Here I am with the same feeling I had at the end of last season.
If only LSU or USC or SOMEBODY somewhere had kept Mizzou from being ranked #1 or #2 or #3.
Then I would be happier now. Pleased with my Tigers rise to a New Years bowl. Maybe if I was able to make the short drive down to the Orange Bowl. I guess I still could, burning Jayhawks at the stake for some pregame entertainment.
We get to play an Arkansas team with nothing left to play for. The beat LSU. What else is there for them this year?
Last year my good friend hogfan and I would be going back and forth about how each other's team was about to get their butts kicked.
This year hogfan has stopped blogging, which came rather abruptly earlier this year. Makes me wonder.
Anyway.
I also find it ironic that this time last year I was posting very obnoxious musings on the Sun Bowl. Mizzou played in the Sun Bowl and I was NOT happy about it.
I live in Tampa and all I hear is how great it is for South Florida to be playing in the Sun Bowl. Woohoo, the Sun Bowl. Guess they don't remember being ranked #2.
The sorrow of being humiliated by OU twice in a year.
Not next year. Next year when we see them in the Big 12 Championship, because let's face it there's no one else better in the Big 12, next year we will beat them. We'll be better on defense. We'll be better on offense.
Better on offense? Oh, yes.
Plus, next year we don't have to go to Norman. And playing OU once is better than playing them twice.
Mizzou has two tough games next year. Two. Illinois and Texas.
We have no SOS next year, so we have to run the table. Lose those two and it's back to the goddamned Cotton Bowl.
First, let me say that I will not apoligize for being a homer, just for the trash talk. I feel bad for WVU, mainly because I feel the Mountaineers' pain. Congrats to Stoops for completely out coaching the Mizzou staff. The playcalling was key, MU never took into account the speed and kept going sideways. You beat OU down the field, not down the side. They are too #### fast to keep making lateral passes or passes to the flat. DUH.
Just like the first time, MU got cutsie with the #### plays and paid for it. WTF?!
Anyway.
Remember these Projected BCS Matchups?
(worst case scenario)
Allstate BCS National Championship Game Oklahoma (Big 12 champ) vs. Ohio State (Big Ten champ)
The Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi USC (Pac-10 champ) vs. WVU (Big East Champ)
FedEx Orange Bowl Boston College (ACC champ) vs. Georgia (at-large)
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Kansas (Big 12 at large) vs. Arizona State (at-large)
Allstate Sugar Bowl Tennessee (SEC champ) vs. Hawaii (at-large)
Projected BCS Matchups (worst case scenario 2)
Allstate BCS National Championship Game LSU (SEC champ) vs. Ohio State (Big Ten champ)
The Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi USC (Pac-10 champ) vs. Illinois (at-large)
FedEx Orange Bowl Boston College (ACC champ) vs. Kansas (at-large)
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Oklahoma (Big 12 champ) vs. Arizona State (at-large)
Allstate Sugar Bowl Georgia (at large) vs. WVU (Big East Champ)
The New Projection
Allstate BCS National Championship Game Va Tech (ACC champ) vs. Ohio State (Big Ten champ)
The Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi USC (Pac-10 champ) vs. LSU (SEC Champ)
FedEx Orange Bowl Illinois (at large) vs. Missouri (at-large)
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Oklahoma (Big 12 champ) vs. Arizona State (at-large)
Allstate Sugar Bowl Georgia (SEC champ) vs. Hawaii (at-large)
Apparently, I have been listening to Dudski way too much lately. No I don't really think the Big 12 is better than every other conference, I just wanted to #### of the SEC blowhards.
Those lovable ####s just love to #### on your doorstep with some SEC trash talk, however misguided it may be. (A mediocre Cal did team beat the eventual SEC Champ this year)
This post isn't about that argument. Go bug Lisa for that one, she's got that one nailed down.
No this post is an honest Homer's peak at the match up otherwise known as the most important conference championship game of the year.
Kickoff for the Big 12 Championship Game is set for Saturday night in the Alamodome in San Antonio.
18 "TEXAS TIGERS" RETURN TO HOME STATE
Just as the State of Florida is important to the success of the SEC, Gary Pinkel knows the source of the OU/Texas dominance of the Big 12 and has made a point to pound the pavement in the State of Texas to find players.
The Tigers began the quest for North dominance by working diligently to retain homegrown Missouri kids, but the Texas contingent taking the field Saturday is the most of any state other than Missouri on the MU roster.
On offense, of course, the fearless QB Chase Daniel leads, WR Danario Alexander, TB Earl Goldsmith and WR Jared Perry. On the other side of the line of scrimmage DE Tommy Chavis, DT Ziggy Hood (from my hometown of Amarillo), S Del Howard, DE Stryker Sulak and LB Sean Weatherspoon.
