Tilting at Windmills

Ah, fall. Just as the mosquitos returning to Waurika (swallows, Capistrano … it’s all I’ve got) signal a shift in the weather, there are those telltale signs that fall is finally here.

USA Today released their Coaches’ Poll today with OU a solid number 3 behind Jesus Tebow’s Gators and Colt McCoy’s Longhorns.

Tebow gets a bracelet for every 100 circumcisions.

Florida got 53 out of 59 first place votes, meaning six coaches just punched their express ticket to Hell. Texas had four coaches vote them number one, presumably Bob Stoops, Mike Leach, Kevin Sumlin and Bo Pelini. That’s right, Texas: Kevin Sumlin has a vote.

Interesting (that’s one way to put it) that after last year’s BCS-gate in the Big 12 South, Mack Brown decided to take his vote-picking and go home while Stoops picked up a pen again. Maybe somebody’s not quite getting the concept here.

Bottom line, for the top three contenders, seeding doesn’t really matter at this point. They all three have to go undefeated in order to get to the title game and obviously, one of them won’t. For now, OU will play the role of Mark Cavendish and wait for the leadout from the peloton before making a break at the sprint finish. What, no Tour de France fans here?

Texas starting at #2 ahead of the Sooners will surely shut them up until October, too.

When Bo Pelini inherited the Nebraska program, he walked into a pretty good situation. He led the team its 10th win of the year in its bowl game, which seemed to have set the stage for continuing the proud Nebraska tradition.

No, we’re not talking about 2008. This was in 2003 when the NU athletic department inexplicably fired Frank Solich for having the audacity to not be Tom Osborne. Sure, Solich was essentially the Nebraska version of Gary Gibbs: nice guy, mild-mannered and came from “within the family.” He also won about 9 games a year which was unacceptable to Nebraska fans who thought they were entitled to something after seeing their felonious great athletes in the 90s deliver a couple of titles. His real crime? Not sure. He won 58 games in six years, which was more than his predecessors Bob Devaney (53) and Tom Osborne (55) did in their first half dozen seasons.

Pelini took over the reigns of the program as Interim Coach at the end of the regular season (after Solich had already posted 9 wins that year), “righted” the ship and led the team to an Alamo Bowl win, complete with a couple of kickass meltdowns in which he had to be physically restrained from the officials (there’s something besides flouride in the Youngstown water, apparently).

This thing smells bullshit!

He was never able to move past the title of “interim coach,” though, and new AD Steve Pedersen was determined to put his own stamp on the program. Coaches around the country saw how Pedersen treated one of NU’s own and shunned the Huskers like hygiene at a Phish concert. It took Pedersen 40 days to come up with Bill Callahan to lead the program, after being told “go fuck yourself” by the likes of Dave Wannstedt, Houston Nutt, Mike Zimmer and (allegedly) Steve Spurrier. Calladouche Blake’d the Nebraska football program, notching the program’s first two losing seasons in 45 years and letting Kansas Hot Karl every black shirt in the stadium.

We're not amused, Bill.

Osborne, who told Pedersen to pack his shit and leave, dumped Callafran in 2007 and called Baton Rouge to see if Pelini, then the DC at LSU, would come back. He did and Nebraska fans have to be ecstatic. In his first season, the Stoops family’s anger management-challenged cousin grabbed nine wins and a bowl win. Aside from being curbed by his buddy Bob in Norman, the Huskers were more inspired in 2008 and fans can finally have something to look forward to in 2009.

Callafran wasn't out of work for long.

Many, including us, are picking Nebraska to win the Big 12 North (although there’s dissension even amongst us TaWers). The fact the Huskers are even in that discussion, though, is primarily Pelini’s work. He’ll have a tough chore trying to put together an offense that lost the prolific Joe Ganz and its top two receiving threats. However, Pelini’s defense, which is his strong suit, could be very good this year. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is a preseason All-American and the Husker secondary is one of the best in the Big 12.

Are the Huskers “back?” No, and they won’t be even if Pelini gets them another 10 wins. They’re on much better footing these days, though, and they’d be well-served to make sure Bo stays in Lincoln for awhile.

Bo Pelini’s defense is a big reason why many, including us, are picking Nebraska to come out of the Big 12 North and represent in the Big 12 conference championship game. The Huskers return seven starters on a unit that played well at times last year, but seemed like they could use some more experience.

In researching the Blackshirts, we took one for the team and put up with watching this:

That’s three minutes of my life I’ll never get back. You, too, I’m sure.

What it did, though, was put some faces with the names. The Husker defense will be counted on to carry the team at times this year as they try to break in a new quarterback and find somebody on offense to catch the ball besides TE Mike McNeill.

Defensive line

The entire Husker defense is built around Ndamukong Suh, the hulking, first-team All Big 12 tackle who led the team in tackles (76), sacks (7.5) and tackles for loss (19). Hell, he even scored three touchdowns last year, two off interception returns, and a third that Kansas would rather forget:

The Sporting News already thinks Suh will be the number one pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, which would be fine with me. It would keep Sam out of Detroit.

