pity - I’m a massive RGIII fan and Baylor had become Barking Carnival’s pet project this year.

    vibe:

    That’s entirely logical. Kant is less logical than that.

    parlin:

    I clearly know you in some fashion.

    mikeycrabs:

    Yes, Tech fans do own the Elephant. If the Elephant can keep the herd together, it’s not like your season is in ruins. Texas and Houston are quality. You’ve got two games to get your heads right.

  40. I fully expect the game in Lubbock to be one of A&M’s two losses this season.

  41. That’s a fairly reasonable bet going into any year.

    You have the Ags going 10-2?

  42. Scip, I should also add that if we are going to beat UT this year, I want it to be in the Big 12 championship. That would have an exponentially greater impact on the future of Missouri football than beating UT at Faurot in October. And to get to play UT in the championship, we will almost certainly have to beat Nebraska next week.

  43. That’s a good point, GC. Not only would a high profile national television victory give you a huge boost, but you’d then likely face a Big 10 opponent in the Fiesta Bowl that you’d have a decent shot at beating. That would be heady stuff for the Tigers.

    Obviously, I think your chances are better at Faurot given that we’d have a de facto home field advantage in Dallas (4:1 Texas-Mizzou fans?)and a fast track that plays to our speed advantage.

    Speculating is fun and completely baseless. We’ll weep in two months when Oklahoma State plays Kansas for the marbles.

  44. I predicted a 10-2 season here before the season started. Perhaps I’m drunk on maroon kool-aid, but the rest of the season goes like this:

    Arkansas - Win. A&M high power passing attack is too much for the #119 passing defense in the nation.

    OSU @ Kyle - Win. Gundy never fails to lose games that he has no business losing. This is the one win I feel most shaky about.

    @ KSU - Win. They are horrible this year.

    @ TT - Loss

    ISU @ Kyle - Win. A&M beats an average ISU squad yet again.

    @ CU - Win. Cu is horrible.

    @ OU - Loss

    Baylor @ Kyle - Win. Especially now that Griffin is hurt

    and

    you people @ Kyle - Win. Why not? We weren’t supposed to win two years ago at Kyle either, were we? And I think the one-demensionality of y’alls offense is going to eventually lead to problems keeping young Mr. McCoy healthy.

    That would leave us at 10-2, but with both losses in the Big XII South, not much chance of being in the title game.

    Even if you take away the OSU win and the one against y’all, that would leave us at 8-4 and in a decent bowl. Not bad for a team everyone outside of College Station was predicting for the cellar.

    And with a very young squad, I would then predict us competing for the conference championship (again) the next year.

  45. Bat Shit Crazy said:

    September 29th, 2009 at 12:27 pm

    Over here!

  46. lol - INDEED!

  47. “Leach is like an elephant. I love elephants.”

    The Roman General Scipio Africanus was famous for countering Hannibal’s elephant calvary.

  48. Agreed. Seeing either KU or Nebraska in Dallas would instigate much weeping. You can be certain that I will be clad in Texas Orange, however. I just want to make the championship game, anything else is gravy.

    What is your take thus far on Nebraska?

    AG: Your “even if” statement about 8 - 4 would merely crown you tallest of the midgets. No doubt a source of some pride amongst the short ones, but hardly something to boast of in the land of the large.

  49. I agree that 8-4 would be pretty much a “meh”, at least for me.

    Many of my brethern would be very happy, but I would look on it as just a step in the right direction, not really all that much of a success story.

  50. eskimo -

    This is true. He opened the Roman lines and allowed the elephants to charge straight through and then picked them off on the other side. The legend is that they also set pigs alight (covered back in tar and set them on fire) and sent them towards the elephants which caused many to panic and crash back through the Carthaginian lines. I think we should have tried this last year in Lubbock.

    Ag in Tx -

    I appreciate your optimism. I can definitely concieve of an Aggie upset of OSU in College Station and your North slate draw is as friendly as it gets. I’m not sold on your defense and I think your offense will experience a steep cliff when they play a defense with talent at all three levels.

