TXA&M07
Roll the dice....
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The Big12 Year in Review:
Not to disappoint, Ive finally had an opportunity to take a look at the overall status of the Big 12 now that the Bowl games are done and come up with the following insight as to how things played out. What you will not find are defined predictions for next year. From a fans perspective, these observations are all based on the numbers, and the events that took place.
Enjoy.
North:
North Big 12 Pct Overall Pct
Missouri 6-2 .750 10-3 .769
Nebraska 6-2 .750 10-4 .714
Kansas Lite 3-5 .375 7-6 .538
Iowa State 3-5 .375 5-7 .417
Colorado 2-6 .250 5-7 .417
Kansas 1-7 .125 3-9 .250
After an unpredictable series of events on the field and on the sidelines, Nebraskas farewell tour failed to meet expectations and the Cornhuskers will ride off into the sunset with more questions than answers about their future. The positive side of their departure is that they will presumably not be challenged early next year in their schedule, which will allow for some sense of unity to become reestablished. Pelinis lack of character maybe the biggest story with the program, and frankly, when a coach is bigger than the team, problems will always arise from with in. So good luck with all that Tom Osborne.
As for Missouri, this years successful season can be attributed to staying under the radar and taking care of what any team can control. Themselves. The tigers did a fine job of handling themselves from within and leaving everything on the field of play every week. The momentum gained by upsetting Nebraska proved to be a catalyst for the remainder of the season, but a disappointing loss to Iowa at the end should provide motivation for next year. Its easier to take a look at the Tigers and weigh the positives first. There are enough to go around, even if no one else is looking.
Kansas State was Kansas State. Frankly, I expected more out of them and when the Kats headed up to Yankee Stadium this bowl season, I was much more confident in them than they were. Trouble on the defensive side of the ball will continue unless drastic changes are made. Well see whats done during the off-season as far as recruiting, but allowing Cuse to score 36 points should send up red flags. The air-it-out factor on offense will need to return if they expect to be a contender when traveling down to face teams in the South division.
As for ISU, the dreams of living off the same high they had just last year, ended. The positives? Like K-State and Baylor, the losing streak to Texas ended. Thats something to consider even if it was a down year for the folks in Austin. The sickening part of it maybe watching their former coach participate in the National Championship. But alas, they are from Ames. Distractions leading into the season may have contributed to having the team fully prepared, but we cant control Mother Nature. I didnt expect more from them, and I wont next season either.
Colorado will join the Pac12 with a much more successful record in this season than I expected. In fact, tons better. My disdain for the lack of concern in their football program will continue. What wont continue is Hawkins reign as the Head Coach of underachievers. Gone are the days of giving starting positions away based on who a kids daddy is. Unfortunately, the losing will continue. The cultural fit in the Pac12 might be enough to get the folks in Boulder excited during the preseason, but once the first coin is flipped on the field, itll be back to focusing on Coors Light, and what Tim Tebow is doing.
Kansas, like most years, was merely waiting on basketball season, and rightfully so. The image painted in Lawrence is similar to what Bear Bryant faced while at Kentucky. Turning a few new freshmen on to your football program every year will only fill so many seats in the stands. I look for them to continue that trend, however, out of the North; I can easily see them being the first to bolt from the Big12-2. Regardless of what their football program does, Kansas is still a catch for any conference.
South:
South Big 12 Pct Overall Pct
Oklahoma 6-2 .750 12-2 .857
Oklahoma Lite 6-2 .750 11-2 .846
Texas A&M 6-2 .750 9-4 .692
Baylor 4-4 .500 7-6 .538
Texas Tech 3-5 .375 8-5 .615
Texas 2-6 .250 5-7 .417
Big Game Bob might have the strongest team returning next year hes had in a while. The loss of a handful of stars on offense might be seemingly tough to overcome, but I expect Ou to reload. Preseason Top 10? Try Top 3. The Sooners benefited by taking advantage of the gift given to them during this bowl season. A complete domination of UConn in a BCS game, while the rest of us know it was a colossal mismatch, will only help. Stoops will also gain an edge over Mack Brown in recruiting after his shortcomings this season. The folks in Norman should be pleased.
