SB Nation User Blog: The Boy

Nebraska: 2009 Projections

The Boy — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:10:53 -0000

Ha! I had this finished and ready to go but forgot to schedule it. So here you go...technically it's still Friday, so it wasn't as late as it could have been...

Nebraska Week has come and gone. It's on to Oklahoma State next week, but first, let's take a look back at Nebraska Week and take a look forward with the BTBS Projections.

Monday: Nebraska Links
Tuesday: Beyond the Box Score Offensive Preview
Wednesday: Beyond the Box Score Defensive Preview
Thursday: Better Know an Opponent

2009 Projections

Date	Opponent	Proj. W/L	Margin	Record	Conf. Rec.
9/5	Florida Atlantic	W	+22.3	1-0
9/12	Arkansas State	W	+25.4	2-0
9/19	at Virginia Tech	L	-9.8	2-1
9/26	UL-Lafayette	W	+19.6	3-1
10/8	at Missouri	L	-2.5	3-2	0-1
10/17	Texas Tech	W	+3.2	4-2	1-1
10/24	Iowa State	W	+16.1	5-2	2-1
10/31	at Baylor	W	+2.9	6-2	3-1
11/7	Oklahoma	L	-9.6	6-3	3-2
11/14	at Kansas	L	-8.3	6-4	3-3
11/21	Kansas State	W	+9.0	7-4	4-3
11/27	at Colorado	W	+5.9	8-4	5-3

Two interesting things to note here:

Very few closely projected games on the schedule. Only @Missouri, Texas Tech, and @Baylor are projected within four points. Considering Illinois had eight games projected that close, it tells you something about both the Big Ten and NU's schedule. They have three likely easy wins in non-con play, with a likely loss in Blacksburg (the projections like VT more than I do, but that's neither here nor there). In conference play, they have two easy wins (ISU, KSU), two likely safe losses (OU, @KU), and four games projected within a touchdown, including a dicey trip to Boulder, where they have to take on a team they only beat because of a 57-yard field goal last year.
They're closer to 5-7 than 10-2. What I mean by that is, let's say they're a touchdown better than projected. That only changes one loss to a win--Missouri. But if they're a touchdown worse than expected, they lose to Tech, Baylor, and Colorado for a 5-7 finish. Not a lot of margin for error here. The Huskers will be counting on some key newbies--Zac Lee, Baker Steinkuhler, Will Compton--and luckily for them, most of the non-conference slate is cake. Still, though, they'll need to be finding their next gear by the time October rolls around--the four games in October will likely make or break their season.

Anyway, that concludes Nebraska Week...much more to talk about with them later (including before-and-after graphs for those who said Nebraska's defense improved by leaps and bounds at the end of the year), but...well...I have to have the time first.

Starting Monday: Oklahoma State week!

Poll

8-4 for Nebraska:

Mizzou Links, 7-3-09

The Boy — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:19:58 -0000

More photos » by Lance Murphey - AP

Who will average more points next season?

Browse more photos »

A reader sent this one in (and by all means, if you find something, feel free to e-mail it along): the Memphis Commercial Appeal takes a look at our own Mr. JYD.

Carroll was the lone first-round selection from the Portsmouth Invitational, where he was named the MVP after averaging 16.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in three games. Acra, his coach, said Carroll helped build chemistry among his teammates in a matter of hours.

"NBA scouts aren't necessarily looking for scorers to come out of here," Acra said. "They want guys who can fill roles and be professional. DeMarre had that ability to get all the guys together, to make them mesh."

He had arrived with a reputation as a "high-energy" player, code for guys who are athletic and raw -- and can't shoot. It was a misconception that bothered Carroll and could be traced, at least in his mind, to his nickname at Missouri: "Junkyard Dog."

"You think of somebody who just plays defense," he said. "The beauty of it is that I can put the ball in the basket and do other things."

Sticking with basketball, ESPN's (and Mizzou's own) Pat Forde takes a look at red-hot basketball rivalries for 2009-10. I hate the UNC-Duke hype, and even I'm a bit appalled that it's listed below State-Purdue. But hey, as long as MU-KU is back in the top ten, I'm cool.

Check this out: the perfect segway from basketball to football. The Trib's Dave Matter recently checked in with Columbia's amateur football team, the Trojans. The stars? Former Mizzou safety Jason Simpson...and former Mizzou guard Jason Sutherland. Makes sense--he played basketball like he was playing football.