    Jerrod Johnson has been fantastic though and I love that he’s now making plays with his feet. That’s the guy I remember in high school.

    GC -

    Nebraska is what I thought they’d be. I dig Helu and their run blocking ability, I buy into their defensive front 4 though I question how they’ll fare against a first rate passing attack, and their season pretty much rests on Zac Lee’s arm. If he can keep D’s honest and convert 3rd down at +42%, NU is going to be hard to keep out of Arlington.

    You and the Jayhawks need to be each others greatest fans and each take care of business at home. That Baylor roady is now a win for Nebraska and they’re fully capable of beating Tech and/or Oklahoma at home (assuming OU has QB issues).

  51. I’ll buy the capable of beating Tech at home, but I’m not buying the OU part. Suh is great, but will be mitigated by OU’s line and spread offenses. Helu and their run blocking are very good, but Mizzou and others will be able to take that away from them unless Lee is either 65+% accurate or can make plays down the field, neither of which seem likely over the course of several games. I just don’t think they have enough offense to pull it off. They are going to struggle to come from behind against anybody. Although, if they pull out a win at Faurot, they are going to the championship barring KU being even better than I think they are. And there is a very good chance Blaine Gabbert turns to mush under the pressure.

    I’ve been surprised that Nebraska’s D has been as stout as it has, although they haven’t faced anybody particularly daunting yet. The Nebraska D last year was one of the most misunderstood units in college football. An historically aberrant 3rd down defense, a ball control offense and a weak schedule produced the illusion of defensive dominance that I didn’t think could be repeated.

    After the lit pig has exhausted its military usefulness, is it edible? I like the idea of fully recyclable pork weapons. We should be talking to the Poles about stationing these on their land instead of that silly missile defense system.

    Ag: We drafted Jerrod Johnson late in a 2 starting QB college fantasy league (to pair with Gabbert and Potts) and look brilliant at the moment. I would be all for an Aggie resurgence, except you appear on Mizzou’s next two schedules. Good luck this year, however.

  52. Another question for those of you Horns that follow recruiting…is there any chance you are going to poach James Franklin from us? Please, let us have some of the Lone Star nubbins….

  53. I request no more talk of animal cruelty. My heart is breaking. Y’all don’t want to make a girl cry, do you?

  54. magnusbleuveigner said:

    September 29th, 2009 at 2:44 pm

    Per James Franklin, you couldn’t be more safe.

    Now I wouldn’t mind stealing a James Haynes or a Trey Franks from OU to combine into an almost James Franklin.

  55. GoBigRed! (NOT CRIMSON) said:

    September 29th, 2009 at 3:24 pm

    I love this site, but nobody ever defends my Huskers, so I must. I feel good about us winning the North, however, memories of 2002 - present inspire wobbly knees.

  56. GoBigRed! (NOT CRIMSON) said:

    September 29th, 2009 at 3:38 pm

    Gene Claude,

    Do you know any backstory on why Tyler Gabbert committed to NU instead of ya’ll? I figured him a dead lock for ya’ll?

  57. @parlinhall:
    “pride incurs the wrath of his enemies (Tim; NateHeupel)”

    First of all, Trips Right is my enemy, as far as enemies that I’ve never met and have no actual ill-will towards go. Saying Scipio is my enemy is like Mark Price saying Michael Jordan is his arch-rival.

    Second, I understand what you’re doing here, and I applaud you. The list is absolutely hilarious. But if you ever lump me in with that f*cking Martian again (tim), I swear to Tebow that I will see to it that you spend the last minutes of your life listening to Bill Little, Bill Byrne, and George W. Bush arguing about advanced syntax and sentence structure. You’ll feel like you’re listening to Bobby Boucher read James Joyce aloud.

  58. NateHeupel ≠ Tim

    Trips Right ≫ NateHeupel

  59. HJ, don’t you find the choice of “relive” a bit odd? Isn’t it unnatural to compare Bill Little and anything involving some derivation of the word “life”?