Much like their big brother in Norman, the Pokes had a gift handed to them this bowl season. The regular season proved to be a much more exciting than I expected. The thing about Gundy is that I find it hard not to root for the guy, and as much as hes picked on for his epic speech, I think hes more than fair at xs and os. A battle that will have Aggie fans like myself still wondering what could have been, allowed for the folks in Stillwater to rally behind their boys. I expect them to be just as good, if not better, next year. Theyll lose some pretty key impact players though.
SECede proponents may have been silenced a bit after this years Cotton Bowl, but the overall feeling in College Station is positive about the Ags. There are clear hurdles still left to be overcame, such as replacing Von Miller, keeping Jeff Fuller, and for the love of Jackie Sherrill, beat an SEC team in Jerry World. With a returning senior Qb next year, and with the defense allowed one more year under Tim Deruyter, I expect great things. Taking off the Maroon glasses, Ill add that something must be done to ensure the welfare of Tannehill. Recent history shows that playing Qb your senior year at aTm is not beneficial to your health. With that said, I cant thank Jerrod Johnson enough for being the man of character he has grown up to be in front of us all.
Baylor, ohhhhhhhh Baylor. Youre still Baylor. Briles and company had a great opportunity in Houston to regain some momentum leading into next season. In typical Baylor fashion, they promptly fell flat on their face. RGIIIs going away party was nothing more than a colossal meltdown, and by the end of the 1st half, it was clear they were uninspired. Now, Bear fans may tell you what was done to them late in the game was classless. That maybe true to a point but that game was long gone well before the Illinois starting running play action sweeps. Positives? Briles is a fiery guy that will continue to cause a stir in Waco and motivate the faithful leading into next year. Beating Texas was awesome and I was glad to see that accomplished for them.
Tommy Tubberville survived his first year in Lubbock and capped it off with an exciting win over NorthWestern. In his own words, the play on the field during that game was a little bit more unorthodox than hed typically care for. Thats funny, because his style of play is a little more conservative than Tech fans care for. The struggle to recruit to Lubbock may slowly be overcome with time; however, I dont think Tommy has much of it. 3 years maybe it for Ears and by then, he may not be asked to leave, he may do himself the favor. Tech will be looking West in the off-season, and much like Kansas in the North, I wont be shocked to hear off-season rumors revolve around the next life raft to leave this sinking ship, cast off from Lubbock Texas.
Mack Brown will have his hands full for the duration of this off-season and with the departure of their CIW to Florida, maintaining continuity will prove to be a difficult task. The problem with Mack is that he requires the control. Allowing for Major to gain more responsibilities was a good move, but the other hires are suspect to many in Austin. And why shouldnt they be? An absolute debacle of a season with losses to the little sisters, and the departure of the so-called brains of the operation will lead to that. What happened to the sips this year was exactly what many wanted to do to Nebraska during their farewell tour. I guess everyone had motivation from that circus about them leaving and took it personally. The folks in College Station sure as hell did, and frankly, Im still grinning about that one.
Now certainly, I could continue to go down the list and explain the other various factors as to how this thing turned out. I wont though because much like the coaches will tell you, its over and done and recruiting starts now. Instead of dwelling on the past and what might have been, Ill devote my time concerning myself with other matters. The season was full of a great games, great upsets, great individual performances, and great theatrics. All of which make up the very fiber of why College Football is so important.
As the off-season rolls along, well all hear the rumors, the headlines, and the changes. Some of which will revolve around the conference dissolving I presume. Make no mistake about it, that next years Big12-2 will not only look different, but it will feel different too. Conference games coming earlier will be a task to address just as soon as signing day is over and done with. Coaches will look to gain the edge in Texas after this year more so than in any other off-season I can remember. Above all, everyone will be looking toward the future, not only of their program, but the Big12-2 in general.
Dan Beebe has made his bed; lets see how well he sleeps in it.
