NFL Relevance in Missouri & Thoughts on most other Sports

The NFL is relevant in Missouri again, and that excites me. Both the Kansas City Chiefs and the St. Louis Rams will be playing meaningful football games with playoff berths on the line over the next two weeks. It's been a while since meaningful pro football has been played here in December. It's good for the respective cities and the state itself for these two teams to become relevant once again in the sport that has, unfortunately in my mind at least, displaced baseball as America's most popular sport. Both teams control their own playoff destinies. 

For the Chiefs, the easiest way to make the playoffs would be to win their next two games which are both at home against Tennessee and arch rival Oakland. Do that, and KC has become AFC West champions. There are multiple scenarios where the Chiefs could go 1-1 over the last two weeks and still make the playoffs, but I'm not going to get into those. I hope they don't come into play, because the Chiefs should win both games left on the schedule, especially with the home field advantage that Arrowhead stadium gives them.

For the Rams, same deal. Win out and they're in. Sure, they would only be 8-8, but that would be stark improvement over what has transpired at Rams park over the last few seasons. Make or miss the post-season, this season has to be considered a success for the Rams and they most certainly have things headed in the right direction. They have their franchise quarterback in Sam Bradford and the Rams should be contenders in the coming years. However, the playoffs are still a very real possibility in the weak NFC West. They play at home this coming Sunday against the 49ers, a team St. Louis almost beat in San Francisco only to lose in OT, then a trip to Seattle ends the season. It won't be easy, but the Rams beat Seattle earlier in the year already in St. Louis. 

Regardless of what happens, its exciting, for me especially, as a fan of both of these teams, for some exciting and important football games to be played over the course of the next two weeks. Ideally, this trend of important football will extend for at least one if not both into January. 

Speaking of important football, the college football bowl season is in full gear. So, maybe not important football, but mildly interesting football. My beloved Missouri Tigers who finished above expectations at 10-2 this season travel to Tempe, AZ to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes and their prickish fan-base in the Insight bowl. Then, come January, the Arkansas Razorbacks take on another Big 10 squad, Ohio State, in the Sugar Bowl down in New Orleans. Here's hoping for both teams to win to make it a more enjoyable bowl season and a somewhat happier new year.

Keeping with the trend of making holidays happier, what sporting event could make for a better early Christmas present then the annual braggin' rights game between Mizzou and Illinois this Wednesday night in St. Louis? After nearly a decade consecutive losses, the Tigers beat the Illini last season to make Christmas just a little bit merrier. Even though Illinois is coming off a loss to the University of Illinois-Chicago, they are still a good team, and Mizzou could be without a true point guard for the game. Michael Dixon, while reinstated to practice this week, is still at this point at least, suspended from playing in games. Coach Mike Anderson did say that Dixon was a possibility to play Wednesday, but wasn't sure yet. During Dixon's indefinite suspension, freshman PG Phil Pressey had been starting, but he broke his ring finger in practice on Sunday and will miss at least two weeks. So, yeah. I hope Dixon plays. Besides, he scored a season high 16 against Illinois last season.

Finally, a few random thoughts. First, with the Milwaukee Brewers addition of SP Zach Greinke from the Royals, the NL Central has become a three team race. At this point, most baseball guys are picking St. Louis third in the Central behind the Reds and Brewers. I really hope the moves to bring in the veterans like Theriot and Berkman payoff for the Cards. 

My second full season as a hockey fan (though it's been much better than last as I actually made it to my first Blues game this season) was off to a great start, only to see the Blues get hit with a series of injuries that was just kind of unreal. At one point, six different first round draft picks were on injured reserve for St. Louis who got off to a fast start, but have been in a tailspin over the last month. Hopefully they can tread water just long enough to make another push when guys begin to come back from their various injuries.

Oh, and since this is an all sport inclusive post, it's good to see that the Bulls should finish in the upper third of the eastern conference. The injury to Noah will hurt, but this team is good enough in a somewhat weak, but getting stronger eastern conference. As for LA, the Lakers may be treating the season kind of like an exhibition (like those Celtics teams that have made the finals the last couple years) but I fully expect LA to win the West come spring time.

Finally, did anyone stay up for that eclipse last night? I did, and guess what? It...was...cloudy. I couldn't see it. Oh well. I've seen a lunar eclipse in my life already, and this one probably wouldn't have been much different.

Tiger Basketball and Baseball Talk in December

Man oh man. The 2010-2011 version of the Missouri Tigers basketball team has been fun to watch. Even their lone, heart-breaking, defeat was an heart stopping game from start to finish. While the Tigers haven't exactly played the nations toughest schedule, they haven't played the weakest either. Mizzou has played quality basketball teams in Georgetown, and Vanderbilt, and have another chance at a quality win or two with Illinois and Old Dominion on the horizon. At many times this season, however, it has been very apparent that Mizzou misses the veteran leadership that last year's group had in guards J.T. Tiller and Zaire Taylor. This year, the junior class, led by guards Marcus Denmon and Kim English and Forward Lawrence Bowers was set to take over and lead this team (the Tigers have only one senior, Forward Justin Safford, who is still, according to Coach Mike Anderson, only at about 75 or 85 % after an ACL injury sustained last season). Those three, combined with the continued development of sophomore PG Michael Dixon, and one of the nations premier recruiting classes (brothers Phil and Matt Pressey, Ricardo Ratliffe, Ricky Kreklow and Kadeem Green) had many forecasting the Tigers to finish in the upper half of the Big XII and a preseason ranking in the top 15 of both polls. While these young Tigers have shown many flashes of things to come, the team at times, has had breakdowns in fundamentals and problems taking care of the basketball, all of which are things head coach Mike Anderson values. In a couple of games, free throws have been an issue as well, be it not making them, or not getting to the foul line enough. The Tigers have had issues guarding the three point line, and have given up a lot of open looks at the basket. All of these things led to a loss to Georgetown, a closer than expected game at Oregon an overtime thriller with Vandy and close games all throughout with the likes of Western Illinois, Wyoming and LaSalle. While it would be easy to look at the results thus far and forecast problems down the road in conference play, I don't think thats the way to view this team. No, this team is young. Sure, with four (techincally six when one includes the JuCo players) upperclassmen, they're not young age wise, but they are young in experience. The three juniors are stepping into leadership roles for the first time in their college careers, while the JuCo players are getting their first taste of Division I basketball. This team will continue to improve and get better as players gradually become more comfortable in their new roles. Once this happens, look for the players who have been uncharacteristically struggling thus far (English, and Bowers head this list) to begin to play with more confidence and for the young players to continue to get better and show the talent that lead this group to be one of the more promising classes in the country. It's probably unreasonable to expect the Tigers to make a real serious run at the final four this season (though it's completely reasonable to expect them to be playing in the sweet sixteen) or even to win the conference (though it could happen) this team will be fun to watch, and will be able to play with anyone in the country. I've personally been pinpointing next season for three years now as the target year for Mizzou's first final four in school history, and as of now, I stand by that. But, I wouldn't be upset if it came a year early.