Following up on their previous defensive line preview, Hail to the Orange now takes a look at the Illinois offensive line.

Now that we're to football...well, there's not a lot to report, but PowerMizzou does have an interesting piece re-ranking Rivals' State of Missouri rankings from the class of 2003. It's nice to see MotherRucker getting his due, but #1 was pretty obvious. Oh, if only Damien Nash (RIP) hadn't (allegedly) scared off Maroney by telling him there was only room for one star RB in these parts.

Because I'm pressed for content today, I'll shamelessly whore myself for the second time in two days. My latest column at Football Outsiders is a takeoff of a series of posts I wrote last December--it's called The Perfect Playoff. And now's a fun time to remember how Mizzou would have been the #1 seed in 2007. Good times.

Finally, nothing says Fourth of July Eve to me like...cute, begging kittens. (Via)

Vote for Ian Kinsler!

The Boy — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:01:18 -0000

Vote for Ian Kinsler!

All-Star voting closes at midnight, so...you know...go to town if you haven't already. And if you have, use another e-mail address and vote 25 more times.

SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION ALERT! Football Outsiders Almanac on the horizon

The Boy — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:31:29 -0000

SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION ALERT! Football Outsiders Almanac on the horizon

FO has posted my Big 12 South preview from the book as a tease. Go check it out.

(And yes, there are some already-corrected errors in there. Kellen Heard is no longer with ATM, Travis Lewis was a freshman last year, etc.)

Something very cool about seeing non-Mizzou fans make highlight videos of Mizzou players. (Via)

The Boy — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:46:08 -0000

Something very cool about seeing non-Mizzou fans make highlight videos of Mizzou players. (Via)

Mizzou Links, 7-2-09

The Boy — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:15:53 -0000

Dennis Dodd, you've messed up. This is a downright sane, rational Big 12 North preview you've put together...now we know that you really can be a decent writer when you want to be...which will be all the more frustrating the next time you write an insane piece of drivel.

Gabe Dearmond's Powered Up column returns, and he brings up a pretty interesting point:

To be honest—and if Blaine is reading this I don't think it's going to be much of a surprise to him—Gabbert is the biggest reason most are predicting the Tigers to have a down year. It's not really offensive to him. He just has one problem: He's not Chase Daniel.

Now, first of all, that's kind of ironic. I mean, Chase Daniel was downgraded his entire life because he wasn't Blaine Gabbert. By that, I mean he wasn't 6-foot-5, 230 pounds with a rifle attached to his right shoulder. Now, the Tigers have that guy that you look at and think, "NFL quarterback," and he's the reason Missouri isn't supposed to be any good.

And while we're talking PowerMizzou, here are a couple of basketball recruiting links. First, Chaminade's Bradley Beal is tiring of recruiting and would like to make a decision, but considering how he's been rumored a heavy Kansas (or maybe Florida) lean for a while, the longer he drags this out, the better it is for Mizzou's slim chances. Beal's kinda like a big deal, having just been ranked #7 in the Rivals 2011 rankings. Oh yeah, and for PM subscribers, be sure to check on the big-time visitor Mizzou secretly hostd this week...

The esteemed Senator Blutarsky has put together a solid set of quotes on the latest BCS hearings and rumblings...which, even though I'm all for a playoff, has gotten pretty damn tiresome knowing that not even the pro-playoff people have anybody's true best interests in mind...

Dave Matter has begun his previews of the rest of the country...first up, ACC and Conference USA. For the record, here are my BTBS projections for those two conferences...

ACC

Atlantic

Clemson 9-3 (6-2) - Gator Bowl
Boston College 9-3 (6-2) - Champs Sports Bowl
Florida State 8-4 (6-2) - Emerald Bowl
Wake Forest 8-4 (4-4) - Music City Bowl
N.C. State 7-5 (3-5) - Meineke Car Care Bowl
Maryland 4-8 (2-6)

Coastal

Georgia Tech 10-2 (7-1) - Orange Bowl
Virginia Tech 10-2 (7-1) - Chick-Fil-A Bowl
Miami-FL 6-6 (4-4) - GMAC Bowl
North Carolina 5-7 (2-6)
Virginia 3-9 (1-7)
Duke 2-10 (0-8)