Gig em.
Not to disappoint, Ive finally had an opportunity to take a look at the overall status of the Big 12 now that the Bowl games are done and come up with the following insight as to how things played out. What you will not find are defined predictions for next year. From a fans perspective, these observations are all based on the numbers, and the events that took place.
Enjoy.
North:
North Big 12 Pct Overall Pct
Missouri 6-2 .750 10-3 .769
Nebraska 6-2 .750 10-4 .714
Kansas Lite 3-5 .375 7-6 .538
Iowa State 3-5 .375 5-7 .417
Colorado 2-6 .250 5-7 .417
Kansas 1-7 .125 3-9 .250
After an unpredictable series of events on the field and on the sidelines, Nebraskas farewell tour failed to meet expectations and the Cornhuskers will ride off into the sunset with more questions than answers about their future. The positive side of their departure is that they will presumably not be challenged early next year in their schedule, which will allow for some sense of unity to become reestablished. Pelinis lack of character maybe the biggest story with the program, and frankly, when a coach is bigger than the team, problems will always arise from with in. So good luck with all that Tom Osborne.
As for Missouri, this years successful season can be attributed to staying under the radar and taking care of what any team can control. Themselves. The tigers did a fine job of handling themselves from within and leaving everything on the field of play every week. The momentum gained by upsetting Nebraska proved to be a catalyst for the remainder of the season, but a disappointing loss to Iowa at the end should provide motivation for next year. Its easier to take a look at the Tigers and weigh the positives first. There are enough to go around, even if no one else is looking.
Kansas State was Kansas State. Frankly, I expected more out of them and when the Kats headed up to Yankee Stadium this bowl season, I was much more confident in them than they were. Trouble on the defensive side of the ball will continue unless drastic changes are made. Well see whats done during the off-season as far as recruiting, but allowing Cuse to score 36 points should send up red flags. The air-it-out factor on offense will need to return if they expect to be a contender when traveling down to face teams in the South division.
As for ISU, the dreams of living off the same high they had just last year, ended. The positives? Like K-State and Baylor, the losing streak to Texas ended. Thats something to consider even if it was a down year for the folks in Austin. The sickening part of it maybe watching their former coach participate in the National Championship. But alas, they are from Ames. Distractions leading into the season may have contributed to having the team fully prepared, but we cant control Mother Nature. I didnt expect more from them, and I wont next season either.
Colorado will join the Pac12 with a much more successful record in this season than I expected. In fact, tons better. My disdain for the lack of concern in their football program will continue. What wont continue is Hawkins reign as the Head Coach of underachievers. Gone are the days of giving starting positions away based on who a kids daddy is. Unfortunately, the losing will continue. The cultural fit in the Pac12 might be enough to get the folks in Boulder excited during the preseason, but once the first coin is flipped on the field, itll be back to focusing on Coors Light, and what Tim Tebow is doing.
Kansas, like most years, was merely waiting on basketball season, and rightfully so. The image painted in Lawrence is similar to what Bear Bryant faced while at Kentucky. Turning a few new freshmen on to your football program every year will only fill so many seats in the stands. I look for them to continue that trend, however, out of the North; I can easily see them being the first to bolt from the Big12-2. Regardless of what their football program does, Kansas is still a catch for any conference.
South:
South Big 12 Pct Overall Pct
Oklahoma 6-2 .750 12-2 .857
Oklahoma Lite 6-2 .750 11-2 .846
Texas A&M 6-2 .750 9-4 .692
Baylor 4-4 .500 7-6 .538
Texas Tech 3-5 .375 8-5 .615
Texas 2-6 .250 5-7 .417
Big Game Bob might have the strongest team returning next year hes had in a while. The loss of a handful of stars on offense might be seemingly tough to overcome, but I expect Ou to reload. Preseason Top 10? Try Top 3. The Sooners benefited by taking advantage of the gift given to them during this bowl season. A complete domination of UConn in a BCS game, while the rest of us know it was a colossal mismatch, will only help. Stoops will also gain an edge over Mack Brown in recruiting after his shortcomings this season. The folks in Norman should be pleased.
