What Wins the North?
Another weekend down and another weekend of completely shattered expectations. Not necessarily for the Jayhawks but across the board in the Big 12 North. To recap:
Kansas loses to Oklahoma which in itself isn't unexpected but where the struggles are coming from is completely.
Nebraska drops a home game to the Cyclones who suddenly look formidable despite being down a starting quarterback and running back.
Kansas State moves out in front at 3-1 after beating an inept Colorado team a week removed from upsetting the Jayhawks behind the play of Tyler Hansen. Shocker, Dan Hawkins benches Hansen in favor of son Cody.
Missouri sits in the cellar and admittedly has had a brutal schedule to start conference play. Problem is they were throttled by the Longhorns, their 5* quarterback is heavily hobbled and that loss to Nebraska stings a little more now than it did at first.
All that in mind here are the standings:
Big 12 Standings
| NORTH | CONF | OVERALL |
| Kansas State | 3-1 | 5-3 |
| Iowa State | 2-2 | 5-3 |
| Kansas | 1-2 | 5-2 |
| Nebraska | 1-2 | 4-3 |
| Colorado | 1-2 | 2-5 |
| Missouri | 0-3 | 4-3 |
That's right, at the moment Farmageddon is the difference between number one and number two with a nearly complete flip flop from what would have been expected. Clearly there's been some unexpected results that have gone into this and it's likely there will be more. So what wins this thing? and hell at this point, what does winning the North really mean?
Starting with Kansas State the appearance would be that they've been the benefactor of a soft early conference schedule. Texas Tech's dismantling of the Wildcats appeared to show the Cats stood no chance once they entered a gauntlet of a game in Norman, Kansas and Missouri at home and heading up to Lincoln. That may still be true but what Bill Snyder has done in Manhattan is already instilled discipline and eliminated many of the beat yourself type mistakes we saw with Prince. Combine that with the problems it's remaining three North opponents have shown and you've got to think the Wildcats are in the mix. Especially when you consider that 4-4 could win this thing.
Iowa State is next is a kicking game and an overthrown ball away from being 4-0 in the conference. The Cyclones wrap up with A&M who is a mystery but very beatable, Okie State, Colorado and a trip to Columbia. After beating the Corn in Lincoln it's hard to say these guys are out of any of those minus maybe Okie State. Take that back I don't see Missouri's offense imploding in Columbia so they'll likely beat the Clones but again that puts them at a possible 4 wins which may very well win the North.
Next up our own Kansas Jayhawks. Probably the toughest road from here on out but fact remains we may be in the same spot that we started the season. Kansas faces Tech, KSU, Nebraska, Texas and Missouri. Assuming the Hawks can't win one in the South that means a North sweep gives us 4 wins and the tiebreaker against everyone but CU. Once again, can 4 wins take this thing?
Huskers sit 1-2 with the Sooners looming large in two weeks. If the Corn offense struggled against ISU, get ready for hell when the OU defense comes calling. A loss against OU puts them at three losses. If we assume a win against Baylor that means they control their own destiny if they can run the table in the North against KSU, KU and CU. That's five wins for the Corn tiebreakers across the board. Lose one of those three though and they might find themselves on the short end of the stick with 4 wins but losing the tiebreaker.
Colorado 1-2 but looking pretty horrific against the Wildcats in Manhattan. I'd say at Okie State is likely off the table as is @ Iowa State since this team is so bad on the road. That leaves potential wins against A&M, Mizzou and the Huskers at home who they always play tough. Win those three and they sit with 4 wins, crazier things have happened right? Well honestly this one might be the longest shot on the table. I just can't imagine a scenario where the Buffaloes can beat all three of those teams. Maybe I'll change my tune next weekend but I just don't see Mizzou dropping one in Boulder.
That leaves the Tigers. Starting the Conference slate 0-3 and the health of their stud QB is questionable at the moment. The schedule get's much easier from here on out as they go to CU, Baylor at home, head to Manhattan and Iowa State at home. If we assume Mizzou wins all 4 of those then we head to Arrowhead where this thing could be decided. if Mizzou drops one on the road or the Cyclones pull another shocker then Mizzou is still in the mix if they win out and finish with the magical 4 wins.
So what wins the thing. Next week will probably flip this thing on it's face once again but right now it's wide open and there is truly a scenario where any one of these six teams is still in it. Top to bottom 4 or 5 wins is in the mix for everyone and at this point, it could very well only take 4.
Now I threw this together pretty quick here on a Sunday night so maybe I'm way off base, but I couldn't help but think last night while I'm watching the Mizzou v UT game that I have no idea who is going to win the North. Seriously, NO idea...it's still wide open and it's almost easier to find an argument against every team out there than it is to find an argument for. We'll see, can't wait till Saturday.