Elsewhere on the DL, 6’5″, 265 junior Pierre Allen (5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss) returns next to Suh. The Huskers are a little thin otherwise, though. Sophomore Jared Crick (6’6″, 285), who logged just two tackles in nine games of action last year, will line up at DT next to Suh while senior Barry Turner, who only played in two games last year before breaking his leg and receiving a medical waiver for a 5th season, will play at the other DE in the 4-3. Depth will be a major issue on the defensive line as the two-deep shows a sophomore and three redshirt freshmen backing up the starters.

Linebacker

Jenks native and senior Phillip Dillard is the most experienced returning linebacker Pelini has, which should be a major concern. Dillard was plagued with injuries the entire season in 2008 and was listed second on the depth chart coming out of spring practice. Dillard was able to log just 38 tackles in nine games (five starts) in 2008, spending more time on the sidelines than waiting to get Suh’s sloppy seconds. The rest of the linebacking corps should probably still be cruising the Sonic and skipping 5th period as there are four redshirt freshmen and a sophomore listed among the two deep.

A smallish redshirt freshman, Will Compton (6’2″, 220), is listed as the mike LB. If Dillard returns to form, he’ll play in front of Compton. Fellow second-year frosh Sean Fisher (6’6″, 230) appears to have the edge at the Sam LB slot while sophomore Matthew May (6’1″, 210), the only currently-listed starter with game experience (appeared in six games, recorded six tackles and a sack), is penciled in on the weakside.

Secondary

Where the linebacking corps is young, the guys behind them are just as experienced. Pelini’s pass defense should be its strong suit this year with a secondary led by strong safety Larry Asante. The 6’1″, 215 senior is a three-year starter for the Huskers and was second on the team last year in tackles (67). Two other starters return for Pelini in senior free safety Matt O’Hanlon (5’11″, 200) and junior corner Anthony West (6’0″, 205). Those two combined for 81 tackles, three interceptions and 13 pass breakups in 2008. Senior Rickey Thenarse (24 tackles, 6 TFL) backs up O’Hanlon. At the other corner, junior Prince Amukamara (6’1″, 200) started three games last year, while appearing in all 13.

Special teams

Junior wideout Niles Paul was a dynamic kick returner last year, averaging almost 25 yards per return with one 85-yarder for a touchdown. He’ll also be called upon to return punts with Nate Swift gone due to graduation.

Kicking

Junior Alex Henery was named second-team All Big 12 last year after going 18-of-21 field goals and 56-of-57 extra points for the season. Henery notched 110 points on the season, the highest total for a Husker since 2001 (without knowing who that was, I can hazard a guess). He has a strong and accurate leg, going 6-6 from between 40-49 yards and set a school record with a 57-yarder to beat Colorado. That should serve the Huskers well if they struggle early on offense.

The punting duties will be handled by the winner of a battle royale between Henery, redshirt freshman Brett Maher (he averaged 41.2 yards per boot in high school) and sophomore Jon Damkroger.

It’s back to the Power-I, power-running game in Lincoln for 2009. Bo Pelini’s and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson’s biggest concern will be trying to replace Joe Ganz, who were it not for a slew of great quarterbacks around the league, should have received more national recognition.

In the first of a three-part series profiling the 2009 Nebraska Cornhuskers, we first take a look at the Huker offense:

Quarterback

Pelini will be earning his money in a hurry in trying to find a new quarterback this year. Ganz, who was recruited to run Callahan’s West Coast offense is gone and you just don’t replace 3,500 yards and 25 touchdowns overnight. Then again, maybe Pelini has one up on Callahan, who was supposed to be an offensive genius and quarterbacks coach, yet thought Sam Keller was a better choice than Ganz.

Keller surely had blackmail on Callahan.

The job is sophomore Zac Lee’s to lose, especially after redshirt freshman Patrick Witt decided in the spring to transfer to Yale. Yeah, that Yale.

Lee, a junior who transferred in from San Francisco City College JUCO (he sat out a year before entering junior college, so he’s a “four years to use three” guy), is listed as a mobile 6’2″ quarterback with a strong arm. He came out of spring practrices with a leg up on redshirt freshman Kody Spano and true freshman Cody Green (allegedly, Pelini told the two that he’d consider them when they figure out how their names are supposed to be spelled). Ex-linebacker Latravius Washington moved to quarterback in the offseason, too, meaning two of two things: he couldn’t get on the field at linebacker and Pelini’s really thin at QB.

Lee’s only completed two passes for 17 yards at Nebraska, but in his one year at SFCC, he threw for 3,400 yards and 35 touchdowns while completing 64 percent of his passes.

Pelini's handing the keys to Lee.

Lee’s biggest asset, though, could be his smokin’ hot and, most importantly, single sister.