  60. Gene Claude,

    I’m curious as to what you’ve seen from MU that would lead you to believe they will be able to stop NU’s run game? Nevada was able to run on them well (200+ yards at almost 5 yards a carry I think) and if not for a lucky fumble by their HB, we’d all having a whole different conversation. To be honest, I don’t think Mizzou has the interior DL to consistently stop a decent running attack, although your DE’s are quite fast.

    Mizzou beat up on a hapless Illini squad, demolished Furman, struggled against BGSU at home, and struggled against Nevada. Granted, I’d say Gabbert at this point is probably better than I expected, but he hasn’t faced a real team yet either. Although neither has NU, with the exception of VT.

    Just curious to hear what your thoughts are.

  61. Bowling For Soup (Texas Wants You Back) said:

    September 29th, 2009 at 7:58 pm

    “Another question for those of you Horns that follow recruiting…is there any chance you are going to poach James Franklin from us? Please, let us have some of the Lone Star nubbins….”

    GC - The kid is all yours unless Taylor Bible kills him in a couple of weeks..
    Just kidding, I hope. They both seem to be great leaders and well behaved young men. Good luck to James and his future with the Tigers..

  62. Wow Ag In TX, I thought I was overdoing it on the optimism a little and I have us going 7-5. Take it from someone who has been at all 3 games, the teams we were playing were the level of scrub you rarely see playing D1 ball.

    That said, I would love an upset of OSU at home. It’s our best chance for one this season. Plus we have a really favorable North draw. Still, 10-2 is overshooting the runway by about 3 states.

  63. Mister MIke:

    How good of a runner do you think Zac Lee is? If you were a defensive end, you think you would crash down on Helu if Lee was the other option? Kaepernick is a handful to scheme against running the ball.

    I’m fairly certain that the Tigers will sell out to stop the run, with Weatherspoon and Ebner shooting inside gaps with the ends playing contain on the outside, and forcing Lee to go midrange. Safeties will not stop playing cover 2 until Lee proves that he can either run outside (unpossible) or throwing down seams (likely). It’s going to be a game of which QB/WR tandem can control the ball without turnovers. I like Mizzou’s chances at home in that scenario.

  64. I drink the kool-aid hard and heavy - I am what I am.

  65. AG: I’m with you. There’s enough in the world to be pessimistic about, I don’t see the point in making college football another one of them.

    Always look on…the bright side of life…..

  66. Ag - actually after looking at your schedule i don’t see any reason you guys couldnt be 9-3. Unfortunately, that requires winning all the games you “should” and winning one against UT, OSU, or TTU. The OU game is a guaranteed L. Your best bet is OSU at home and I would guess you lose @ Jones and against UT because their defense will be too good.

    I do appreciate the optimism though. I need to start getting some optimism…maybe shalacking UNM and KSU will help…..

    Hopefully our history of eeking out wins over Nebraska will continue, but i’m not counting on it. Especially if B Carter isn’t reinstated. Think of how many babies that guy eats on any given day. it’s exhausting.

  67. Alesana Alesana Alesana Candyman said:

    September 30th, 2009 at 11:32 pm

    I gotta say, I really like the direction this whole article took. Ignoring Kansas State’s affiliation with the Big 12 is pure Genius. I honestly believe if we ignore them long enough they will go away and we can add TCU . I believe this deep in my heart. They are like your toothless bully cousin, ignore him long enough and he will just go bother somebody else. ISU can stick around for the same reason Aggs do, its hilarious.

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    The lone and level swamps stretch far away

  • Huskerwes1 commented on the blog post The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Idle Week #1, 2009 4 hours, 17 minutes ago

    “Ugly: Lou Holtz declaring Casey Clausen to be the clear front runner for the Heisman Trophy on College Football Final. Huh? Beg Pardon? Say What? Where in the hell does that come from? And where do they hide Lou’s drool cup while he’s on set? And why do

  • Huskerwes1 commented on the blog post jones Top Ten – Week Five – 2009 4 hours, 28 minutes ago

    “The only thing worse, as the saying goes, than a sentimental old fool, is a sentimental young one. At 42, I am unsure which camp I am in anymore.”