0 recs |
34 comments
Comments
KU pulls it out
I think KU holds serve with the rest of the North and gets at least 4 conference wins. K-State is a pretender, and at the most wins one more game. Let’s face it, Iowa St. won’t pull it off. MU won’t recover from 3 straight losses and loses at least 2 more. NU will lose to OU, and as long as we beat NU, we pull it off. I think we might even get to 5 wins, with a win in Lubbock next week. I know KU has a lot of problems to fix right now, but I just don’t see this group of seniors self-implode. I think KU digs deep this week fixes the offense and the defense gets just enough stops to pull one out on the road. We will be 2-2 heading to K-State.
by Kansas10 on Oct 25, 2009 8:38 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I just don't think we matchup well against Tech...
they are definitely as beatable as they’ve been, but I hate the matchups
Some people are like Slinkies...not really good for anything but they make you smile when pushed down the stairs.
by Denverjhawk on Oct 25, 2009 8:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Agree, but....
A&M ran and passed all over them last week. I think that we balance the pass and the run to keep their D on the field and their offense off the field. They will score against us, but we need to limit their opportunities to score by sustaining long drives. Sharp is due a big game and Reesing can’t play any worse than he already is. We force 1-2 turnovers on defenses and squeak by. KU gets it done and regains some confidence. This isn’t one of Tech’s better teams of late either.
by Kansas10 on Oct 25, 2009 8:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Who will be playin QB for tech?
saw last week they used their 3rd string
by rockchalks7 on Oct 25, 2009 9:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sharp is injured
according to Coach Magino. If Jake is indeed less than 100% then he isn’t due for much more than the 2 ypc that he’s getting and that would control anything but our O.
If Rell Lewis, or whomever is the 3rd string RB, isn’t good enough to warrant virtually any carries, Opurum isn’t strong enough to carry a game controlling load.
You also have to wonder about our D’s chances against Leach after watching Stoops depants another young KU CB.
by dagger108 on Oct 26, 2009 3:06 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
A&M ran wild on Tech...
so I hope we commit to the run more than we have recently. As far as the D against Leach, that is the primary matchup problem we have in this one. Tech’s offensive strengths are about the worst thing for our defensive problems.
Some people are like Slinkies...not really good for anything but they make you smile when pushed down the stairs.
by Denverjhawk on Oct 26, 2009 8:20 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think KU's OL is better than A&Ms
We should be able to run all over the Red Raiders. Put some pressure on a relatively inexperienced Tech QB and some turnovers might happen.
Sawin' wood
by Rivethead on Oct 26, 2009 2:00 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
How A&M moved it should give us a lot of hope...
They basically just went four wide, and then did one of two things…
1) Exploited a mismatch in the passing game
or
2) Run draws or counters straight up the gut
Granted, I’m sure Tech overlooked this game to some degree and you’d think they’ll do whatever they can to shore up those holes, but whereas I had little hope this time last week, now I’ve got some. (Still not sure if we can stop them, though.)
by hiphopopotamus on Oct 26, 2009 4:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Tech Game
Tech will most likely, according to comments by Mike Leach, be starting a red-shirt freshmen quarterback in Seth Doege. He hasn’t played any real football since his sophmore year of high school. He tore up one knee his junior year and the other his senior year. This could work in our favor.
by Kansas10 on Oct 26, 2009 5:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
or...
he comes out and lights us up for 600 yards…either way somethings going to happen : )
Some people are like Slinkies...not really good for anything but they make you smile when pushed down the stairs.
by Denverjhawk on Oct 26, 2009 5:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Looks like it's indeed Seth Doege...
to start for TTU and yes he’s the third guy on the depth chart. He played the majority of the second half against aTm. Drove the offense down the field 3 x times scoring twice while getting the mandatory 2 point conversions IOT stop the hemorrhaging. Only other active playing time was against K state he led 2 x drives and scored on the second one in garbage time. Nice release on his throws and doesn’t appear to have a problem scrambling out of the pocket. So far.
"do routine things routinely"
by centexraider on Oct 26, 2009 9:10 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
ya, Doege is not a bad at all..
From what I can tell, he’s the guy Tech fans want out there. Potts may have bounced up, but it really looks like Kindle turned him a little braindead.
With that said, Leach is going to want to get him going quickly. We need to watch the short routes and especially screens – two things we don’t cover well at all – because I’d bet that’s where they’ll look to go first.
by hiphopopotamus on Oct 27, 2009 8:30 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Looking around the World Wide Web...
it looks like about everybody and their mom did a breakdown like this….although most have gone so far as to declare MU v KU at arrowhead the deciding game.