Single, “wicked smart” men, apply here.

Running back

Pelini’s power game offense in 2009 will hope to improve on the Huskers’ 37th-best (167.7 ypg) national rushing attack from 2008. He’ll be counting heavily on Roy Helu Jr., who ended up leading the Bugeaters in rushing last year with 803 yards and 7 touchdowns. Helu’s a speed back who counts on getting creases to hit, but he’s bulked up about 20 pounds in the offseason to hopefully fit more in the between-the-tackles running game Pelini wants. He missed the spring game, though, due to a hamstring injury.

Husker fans hope Helu can get loose this year.

Helu’s compliment will be Quentin Castille, who’s more of a bruiser and a third-down back. However, even in that role, he still ran for almost 500 yards last year as the #3 running back behind Helu and Marlon Lucky. He’s trimmed about 20 pounds from his bowling ball frame, though, which should serve him well since he’ll be counted on to shoulder more of a load than his 2008 total of 106 carries.

ESPN’s Tim Griffin thinks we could see 2,000 yards combined out of Helu and Castille, but given both of them were dinged up at various times last year, depth will be an issue. The problem is, nobody behind those two have any game experience at all. Redshirt freshman Collins Okafor ran for 3,300 yards and 33 touchdowns in his career at Omaha Westside High School. Brenham’s Lester Ward is a 6’2″ redshirt freshman who was one of the Top 100 players coming out of Texas. If sophomore walk-on Austin Jones sees significant playing time, something terrible has happened in Lincoln.

Offensive line

Nebraska loses three starters in Matt Slauson, Lydon Murtha, Mike Huff, who had 79 starts between them. However, injuries and ineffectiveness meant that others got starts in their places. Junior Mike Smith (6’6″, 290) will slide over from left guard (where he started 11 games in 2008) to left tackle while Keith Williams (6’5″, 320), who started 8 games in 2008, will fill his sport at guard.

The biggest move is that the Huskers’ most experienced lineman, senior center Jacob Hickman (6’4″, 295), moved over to right guard in the spring. Hickman is one of 44 players on the Rimington Award list and has 23 career starts at center, including starting all 13 games there last season. OL coach Barney Cotton (that’s really his name) hinted that they were just looking at different combinations and that the move might not be permanent, but it caused some understandable consternation amongst Nebraska faithful.

Should Hickman play guard, 6’1″, 275 pound sophomore Mike Caputo will anchor the middle of the line. Caputo’s a walk-on, harking back to the days of when the Huskers would house about 200 “non-scholarship” players with boosters.

If Hickman stays at his natural center position, the Huskers are looking at either junior D.J. Jones (6’5″, 315) or junior Ricky Henry (6’4″, 300) at right guard, neither of them with a start between them. At right tackle, junior Jaivorio Burkes (6’5″, 295) would seem to have the inside track, although he’s struggled to stay healthy. If he can’t go, the Huskers will have to find someone out of redshirt freshman Brandon Thompson (6’6″, 300), sophomore Marcel Jones (6’7″, 310) or Kansas State transfer Derek Meyer to handle duties on the right side.

Tight end

The Huskers have some real talent here with junior Mike McNeill (6’4″, 240). McNeill caught 32 passes for 442 yards and 6 touchdowns last season and should be one of Lee’s go-to guys in play-action situations. He might be the second-best TE in the Big 12, although there’s a huge gap between OU’s Jermaine Gresham and anybody else. Imagine what McNeill’s high school team in Kirkwood, Missouri must have looked like with him on one side and Jeremy Maclin on the other.

Wide receiver

It won’t help a young Lee that the Huskers lost 125 catches, 1,727 yards, and 14 touchdowns with Nate Swift and Todd Peterson moving on. Suffice it to say, the receiver race is more wide open than Seth Rogen’s stance on pot. The leading candidates are seniors Menelik Holt (6’4″, 220), junior Niles Paul (6’1″, 215) and senior Chris Brooks (6’2″, 215). Holt caught 30 passes for 355 yards in 2008 while Paul had a serviceable 23 catches for 214 yards last year. Brooks is a guy who’s been on campus for three years and has three career catches. You do the math.

We start our in-depth look at the Big 12 landscape this year in the North where graduations affect some, not so much others and, when it comes down to it, scheduling could play the most important part.

The look from here says Nebraska’s combination of scheduling and defense should be enough to get them to the Big 12 championship game at Jerryworld in December. It won’t be easy, though, as Kansas may have something to say about it, as will question marks in the offense.

1. Nebraska

Bill Callahan nearly ran a once-proud program into the ground. At times, he seemed more concerned with throat-slashes, fans “throwing fruit,” and being a general all-around asshat than he did coaching the Big Red machine. Former Husker assistant Bo Pelini took over the helm last season, turning around a team that had gone 5-7 in 2007 (just their second losing season in 40 years – both of them under Callahan) and guided them to 10 wins and a Gator Bowl win.