Just some quick thought on the St. Louis Cardinals off-season so far. After reading some extremely different takes (Joe Posnanski of SI and Jeff Gordon of the Post-Dispatch) on the recent trade of SS Brendan Ryan to the Mariners for a pitching prospect who was at high A ball at seasons end last year, I've developed some thoughts of my own; not just on that trade, but all off season developments thus far.

First off, I don't think the Cardinals are taking seriously the very real possibility that, at the current pace of things, franchise cornerstone Albert Pujols could be a free agent at this time next year. If that happens, teams led by the Angels, Mets, and yes even the Cubs (never count out the Yankees, but they're pretty set at the moment) could all very easily outbid the Cardinals for the three time MVP as it seems Pujols will probably not take a "hometown discount". Now, I know Cards GM John Mozeliak has said negotiations between the team and Pujols and his agent, Dan Lozano will be kept private. That being said, Mo hasn't held back when the two sides have met, he's just kept the contents of the meetings private. It just doesn't seem like there's a lot of urgency, especially on the part of the Cardinals, to get a deal done before spring training. Am I a die hard Cardinals fan over-reacting? Perhaps, but even still it's hard to ignore the warning signs that go back to last off-season. And make no mistake, with Pujols' (understandable) unwillingness so negotiate once spring training begins, if the team doesn't have a deal with him in place by the middle of February, the great Albert Pujols will become a free agent, and yes, that freaks me out.

As far as the other things, I was glad the Cardinals retained starter Jake Westbrook. This makes the starting rotation more of a sure thing heading into camp this spring then last, which is always a good thing. As far as the Hawksworth for Theriot trade and the Brendan Ryan trade, I'm luke warm. There are those that think the Cardinals are being extremely short sighted in the way they're building this team, as they also signed aging outfielder Lance Berkman. BUT one can't ingore that the team did seem to lose some sort of focus or intensity the second half of last season, and all indications are Brendan Ryan didn't fit in well in the clubhouse, and was not in the best standing of Tony LaRussa. TLR likes to have his kind of guys around, and let me tell you something, he's won in the past doing that. So what this comes down to is, the pressure shifts to the management. They got rid of a fan favorite, and have a veteran team, so now it's time to win. I'm a huge, huge supporter of Tony LaRussa, but a lot of the off season moves have been things that he wanted to see happen. If they don't win in 2011, I'll be the first to point fingers at him. So now, just go win baseball games and get back to the playoffs.

"Thoughts on Mizzou/Georgetown, Gary Pinkel and Big XII Football"

Anyone who knows even the slightest thing about me knows how much I love college basketball, and how passionate I am about my Missouri Tigers. While last nights game was not a make or break your season game, it was never the less a tough to handle, heart breaking loss. Like they’ve done every game through this early part of the season, the Tigers got off to a slow start and trailed the Hoyas of Georgetown by as much as 18 in the first half before trimming that deficit to 7 by the break. An incredible display of basketball in the second half by this young Tiger team showed how good this team can be coming all the way back to take the lead. However, the last minute and a half of regulation also showed they still have a lot of growing up to do. Frustrating stuff. It really came down to free throws. With a four point lead, Bowers missed both. Georgetown came down and scored. With a 2-point lead, Dixon made the first and missed the second, and on the last possession of regulation, the Hoyas buried an open three pointer to send the game to overtime on a broken play (Note to Kimmie English: never, never, never try to save the ball under your own stinking basket). As tough as this loss was to take, I know that many bright days are ahead for this team, and this program Mike Anderson has going at Mizzou.

To the real point of this post, I’m going to back off my Gary Pinkel dislike somewhat. Not totally, but somewhat. Coach Pinkel has the football program at Mizzou at a place where, growing up, I never thought it could be. The team, by many standards, actually over-achieved a bit this season by going 10-2 (winning 10 games for only the 4^th time in school history, 3 of those times under Pinkel) and nabbing a share, such as it is in the era of “lets give everyone a trophy”, of the Big XII North title. Still, there was that frustrating loss to Texas Tech that was full of questionable to downright poor coaching decisions, and it was that game that ultimately kept Mizzou from playing for the conference title in a year that it really seemed possible for a North team to end the South’s dominance. Still, Pinkel has raised expectations in Columbia to a level not seen really since the end of the Dan Devine era. Each year, you can more or less reasonably to expect the Tigers to compete for the North title, though starting next year in the new 10 team format, there are no divisions, and expect the team to go bowling come seasons end. Bowls, division titles and such were few and far between prior to Pinkel’s 5^th year at Mizzou. All that is well and good, but the important goal still remains of winning the league. Missouri hasn’t won the conference since grabbing a share of the Big 8 title in 1969. Until that drought has ended, Pinkel still cannot be credited with brining the Tigers all the way “back” and putting us truly on the map. Until he does that, as my good friend Nathan Yount said last night, the best one can say about Pinkel is “He’s alright”. He’s not bad, but he’s not great, and is on the brink between “alright” and “good”.  Starting next year, it will conceivably become more difficult to win the league. The new round robin schedule where everyone plays everyone will have Missouri playing perennial powers Oklahoma and Texas every season. Year after year. As nice a position that Pinkel has brought the program to, one has to wonder: if he couldn’t win the conference in the old Big XII, can he actually win one in this upcoming new version of the league? That remains to be seen. It’s ok to expect more. The program has been around for a long time, and Pinkel just completed a decade at the helm. At some point, if he hasn’t accomplished this goal, the university is going to have to move forward with someone else. Gary Pinkel has done some great things for the University of Missouri, but at some point he’s got to break through the glass ceiling. If he doesn’t in the near future, it’s time to give a chance to someone else to do so.