ACC Championship

Georgia Tech > Clemson

Conference USA

East

Southern Miss 10-2 (8-0) - Liberty Bowl
Marshall 7-5 (5-3) - New Orleans Bowl
Central Florida 6-6 (4-4)
East Carolina 5-7 (4-4)
Memphis 1-11 (0-8)

West

Tulsa 9-3 (7-1) - Armed Forces Bowl
UTEP 8-4 (6-2) - Hawaii Bowl
Houston 6-6 (5-3) - St. Petersburg Bowl
SMU 6-6 (4-4) - Papajohns.com Bowl
Rice 2-10 (1-7)
Tulane 2-10 (0-8)

CUSA Championship

Southern Miss > Tulsa

Finally, a hearty congrats to Mike Alden, this year's Kiwanis Don Faurot Sports Person of the Year Award winner.

Nebraska: Beyond the Box Score Preseason Defensive Preview

The Boy — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:03:31 -0000

Yesterday: The Offense

Before we get to the defense, an aside.

I'm in an interesting position here. Nebraska is absolutely in the North's top tier of teams (as has been covered previously, there appears to be a rather large "proven talent" divide between KU/NU/MU and KSU/ISU/CU), and if they can win in Lawrence or Columbia (or maybe even if they can't), they can take the North. As you'll read below, the defense should be incrementally better while the offense could be incrementally worse, and while there are few true stars (Ndamukong Suh, Roy Helu, maybe Mike McNeill or a defensive end), there is decent experience at RB, DL, and DB. And Bo Pelini certainly acquitted himself relatively well in year #1.

As I've mentioned previously, my problem comes with expectations and with the casual nature that national-level analysts continue to just assume that Nebraska is now "back" despite little evidence to support that. Since making the national title game in 2001, Nebraska has gone just 28-28 in conference with a point differential of -68. As means of comparison, here are the North standings in that time frame:

Big 12 North Standings, 2002-08
Team	Record	Pt. Diff
Missouri	29-27	+235
Nebraska	28-28	-68
Colorado	27-29	-104
Kansas State	25-31	+189
Kansas	22-34	-297
Iowa State	15-41	-718

(Yes, that's right--ONE North team is over .500 combined in the last seven seasons--barely--and the North is, as a whole, 44 games under .500 in that span. Granted, Iowa State is responsible for 26 of those games, but...well...Baylor and their 10-46 record still reside in the South, and the division has still managed to be 44 games over .500. Yikes.)

Anyway, the frustration here lies in the fact that, every year we get to hear about Nebraska being "back" and Colorado being a "sleeper," and yet Missouri, who has been a smidge better than both of them over a 7-year (not just 2-year) span, is pronounced dead at the first possible moment. Just odd. But the good news is, as always, this is the offseason. The real season will give us all the answers we're arguing about or getting annoyed about at the moment.

/aside

Anyhoo, time to talk defense.

Nebraska pulled off an interesting feat in 2008. While winning six of seven games to end the season, they gave up 29.1 points per game in that span (23.7 in the wins), and yet the basis for most of their North title predictions this offseason come from how good the defense is going to be. They gave up 35 points to Virginia Tech, who had the #79 offense in the country (according to S&P+). They gave up 52 to Missouri and 62 to Oklahoma...37 to Texas Tech (not bad, actually)...35 to Kansas...28 to Kansas State...an egregious 31 to Colorado (S&P+ rank: 114th)...and yet the defense is going to carry them to the North title? Never mind how disrespectful that is for Kansas (and to a lesser extent, Missouri) fans to hear...how disrespectful is that to Joe Ganz? Nate Swift? Roy Helu Jr.? These were the guys who, along with Ndamukong Suh's big plays, carried the Huskers to a strong 2008 finish.

Now, before I go any further, make no mistake: the Nebraska defense has probably the best shot at being the North's best D in the fall. The point is, it's not going to be so good that they will get by Kansas and Missouri (both on the road) simply on the heels of the dominant Blackshirts. They're not going to be that dominant. In going for only their second North title since Eric Crouch was running the show, the onus will be on not only Zac Lee and an unproven receiving corps, but also a decent-not-great defense, which alternates between experienced guys with low ceilings and inexperienced, highly-touted players. Maybe Bo Pelini will push all the right buttons, but we shouldn't assume it will happen.

