Showing posts with label 2010 Big 12 Football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2010 Big 12 Football. Show all posts

Friday, October 15, 2010

Mizzou Faces Test Saturday in College Station


The Missouri Tigers head to College Station, TX on Saturday to take on the Texas A&M Aggies in an 11AM kickoff Saturday Morning. The Tigers are an undefeated 5-0 and 1-0 in the Conference having shutout Colorado at home last week. The A&M Aggies have lost two straight and are sure to be good and pissed for this one especially after the tough loss at home last week to 12th ranked Arkansas. Texas A&M leads the all time series with Missouri 7-3.

It's a big game for the Tigers and their Quarterback Blaine Gabbert. If the Tigers are to challenge for the Big 12 North, they need to be without a loss when they head into Lincoln for a showdown with division favorite Nebraska on October 30th. Gabbert is nursing a painful hip pointer injury sustained in last Saturday nights game. If he is not 100% it could hurt Missouri's chances at stealing an ever elusive conference road win.

The Aggies are a 3.5 point favorite. It may come down to how well the Missouri defence plays - if they can stop A&M like they did Colorado, they stand a good chance. I think Missouri wins this one in a close game - let's go with 27-24.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

K-State vs. Nebraska Could Decide the North

Stop if you've heard this before: Nebraska and Kansas State have a big game that will likely decide the North title. No, it isn't 1997, 2001 or last year. The winner of tonight's K-State Nebraska will once again gain an inside track to making it to the Big 12 title game in Dallas.

K-State got to this point (undefeated and first in the North standings) the way it always does under Bill Snyder - running the ball, controlling the clock and not making mistakes. While the cats haven't beaten anyone impressive, they have executed on both sides of the ball all year long and should contend for the North in a weak year for the Big 12.

Most insiders predict Nebaska to win this game and the North, and for good reason. The Huskers finally have a playmaker under center in Taylor Martinez, and its offense has looked explosive at times this season. Despite losing all-world DT Ndamukung Song to the NFL, the defense is in typical Bo Pelini form.

Nebraska appears to be the better team from top to bottom, but don't count out the Wildcats. K-State has a hall-of-fame coach and will feed off of what should be a great home crowd. The game should remind us of the great Nebraska vs. Kansas State matchups from the late 90's and early 2000's. The winner of this game gains a big inside track to the North title, and with the Big 12 South being down, a shot at a Big 12 crown and BCS berth is not out of the question.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Big 12 Football: A Look at Today's Games

With most Big 12 teams starting conference play this week, the conference's picture will soon come into focus. One game can make or break a season in college football, and week one in league play only supports this notion. We have already seen one thrilling game this week, with Oklahoma State knocking off Texas A&M 38-35. The win gives the pokes an inside track to compete for the Big 12 South title. Examining the remaining matchups on a game-by-game basis shows what each team has to gain (and lose) in week five.

21 Texas at 8 Oklahoma
This game almost always decides who will win the league and have a possible shot at an appearance in the national title game. This year may be no different, however both teams have struggled in the non-conference slate. Texas will look to rebound from an embarrasing loss to UCLA, while a win for OU would put them in the national title hunt.

Texas Tech at Iowa State
Both of these teams sit at 0-1 in the league after tough losses in rivalry games. The cyclones are solid, yet face a daunting schedule. Texas Tech is young and still needs a win to prove itself. Both teams need this game to avoid a big early season hole and a chance to get back into the bowl picture.

Kansas at Baylor
Both teams must win this game to have any shot at making the post-season. Kansas has been extremely up and down and traditionally struggles on the road. Baylor sits at 3-1 and will likely need to win this game to have a shot at a bowl in the tough South division. Stick a fork in whoever loses this one.

Georgia at Colorado
A matchup of two coaches who likely will not be back next season. Is this the game that finally gets Colorado going? Will Georgia start winning and save Mark Richt's job? Expect a sloppy one in Boulder.