Finally, as a side note, I wish fans would be more educated about the bowl selection process and stop wining about where the Tigers go in their bowl game. I’ll grant you that there is a strong argument to be made that the Tigers got screwed in not playing in a BCS bowl in 2007 (the Orange Bowl), but since then one has no real beef. This year in particular, when you have four teams at 10-2, five teams that went 6-2 in the conference (the fifth being Texas A&M who went 9-3) Mizzou fans shouldn’t gripe. We didn’t play for the league title, and in a somewhat down year for the Big XII, it’s unreasonable to just expect to get two teams into the BCS. So with the winner of Saturday’s league title game between Oklahoma and Nebraska* locked into the Fiesta bowl and Texas A&M being chosen for the Cotton, there’s really just three other bowls of the leagues 8 potential bids that Missouri can grab. A&M got the cotton bowl because their fans travel insanely will anyway, and the game is pretty close to College Station. The loser of the title game will more then likely go to the Alamo bowl, which this year picks third, behind the Fiesta, and the Cotton. That leaves the insight (picks 4^th) and the Holiday (picks 5^th) as realistic landing spots for Missouri. While the Holiday was a good bowl last year, it’s not as good this year due to the shuffle in the selection order, so it would be better if Mizzou could nab the Inisght, but it will come down to Mizzou and Oklahoma State who are both 10-2. It’ll be interesting to see who get’s the call.

*I think all Mizzou fans should be rooting for Oklahoma in the title game this Saturday, based solely on the fact that Oklahoma isn’t the team leaving the conference. I don’t think it’s in the Big XII’s best interest for Nebraska to win the league and then bolt to the Big 10. I know to all you new Mizzou fans that Oklahoma has been the number one source of pain over the past few year, but Nebraska has inflicted just as much or more on the Tigers in the long history of the conference, and it’s foolish to think that Mizzou has a better rivalry with OU then with Nebraska, because we don’t. In football, besides Kansas, Nebraska has been Mizzou’s main rival, and they’ve beat us. A lot. So again, I hope the Sooners win for the sake of the conference more than anything else. Lastly, I think this is a fitting way for the Big XII era to come to an end. Nebraska and Oklahoma have been the leagues two best teams going back to the Big 8 days and before. They had an incredible, intense rivalry that took a hit when the Big XII was formed and they couldn’t play every year. It’s fitting that Nebraska’s final game in the league is against their ancient rival. I hope it’s another exciting chapter in what was once one of college footballs greatest rivalries. Now, for the first and last time in my life…Boomer Sooner.

Finally!

Growing up a Tiger fan, there was a lot of pain. I was 9, nearly 10 years old before Mizzou saw a winning football season. I've sit through a lot of games, the first coming back in 1992, and until I went to college, most of those games I sat through were losses. Now, unlike my good friend Ben Herrold, I don't know the exact number of Mizzou football games I've been to in my life. It's a lot. However, in a rare occurrence, I wasn't one of the 71,000 plus fans on hand at Faurot Field. But, watching the game on TV, and seeing Mizzou break-through and beat the Sooners for the first time since 1998, and only the second time in my life, I was just as happy and satisfied.

Growing up, for me at least, the bully of the bygone days of the Big 8 was Nebraska. That football team that we couldn't EVER beat, and in the meantime was not only winning conference titles, but some national titles as well. It didn't much matter though, because Missouri was never very good. A losing streak against the Huskers that began in 1979 didn't end until 2003. However, since that time, Nebraska has taken a back seat for me, as I'm sure they have for most Mizzou fans, and the disdain has been directed at Oklahoma.

For all the crap I give Gary Pinkel (some deserving, some just bitterness), he has had Mizzou on the brink of national prominence many times, and the program has seen more sustained success then at any point since the Dan Devine era. The one team that time and time again stood in the way of the Tiger's push to the top, has been Oklahoma. In 2007, Mizzou rose to #11 and traveled to Norman to play the Sooners. Mizzou would blow a 4th quarter lead and wind up losing, 41-31. However, the Tigers picked themselves up off the mat, and didn't lose another game all year. The Tigers rose to #1 in the nation for only the second time in school history and found themselves one win away from playing for a national title. Only the Big XII title game against the Sooners stood in the way. We all remember what happened. Mizzou lost 38-17. The Tigers would win a horrible north the next year in 2008 only to be crushed 62-21 by the Sooners in the conference title game again. After a transitional year in 2009, no one was quite sure what to make of the 2010 group.

Now, the night after this 2010 team's 36-27 win over a Sooner team that sat atop the BCS rankings, it looks as though Pinkel and the Tigers have FINALLY broken through. It's taken 10 years, but Pinkel has Mizzou 6th in the BCS and he's notched his first win over Oklahoma. He didn't do it with a flashy offense and a finesse team that doesn't play much defense or run the ball much. He did it with a hard nosed TEAM. No real superstars, just the ability to go toe to toe in the trenches and on both sides of the ball with the nations elite. This years group, no matter what happens, aren't going to get out "physical-ed".  No, this team is different. People will still say that the 2007 win over Kansas in the "Armageddon at Arrowhead" is Pinkel's biggest win. Right now, on the sole fact we rose to #1 because of it, and it was a battle of top 5 teams that bitterly hate each other, I'd agree. However, if Mizzou can win this coming weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska (a place where wins have been hard to come by for Mizzou), last nights win has a chance to take the top spot. If Mizzou keeps winning, really, each game from here on it becomes the biggest game. Maybe, just maybe this Tiger team can take that step that Pinkel's other teams failed to do and win the league. Or, maybe, this group can take the step that no Tiger team has ever taken, and bring a national title to Columbia.

But right now, all that matters is Coach Pinkel is no longer winless against the Sooners, and that Missouri has finally earned some national respect.

Worst Sports Losses of my Lifetime/Tough To Be a Mizzou Fan

Due in large part to a Twitter conversation from this evening, and a YouTube video recommendation regarding an NCAA tournament incident, I wanted to share some thoughts on some of the worst sports losses I can remember, and also share some thoughts as to why it's hard to be a Missouri Tigers fan.

Worst Losses (no particular order)

1. 2004 World Series- This one was extremely tough for me to take. As a die hard Cardinals fan, I eat, sleep and breathe Cardinals baseball during the season, and if so fortunate, during the playoffs. The 04' Redbirds won 105 games and seemed a well-oiled machine by the time the playoffs rolled around. After a pretty easy division series, the Card's had to beat Astros ace, Roger Clemens in game 7 of the NLCS to win the pennant. However, they were facing a Red Sox team fresh beating their arch-rival Yankees in the ALCS. They were the first team to come from a three games to none deficit and win a playoff series. Still, they hadn't won a world title since 1918. However, they swept the Card's 4-0, and before you knew it, it was all over. It left a bitter taste in my mouth that will never be completely washed out, and was only softened by the clubs 2006 world title.