Pelini will be replacing quarterback Joe Ganz, who threw for 3,500 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2008. Sophomore Zac Lee looks to be the one getting the nod, although he’s only thrown two career passes. He’ll have running back Roy Helu behind him, who despite starting just two games in 2008, led the team in rushing yards (803) and rushing touchdowns (7).

Fans hope Pelini, a defensive coach by trade, can bring back the Blackshirts. They’ll rally around 6’4″, 300-pound, senior defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who led the Husker defense in tackles (85), sacks (7.5), interceptions (2 … really, he led the team in picks??), QB hurries (7) and seconds on extra gravy boats at the Omaha Cracker Barrel.

Scheduling is where the Huskers get the biggest break. Yes, they have to play Oklahoma, but it’s in Lincoln. Yes, they have to go to Columbia and Lawrence, but the Tigers and Jayhawks have scheduling problems of their own. In the usual battle of attrition in the Big 12 North, Nebraska should be the team coming out on top and playing for the Big 12 Championship in December.

2. Kansas

The force is strong in Lawrence with pequeña signal-caller Todd Reesing returning for his senior season, and All-American candidate wideout Dezmon Briscoe (he’s still wide open down the sidelines, Venables … cover his ass) set to become the school’s all-time receptions leader before conference play even starts. In my mind, Mark Mangino is one of the best coaches in the country and will have the Rock Chalkers in contention for the North title. In fact, they’ll probably be favored to beat Nebraska in Lawrence on November 14. However, they do have to play Oklahoma (in Lawrence, thankfully) and make trips to Lubbock and Austin. That’s potentially three losses right there and dropping that many games in the North this year will have you sitting at home watching the Big 12 CCG.

3. Missouri

Although they’re the two-time reigning Big 12 North representative in the championship game, head coach Gary Pinkel will be retooling the offense after losing their biggest tool, Chase Daniel. All-world wideout and return specialist Jeremy Maclin will be drawing a paycheck from the Phildalphia Eagles in 2009, so Pinkel will have his cutesy, why-the-hell-are-you-calling-a-trick-play-NOW work cut out for him. Can 6’5″ quarterback Blaine Gabbert and 1,000-yard rusher Derrick Washington be enough on offense? In the Big 12 North, maybe. However, they open conference play with Nebraska, then go to Stillwater seven days later and come back home the next week to host Texas. Mizzou needs to win at least one of those three to have any shot at the Big 12 north title.

4. Colorado

Now we’re just drawing straws for the lower half of the North division. Colorado probably has enough talent to eek out the Kansas and Iowa ag schools, but unless they have a winning record and go bowling (doubtful and seriously doubt it), Dan Hawkins might be coaching intramurals this time next year. The Hawk may be platooning quarterbacks and running backs, and the defense loses six starters. The Buffs’ saving grace is that they get Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri all in Boulder. CU fans shudder at the thought of roadtrips to Austin and Stillwater, though.

5. Kansas State

Goodnight, sweet Prince. Hello again, Bill Snyder. The Wildcat fanbase doesn’t even acknowledge having a B.S. (before-Snyder) football program and, well, maybe they’re right. Snyder did accomplish one of the major turnarounds in college football history, taking the worst program in the history of the sport and making them conference title contenders. However, that was the Big 8. Snyder’s biggest win? A Big 12 conference title game shellacking over OU. The Wildcats must go to Norman on Halloween this year and unless he can raise the ghost of Darren Sproles, that one could get ugly. Other road trips to Lincoln and Lubbock mean … well, you get the picture.

6. Iowa State

A new year, a new Auburn DC running the ship in Ames. Surely Paul Rhoads can’t do worse than Gene Chizik’s two years there. I’ll put on my Harry Carey voice (just go with it) and ask: how does a guy who went 5-19 get the head coach position at Auburn? Austen Arnaud is a talented quarterback, but he might have to carry the load by himself. Unless you’re Vince Young (and he’s not), a one-man show is not going to win in Lawrence, Columbia and Lincoln. ISU also draws OSU and Baylor (in Ames) out of the South. The Bears’ Robert Griffin already went apeshit on the Cyclones once – he may just do it again.

A new year, a new set of challenges across the Big 12 landscape.

Who will be the preseason glamour boy who falters early, causing us to question why we ever put him on that pedestal in the first place (whither Chase Daniel)? Who is Mike Leach going to have throw the ball eleventy-million times a game, making us go “gosh, where’d he find THIS guy?” Who’s going to feel like they got “screwed” at the end of the season, paying no attention to their own foibles that got them in their mess to begin with?

Picking another winner, I see.

Ladies and gentlemen, and TaW readers, without further adieu, we present to you … the 2009 Big 12.

As we alluded to over the weekend, this begins a six-week series breaking down each team’s chances this fall. Obviously, some (OU, Texas, Nebraska) will have better chances than others (Iowa State, Colorado, Aggy). We’ll start breaking down the Big 12 North later this week, but for now, let’s take a look at who we think has the best shot at surviving the standing 8 at the end of the year.