Defense

Overall Stats

S&P+: 108.9 (#41)
Success Rate+: 111.9 (#23)
PPP+: 105.7 (#53)

Standard Downs S&P+: 103.9 (#51)
Passing Downs S&P+: 114.0 (#31)

Redzone S&P+: 114.4 (#23)

Q1 S&P+: 95.5 (#75)
Q2 S&P+: 121.2 (#22)
Q3 S&P+: 82.7 (#105)
Q4 S&P+: 144.3 (#2)

1st Down S&P+: 96.8 (#71)
2nd Down S&P+: 120.6 (#17)
3rd Down S&P+: 115.9 (#32)

Rushing Stats

Rushing S&P+: 102.0 (#60)
Rushing SR+: 104.4 (#47)
Rushing PPP+: 98.9 (#65)

Standard Downs: 91.5 (#86)
Passing Downs: 138.5 (#15)

Redzone: 96.4 (#74)

Line Yards+: 103.4 (#48)

Passing Stats

Passing S&P+: 112.2 (#28)
Passing SR+: 118.0 (#10)
Passing PPP+: 107.1 (#50)

Standard Downs: 113.1 (#39)
Passing Downs: 105.4 (#51)

Redzone: 141.3 (#7)

Adj. Sack Rate: 8.6% (#9)

As a whole, Nebraska had a pretty efficient defense in 2008, but they struggled with the big play. Their success rates were quite solid, but their PPP+ numbers were lacking. They knew how to leverage an offense into bad situations (15th in Passing Downs Rushing), but they ended up occasionally letting teams off the hook (51st in Passing Downs Passing).

Other items of note:

Thanks in part to a very strong Adjusted Sack Rate, Nebraska's strength was in defending the pass. Again, they weren't tremendous from a PPP+ perspective, but their success rates were good. As I gather more data, it will be interesting to see which one is easier to improve with experience and better execution--success rates or PPP.
Strangely, as with their offense, their redzone rushing defense was awful, but their redzone pass defense was great. You figure it out; I can't.
While they did indeed have a strong sack rate, what's with the line yardage? It seems they were good at attacking and speed, but they couldn't avoid being pushed around (or, they attacked too much, and it was easy to use their leverage against them to create running lanes?).
Bad in Q1, good in Q2. Atrocious in Q3, outstanding in Q4. Again, you figure it out.
They were mediocre on first downs but quite strong on second downs...and decent-not-great on third downs. This coincides with what was mentioned above--they were good at making a bad offensive situation worse, but they let teams off the hook a bit.

Through all of this info, something else interesting emerges. For all the seemingly-justifiable hype generated by NU's D-line, it was the Huskers' worst-ranked unit in 2008. It was a decent #42, while the linebackers were #34 and the high-efficiency-too-many-big-plays secondary was #31 (at least partially because they played against so many great passing offenses, I assume). Kind of an identity crisis here.

But regardless of the rankings, it appears that the D-line and secondary could be better, while...honestly, I have no idea what to make of the LBs.

Defensive Line

Pierre Allen is overshadowed but solid.

2008 Unit Ranking: #42 in the nation (#4 in the Big 12)

Projected Depth Chart
DT Ndamukong Suh (6'4, 300, Sr.)
DE Pierre Allen (6'5, 265, Jr.)
DE Barry Turner (6'3, 265, Sr.)
DT Baker Steinkuhler (6'6, 295, RSFr.)
DT Terrence Moore (6'3, 285, So.)
DE Josh Williams (6'4, 245, RSFr.)
DE Cameron Meredith (6'4, 260, RSFr.)

While nobody is going to mistake this unit for that of Oklahoma, this is clearly the most proven defensive line in the Big 12 North, at least in terms of the pass rush. Ndamukong Suh has slowly morphed from inconsistent playmaker to every-down dominant (he led Nebraska in tackles last season, as a defensive tackle, and posted 19 TFLs and two huge pick sixes), while Baker Steinkuhler, if he can gain the form of a 5-star athlete quickly, could make teams pay for doubling Suh. Meanwhile, on the outside, Pierre Allen posted 10.0 TFLs of his own last year, and Barry Turner might be able to make some waves after following up a disappointing 2007 season (he was outstanding as a freshman and sophomore) with a 2008 broken leg that earned him a medical hardship.