2. 2005 NLCS- The 'birds again reached 100 wins in 2005, and in the NLCS found themselves facing the Astros for the second consecutive year. Even though this series gave me one of my greatest sports memories (Albert Pujol's bomb off Brad Lidge with the Card's facing elimination), the defeat was tough. I had grown to hate that group of Astros and their "killer B's". I badly wanted a World Series ring after being so close the year before, but once again, the Cards came up just short.

3. 2002 Elite Eight- By the time the 2002 NCAA tournament started, the Missouri Tigers weren't supposed to make it out of the first round, let alone the elite eight. However, the 12th seeded Tiger got hot at the right time and beat Miami (FL), Ohio State, and UCLA in route to the elite eight where they faced conference rival, Oklahoma. Missouri is a proud basketball program and the only thing missing of it's otherwise very solid resume, is a final four (something I still DESPERATELY want). The Tigers fought hard but came up short losing 81-75. It didn't help that it seemed Tiger G Clarence Gilbert couldn't hit a shot, or that Arthur Johnson couldn't hit a free throw, or that Kareem Rush fouled out in the crucial final minutes of the game. The morning after this loss is vivid to me. I woke up to the Eagles song "Peaceful Easy Feeling" and was looking at my "Thank You, Clarence!" poster from senior day at Mizzou that season. It was sad.

4. 2009 Elite Eight- The 2009 Tigers came out of nowhere to end up with 31 wins and a 12-4 Big XII mark. When the tourney came around, Mizzou was a 3rd seed, and had some favorable match ups in the first couple rounds. After a slow start, they cruised by Cornell, but then had to fight hard to beat Marquette. In the Sweet Sixteen, the Tigers started fast and dominated 2nd seeded Memphis to once again reach the elite eight. Once again, Mizzou fought hard, but a second half scoring drought and an unbelievable shot by UConn's Kemba Walker led to Mizzou losing in the round of 8 for the fourth time (5th if you count the time when only 8 teams made the tourney and Mizzou was one of them) in school history.

5. 2007 Big XII Championship- What a magical year it had been for the Mizzou Tigers football team. They had finished the season 11-1 (7-1 Big XII) and were fresh off a 36-28 win over the hated, arch-rival Kansas Jayhawks. The Beakers came into the game ranked 2nd in the nation, but Mizzou won, and coupled with a loss by LSU, ascended to #1 in the country for just the second time in school history. Their only regular season loss came on the road to the Oklahoma Sooners, the team they now faced in the conference title game. Not only was revenge on the line for the Tigers, but a trip to the National title game was on the line as well. It was good for a half, with the game tied up 14-14. However, Mizzou mustered only a field goal in the second half and lost 38-17 knocking them out of the title game and leaving a bitter taste in my mouth (mainly due to the fact, that the game could've very well been Mizzou's best chance to play for a national title in my lifetime).

6. 2003 Big XII Tournament Championship- This one probably in the grand scheme of things is a loss Mizzou fans don't take all that hard. It's just one that has always stuck with me, and for reasons I can't explain, this loss really gets to me. The 2003 Missouri Tigers were already tournament bound when this game came around. It was only a matter of seeding by this point. They were facing a pretty darn good Oklahoma team. After the first half, things looked bleak, but the Tigers dominated the second half playing stout defense and finally beginning to put the ball in the hoop. In the waning seconds of the game, with the Tigers trailing 49-47, Mizzou forward Rickey Paulding drove the lane and put up a lay-up attempt that went just off the side of the rim as the buzzer sounded. I can't explain it, but that loss hurt and still hurts bad. Mizzou would go on to lose in overtime against Marquette in the round of 32 in the NCAA tourney.

7. 1994 Elite Eight- I was all of six years old when this game was played, but I was deeply involved with Mizzou tournament run. The '94 Tigers went 14-0 in Big 8 play and entered the tourney as a #1 seed. They faced Arizona in the elite eight, but were thoroughly beaten. As the final minutes ticked by, I remember sitting in my upstairs living room almost on the verge of tears, but I didn't cry, because midway through the second half, it was apparent it wasn't Mizzou's night.

8. Super Bowl XXXVI- The St. Louis Rams were a heavy favorite in this game. They had rolled through the '01-'02 season with a 14-2 mark. They faced the underdog New England Patriots. The upstart Patriots begin a dynasty with a 20-17 win on an Adam Vinetari field goal as time expired.

9. 2004 NFL Divisional Playoff Game- The Kansas City Chiefs had started the year 9-0 and finished 13-3 and were the second seed in the AFC. They hosted the Colts at Arrowhead, and lost a heck of a shoot out, 38-31. Neither team punted. It was unreal. Still, it was just another Chiefs playoff disappointment. One that still has me riled up (no disrespect to Payton Manning).

Honorable mention:
1. 1996 St. Louis Cardinals NLCS loss to Braves
2. 2008 Mizzou football loss to Oklahoma State
3. Any horse since 2000 that won the first two legs of the triple crown, but failed at Belmont (especially Smarty Jones and Big Brown).
4. St. Louis Rams playoff loss to New Orleans Saints in 2001

Last, just a few thoughts about my life as a Mizzou fan. Let me say this: it's hard. There have been some really good times, but there have also been some really bad times. It wasn't until I was 9 years old that Mizzou football had a winning season. They had back to back winning years in '97 and '98, but then fell back into a drought that lasted until 2003. Mizzou teams with high expectations have fizzled in my lifetime, chiefly the 2004 football team. From 2002-2004 the hoops team dramatically underachieved when one considers the talent on the roster. In the long history of the football program, they have been more bad then good. There have been some bright spots here or there, but many experts on college football consider Mizzou to be on of the most under-achieving football schools of all time. Sure, they have a .544 all time winning percentage, but they are 12-15 all time in bowl games. But hey, at least they've been to 23 of them, right? The team has won 15 overall conference titles, but the last one came in 1969. I repeat, 1969. People will argue that current coach Gary Pinkel has the Tigers on the right track. They've played in 5 straight bowl games (this year will probably be 6) and played in bowls six of the last seasons. They also won back to back North division titles in 2007 and 2008, but for the most part, it was a weak North. My point is, when a program that has been playing football since 1890 hasn't won a conference title since 1969, and has only once sniffed at a national title since 1960, I expect more. The recruiting base and the facilities are there, yet the Tigers consistently put out mediocre to bad teams, sprinkled in with some good/great years every now and again. Long suffering Tiger fans deserve more. Now, I could go into greater detail, but I'll end here. I'm depressed enough just thinking about this stuff.

