Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Big 12 Roundtable - The Rise of the North

Cross-Cyed at Clone Chronicles is hosting this week's Big XII Roundtable...

Were Saturday's games a sign that the Big 12 North may be on its way back?
I think it's another sign, as Oklahoma State and Texas A&M have already shown their cracks in non-conference action. Everything is cyclical, and the Big XII North has upgraded their coaching (Ron Prince, Mark Mangino, Dan Hawkins, Gene Chizek) in recent years.

How seriously do we take the hot starts at Mizzou and Kansas?
Missouri's hot start is more of a validation of some of the preseason talk than anything. Kansas, on the other hand, is a bit of a surprise in how dominating they've been against mediocre competition. Kansas' schedule is EXTREMELY favorable, so if they continue to play well, they could be a surprise contender. This weekend we'll start to get an idea is Kansas is for real or not.

Pick one team from the opposite division that you truly hate, and say why; follow this up by picking another team from the opposite division that you don't mind pulling for, and say why.
Truly hate from the other division? Well, I guess it would be Texas. They found a way to upset Husker teams in 1996, 1998, and 1999. Plus, they seemed to somehow set many of the rules in the Big XII during the formation of the conference, as the rest of the Big XII seemed to be opposed to anything Nebraska supported at that time. Then there is that Texas arrogance... Don't mind pulling for? I guess that would be the Oklahoma Sooners. Oklahoma-Nebraska is a classic rivalry, and it's sad to see it end on a regular basis, except when both make the conference title game. Some Huskers fans see Bob Stoops as an arrogant SOB, but I really haven't seen it. Personally, I like and respect what Stoops has done at Oklahoma, and think he's shown Nebraska respect as well.

The NCAA has enacted a rule allowing you to bring back one senior that graduated last year to play for your team for the rest of the season. Would you do it? And if so, who?
Without blinking, I'd beg Adam Carriker to come back, as our defensive line really, really could use the help.

Rank the conference teams
Already posted this yesterday: Oklahoma, Kansas State, Missouri, Colorado, Kansas, Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Baylor. It's a sad state of affairs for Husker fans when many pundits are putting the Big Red fifth in their division. This weekend's game against Missouri might be Nebraska's last chance to nip this talk in the bud before it becomes a common viewpoint of many.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

What? No conspiracy theories about how Steve Pederson is losing control of the program, what with Paul Meyers resigning and so forth. Come on. We expect better from you. You do work for Kansas State University, right?

David-CaliforniansForNebraska