#1 Missouri vs. #9 Oklahoma
The Missouri Tigers (11-1 overall, 7-1 Big 12), man I just love saying that, will meet the Oklahoma Sooners (10-2, 6-2) for the second time this year.
As I have said before, this isn't the same Tiger team after the biggest win in school history, the biggest regular season in school history, and the win vaulted Mizzou to #1 in the AP and BCS polls and gave the Tigers their first North Division crown.
Momentum has been on the Tigers side since the first meeting of the Big 12's best teams in Norman, plus the Sooners are 2-2 away from Norman.
MIZZOU 2-0 ON NEUTRAL TURF
Capitalizing on a renewed border rivalry with #15 Illinois, the Tigers began the season with a big win in St. Louis at the Edward Jones Dome.
In pure rivalry fashion, last Saturday saw Mizzou jump to a 21-0 lead into the 3rd quarter over the previously unbeaten Jayhawks at Arrowhead, before letting the guard down a bit letting KU get back in the game in the 4th .
CHASE THE HEISMAN
The first meeting, Daniel went 37-of-47 passing for 361 yards with 1 TD and has 8 games with 300+ yeards or more this season.
With ballots due after this weekend's games and two nationally televised primetime games in as many weeks, fans are waiting for Chase to strike the pose on Saturday night.
During the game Saturday night Chase will pass the 4,000 yard passing mark for the year.
OTHER NOTES
Mizzou beat Illinois, which beat #1 OSU...
Chase Daniel is a Heisman worthy quarterback...
Maclin hasn't played his best game of the year ...yet....
Rutger is the best tight-end in the country...
Mizzou beat both SEC and Big 10 opponents in non-conference play...
Mizzou has scored more than 30 points in each game this season...
Mizzou beat Colorado 55-10, which beat Oklahoma...
Mizzou beat Nebraska 41-6...
Mizzou beat Texas A&M 40-26...
Mizzou beat Texas Tech 41-10...
Mizzou scored 31 and lead into the 4th Quarter in the loss to Oklahoma...
Mizzou beat an undefeated #2 Kansas team to advance to Big 12 Title Game...
A USC vs. LSU Rose Bowl sounds REALLY intriguing...
Oklahoma always makes the Big 12 look bad in big bowl games...
After all the talk and trash and #### thrown my way for my first poll in September when I had Mizzou at #7, I suppose I should be more excited about this week's rankings.
The #### still coming my way is getting old. Their #1, not only in my mind, but in the country so save your tomatoes until Saturday night. You may want to throw them at someone else.
I had KU ahead of Mizzou in the last poll (11/18), mainly because they were the only undefeated school that deserved it. I still think Hawaii is a bottom 20-25 team, but because everyone else loves to hate on them as well I am kind of tired of it. So, I will take into account the beating of Boise State and allow them in the Top 15. Besides, I'm probably one of the few people blogging that has actually attended a Hawaii game and I really enjoyed my stay in Honolulu.
Since my folks moved to OKC a few years ago, we have really gotten into the best rivalry in college football.
We're native Texans and always enjoyed a good Okie joke while I was growing up. While I worked at the state capitol in Oklahoma, I really got a kick out of ribbing the Sooner fans that dominated the news room. (Even though I really paid for it on Mondays when Mizzou blew games against losers like K-State or Troy)
Going to Dallas every year really seems unfair to me though. Why not a OKC site away from Norman? Oklahoma really needs to get in gear and start getting a site suitable for such a trade off.
Building a stadium suitable for an NFL team wouldn't be a bad idea either. Oklahomans are either Broncos, Cowboys, or Chiefs fans. But they're all Sooner fans.
So what if the NFL won't move a franchise in town. At least you'll have a real stadium for big games.
Anyway, this week's shootout looks to be one of the best in a long while. The lopsided games we have been seeing the last few years have been so boring.
This year both teams are searching for a real identity, which I think will be revealed this weekend.
GO MIZZOU!
No, I did not throw darts at an atlas and pick my teams. I grew up a DIEHARD, Texas-bred Dallas Cowboys FANATIC. I went to Mizzou during the Larry Smith and Norm Stewart years, but now I live on a beach in South Florida.
I'm a published #### talker and once did a story on Jason Sutherland getting a sex change in order to join the WNBA. That was of course, in no way true, but funny enough for an April Fools edition of the school paper.
Favorite Teams:
Dallas Cowboys, Missouri Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays.
Oh and... All Hail The Big 12!