As for the basketball team, the program has been historically good. Long time coach Norm Stewart is considered to be one of the greats of the game, though even he seemed to fail to win key NCAA tourney games. The hoops team also has won 15 regular season league titles, but none since 1994. They've won the league tournament 7 times. They've been to 7 sweet sixteens and 4 (some say 5) elite eight's. Here's the real kicker: they have the second most NCAA tournament appearances of all time without a final four appearance with 24 (BYU has the most). That number by itself is good enough to be tied for the 22nd most appearances of all time (which is pretty good considering the number of schools that compete in division one basketball). Most experts have the overall program ranked anywhere from the mid 20's to the mid 30's when ranking the greatest programs ever, so just imagine what a final four and a big 12 title would do for this team. It's just so hard, when even in my lifetime, the team has been on the brink of a final four three times, and failed to do so each time.

I could go on and on about the questionable decisions of current AD Mike Alden, the antics of former hoops coach (and my ex arch-nemesis) Quin Snyder and the bad luck that has frequently befallen the football team (5th down, kick and catch, etc) but I'll end here. To be brutally honest, Mizzou is a program competing in big time college athletics, that is, for the most part, mired in mediocrity, even though grand success has been just a breath away at times. The program, both of them, should be better. With the football program, who knows. However, current hoops coach Mike Anderson has Mizzou basketball headed right back up again, and I predict he brings a final four to Columbia by 2011. If he does that, it won't be so hard to be Mizzou fan. Here's hoping...

Baseball's End and Other Thoughts of Autumn Sports

The last day of Major League Baseball's regular season is always one full of mixed emotions for the baseball fan. It's particularly sad when your team isn't heading to the playoffs, as is the case with this years St. Louis Cardinals. Knowing there's no more baseball until April always gets me. The true fan watches from April until October, regardless of where the club is in the standings. They watch for the love of the game. They watch, if for no other reason (at least sometimes in my case) just to watch Albert Pujols or some other player, waiting for that moment when they do something amazing. Of course, it's always more exciting when the teams in a pennant race, but nevertheless, we watch. It's with us most everyday through the long, hot summer months. It gives us a reprieve from work or whatever else may be going on at the time. For three hours, we just get to sit and watch the most talented players on the planet play the game we love. The thing I love about baseball, is the way the drama unfolds; slowly at first, but mounting more and more tension with each passing game and month until you're hanging on each pitch. People like to say (sometimes in regards to a team's slow start, or a players struggles, or position in the standings) "Well...it's only April." Or, "It's early." Sure, there's 162 games, and there's going to be ups and downs, but every pitch matters. From pitch 1 of the season opener, to the last pitch in the season finale. It all matters. Don't tell a team that finished ONE game out of a playoff spot that one game doesn't matter, it simply does.

When you follow a team, and give that much time to them for six months, it's always sad to see it go, but it's always fun to look back and remember some of the great moments of the season. In the end, however, I'm always sad to see it go. A sports fan like me has football and basketball to get me through the fall and winter, but I always anxiously await April, and the return of the Redbirds, and of our national past time.

Other Random Thoughts
Baseball said goodbye this year to among the last "old school" baseball guys. Joe Torre, Lou Piniella, and Bobby Cox all announced that they're hanging it up after the season (it remains to be seen about Tony LaRussa). Between the three, there are a great number of wins, division titles, pennants and world series rings, and it's sad to see guys from that era leave. That's why I'm extremely happy that the Atlanta Braves got it together for Bobby Cox one last time and made the playoffs as a wildcard, and I wish them all the best throughout the post-season. That's where my rooting interest will lie.

I'd like to take this moment to give a shout-out to my good friend, Caleb Barron. Before the NFL season started, he looked at the Rams first 5 games and stated that it's not unreasonable to think that they could win 3 of them. They sit at 2-2 heading into next weeks game with the Detroit Lions. It's a winnable game, but Detroit hasn't been too awful, and it's on the road. It's hard to win on the road in the NFL. My point here is, the Rams could very easily be 4-0 right now. They've dominated the Redskins and the Seahawks the last two weeks, and lost 17-13 to Arizona in the opener where they squandered a second half lead, and fell in Oakland in week 2, 16-14. Now, I'm not saying the Rams are great, but perhaps Mr. Barron isn't as insane as he sounded a few weeks back...at least when it comes to the Rams first five games. Everything else is up for debate...

Finally, the last decidedly winnable game on Mizzou's schedule for a long time is this weekend against Colorado. The scary thing is, the Buff's looked like a competent team against Georgia on Saturday night, but that was a Georgia team that is reeling. I mean...REELING. But, Mizzou struggled against San Diego State, and my guess is that Colorado is better. I think Mizzou will win, but they really need to win. After that starts a brutal four game stretch where nothing will be guaranteed.

The Heart-strings of Country Music

As many of you know, I'm a musician, but beyond that, I'm a music lover. I enjoy playing and listening to all types of music. It's not strange on a playlist of mine to hear Elton John, George Strait, Sugar Ray, Michael W. Smith, Count Basie, and the father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe, all right in a row. However, in my mind, no genre of music has mastered the sound and emotion of "heartbreak" better then country music. I'm talking about the songs you hear about someone's girl/man leaving them, drinking alone at a bar, etc. This isn't to say other bands and artists from other genres haven't had songs that tug at the heart-strings just as much, but as a whole, nothing does it better then country music. Since nothing stirs my emotions quite like music, the following is a list of songs showing how country music songs about this topic have evolved. Included will be videos and audio clips of each song I use as an example, and I'm going to try in as many possible instances to use personal favorites of mine that really get me to feel exactly what the singer is feeling.

"I'm Sorry We Met"- Jimmie Rodgers, 1929
Jimmied Rodgers is regarded by many to be the father of country music. With a title like that, you have to start with him. He's most famous for his many yodeling songs (creatively named "Blue Yodel #1, "Blue Yodel #2...you get the picture), and songs about trains. Many of the early country music records were just recordings of folk songs from Appalachia. Many of these songs can be traced back to Ireland and Scotland. These immigrants brought their music and spread it throught the country and it morphed into Appalachain culture (I told myself not to get into a music history lesson, so I'll stop now). Rodgers' "I'm sorry We Met" is done in the same vein. It's a very simple recording, as most were of the time, with just guitar and vocals, and is perhaps the most well-known heartbreak song that Rodgers ever recorded.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5OIJU_1sn4

"I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)- Hank Williams Sr, 1951
I skipped ahead a few years to save time here, but oh well.The great Hank Williams had a ton of songs in the classic, heartbroke, lovesick, country music sound. This song and "There's A Tear In My Beer" are all time classics. If you listen, you can already hear how far the recording quality had come since 1929, but you'll also be able to tell how much improvement there was left to do. Synonomous with Williams' songs was the pedal steer guitar, which is featured in "I Can't Help It". It adds that eerie, lonely quailty to his music, and would become a standard insturment in most country groups ever after.
YouTube: "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)" -Hank Williams