    Dude, you’re old.

    Just keepin it real; I would have said the same even if you didn’t call my beloved Tom boring.

  • Huskerwes1 commented on the blog post Pressure Building on Bobby Bowden 4 hours, 35 minutes ago

    Bowden and Paterno remind me of when I had to take my grandpa’s keys away for the sake of every other driver on the road.

    He was very upset and if he would have said no, I couldn’t have fought him. That old man would have whipped my ass all over the place.

  • Huskerwes1 commented on the blog post blogpoll – Draft – Week 5 4 hours, 45 minutes ago

    I am no lover of OU by any stretch. They will beat my boys at our house. They are better than 24th.

    They lose once more this year to Texas, win the rest, and Bob will win a bowl.

    I’m sure next year he will have “The Best Sooner Team Ever”

  • Sailor Ripley commented on the blog post Pressure Building on Bobby Bowden 4 hours, 57 minutes ago

    What’s the latest take on Jimbo Fisher?

  • CloseToJumping commented on the blog post Pressure Building on Bobby Bowden 4 hours, 59 minutes ago

    Jimbo Fisher is an overrated buffoon at this point. Look at the FSU offensive performances statistically under Jeff Bowden compared to Fisher and they are almost the same or in Bowden’s favor. Beyond the stats, I watch the games and I am happy he’s not the Texas OC. Wow. That guy is a bust as

  • Sailor Ripley commented on the blog post Pressure Building on Bobby Bowden 4 hours, 59 minutes ago

    What’s the latest take on Jimbo Fisher?

  • BEHorn commented on the blog post blogpoll – Draft – Week 5 6 hours, 17 minutes ago

    Chip – “Cincy is beating everyone they play like a drum and Miami’s loss is much more understandable and justifiable than is USC’s.”

    Not sure about Miami being “much” more understanding than SC. Miami was playing its starting QB, SC wasn’t. And while Miami lost to a team that’s materially better than Washington, the

  • Scipio Tex commented on the blog post Your Saturday Open Thread 6 hours, 29 minutes ago

    That game probably cost you a BCS at-large bid.

  • Hank Dudek commented on the blog post Vince Young the Natural 6 hours, 30 minutes ago

    Amen brutha!

    May the good lord be with you
    Down every road you roam
    And may sunshine and happiness
    Surround you when youre far from home
    And may you grow to be proud
    Dignified and true
    And do unto others
    As youd have done to you
    Be courageous and be brave
    And in my heart youll always stay
    Forever young, forever young
    Forever young, forever young

    May good

  • Art Vandelay commented on the blog post blogpoll – Draft – Week 5 6 hours, 31 minutes ago

    Scattershooting: are Fozzy and Felix Jones the same player?
    Was Curb your Enthusiasm a winner tonight?

  • Scipio Tex commented on the blog post Vince Young the Natural 6 hours, 32 minutes ago

    Busta -

    True enough. But it’s hard for Vince to trust. He can’t tell the friends from the scammers because he has so much experience with the latter and so few of the former.

    Vasherized -

    Fisher is so married to the idea of Vince Young as a failure foisted on

  • Scipio Tex commented on the blog post Vince Young the Natural 6 hours, 32 minutes ago

    Busta -

    True enough. But it’s hard for Vince to trust.

    Vasherized -

    Fisher is so married to the idea of Vince Young as a failure foisted on him by a manipulative owner that even giving him a shot is tough for him to do. He’s psychologically committed to the guy failing.

  • Scipio Tex commented on the blog post blogpoll – Draft – Week 5 6 hours, 38 minutes ago

    Art -

    I’d accept any order from those three.