They were great at attacking in 2008, but it was possible to push them around a bit. Bo Pelini's defense has the reputation for attacking and blitzing a lot, but the strength of the attack is limited if you struggle against the run. Derrick Washington put up 139 yards and two touchdowns against them, Tech's Baron Batch went for 97 yards on just 10 carries, and Robert Griffin posted 121 yards. In all, NU's rush defense (#60) wasn't terrible, but it certainly wasn't great. Clearly that will need to improve considerably if Nebraska is to assume a spot in the Top 25 as they are now predicted to do.

Outside of Suh, Allen, and Turner, the defensive line is thin and inexperienced, but, well, that won't matter if the starters don't get hurt. Suh is clearly a force (though he has yet to make serious noise against Missouri, knock on wood), and Allen and Turner could make for a strong pair of rush ends.

Linebackers

Missouri fans probably know the name of Will Compton pretty well already.

2008 Unit Ranking: #34 in the nation (#6 in the Big 12)

Projected Depth Chart
Phillip Dillard (6'1, 240, Sr.)
Blake Lawrence (6'3, 220, Jr.)
Will Compton (6'2, 220, RSFr.)
Sean Fisher (6'6, 230, RSFr.)
Mathew May (6'1, 210, So.)
Matt Holt (6'0, 200, So.)

So...what do you actually do with this unit? You've got 27th-year senior Phil Dillard, who has made 75 tackles in two years and almost no plays. You've got former 4-star stud Blake Lawrence, who has made 23 tackles in 15 games his first two seasons and made exactly one big play: an interception in 2008. You've got new 4-star stud Will Compton, whose biggest contribution thus far in his career was to assistant coach Mike Ekeler's arm but is expected to tear things up sooner than later...and then you've got a bunch of other youngsters. In limited action, Mathew May locked down a nice TFL, forced fumble, and fumble recovery, so he may hold some potential. Same with Matt Holt, who made 14 tackles in nine games (and one start).

It's unclear how much potential this relatively young unit of LBs has, and how quickly they can be expected to fulfill said potential. Clearly, the Huskers have a lot of hope in Compton, but...well, he's not any more highly-touted than Lawrence was, and Lawrence hasn't done anything of note yet. There's something to be said for the fact that the Husker D is now in its second year under Pelini, and knowledge of the scheme and higher levels of intuition will make things better. And there's also this: the Huskers had a respectable, 34th-ranked LB corps in 2008 despite the fact that there really wasn't a big-time playmaker among Dillard, Lawrence, and departed seniors Cody Glenn and Tyler Wortman. Pelini clearly knows LBs, and even if none of these guys are All-Conference caliber, this unit at least won't be a liability.

Secondary

Larry Asante...starting safety (I have nothing in particular to say about him...he's solid)

2008 Unit Ranking: #31 in the nation (#8 in the Big 12)

Projected Depth Chart
S Larry Asante (6'1, 215, Sr.)
CB Anthony West (6'0, 205, Jr.)
S Matt O'Hanlon (5'11, 200, Sr.)
CB Prince Amukamara (6'1, 200, Jr.)
S Ricky Thenarse (6'0, 205, Sr.)
CB Alfonzo Dennard (5'10, 190, So.)
CB Anthony Blue (5'10, 185, So.)
S Eric Hagg (6'2, 205, Jr.)

The secondary is as experienced as the LB corps is inexperienced, but there doesn't appear to be as much upside. Again, they gave up a few too many big plays, but I guess that is to be expected against the offenses they faced. They posted good success rate numbers, and that helped the pass defense a decent amount. Safeties Larry Asante, Matt O'Hanlon, and Ricky Thenarse are veterans, and that's never a bad thing for your last line of defense. But they also combined for only 10 TFLs and 3 INTs. Thenarse seemed to be the biggest offender in terms of giving up the big play (at least in games I watched), but he was most capable of making some plays himself.

Meanwhile, the cornerback position seems to have more potential overall--Anthony West ended up having himself a solid sophomore season, breaking up nine passes and picking two more off. (As means of comparison, Castine Bridges had seven pass breakups from the CB position, Carl Gettis six and Kevin Rutland five.) Prince Amukamara showed some potential as well. In all, NU's secondary was their highest-ranked unit in 2008, and gauging experience levels (and strength of schedule), you can expect those numbers to be maintained in 2009.