Week one is full of great matchups and plenty of intrigue. By tonight, the Big 12 race will have some clear favorites. Let the fireworks begin.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Big 12 Preview: League as Wide Open as Ever

With most Big 12 schools starting conference play this next weekend and the non-conference schedules almost wrapped up, the league picture is starting to come into focus. If the non-conference results are any indicator, this could be the most wide open league the Big 12 has seen in its history as a conference.

The conference remains wide open mostly due to the struggles of the league's two perennial top teams, Texas and Oklahoma. Texas struggled all non-conference play, and its problems finally cumulated in a blowout loss to UCLA. Oklahoma, picked by most pundits to win the league, has remained undefeated so far. Despite the perfect record, it has been anything but easy for the Sooners. OU hung on to beat Air Force and then narrowly escaped Cincinnati. None of these teams are that strong, and if there is any year that a team not named Texas or Oklahoma makes a run at a Big 12 title, this could be it.

One team that could push UT and OU is Nebraska. The Huskers finally appear to have a dangerous offense to go with its stout defense now that Taylor Martinez is behind center. However, the team struggled against FCS South Dakota State saturday, and the Huskers have struggled to remain consistent the last several seasons under Bo Pelini. Other teams picked to finish high in the league, such as Missouri, Texas A & M and Texas Tech have all struggled against lesser teams during the non-conference schedule as well. Add these teams to a team like Kansas who lost to an FCS opponent in week one and then beat last year's ACC champion in week two, and it is hard to figure out how the Big 12 play will shape out.

While its hard to pick against Texas and Oklahoma once again being the class of the Big 12, the two juggernauts have looked beatable so far this season. The only problem is, few if any other Big 12 schools seem ready to challenge them. While predicting the league is tough, one thing is for sure: this is the closest from top to bottom the Big 12 has ever been.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Colorado Should Leave the Big 12 ASAP


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New reports indicate that Colorado is planning on staying in the Big 12 until the 2012 season, despite Nebraska's plans to leave after this upcomming season. The Buffalos indicated that financial reasons are behind the school's decision to stay put for a few seasons.
Only problem is, Colorado still plans on leaving the Big 12 for the Pac 10 once it gets its financial situation dealt with. The same school that can't afford to fire lame-duck coach Dan Hawkins because the buy-out is too high. My question is: why should the Big 12 let Colorado hang around? Why should it bail out a school who is leaving for "greener" pastures in the Pac 10. Especially a team that constantly finishes at the bottom of the league in the revenue sports.
Think about it this way. If you had a girlfriend who decided to leave you for another man, would you let her stay in your house until her boyfriend was available? This is what Colorado wants to do. Stay in the Big 12 until it is financially stable, then jump to the Pac 10. The Big 12 doesn't owe Colorado anything. Another issue is scheduling; when Nebraska leaves the Big 12 will be at 11 teams. With ten teams, the league can have an even schedule in football and basketball. The Big 12 shouldn't complicate its schedule and prolong the inevitable by letting Colorado hang around an extra year.
The Buffs decided to leave the Big 12 for another conference. The Big 12 should move on and carry on without Colorado after this upcomming season, whether the Buffalos want to or not.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Big 12 Media Poll Released


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The Big 12 media has released its prediction for the upcoming football season, predicting Nebraska to win the North and Oklahoma to win the South. The prediction comes before the Big 12 Media days, which will run Monday through Wednesday next week.

Missouri was picked to finish second in the North, followed by Kansas State, Kansas, Colorado and Iowa State. A large factor in predicting the North is the teams' South schedule: teams that draw Texas and Oklahoma often are predicted to finish lower in the league due to what is perceived to be an automatic loss.

While Oklahoma was favored to win the South, last season's national runner-up Texas trailed the Sooners by only a few votes. Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Baylor round up the rest of the division. As usual, the South could be decided when the Sooners and Longhorns collide in the Red River Rivalry.

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