Much like their big brother in Norman, the Pokes had a gift handed to them this bowl season. The regular season proved to be a much more exciting than I expected. The thing about Gundy is that I find it hard not to root for the guy, and as much as hes picked on for his epic speech, I think hes more than fair at xs and os. A battle that will have Aggie fans like myself still wondering what could have been, allowed for the folks in Stillwater to rally behind their boys. I expect them to be just as good, if not better, next year. Theyll lose some pretty key impact players though.
SECede proponents may have been silenced a bit after this years Cotton Bowl, but the overall feeling in College Station is positive about the Ags. There are clear hurdles still left to be overcame, such as replacing Von Miller, keeping Jeff Fuller, and for the love of Jackie Sherrill, beat an SEC team in Jerry World. With a returning senior Qb next year, and with the defense allowed one more year under Tim Deruyter, I expect great things. Taking off the Maroon glasses, Ill add that something must be done to ensure the welfare of Tannehill. Recent history shows that playing Qb your senior year at aTm is not beneficial to your health. With that said, I cant thank Jerrod Johnson enough for being the man of character he has grown up to be in front of us all.
Baylor, ohhhhhhhh Baylor. Youre still Baylor. Briles and company had a great opportunity in Houston to regain some momentum leading into next season. In typical Baylor fashion, they promptly fell flat on their face. RGIIIs going away party was nothing more than a colossal meltdown, and by the end of the 1st half, it was clear they were uninspired. Now, Bear fans may tell you what was done to them late in the game was classless. That maybe true to a point but that game was long gone well before the Illinois starting running play action sweeps. Positives? Briles is a fiery guy that will continue to cause a stir in Waco and motivate the faithful leading into next year. Beating Texas was awesome and I was glad to see that accomplished for them.
Tommy Tubberville survived his first year in Lubbock and capped it off with an exciting win over NorthWestern. In his own words, the play on the field during that game was a little bit more unorthodox than hed typically care for. Thats funny, because his style of play is a little more conservative than Tech fans care for. The struggle to recruit to Lubbock may slowly be overcome with time; however, I dont think Tommy has much of it. 3 years maybe it for Ears and by then, he may not be asked to leave, he may do himself the favor. Tech will be looking West in the off-season, and much like Kansas in the North, I wont be shocked to hear off-season rumors revolve around the next life raft to leave this sinking ship, cast off from Lubbock Texas.
Mack Brown will have his hands full for the duration of this off-season and with the departure of their CIW to Florida, maintaining continuity will prove to be a difficult task. The problem with Mack is that he requires the control. Allowing for Major to gain more responsibilities was a good move, but the other hires are suspect to many in Austin. And why shouldnt they be? An absolute debacle of a season with losses to the little sisters, and the departure of the so-called brains of the operation will lead to that. What happened to the sips this year was exactly what many wanted to do to Nebraska during their farewell tour. I guess everyone had motivation from that circus about them leaving and took it personally. The folks in College Station sure as hell did, and frankly, Im still grinning about that one.
Now certainly, I could continue to go down the list and explain the other various factors as to how this thing turned out. I wont though because much like the coaches will tell you, its over and done and recruiting starts now. Instead of dwelling on the past and what might have been, Ill devote my time concerning myself with other matters. The season was full of a great games, great upsets, great individual performances, and great theatrics. All of which make up the very fiber of why College Football is so important.
As the off-season rolls along, well all hear the rumors, the headlines, and the changes. Some of which will revolve around the conference dissolving I presume. Make no mistake about it, that next years Big12-2 will not only look different, but it will feel different too. Conference games coming earlier will be a task to address just as soon as signing day is over and done with. Coaches will look to gain the edge in Texas after this year more so than in any other off-season I can remember. Above all, everyone will be looking toward the future, not only of their program, but the Big12-2 in general.
Dan Beebe has made his bed; lets see how well he sleeps in it.
Gig em.