Special Teams

2008 Unit Ranking: #106 Net Punting, #21 Punt Returns, #48 Kickoff Returns

Projected Starters
K Alex Henery (6'2, 175, Jr.) - 56-57 PAT, 18-21 FGs
P Alex Henery (6'2, 175, Jr.)
KR Niles Paul (6'1, 215, Jr.) - 41 Returns, 23.6 Avg, 1 TD
PR Niles Paul (6'1, 215, Jr.) - 8 Returns, 10.0 Avg

Nebraska special teams in 2009 were pretty hit-or-miss. Alex Henery was an outstanding kicker--it's hard to overstate how clutch it is to beat a main rival (Colorado) with a 57-yard field goal with two minutes remaining. In all, he made 18 of 21 FGs, and he has by far the most proven leg in the Big 12 North. He will also likely be trusted to assume punting duties in 2009--NU was pretty weak here last year, and while it's never a given that a good kicker will be a good punter, I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt here.

On the returns side of things, it looks right now as if Niles Paul will be the man. He was solid in kickoff returns, scoring a clutch return touchdown in the fourth quarter against San Jose State, right after SJSU had closed NU's lead to 14-12. Take that return out of the equation, and he still averaged 22.1 yards per return, which would have been better than average. Nate Swift was the main man in punt returns last year, but Paul returned a handful and did fine with them.

Really, if punting isn't a liability, the special teams unit could be a major asset for Nebraska in close games, particularly in terms of kicking. Henery really is a stud.

Summary

Iffy offense, solid defense, solid special teams. In a division without a breakaway favorite, Nebraska has as good a chance as anybody of coming away the winner (though playing in both Lawrence and Columbia won't help their cause).

We'll take a look at projections on Friday, but for now we'll just summarize by saying that while NU's defense could be solid, I think they're at least a year away from having rock-solid personnel at linebacker, but they'll be taking a step backwards on the defensive line and in the secondary next year. It might take a little while for all the pieces to truly come together for Pelini's defense, but he's got a good defensive mind obviously, and because of that and decent personnel, they'll certainly be in the title hunt this year. I'm just not giving them anything yet.

---

Projections on Friday.

Rock M Roundtable!

The Boy — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:41:03 -0000

1 - It's Nebraska Week on Rock M! When you hear the words "Nebraska Football," what is your first thought (person, year, game, whatever...)?

2 - Will NU win the North in 2009? Tell me why or why not.

3 - Here's their schedule. Give me an at-first-glance prediction for overall record.

9/5 - Florida Atlantic
9/12 - Arkansas State
9/19 - at Virginia Tech
9/26 - UL-Lafayette
10/8 - at Missouri
10/17 - Texas Tech
10/24 - Iowa State
10/31 - at Baylor
11/7 - Oklahoma
11/14 - at Kansas
11/21 - Kansas State
11/27 - at Colorado

4 - The NBA draft is over, and the baseball team on the western side of the state is official dead in the water (more or less). What's going to occupy the sports part of your brain for the next two months and four days? Baseball? Soccer? College football mags?

The Beef: 1 - I suppose I still think about 1997, since that is really my first major college football moment. There were so many crazy things with my experience and that game that I don’t know that I will ever be able to get it out of my head. Beyond that, I just think red…for various reasons.

2 - The schedule in conference is not their friend, considering they are on the road against likely two of the top (if not the top) teams in the north, and still get TTech and OU (though at home). They will HAVE to win one of those to have a shot, and likely two of them, and that is a pretty tall order I believe.

3 - 9/5 - Florida Atlantic - win
9/12 - Arkansas State - win
9/19 - at Virginia Tech - loss
9/26 - UL-Lafayette - win
10/8 - at Missouri – oy…I just don’t know
10/17 - Texas Tech - loss
10/24 - Iowa State - win
10/31 - at Baylor - win
11/7 – Oklahoma - loss
11/14 - at Kansas – loss
11/21 - Kansas State - win
11/27 - at Colorado – win

I guess I have them going 7-4-oy

4 - Nothing really for July, which is my worst month of the year. August will start college football for me, and thus I might pick up a mag or two at the most.

ghtd36: 1) Nebraska Football always makes me think, like it or not, of Tommie Frazier. Best. College football player. Ever. Though it's also nice to think of wins in '03, '05, '07 and '08.