"My Baby's Gone"- The Louvin Brothers, 1960
One of the greatest country/bluegrass duos of all time, the Louvins had great harmonies. Their vocal sound was very similar to what many in bluegrass circles call the "high lonesome sound", originating with Bill Monroe. Charlie Louvin played guitar and sang lead and the lower harmony, and his brother, Ira, played mandolin and sang the higher harmony. While the Louvin's are in the Country Music Hall of Fame, they are not the most well known country act, and this song isn't a well known outside of country music circles, however, it is one of my favorite, heartbroken songs of all time. Recording quality had come along a little further by this time, and you can hear the Louvin's bluegrass influence as well.
YouTube: "My Baby's Gone"- The Louvin Brothers

"Crying Time"- Buck Owens, 1965, and "I Still Miss Someone"- Johnny Cash, 1964
This is another personal favorite of the genre for me. The recording sample I have is with Owens and Susan Raye. Another song with a haunting, but smoother steel guitar, and nice harmony between Owens and Raye. Buck Owens was another artist known for the used of the pedal steel guitar in his band, most notably on "Together Again", but that song doesn't fit the profile here (hence the title).

As for the other song, we couldn't have a list without the "Man in Black", the great Johnny Cash. He's arguably the most well known country music artist ever, and even today in the years after his death he remains extremley popular. While "I still Miss Someone" isn't even close to his most well known song, it's my favorite of his that fits this profile. I first heard this songs by the great bluegrass duo "Flatt & Scruggs", but Cash does it just a little better. There was something about the way he sang that you could really feel what he was feeling. In both songs you can tell quailty had come along way, just from 1960.
YouTube: Buck Owens & Susan Raye, "Crying Time"
"I Still Miss Someone"- Johnny Cash

"Today I Started Loving You Again"- Merle Haggard, 1968
My second favorite country music artist of all time has a very simple version of this song, and his vocals really make you feel the pain of whoever the poor old boy is whose girl left him. This version is a music video, that I believe came from the old TV show "Hee-Haw". I own the original recording, but this version will work just fine too.
YouTube: "Today I Started Loving You Again"-Merle Haggard

"Whiskey River"- Willie Nelson, 1973
A different sound from the slow, sad, hauting type songs that I have listed previously, but this song deserves to be on the list. It's a drinking song, and one of the best examples of a song about someone's love troubles that's still upbeat, like you're trying to take your mind of it it, instead of sulk. While there were songs in a similar vein before this, there were many more after it. Nelson, along with some other artists of the same period (Cash, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams Jr) really changed country music, and formed the "outlaw" genre. This is a good example.
YouTube: "Whiskey River"- Willie Nelson

"Fool Hearted Memory"-George Strait, 1982
Skipping ahead nine years, we find ourselves listening to the "king" of country, George Strait. He's my favorite country artist of all time, so of course I would include him. While this song isn't my favorite Strait song, it is very good, and it embodies heartbreak and alcohol, two things which have been heavy lyric topics in country music. The ablum this song came off, "Strait From The Heart" also includes "You'll Always Be The Fire I Can't Put Out" which is a personal recommendation of mine, and another song that will rustle your emotions (it's definitley hit close to home for me in the past).
YouTube: "Fool Hearted Memory"- George Strait

"When I Call Your Name"- Vince Gill, 1989
Vince Gill had a voice that could almost make you cry no matter how happy the song, so when he did a sad one, it could really get to you. This song is, in my opinion, the best one he did of that type. Patty Loveless sings the harmony.
YouTube: "When I Call Your Name"-Vince Gill

"Neon Moon"- Brooks & Dunn, 1991
When they hit the scene, they were the first extremely populour duet in country music in quite some time, and they would go on to have a remarkable run that ended just recently. "Neon Moon" is a very typical song from country music in the early 90's, and you can hear the stylistic changes even from just a nine year period. The 1980's saw a reversion to the more classic country style with artists like George Strait, Ricky Skaggs, Randy Travis, etc. By the 90's, country music was beginning to evolve again and guys and gals like B&D, Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, Patty Loveless and the timeless Strait would be at the center. Take a listen to what I think is the best lovesick song of that entire decade.
YouTube: "Neon Moon"-Brooks & Dunn

"Brokenheartsville"- Joe Nichols, 2002
We fast forward the clock eleven years, and we find country music has devloped into a very electric guitar, driving rock style of music. This song by Arkansan, Joe Nichols, brings the listener the feel of country music in the early 2000's but it also keeps elements timeless to country music, such as our friend the pedal steel guitar, and the sad vocal. One can definitely feel the sadness and anger felt by the poor soul in the song. Another one of my personal favorites, and it's what used to be Brent Foster's life story (just kiddin' buddy...sorta).
YouTube: "Brokenheartsville"- Joe Nichols

"Whiskey Lullaby"- Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss, 2003
I really liked this song when it came out and I still do. The saga of the couple of this song could almost have a movie made about it (I'm bad with pop culture so if one's already been made, disregard that last part), and the music and vocals are just as sad, lonely and haunting. Having Alison Krauss be his duet partner was one of the best decisions Paisley ever made on a song. Krauss is a very underated singer, and an extremley talented fiddle player and band leader in her own right.
YouTube: "Whiskey Lullaby"-Brad Paisley & Alison Krauss

With that, I'm going to stop. If you read all of this and listened to even part of every song, you deserve some sort of prize or medal. You all know what kind of style country music is being played with now. At times, the genre becomes blurred with pop, and rock and such. However, country will always be able to tug at our heart with tales of broken relationships, and love gone wrong. Throw in a fiddle and a steel guitar, country will always keep a distinct identity. There are many songs that could've made this list; songs that were more popular, more well known, and perhaps even more sad and lonely sounding, but I tried to include personal favorites of mine in here as well. However, here's a list of a few more favorites that could've easily made the list (not listed in chronological order).

-"He Stopped Loving Her Today"-George Jones
-"Living For the Night"- George Strait
-"Trying To Get Over You"-Vince Gill
-"I Can Still Make Cheynne"- George Strait
-" I Don't Love You Anymore"- Travis Tritt
-" Digging Up Bones"-Randy Travis
-" Hello Darling"- Conway Twitty
-"By The Time I Get To Phoenix"-Glen Campbell

I'm too tired to think of anymore. That's all for now.