It'll be hard to go unscathed this year, yo.

Big 12 champion

If you think you’re going to get anybody but Oklahoma in this slot on an OU blog, you’re delusional. You also haven’t paid attention to OU’s six Big 12 titles (seven appearances in the Big 12 CCG) in the past nine years. The Sooners’ main weapon in winning the last three straight titles is the fact that nobody can touch them in Norman, meaning you can pretty much chalk up four conference wins right there (Baylor, Kansas State, A&M, OSU). Stoops is an astonishing 60-2 at Owen Field and the Sooners have the nation’s longest home winning streak at 24 straight. That’s not to say OU doesn’t have any potential minefields, though. They’ll have one of the toughest schedules in the country, which includes a trip to Miami (I don’t care what their record says, Miami at Miami speaks for itself), a game in Lubbock where OU has lost two straight and … oh yeah: October 17 in Dallas.

The Sooners are looking for a four-peat in 2009.

Big 12 runner-up

The North sacrificial lamb representative has usually been a process of elimination with the past couple of years, Missouri showing up by virtue of having actual talent on the field (sorry, Kansas). This year, it’s Nebraska. Although Bo Pelini’s v2.1 Cornhusker squad will be replacing quarterback Joe Ganz (presumably his brother Cherry won’t come looking for him) and running back Marlon Lucky, we think quarterback Zac Lee (what we’ve seen of him) can at least manage to turn around and hand the ball to RB Roy Helu, who ran for 803 yards last year. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (whose name in the Cameroon Ngema tribe means “House of Spears” – no, we’re not making that up) is being compared to a jumbo-sized Rich Glover.

Bowl teams

This is where the Big 12 should make a good showing with as many as 8 teams playing postseason games.

BCS teams

No surprise here. OU and Texas are both good enough and both team’s schedules line up (although for opposite reasons) well enough to get them both into marquee bowls. Who goes to the Rose Bowl playing for all the marbles and who is in the Fiesta against a Big 10 patsy will be determined in October.

Cotton Bowl

Nebraska gets a break on the Big 12 South rotation (they get Oklahoma and Tech at home, then have to play Baylor in Waco) and should look good enough come December that even a loss in the Big 12 CCG should send them back to Dallas for this one.

Holiday Bowl

Look for the winner of the November 14 game in Stillwater to get an invitation to San Diego. The outlook from here says it will be OSU over Texas Tech, which should dovetail into the …

Alamo Bowl

Although technically the Gator Bowl could take a Big 12 team before the guys in San Antonio get a chance, you know the San Antonio city officials would just love to have the Sand Aggies at the Alamodome and their fans stumbling around the Riverwalk for a weekend.

Gator Bowl

Should the Alamo pick first, that means we’re likely to see somebody like Kansas in Jacksonville. The Jayhawks have a BCS win on their resume and would be a very attractive pick. However, if they’re able to ambush Nebraska in Lawrence on November 14, all bets are off here.

Sun Bowl

Their fans might be disappointed after going to the Big 12 championship the past two years, but at least Missouri wouldn’t have to deal with an Oklahoma woodshedding in El Paso. Mizzou faces big tests on the road at Stillwater (yeah, I said it) and neutral site games with Kansas and Illinois. They get Texas and Nebraska in Columbia, which should at least give them better odds in those games.

Insight, Independence or Texas Bowl

This is where the WAGging starts. You know what? Screw it. Baylor’s going bowling, folks. Put em in the Texas or Independence Bowl and they’ll travel, too. If the Baptists (and Robert Griffin, they probably don’t even care if worships the devil at this point) are playing past November, they won’t mind where.

Here we are, folks. The heat is bearing down, we’re relegated to watching Tour de France and tennis (I’m sure some of you are actually baseball fans) and we’re pat-pat-patting our feet in anticipation of late August and early September.

Well, it’s closer than we think. Students will be returning to campus in about a month, meaning fall practices will be starting around the same time. We at TaW are itching to get going now, though.

So, to cure your football fix through the heat and anticipation in July, we’re going to bring you a six-week series previewing the fortunes of all 12 conference teams and their coaches.

We’ll start this week with Nebraska and culminate in August with your Oklahoma Sooners. Here’s a preview of what to expect:

Week of July 6

Nebraska

In his first full season at the helm of the Cornhuskers, Bo Pelini improved a 5-7 team in 2007 to 9-4 in 2008. ponderos will look at what the defensive-minded Pelini can do to capitalize on the Huskers’ big bowl win over Clemson and what the Big Red will look like with junior Zac Lee taking over from the prolific Joe Ganz under center.

Just sayin ...

Week of July 13

Missouri

How will Mizzou look in the post-Chase Daniel era? We’ll find out a lot about Gary Pinkel’s coaching ability as he cobbles together an offense without the talents of Daniel and all-everything receiver Jeremy Maclin.