2) I'm not sure I buy into Nebraska this year. Maybe it's because the QB situation has me less-than-scared, maybe it's that I think Kansas is the favorite because of Reesing, or maybe it's that the main reason they're supposed to be TEH AWESOME is that their defense is simply a year older. You're telling me that just because a decent unit -- their 361.5 yards allowed/game is just five less than Middle Tennessee State -- is going to be significantly better just because they're older? By that logic, watch out for Barry Manilow in 2010; dude's got another year under his belt.

3) Let's see...sure wins over Florida Atlantic, Arkansas State, UL-Lafayette, Iowa State and Kansas State; sure losses @Va. Tech and to Oklahoma; toss-ups @Mizzou, home for Texas Tech, @Baylor, @KU and @Colorado. As bad as 5-7, as good as 10-2...I'll split it and say 8-4.

/cue the NEBRASKA IS BEING DISRESPECTED meme

4) My Rangers are still in the hunt for the AL West (knock on wood), so I'm focusing a lot on that. NBA free agency has me intrigued to see where the Mavs go. And high school football season is already in full swing here in Texas. So, my plate's pretty full.

ZouDave: 1 - "Riccio will hold, the fake, he's got a man in the endzone, TOUCHDOWN MISSOURI VICTOR SESAY!!!!!!!"

2 - No, they will not. They are neither the best team in the North nor do they have the easiest schedule.

3 -
9/5 - Florida Atlantic - W
9/12 - Arkansas State - W
9/19 - at Virginia Tech - L
9/26 - UL-Lafayette - W
10/8 - at Missouri - L
10/17 - Texas Tech - W
10/24 - Iowa State - W
10/31 - at Baylor - W
11/7 - Oklahoma - L
11/14 - at Kansas - L
11/21 - Kansas State - W
11/27 - at Colorado - W
8-4. Although I REALLY want to predict Baylor with a win.

4 - Soccer for me, no question. Although the best part of the summer is over with the USA's strong showing in the Confederations Cup. The Gold Cup starts on Friday, but the USA is sending their full-on B team to the GC this year to give the starters a very deserved break and to see what our bench is going to look like in the World Cup. I think something like 4 players out of the 18 we sent to South Africa are on the 23-man roster for the GC (and one of those 4 is Freddy Adu, who didn't play 1 single minute in South Africa) So, while it will be interesting to see these younger and/or inexperienced guys playing together, our results aren't going to be spectacular. And I fully expect the uninformed masses that tried, at GREAT lengh, to tell me how much they hated soccer prior to the USA beating Spain, only to then watch the game against Brazil and tell me what we did wrong, to say we've regressed because they won't know the difference.

Gold Cup will be interesting, CONCACAF Qualifying starts up again in early August, and NCAA '10 comes out July 14 so I'll have won a few National Titles with Mizzou by the time everyone reports to camp.

Doug: 1 - 76-39

2 - I think not, since they do have to go on the road to Kansas and Missouri, and that game in Columbia will be a night game... and we all know how much MU fans like to tailgate. The Huskers will have a tough road to hoe against the Big 12 North, but the fact they have Texas Tech and Baylor does weigh in their favor.

3 - Right now, I'd go 7 and 5, just because of the road game in Columbia.

4 - Gah... I don't really know. I'll try to hit the course a couple of times, and I'll tune in for the Open Championship and the PGA Championship... but other than some T-Bones games, I don't know that I'll head to many more games.

Michael Atchison: 1 - I still think of Tom Osborne. I lived in Nebraska for a year as a kid (I was 13), and I went to one game that season. The team included Turner Gill, Roger Craig, Mike Rozier and Irving Fryar. The stadium was packed. It was quite a spectacle. So I was a little awestruck by the program in my youth. Now I suppose I just think of Martin Rucker scoring on the fake field goal, or Brad Smith running free. Those last three games at Faurot have been monstrous fun.

2 - I have no idea. Among Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska, anyone know who has the most experience on the offensive line? And let’s define "experience" as the total number of games started by players currently on the roster. The team that has the most wins the division.

3 - Looks like 8-4 to me.

4 - The sports part of my brain gets a well-deserved vacation. Actually, I’m working on a sports-related story that has my brain tingling. Details to follow.

The Beef: Any time Atch’s brain tingles, an angel gets their wings.

ZouDave: insert inappropriate comment here.