Some people are like Slinkies...not really good for anything but they make you smile when pushed down the stairs.
by Denverjhawk on Oct 25, 2009 9:04 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
It will be
Because we’ll have to win that to win the North. I also think we are going to beat the other North teams. KState, still feel like we match up too well with them and have too much O. Won’t be as lopsided as last year, but we win a 38-24 type or so. Nebraska looks worse and worse and worse. I mean seriously, this team is strait up falling apart. A NU buddy of mine talked a lot of shit to me when ISU nearly beat us. Karma’s a bia buddy.
MU looks solid but not spectacular across the board IMO. D isn’t too bad this year, O can still score, etc. Just feel like we have the horses to get past them.
Honestly I think the schedule works out better given our struggles. We weren’t beating OU regardless, the CU loss was devastating, but maybe this gives us time to really improve for the remaining North teams. Win or Lose against Tech, we have more time to get our offense back in gear and continuing to improve on D. If we can keep making strides regardless of how we do in Lubbock, we can be a much better football team against KSU, NU and MU. Just my take on it.
by KU Grad 08 on Oct 25, 2009 9:30 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
at this pointq
we need a win, just any win to get the momentum back on our side. we did something similar to this last year but the CU loss may just be too much to overcome.
"He once had an awkward moment, just to see what it felt like - He is the most interesting man in the world"
by Home Run Tony Cogan on Oct 25, 2009 9:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wow
Surprisingly optimistic around here today. I was pretty dismayed with how we looked yesterday. At this point, we have to admit that Reesing isn’t the same player he was last year. Season’s half over- this is what we’re going to get from him from now on.
In the past, Todd has been our difference maker. Other teams were bigger or faster, but we had that squirelly little quarterback back there that made the behemoths look foolish.
And while the defense has looked better the past couple of games, it is now ridiculously young. And young teams mean one thing: inconsistency. Mizzou is the most complete team in the division, so I’ll go with them to win. I just threw up a little in my mouth.
by KennyGregoryRockThaCradle on Oct 25, 2009 9:57 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Question is....
why isn’t Todd our difference maker anymore?
Some people are like Slinkies...not really good for anything but they make you smile when pushed down the stairs.
by Denverjhawk on Oct 26, 2009 8:21 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm going to assume
you didn’t watch the Texas/MU game.
Homecoming night in Columbia, Methzuri and the Longhorns came in and bitch slapped them with an SEC defense and a Mountain West offense.
I honestly don’t see MU recovering enough from that beatdown to win the North.
Sawin' wood
by Rivethead on Oct 27, 2009 12:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
CU's got a chance
if someone in Boulder can pull a Kerrigan and blowout Cody’s knee or something like that before papa can put him behind center again.
by dagger108 on Oct 26, 2009 3:17 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
not sure I completely agree...
Hansen played about his best game against us and was quickly declared the savior of Buff football . He’s pretty ordinary in all reality from what I’ve seen in other games. If I’m a Buff fan I certainly would rather see Hansen than Hawkins but I wouldn’t be overwhelmingly confident in our future until some other quarterback shows his face on the field. Clark Evans is a big kid and redshirting as a freshman right now, maybe he’s the answer.
Some people are like Slinkies...not really good for anything but they make you smile when pushed down the stairs.
by Denverjhawk on Oct 26, 2009 8:24 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I am STOKED about Evans.
He looks like a stud. I’m also stoked about Buff commit Nick Hirschman. When he inevitably decommits and breaks my heart, I’ll still follow his college career. Both of those guys are long-term hopes for the future of the program, but Hansen NEEDS THE REIGNS right now.
I thought you knew that algebra was all razzamatazz. A Globetrotter always saves the good algebra for the final minutes.
by SlamDunkTheFunk on Oct 26, 2009 10:14 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
yes Hansen needs it now...
but I heard some after the Kansas game say that he was a quarterback on par with the best of the Big12 and that is not the case sorry.
Some people are like Slinkies...not really good for anything but they make you smile when pushed down the stairs.
by Denverjhawk on Oct 26, 2009 10:34 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
God no it isn't.
How the hell could it be? I mean, he’s only played in a handful of college games. How many QBs can come in and be really, really solid that early in their career?
I thought you knew that algebra was all razzamatazz. A Globetrotter always saves the good algebra for the final minutes.
by SlamDunkTheFunk on Oct 27, 2009 1:05 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Would NU have had a chance
if Blaine had stayed committed?
if RB #2 was still on the team?
The corn has got to be the most imbalanced team in the country with the way their O & D have been playing lately.
by dagger108 on Oct 26, 2009 3:20 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
CU has this in the bag.
Shut up.
Seriously.
Stop laughing.
I hate you guys.
I thought you knew that algebra was all razzamatazz. A Globetrotter always saves the good algebra for the final minutes.
by SlamDunkTheFunk on Oct 26, 2009 5:42 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
kstate
lol can't have a CKC without KC - Nicholai Khabibulin (LN21)
by KCsince88 on Oct 26, 2009 10:43 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Don't worry Slam, we're laughing with you, not at you.
by hunter s. royal on Oct 26, 2009 10:53 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
WOW! KU <3 Mizzou! LOL!