Iowa State

The Cyclones are hoping that another ex-Auburn defensive coordinator, Paul Rhoads, can turn around the fortunes from the mess left behind by Gene Chizik. ISU is paying Rhoads a reported $5.75 million over 5 years, so at least the financial commitment is there. ponderos will examine ISU’s upcoming 2009 season, which will ride and fall on the shoulders of second-year starter, dual-threat quarterback Austen Arnaud.

Week of July 20

Colorado

Is Dan Hawkins on the hot seat? He’s 8-17 in his three years in Boulder and has yet to have a winning season. TaW’s Blatant Homer will talk about whether Hawkins can put enough wins together in 2009 to save his job.

Kansas

Mark Mangino might be the most underrated coach in the country. He’s 3-1 in bowl games since taking over in 2002, including a big BCS win in the 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl. Oread Boom Kings’ Hiphopopotamus will give a Kansas fan’s perspective of the 2009 season, which will no doubt include a look at quarterback Todd Reesing, who might just be the best signal-caller in the Big 12 north this year.

Week of July 27

Kansas State

“Sleepless in Manhattan” returns to the Purple Power this year as Bill Snyder tries to turn around a program that unceremoniously dumped Ron Prince under dubious circumstances. TaW’s Coach Bo has a, ahem … special affinity for the Wildcats and will bring a unique perspective to the KSU 2009 preview. Don’t forget your Power Towel!

Baylor

TaW’s Big 12 South coverage will begin in Waco where the preseason excitement hasn’t been this high in over 20 years when Grant Teaff was at the helm. Sophomore quarterback Robert Griffin is for real and is already giving coaches around the Big 12 gameplanning fits (H/T, Mike Sherman). TaW’s Blatant Homer will preview the Bears’ 2009 chances under second-year head coach Art Briles, who already has an A&M pelt on his wall and scared the bejeezus out of Tech and Missouri last season.

Week of August 3

Texas Tech

It bears repeating: Tech beat Texas last year. The single-biggest win in corsair Mike Leach’s career caused the entire Longhorn nation to collectively and permanantly lodge their panties in their cracks. The Tortilla Retort’s dedfischer will look at the monumental task Leach has in front of him this year after losing quarterback Graham Harrell and All-American wideout Michael Crabtree.

Oklahoma State

How many years will OSU be a program on the rise? Mike “I’m a man!” Gundy had his Cowboys in the Top 10 at one time last year and many feel they should be there in the preseason, mainly due to dual-threat quarterback Zac Robinson. TaW’s duncansooner takes one for the team to research and document the Pokes’ 2009 season. No word on if he’ll offend any mothers … of children.

Week of August 10

Texas A&M

Second-year head coach Mike Sherman (4-8 in his first year at College Station) would be on one of the hottest seats in the country were it not for other problems in College Station. TaW will look at whether the Sherminator can solve the myriad of problems facing the Aggies in 2009, which include doing something about a 3-10 record to the Lubbock Sand Aggies since the inception of the Big 12, and what looks to be an ugly trip to Norman.



Don't you wish you had him back, Aggies?

Texas

BCS-gate, Asterisk-gate and another year without a conference title. Sounds like nothing much has changed for Mack Brown and the Horns. They’re pinning their hopes on a 2-1 record in the last 3 games against Oklahoma, though. TaW will look at UT’s fortunes with third-place Heisman finisher Colt McCoy returning for his senior season and Sergio Kindle trying desperately to stay on the team, barring his turning any more west campus housing into a Junior’s Party Barn drive-thru.



Add that to the trophy case, Mack.

Week of August 17

Oklahoma

Is this the year Stoops finally gets over the BCS hump? Some publications are putting OU’s defense as tops in the country. Indeed, the Sooners’ defensive line could rival the Harris-Dvoracek front from the early 2000s. Heisman winner Sam Bradford will have to prove his worth after losing four of five of his guys up front, but he still has dangerous weapons like two 1,000-yard rushers in DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown, plus the freakishly-talented Jermaine Gresham.

I can’t make up stuff this good: a day after the world learned that UT claims a 2008 Big 12 football championship, Asterisk-gate continues on the 40 Acres. DeLoss Dodds has decided to pay $44,000 in bonuses to Mack’s assistant coaches as part of a contractual-incentive for winning … the Big 12 championship. Be sure to read some of the comments. They’re priceless.

So, in honor of this silliness, we at TaW thought we’d map out the timeline to see how we got here. A special thanks to DeLoss Dodds and the UT SID for helping out us bloggers during football nuclear winter.

May 20 and 22, 2008: Annual Big 12 spring meetings

Football revenue-sharing and player eligibility highlight the agenda. Most are mainly looking forward to seeing the conference’s success over the past 10 years translating into something besides chicken casserole and soggy rolls at the media trough buffet.

