Instead of the usual hosts, Rock M Nation, hosting this week, they are passing it on to their opponents in Thursday night's rather large game. Yes. Nebraska blog Corn Nation is hosting all festivities this week, so make sure and pay 'em a visit. Right now.
1. I'm sure everybody had preseason predictions for their team. Now that we're a few games in, revise your predictions with your best and worst case scenarios (being reasonable on both sides), and then revising your prediction for the season result.
Trying not to get too technical with Best and Worst (14-0 or 4-8 respectively), I think the expectations basically remain the same. We were expected to go undefeated in the non-conference, with perhaps an almost-slip up somewhere in there. I'd say the Southern Miss game qualifies as an almost-slip up, and we are, in fact, 4-0.
So, in all reality, our Best Case is probably 11-1. That's quite optimistic, yes, but I'm drinking the Kool-Aid. Maybe it's being required to defend Kansas a kabillion times a day because you're surrounded by Big 10/11 ridiculousness and such, but I feel like this team is really good. I don't know. In any case, every game not being played in Austin we have a legitimate chance to win. That would get us into the Big 12 Championship Game, and probably a BCS game regardless of what happens there. I'll take it.
Our Worst Case would most likely be 6-6. We are going to beat Iowa State at home. But what if we play like absolute shit and drop one of the other two "gimmes", @ KSU and @ CU, and lose all of the other games. That isn't a scenario that is impossible by any means, and I just kind of half-freaked myself out typing the thing.
Sheesh.
2. In 2010, the Big 12 will send it's 7th place team to play in a new bowl game to be played at Yankee Stadium, replacing the Independence Bowl in Shreveport. What's your take on this move? Is it a good move for players? Is it a good move for the conference? Is it a good move for fans?
I like it. Given the setting, it'll probably be hyped a bunch, which is sweet exposure for the conference. Plus, I think it would be really cool, as a fan, to go and watch your team play in Yankee frickin' Stadium. That would be fantastic. Another positive is the fact that we can never, ever go to Shreveport again -- I've never been, personally, but based on what I heard, that can't be a negative thing.
Another positive -- I'm sick of all of the bowls being in the South. I understand why, and everything, but I think it's cool that they are at least putting one bowl in the northern half of the United States.
For players, I don't see how it's a negative. You get to talk for the rest of your life about how you played a football game in Yankee Stadium. That's just freakin' fantastic.
3. Oklahoma is now 2-2, with one of those victories coming against a winless 1-AA team. Will all be well in Soonerland once Sam Bradford returns?
Nope. The problem runs a lot deeper than Landry Jones, I promise. The real problem was talked about before the season even began, by me and others. The offensive line. 4 starters from last year's nation's-best unit, which gave Sam Bradford hours back there in the pocket, are gone. Bye-bye. That's the real problem.
The defense is good. They held The U's offense in check, for the most part. 21 points is impressive. And Landry Jones isn't bad. They have the runningbacks. They just don't have the O-Line to create holes or give Landry enough time to find his receivers. Of course, the receivers aren't as good as they were last year, either, with only Ryan Broyles presenting a consistent threat, but the vast majority of the blame lies with the big uglies.
4. This week, Missouri and Nebraska face off on an ESPN Thursday night broadcast at 8 pm. Last Thursday, Colorado lost to West Virginia. Missouri and Colorado both have played Friday night road games. What's your take on non-Saturday games?
As a college football junkie, I couldn't love them anymore. They give me a taste of football before the weekend, plus it's nice to be able to sit down and watch a game with no other games going on at the same time, and simply enjoy every play of a game.
However, I'm not so sure I'm a huge fan of my team playing them. I suppose I'd be fine with it, I guess, but I don't know. It would be nice, as I said, to just focus on your game. However, it would make a potential loss a lot worse to take, with just work to turn to after it's over to drown out your sorrows as opposed to a day of football.
So, basically, I'm split on as a fan. I love 'em as a CFB fan, and if they involved my team, it's fine either way really. It's cool that Nebraska and Missouri are playing Thursday night, because the game should get a bunch of pub for it. If it was a regional game at 3:30 on ABC, it wouldn't get the same type of pub. But there's something about football on Saturday...
5. It seems everybody is in agreement that the bottom three teams in the North are the bottom three teams in the conference. Is the gap growing, and which of these teams is going to break out of the cellar first. Or is it hopeless?
Yeah, I would say the gap is growing. It's to the point where nobody even considers trying to shake things up and switching the order. Now, I don't think it will continue. Eventually, they will catch up. It has to happen.
I'll put money on Colorado to turn the corner first. They seem to have the most talent, and as crazy and pyscho as Dan Hawkins is, I trust him and his successor more than Bill Snyder or Paul Rhoads. Although, if the Wildcats could just get a QB, they could be pretty good.
6. Rank all of the division 1 football conferences from top to bottom. Not just the BCS conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big 10/11, Big East, Pac 10, SEC), but the others (MAC, Conference USA, WAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt) as well. Who's the strongest conference, and who's the pretender?
We're going explanation-less for now.
- SEC
- Pac 10
- Big 12
- Big 10/11
- ACC
- MWC
- Big East
- CUSA
- MAC
- WAC
- Sun Belt
7. PowerPoll time. Rank 'em 1 to 12 based on who you think would be the victor on a neutral field.
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Oklahoma State
- Texas Tech
- Texas A&M
- Baylor (no Robert Griffin...)
- Colorado
- Kansas State
- Iowa State
That's all for now.