    Obviously, it’s an academic exercise since Florida and Alabama play an elimination game at season’s end, but I’m rewarding Alabama for their play on the field against some decent to good teams (Arkansas, Va Tech, Kentucky). Alabama is the best blend of resume

  • Bob Along commented on the blog post Pressure Building on Bobby Bowden 6 hours, 51 minutes ago

    funny how time changes perceptions… when JoePa and Bobby were essentially tied for all-time wins, who in the world would have thought that over the next few years Joe would pull ahead? I would have gladly bet that by now Bowden would be far enough ahead that he wouldn’t even sweat the possible

  • Art Vandelay commented on the blog post blogpoll – Draft – Week 5 6 hours, 53 minutes ago

    Scipio, I’d like you to explain your rational for Texas as #3. No reason IMO they aren’t #1 or #2. I’ve always prided myself as not seeing things through Burnt Orange glasses, so I’m struggling with you putting us number three in your poll. I really like our experience on offense,

  • admin commented on the blog post Pressure Building on Bobby Bowden 7 hours, 14 minutes ago

    Props.

  • t1climb1 commented on the blog post Pressure Building on Bobby Bowden 7 hours, 19 minutes ago

    I gots mad HTML skillz ya’ll.

  • t1climb1 commented on the blog post Pressure Building on Bobby Bowden 7 hours, 20 minutes ago

    King LearBowden – The aging king of Britain coach of FSU and is used to enjoying absolute power and to being flattered. He does not respond well to being contradicted or challenged. At the beginning of the playseason, he prizes the appearance of love over actual devotion and wishes to maintain the power of

  • t1climb1 commented on the blog post It’s Official: Christian Scott and Brandon Collins done for the year 7 hours, 27 minutes ago

    test test

  • parlin commented on the blog post Pressure Building on Bobby Bowden 7 hours, 40 minutes ago

    The “Lear” references are nice, and not at all out of place on this site.

  • parlin commented on the blog post jones Top Ten – Week Five – 2009 8 hours, 7 minutes ago

    JTT–

    The Orange Bowl game you remember followed the 1983 season, and was played, if I remember right, the day after New Year’s in January of 1984.

    Osborne was widely praised for his gutsy decision, as a tie wins him his first national championship. He’s indeed an uneventful guy in person, but was oddly prone to gambling

  • srr50 commented on the blog post Pressure Building on Bobby Bowden 8 hours, 22 minutes ago

    The 2nd place SEC team would be above them — and then Notre Dame — which seems to elude disaster at the last minute each and every week, could be eligible for a BCS berth as well.

    To say nothing of Boise State.

  • maninblack commented on the blog post The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Idle Week #1, 2009 8 hours, 32 minutes ago

    Penn State is not a top 10 team. They looked awful before beating a horrendous Illinois team. I think they lose two more in Big 10 play.

  • srr50 commented on the blog post Pressure Building on Bobby Bowden 9 hours, 28 minutes ago

    you’re right bigdukesix. It will be interesting to see how Miami handles the rest of the season. They could be 11-1 and shut out of the BCS.

  • Sailor Ripley commented on the blog post Pressure Building on Bobby Bowden 9 hours, 31 minutes ago

    FSU has appealed the ruling, denying any knowledge of infractions by the football staff and saying the coach’s records should not be altered.

    Now there’s an academic institution. While Christian Scott sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cell, an innocent man in a living hell.

  • Black Scholes commented on the blog post The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Idle Week #1, 2009 9 hours, 56 minutes ago

    hayden – I’m not sure the second celebration call on LSU wasn’t either a flat make-up or at the very least a must call for the pointing after the previous phantom one. Regardless, the damage was done to UGA.

  • srr50 wrote a new blog post: Pressure Building on Bobby Bowden 10 hours, 12 minutes ago

    From 1987-2000 Florida State was 152-19-1, finishing in the Top 5 for a incredible 14 years in a row.

    Since 2006, the Seminoles are 24-19, and even the hometown media thinks it is time for Bowden to step down.

    With the 28-21 loss to Boston College on Saturday, the Seminoles have now lost two straight since

  • Texastough commented on the blog post The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Idle Week #1, 2009 11 hours, 16 minutes ago

    “5-0 is as good as Chizik could possibly be after five games”

    astute observation