July 31, 2008: Big 12 issues press release regarding divisional tie-breaking procedures

Ah … here they are: the tiebreaker procedures that will be used in the 2008 season. It’s good the Big 12 did this just in case there’s a question later and we need to refer back. Some of these are a little bit overkill, though. A three-way tie? There’s no way would that ever happen*.

Divisional Champion: The (eligible) team with the best winning-percentage of all divisional members in its eight conference games is declared the divisional champion and representative to the Dr Pepper Big 12 Conference Football Championship Game. A team ineligible under NCAA or Big 12 rules for postseason (bowl) competition shall not compete in the Championship Game.

Divisional Tiebreakers:

The following procedure will determine the representative from each division in the event of a tie:

a. If two teams are tied, the winner of the game between the two tied teams shall be the representative
b. If three or more teams are tied, steps 1 through 7 will be followed until a determination is made. If only two teams remain tied after any step, the winner of the game between the two tied teams shall be the representative.
1. The records of the three teams will be compared against each other
2. The records of the three teams will be compared within their division
3. The records of the three teams will be compared against the next highest placed teams in their division in order of finish (4, 5 and 6)
4. The records of the three teams will be compared against all common conference opponents;
5. The highest ranked team in the first Bowl Championship Series Poll following the completion of Big 12 regular season conference play shall be the representative
6. The team with the best overall winning percentage [excluding exempted games] shall be the representative
7. The representative will be chosen by draw.

August 30, 2008: College football season starts.

Our summer of discontent has finally ended and football season has started. #4 OU sleepwalks 57-2 past Tennessee-Chattanooga with Joey Halzle throwing a touchdown pass in the second quarter to put OU ahead 50-0 at halftime. This prompts the first of many shrill cries throughout the season that the Sooners run up the score (hereafter abbreviated “RUTS”). Howard Schnellenburger spends too long at Scholz’s and misses kickoff of the game between his Florida Atlantic Owls and #11 Texas. He missed his quarterback’s happy-go-jacky routine against UT’s young secondary, putting up over 2 bills through the air by halftime. By the time Drunkenberger shows up, UT’s on the way to crushing FAU 52-10.

September 13, 2008: Get bent, Pac-10

Sam Bradford has maybe his finest game as a Sooner, completing 18 of 21 passes for 304 yards and 5 TDs. The #3 Sooners smashed UDub in Seattle, which despite the Huskies finishing the year as one of the worst teams in college football, it finally showed that OU could perform well on the road. The shrill cries this week came from people warning everybody in Austin to build an ark before Hurricane Ike washed the entire city away. UT postpones its ass-kicking of Arkansas while just enough rain fell in Austin to fill a pitcher of diluted margaritas at El Arroyo.

October 11, 2008: UT wins Red River Rivalry

Bradford throws for 387 yards and 5 TDs, but thanks to an inability to stop #5 Texas in crucial second half situations (that was your backup plan, Venables? Seriously?), #1 OU falls to Texas, 45-35. With the win, Texas takes essentially a two-game lead in the Big 12 South (see Tiebreaker A). Brainfart Players of the Game are shared by Brent Venables, Brandon Crow and the entire Sooner kickoff coverage team. Two phantom personal fouls against Colt McCoy and a disallowed Sooner interception in the end zone leave Oklahoma fans seething.

Coach 'em up, Venables.

October 25, 2008: OU 58, Kansas State 35

The #4 Sooners look like they’re playing Madden 2008 on Playstation as they put up 55 points by halftime on Kstate, prompting cries of RUTSing by those who didn’t actually watch the game. This running theme will continue.

November 1, 2008: #7 Texas Tech 39, #1 Texas 33.

Tech’s Michael Crabtree shakes free of two Longhorn tacklers and scores with :01 second left to upset Texas and turn the college football nation upside down. Leach says his team plays 60 minutes, including the last minute of the game. By Monday, Texas fans will forget this game ever happened. With this game, Tech is now – gasp – atop the Big 12 South and just has to win at Oklahoma to go to the Big 12 championship.

Meanwhile on that same night back in Norman, #4 OU is teabagging Nebraska 28-0 with 9:30 to play in the first quarter on the way to a 62-28 rout. (insert RUTS meme)

Bo Pelini got over it.

November 8, 2008: #6 Oklahoma 66, Texas A&M 28.

After dropping 60 on Nebraska, the BCS has no love for the Sooners and drops them two spots. OU takes out its frustration by hanging 60 again, this time at College Station. It was 21-0 at the end of the first quarter. OU had 66 points with 3:54 still to play in the third quarter, the final points coming on Dom Franks’ 39-yard fumble return. RUTS cries continue from those who don’t have televisions or eyes.

November 22, 2008: #5 Oklahoma 65, #2 Texas Tech 21.