I can’t believe that KU fans are still sold on Mizzou:
“Mizzou is the most complete team in the division, so I’ll go with them to win.”
“MU looks solid but not spectacular across the board IMO. D isn’t too bad this year, O can still score, etc. "
Are you serous? Based on what?
Hello! McKU! Who has Mizzou beaten? 1-6 Illinois? Mizzou’s best win came in week 4 @ 4-3 Nevada, a team with a miserable pass defense that is currently ranked 119th in nation. Not too impressive. So please tell me how Mizzou is the most complete team in the North?
What makes you think the defense is any good? Bc Mizzou beat-up a pathetic IL O? Because it allowed a moribund Husker offense to hang more points in the 4th quarter (27) than they could muster in Lincoln in combined games against Tech and ISU (17)? Maybe it’s because of Mizzou’s complete lack of competitiveness at home against UT? FYI: Colorado played much better D in Austin.
And Mizzou’s offense is terrible!
Mizzou is averaging just 12 points per game in Big 12 play. And if that’s not bad enough, the Tigers are averaging just 1 second half point per Big 12 game, and they have yet to score in the 4th quarter of a conference game. Mizzou’s offense looked good against all those horrible defenses it faced to start the season, but Mizzou’s offense has hands down been the worst in the Big 12 play so far. Gabbert’s thrown 2 TDs to 5 INTs against the Big 12. Moreover, the Tiger running game is averaging just 76.66 yards per league contest and only game 264 yards of total offense.
So, see, there is absolutely NO reason to call Mizzou “the most complete team” in the North and laud the Tigers’ scoring prowess.
by robertogravez on Oct 27, 2009 3:18 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
I never said they were the best in the North
I said they are solid, not spectacular, across the board. In the past that won you the North (see Colorado lead by Joel Klatt and Klopendopenflopenstein and all those guys). Their D is ok, their O is ok. I think against the remaining Big12 teams they will play (KU, KSU, ISU, CU) they will have a good chance to take 3 of those 4 (at best, because KU is winning that game).
by KU Grad 08 on Oct 27, 2009 5:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Mizzou is a mystery
They’ve lost all their big 12 games, but 2 of those were against very good teams (you looked bad against OU, we looked bad against Texas, and this year Texas > OU), and one was in a monsoon, which was lost in about 4 minutes by a team every bit as young as yours (remember, young = inconsistent), and all were with our star quarterback very young and pretty hobbled.
The running game has stunk most of the year, but this week posted more yards on Texas than most of their other opponents have managed, and the defense is better than recent scores made it look, because we’ve kept getting lousy field position (which, ok, is its own problem).
Plus, Mizzou has yet to get thumped by a team nearly as bad as CU.
Prior to the season starting I would have very reluctantly given KU an edge in the Arrowhead game, now… I give MU a slim edge, but with a lot of trepidation.
And to all of this careful analysis and consideration, I finally have to add…. look how far careful analysis and consideration have got anyone this season so far. Blech!
and the Mustache of Truculence (formerly Canada4Mizzou)
by Wan Ihite on Oct 27, 2009 7:00 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
"Plus, Mizzou has yet to get thumped by a team nearly as bad as CU."
It’s too early to say that. NU may very well be the worst team in the North. They have to travel to Boulder too. And for whatever reason, CU is a different team at home than they are on the road.
Sawin' wood
by Rivethead on Oct 28, 2009 8:29 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
NU aren't so great, sure
But their loss last game was on the strength of 8 turnovers, and they were still nearly in it. That’s a game they would win 9 times out of 10.
How Mizzou does against CU this week will potentially fill in a lot we don’t know. It’ll depend a lot on whether something goes badly wrong for them at some point and they get rattled after the last few weeks, or if they can pull it together and play solidly up to their talent level.
So we don’t know which Mizzou we’ll see OR which CU… The only solidly consistent teams so far have been the ones in farmageddon, and they haven’t been consistently good, just consistently there. Yeah, this season is a mess and a half.
and the Mustache of Truculence (formerly Canada4Mizzou)
by Wan Ihite on Oct 28, 2009 3:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Don't even know what to think at this point
We looked horrible against OU. I attended the game and it made me sick. I think if we can pull off a win against Tech this week somehow then we are back in great standing. We lose again, then it’s a hell of a battle to the top.
How in the hell did Nebraska lose to Iowa St. without their starting QB and RB. Wow. Truly awesome.
by I need more Esteban on Oct 27, 2009 6:07 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Easy. NU's true colors are now showing.
They’re not good. At least not as good as advertised, just like KU.
Sawin' wood
by Rivethead on Oct 28, 2009 8:28 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

by 