A Weekend of Football

It started with Arkansas QB Ryan Mallet hitting WR Greg Childs for a 40-yard touchdown with 15 seconds left in the game giving the Hogs a 31-24 road win over Georgia. It ended with the Kansas City Chiefs getting just enough inches for a first down on fourth down and letting them run out the clock for their first 2-0 start since 2005. Those are the two events on each side of a great football weekend. In the middle were some other great things…things like Notre Dame losing in overtime when Michigan State faked a field goal and threw a touchdown pass (I really don’t like Notre Dame), and Arizona holding off a furious fourth quarter rally by the Iowa Hawkeyes to preserve their win (I really don’t like Iowa)*. Of course the best was T.J. Moe bailing out Mizzou with a 68-yard touchdown allowing the Tigers to sneak past San Diego State, 27-24.  Heck, if you go back to Friday, the Beakers lost to Southern Mississippi 31-17, and it’s always great win those hated Jayhawks get beat. Let’s just hope weekends like this are very frequent in this year’s football season.

            * I was just glad Iowa was finally exposed. This was a team that slid their way to the Orange Bowl last year dodging bullet after bullet, and for a second on Saturday night it looked like they were going to do it again. In some cases it’s better to be lucky then good, and finally Iowa’s luck ran out against Arizona. Here’s hoping they struggle to a lower tier finish in the Big 10 making their prudish fans whine and cry (Oh wait,…they do that anyway) and hope for basketball season. But wait! The Hawkeyes basketball team sucks too. Remember…Steve Alford saw the writing on the wall and got the heck out of there. I would love to see that school go into an athletic tailspin that lasts for a few years. Unfortunately, the Big 10 is still probably just sucky enough for this years Iowa football team to finish in the top 4 of that league and once again the overrated Kirk Ferentz will be regarded as a statewide hero. If you think this hatred is strange and over-the-top, you should see when I get going about kU.

Now, even though that first paragraph was full of good things to say, there are still some major questions facing the Tigers and the Chiefs. Let’s start with Mizzou. One could argue that the Tigers were looking past the Aztecs, but I find that hard to believe since the next game on Mizzou’s schedule is the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks. Not exactly a stellar team that would warrant looking past an opponent. It could be that San Diego State is just better than everyone thought, and perhaps the Tigers aren’t quite as good as their ranking of 24^th in the coaches poll would suggest (which if we’re going to be honest with each other as Tiger fans, this team doesn’t deserve to be ranked at this point).  There were a lot of dropped balls by the wide-outs and of course a couple of awful interceptions thrown by Blaine Gabbert. It was also disturbing the defense seemed to go to sleep at various points in the game and gave up to long TD’s on the ground. Maybe the team just wasn’t as focused as they should be going into this game and we’re content that since they were “Mizzou” that they would roll the Aztecs, and if that’s the case, it rests at the feet of the coaching staff. Whatever the issues, they need to get them sorted out over the next two weeks, because after that Big XII play begins, and if they play like that on a consistent basis (which I don’t think they will) they won’t win many more game this year.

As for the Chiefs, I won’t spend too much time on them, because after the last few seasons I’m just content with a 2-0 record. The defense has been playing well, and in the second half of Sunday’s game against Cleveland QB Matt Cassel even looked, well, like a quarterback. This team has a ton of upside, even if they have one of the more anonymous receiving corps in the NFL. The Chiefs are going to be a tough out each game this season.

Side Notes

The St. Louis Rams once again played a competitive game against the Oakland Raiders but mental mistakes and horrible penalties eventually doomed them. Once more there were a few positives to take away from the game, but as my buddy Matt Hayes said Saturday  (I’m paraphrasing here): Eventually you have to start turning those positives into success. Or something along those lines.

#1 Alabama comes to Fayetteville this weekend to face #10 Arkansas. I'm pumped about that one.

My friday night football pick up team (Mabes/Barrow) is now 2-0 this year. Gotta love pick-up football.

Is it annoying to anyone else that TBS has once against changed their daytime programming order and format? Why mess with a good thing (looking at you NCAA tournament committee and those of you NFL officials who want an 18 game schedule).

Kansas City Optimism

How ‘bout them Chiefs? Well, I’m not sure we know much about them, but we do know one thing: this team will be much more competitive then the last few. The Chiefs knocked off the Chargers 21-14 last night in a rabid, renovated Arrowhead Stadium that harkened back to the 1990’s and “Marty-ball”. There was a heavy dose of Jamaal Charles, and former Jet, Thomas Jones. This was, of course, due in large part to the downpours of rain for much of the game, and trying to protect a 21-7 second half lead. However, one can’t take too much from a game where the fans are fired up, the team is playing off the crowd, the conditions are horrible, and they’re running the football seemingly every play. Can Matt Cassell be a more efficient quarterback in dry conditions this year then he was last year? Can anyone on the team catch the ball consistently? One thing we do know is that this year’s draft class looks extremely good. Dexter McCluster was explosive, highlighted by a team record 94-yard punt return for a TD in the second quarter. CB Javier Arenas looked explosive on special teams as well, and looked good playing in the KC secondary. Eric Berry didn’t have his name called a whole lot, which isn’t always a bad thing for a safety, but he did make some plays and has the potential to be one of the games best. Finally, rookie TE Tony Moeaki out of Iowa caught 3 balls for 21 yards, including a touchdown. I guess what I’m trying to say is, it’s tough to gauge how good a team’s going to be, based on a game like last night. I want to be optimistic, and start hyping this team to win the AFC West and head to the playoffs. While I think the playoffs aren’t out of the realm of possibility, I’m going to be cautiously optimistic about this team. I want to see Matt Cassell be efficient. I want to see Dwyane Bowe not drop as many passes. I want to see consistency on defense (hello, Tyson Jackson). But the Chiefs are 1-0, and right now, that’s all you can ask.

Other Random Thoughts on Sports

The Missouri Tigers football team has quietly slipped into the coaches’ top 25, at #25. I’m not convinced the team has done anything to earn this ranking, but we’ll find out in October if this team deserves to be ranked. Mizzou is coming off a 50-6 victory of FCS school McNeese State last Saturday night in a game that wasn’t competitive from the kick-off, and now takes on San Diego State this coming Saturday. The Aztecs are 6^th in the country in total offense and should provide somewhat of a test for the Mizzou defense.