It was 42-7 by halftime and the entire stadium was jumping around. Bradford threw deep for a 66-yard pass to Ryan Broyles late in the third quarter. OK, maybe Stoops ran this one up, but he and the entire team was pissed. With the win over previously undefeated Tech, there is now a three-way logjam atop the Big 12 South standings between OU, Tech and Texas. Longhorns immediately begin discounting Tech since the Sand Aggies just got beat by 44 points, essentially trying to punish OU for doing what Texas should have done itself three weeks earlier. The politicking begins.

November 29, 2008: #3 Oklahoma 61, #12 Oklahoma State 41.

OU wins a wild, back-and-forth shootout in Stillwater by scoring 17 points in the last 8 minutes of the game. Despite this being a tight, three-point game with 10 minutes to play, people like Geoff Ketchum convince themselves that OU is once again* RUTSing. I call Ketchum’s show and rhetorically call him a “freaking idiot” on the air. UT fans and interwebs posters are convinced that there’s not even a prayer that OU will jump Texas in the BCS poll (UT is ranked #2, OU #3). As shown in the above-cited tiebreaker procedures released from the Big 12 offices four months prior, the team that is rated higher in the next BCS poll will go to the Big 12 championship the following week and will play North Division champion for the Big 12 title.

December 1, 2008: OU jumps Texas in BCS poll.

Neither airplane banners nor Mack’s politickin’ nor the plaintive wailing of “45-35” could make BCS voters forget that Texas lost to Texas Tech. OU’s blowouts down the stretch impressed the voters as much as UT’s whining turned them off, and they install OU as the #2 team in the nation, behind Florida and just ahead of Texas. Since there is a three-way tie in the Big 12 South (not a two-way tie, but a three way … you don’t get to discount losses whenever it’s convenient, Texas), according to rule b(5) posted above, OU will play Missouri for the Big 12 championship next week in Kansas City:

The highest ranked team in the first Bowl Championship Series Poll following the completion of Big 12 regular season conference play shall be the representative

In a presser following the announcement, Stoops makes sure to point out that there were three teams, not two, involved in the process. Oh, and maybe (just maybe) OU deserved to go just as much as the other two.

December 14, 2008: Sam Bradford wins Heisman

Bradford had the best season in school history for a quarterback, throwing for 4,700 yards and 50 TDs, and leading the highest-scoring team in NCAA history. Heisman voters chose him over Colt McCoy and Jesus Tebow. What does this have to do with Asterisk-gate and UT not playing for the Big 12 championship? In reality, nothing. However, in the failed logic of UT fans, it was just another reason to think that somehow the rules they couldn’t change after the fact or whine their way around screwed them.

January 8, 2009: #2 Florida 24, #1 Oklahoma 14

The Sooners come up just short of winning their 8th national championship, but when the other team has Jesus at quarterback, really what can you do? What does this have to do with Asterisk-gate and UT not playing for the Big 12 championship? In reality, nothing. However, in the failed logic of UT fans, it was just another reason to think that somehow the rules they couldn’t change after the fact or whine their way around screwed them. Obviously UT would have been in this game if they had just played in Kansas City instead of Oklahoma because, you know, it was like a foregone conclusion and whatnot that they’d beat Missouri. Duh.

February 13, 2008: Asterisk-gate gains momentum

Woodward and Bernstein Our friends at the Red Dirt Kings are among the first to notice that UT is somehow claiming a Big 12 championship they did not win. Unfortunately, the big boy media either doesn’t see the story, or because they didn’t report it themselves, choose to ignore it. Of course we at TaW, never to be confused with the big boy media, were all over it and so were the tens of loyal readers.

April 5, 2008: The sh*t hits the fan

Texas’ spring game the prior Sunday had all kinds of media inside the bowels of UT’s Moncrief-Neuhaus athletic shrine. Somebody finally noticed what had been up there for at least two weeks: the Horns are claiming they won* a Big 12 championship. Much laughter and derision ensue.

April 6, 2008: UT decides to take down the 2008*

After repeated calls and guffaws from, well, pretty much everybody, the UT SID decides to pull the offending numbers (and asterisk) off the wall. Mack Brown claims he knew nothing about it, according to Asst. SID John Bianco, who prefaced the canned statement it with “let me answer that for Mack.” I sort of don’t blame Mack for not minding the 2008* being on the wall. After all, if you only have one conference title in a quarter century as a Division I head coach, you’ll take all the help you can get.

April 7, 2008: Longhorn coaches get bonuses for winning* Big 12 Championship

In what essentially amounts to “yeah, we still think we won it,” UT decides to go ahead and pay Mack’s assistants bonuses they would have received had they actually won the Big 12 Championship the way you’re supposed to: playing for it on the field and taking home a trophy. UT president William Powers said it was “the right decision.” Mack didn’t get a bonus, ostensibly because after further review, the Longhorns actually didn’t win shit.

April 8, 2008: Where does Asterisk-gate go from here?

Bloggers can only hope the madness continues as we search for something – anything – to write about from now until fall practice begins. Given the reputation for clownish antics on the 40 Acres, we at TaW might have to dig deep and hire a phalanx of writers to keep up.