The Beef: I figure it was at least worth an inappropriate picture or youtube link

ZouDave:

The Beef: This is why we keep you around…lord knows it is not for Baseball Simulations…

ZouDave:

The Beef: mmmm…hit ya where it hurts I take it…

ZouDave:

The Beef: Is this going to turn into my responding to each picture and you responding to that with another picture?

ghtd36: The question then becomes...why do you guys keep me around? I am basically the Rafael Belliard of Rock M Nation.

The Beef: As a former Bucco, The Boy will probably tell you he is looking to trade you for future value (even though his team is not out of the race in what is becoming a REALLY crappy division)

The Boy: I'm a former Bucco? Jeez, way to out me. Fine, everybody, my name's actually Doug Drabek. The cat's out of the bag.

1 - Honestly, I thought nothing would ever get 1997 out of my head, but 2003 did just that. My first thought now is of doing field turf angels at the 50-yard line after the 2003 game...and of the gold tint to the 2007 game.

2 - They can come close, but playing at Lawrence and Columbia, where they are a combined 0-4 and have been outscored 198-84 since 2005, will hurt them. Basically that forces them to beat both Baylor and Colorado on the road and possibly knock off either Tech (possible) or Oklahoma (not as possible) to get to the 5-3 record I assume will win the North. And if they get to 5-3, they could be tied with either Kansas (likely) or Missouri (a bit less likely) and lose the tie-breaker.

3 - They'll have a chance in Blacksburg, simply because Virginia Tech is good but not "kill you and stomp on your throat" good. But if they lose in Blacksburg, Columbia, and Lawrence and lose to OU at home, that's 8-4. We'll go with that.

4 - College football writing, college football reading, college football data crunching, college football dreaming. In no particular order.

The Beef: No…Rafael Belliard is the former Bucco from that sentence…you would be telling him…a former Bucco…

The Boy: Yes, I know, Bob Bummer.

ZouDave: This is a tough one today, because while Beef is wearing his douchenozzle hat he's also completely carrying us today.

The Beef: Ok..what was the point then? Even on a busy day your humor is not typically that shitty

The Boy: Doug Drabek references are never shitty.

ghtd36: RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE!

ZouDave: True Story: if Doug Drabek appears in an All-Star game, MLB will go on strike and not finish the season.

The Boy: And if he's pitching for The Boy's favorite team in the NLCS, they're going to lose in the most heartbreaking fashion possible and make a young Boy cry.

ZouDave: insert Michael Jackson joke here.

The Boy: You've probably been waiting to say that all day, so I'm glad I gave you a reason.

ZouDave: Not really, because really what are the chances someone besides Doug would bring up little boys?

Doug: I'm sorry, I've been out of Neverland Ranch all day.

Were you guys saying something?

With Custom Conferences, if you and your friends want to recreate the old Big 8 you can move...

The Boy — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:06:29 -0000

With Custom Conferences, if you and your friends want to recreate the old Big 8 you can move schools around to get those old Big 8 schools together in the same conference and see how things would play out with today's teams.

Ben Haumiller, NCAA 10 designer for EA Sports (via). Love this feature. Mizzou fans can re-create the Big 8 and avoid any future title games...Texas fans can move their team to the ACC...everybody wins...

Mizzou Links, 7-1-09

The Boy — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:17:20 -0000

How the hell is it July already??? Not complaining, mind you...just amazed...

Talk about agonizing...it seems like Mizzou signee Keith Dewitt has been waiting for his ACT score for about 12 months now (okay, three weeks). The Trib checks in on both how he's doing and how much longer he (and we) have to wait.

Thanks again, PowerMizzou, for the summer content. We've got three new recruiting articles to look at--one for an old name, one for a new, and one for a Missouri DE who just became a lot more important to the class with the commitment of Matt Hoch to Iowa.

It's no longer Illinois week, but Hail to the Orange still has a pretty nice breakdown of the Illini Defensive Line...

Pretty neat opportunity for a couple of Mizzou Soccer players: seniors Meghan Pfeiffer and Crystal Wagner were invited to join the US's <23 national squad in England.

So after all of the Henry Family drama of the last couple of days, I guess this settles everything?

Finally...funny stuff from Nunes Magician...

78-0, USA? Jesus Christ, don't we have mercy rules? It's the French, for God's sake. They're dainty and full of pastries. Oh, and then there's this:

America's Team racked up 610 total offensive yards against France's 7...

SWEET MOTHER! The French team averaged 0.1 yard-per-play! We are the worst hosts ever.