Keeping with the Mizzou athletics theme, the hoops team released their 2010-2011 schedule yesterday, and there are some exciting games to look forward too, as well as plenty of chances to catch the team on national TV. The home non-conference schedule is highlighted by a game with Vanderbilt on December 8th, and you can bet the team will be looking to get revenge on the Commodores for last year’s loss in Nashville. A road game with Oregon could be tough, but the Ducks have been down the last couple years, and of course the game with Illinois is in St. Louis again this year, and that ones always fun. I’m most looking forward the game on November 30 in Kansas City against the Georgetown Hoyas. It’s a good chance to catch Mizzou in action against a quality team from the big east that could very well be tourney bound.

The St. Louis Cardinals….well…maybe next year.

"Baseball Rants and Football Predictions"

Unfortunately, my first post looks to be a depressing one. Why? I'll tell you why. The 2010 St. Louis Cardinals are collapsing, and it just keeps getting worse day by day. This years Redbirds have now officially displaced (barring some miracle the last month of the season) the 2004 Mizzou Tigers football team as the MOST disappointing team of my lifetime (that is, of the teams I'm a fan of). That's saying something. The '04 Tigers lost to Troy. TROY! It was on the road, but still. But, the Cards get beat around like little red-headed step children by the likes of the Pirates, Nationals, Cubs, Brewers, Astros and other teams of that caliber. Not good. The only thing good thing about this week is: college football begins again, and the Tigers are taking the field in St. Louis this weekend to play Illinois in what is (for now) the final installment of the "Arch Rivalry" such as it is. In fact, I can't think of a time in recent memory when I've been more excited for this game. Granted, the horrific off the field issues have put a bit of a damper on the season opener, but even those things (DWI's, "digital penetration", etc) coupled with my general disdain for Mizzou head coach Gary Pinkel aren't doing much to bring down my enthusiasm as the 2010 college football season begins.

So, I will take this time to unveil my 2010-2011 Big XII conference picks. This is, of course, the last year of the league as we know it, and I would love nothing more then for Mizzou to win it. That being said, as you'll soon see, I don't think will happen. So without further adieu, I give to you my (former Seth and Seth sports co-host Seth Maberry's) Big XII conference predictions.

NORTH
1. Nebraska
I would love to send the 'Huskers off to the Big 10 with them losing in Lincoln to Mizzou and failing to win the North, but that won't happen. Even with questions surrounding QB Zac Lee, the defense should be again dominant, and the offense should be good enough to win a North that won't provide a lot of competition.

2. Missouri
The Tigers are the chief competition to the Huskers in the North. QB Blaine Gabbert is in his second year and should be getting better and better, and once again the Tigers have a very good (even if un-hearlded) group of receivers for him to throw to. Senior RB Derrick Washington is facing felony sexual assault chargers that could keep him from ever seeing the field, but backups Kendial Lawerence and De'Vion Moore are good enough. The defense will be what keeps this team from the North title (and coaching gaffes which are a signature of Pinkel).

3. Kansas State
Never count out old man Bill Snyder. Senior QB Carson Coffman and senior RB Daniel Thomas lead the Wildcats offense. Picking K-state 3rd here doesn't mean I think they're overly good, it just means I think they're better then the bottom 3 in the north, which isn't saying much. Being honest, I don't know much about K-state's defense but most of their toughest games are at home, so it should be good enough to go bowling. Oh, and this year they only scheduled one FCS school, so they don't have to win 7 to go bowling.

4. Iowa State
Paul "I'm so proud to be you're football coach" Rhoads has done a great job in Ames so far. It's a tough place to coach, and to win. They've been on a conference title drought that dates back to the same year the Titanic sank (1912). That's a long time. Dual threat QB Austen Arnaud is back from a team that was in the insight bowl last year, and they have a good shot at going bowling again this season. (Don't tell my fellow Mizzou fans in Columbia, but I think they'll beat the Tigers in Ames this year, Pinkel's signature "let down" game).

5. Colorado
The last go around for Dan Hawkins (if CU is smart). He once guaranteed 10 wins. He won't get it this year. They have an outside shot at a bowl game, but they're not good enough for me to do research enough to effectively break down their roster, schedule and thus their chances.

6. Kansas
Turner Gill will have a tough job in his first year in beakerville. I picked them last because, well, I hate them. And, well, because they won't be good either. Should be a good year to be a kU hater!

SOUTH
1. Oklahoma
As always, Oklahoma's shot at getting to the conference title game hinges on the red river rivalry game with Texas. Led by QB Landry Jones who looked very good at times last year filling in for Sam Bradford, I think the Sooners beat Texas and land in the league title game at the end of the season.

2. Texas
I like Mack Brown, a lot. However, his QB Garret Gilbert is unproven. Though he played well in spurts in last year's BCS Title game against Alabama, I think he'll struggle at times, especially in the games against Oklahoma and at Nebraska. Those are the big games on the Longhorns schedule, and look for them to lose both.

3. Texas Tech
Tommy Tuberville takes over for every ones favorite pirate, Mike Leach. Leach leaves a bevy of talent on the offensive side of the ball led by QB Taylor Potts. Of course, should Potts go down or suck, there's no shortage of QB's to plug in. The offense should be very good again this year in Lubbock, however during the Tuberville era, look for the defense to begin to improve.

4. Texas A&M
QB Jarrod Johnson is getting Heisman hype. He's good, really good. Only, he doesn't have much of a team around him. Coach Mike Sherman has consistently been mediocre or worse in his short time in College Station, and there's no signs showing that this year should be any different. They'll be blessed by a somewhat weaker Big XII south, so they should do enough to get to that 8 win range and get a decent bowl bid.

5. Oklahoma State
Another guy who underachieves a lot, and frequently fails to live up to expectations is 'Pokes coach Mike Gundy. He didn't turn many heads with QB Zac Robinson and WR Dez Bryant, and there's not much in Stillwater to make me think he'll turn any heads without them. Personally, I think they are worse then Baylor, but until the Bears prove it, I put the Cowboys here.

6. Baylor
Art Briles has started the long process of breaking the seeming endless bowl drought that has plagued the Bears. Last year looked to be there year before talented QB Robert Griffin III went down with a season ending injury. If he comes back and performs at the level he's capable of, I look for Baylor to jump up a spot, and win 6 games to break that bowl drought.

Title Game
Oklahoma over Nebraska
I think Oklahoma can match the Huskers on defense but are better on offense. Enough said. Oh, and I want to at least send the Huskers to the big 10 with a loss, even if it comes at the hands of a team I hardly like anymore then the nubs, OU.

So there they are. My analysis got less and less in depth as I went, I know, but I'm tired and this is my first post. Most of the picks are gut feelings anyway. I don't claim to be a football expert or some great prognosticator of any sort, but I just wanted to put it out there, so that way if it goes down like this, I will have proof that I predicted it.