With the way that the Big 10 (+1) has been playing as of late, a strong out-of-conference (OOC) schedule would benefit the teams. When one of the top 2 teams in your conference is on the verge of a 6 win season *chough…Michigan*cough *cough, your conference may be lacking in the quality opponent category. The ACC and Big East are getting more love from top to bottom than the Big 10 (+1). I got an idea. If you want to beat a team like LSU or Florida, then try to play some of the same team they do. Let us see who had the Rocky Mountain Oysters to schedule some competition OOC. In case you missed my other grades here are the links: Big XII, ACC, SEC, Pac-10, and Big East.
Ohio State – Youngstown State, Ohio, USC, Troy. I like this OOC schedule because they want to play USC. Sure Youngstown St is a patsy, but to go out and willfully schedule arguably the most successful team over the last 5-6 years shows moxy. That is gutsy considering that you will probably will be competing for a national cahmpionship yourself. That subscribes to my philosophy of beating the best to be the best. I can’t say that Ohio is a patsy, but I can say that they stand no chance against OSU. Troy is a very decent team, but they stand little chance here against the Buckeyes. Here’s my best Ali G impersonation “Respect! Boo-Ya-Ya!” Grade: A
Michigan State – California, Eastern Michigan, Florida Atlantic, Notre Dame. The Spartans did go out and get a game with a quality team in Cal. I understand the need to play the Eastern, Western, and Central Michigans every year. What I really like about this schedule is that there are no FCS(Div-1AA) teams. If you want to be considered one of college footballs elite, then you have to stop shceduling non-Div-1 teams. Notre Dame is the Spartans’ prison girlfriend year in and year out. Watch out for Florida Atlantic this year. They have shed that “patsy” title and will upset some one in the OOC. Could it be the Spartans? Quite Possibly. That Cal game will be really tough for the Spartans. Grade: A-
Purdue – Northern Colorado, Oregon, Central Michigan, Notre Dame. I give a little credit for having Notre Dame on the schedule because they have a potential of giving a good game. Not this year, but in years past. The Ducks are a consistently good team. They are certainly a Top-25 team year-in and year-out. Central Michigan is like Ohio in that they will fight hard, but it is hard for them to compete with the talent level difference. Although, Central Michigan has a great quarterback in LeFevour. N. CO stinks and there is too much stabbing going on in the special teams. Grade: B+
Illinois– Missouri, Eastern Illinois, Louisiana-Lafayette, Western Michigan. Illinois is certainly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the Big 10 (+1). It would seem that Coach Zook may have the foundation for something special. Mizzou is a serious test for Illinois right off the bat. Then they get a few weeks to recover. The rest of their OOC schedule is cream-puff city. I wonder if they had the thought that Mizzou was going to be a top-10 team when they contracted the games. I guess they just got lucky. I don't think they need to have both Eastern Illinois and Louisiana-Lafayette on the schedule. One of those two and substitute a Div-1A cream-puff like Buffalo for the other. Grade: C-(that is all dumb luck having Top-10 Missouri on the schedule)
Northwestern – Syracuse, Duke, Southern Illinois, Ohio. I guess if you are Northwestern this schedule is somewhat competitive, but I call it giving up. Syracuse and Ohio are the only teams of any kind of note in this one. Ohio is the best team on the OOC schedule? My, my how far we have fallen since the glory days with Barnett. Syracuse has not been the same since McNabb left and that was a long time ago. I love the Salukis, but they are no good at football. Duke is at least from the ACC and they are a BCS conference. I guess that is something. Right? Grade: C
Iowa – Maine, Florida International, Iowa State, Pittsburg. At least there are two teams from BCS conferences in IA St and Pitt. Iowa always gets Iowa State’s best shot of the year. I love that game because whoever wins seems to do worse throughout the rest of the season. Pitt did beat WVU, much to the chagrin of the refs and the Mountaineer faithful. That is something that Oklahoma couldn’t even come close to doing. Maine and FIU are bad patsies. With the way Iowa has been playing lately, maybe they deserve a break here. Grade: C-
Wisconsin – Akron, Marshall, Fresno State, Cal Poly. Wisconsin is trying to be the cream of the Big 10 (+1). They’re just not trying very hard. I love Pat Hill and Fresno State. These guys will play anyone/anywhere. I give credit to Wiscy for the Bulldogs on the schedule, but Akron? Cal Poly? UGH. That is U-G-L-Y. Akron should have been the weakest team on the schedule. They could step it up a bit and get a team from a BCS conference. Marshall is ok, but it is not really a test, is it? Why not switch-out the Cal-Poly game for a game with Baylor or Vanderbilt? For the Badgers it is still a probable win, but it looks much, much better than beating up on Div-1AA or Div-2 teams. Grade: C-
Indiana – Western Kentucky, Murray State, Ball State, Central Michigan. Again, like Northwestern and Minnesota before them, Indiana really can’t be blamed too much for the smelly ####-fest that is their OOC schedule. Central Michigan will probably beat Indiana this year. Western Kentucky has recently made the move from Div-1AA to Div-1A. The Hilltoppers shouldn't put up much of a fight here. The same could be said about Murray State. Ball State had one heck of an offense last year as teams in the MAC found out the hard way. Indiana needs to be careful with this one. Grade: D
Minnesota – Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Montana State, Florida Atlantic. For the Golden Gophers it has been tough. I can’t really say anything about this OOC schedule. They may not be favorites in a couple of them. GO GOPHERS!! I'm being hard on the Gophers here, but they should lose to Florida Atlantic and Bowling Green. Grade: D
Penn State – Coastal Carolina, Oregon State, Syracuse, Temple. This OOC schedule is pretty bad. Oregon St is ok, but the rest is stinking up the joint here. For a team of Penn St’s status, this is disappointing to say the least. They need another middle-of-the-road BCS conference team to ####e it up a bit like Oklahoma State or South Carolina. If Oregon St was Oregon, then it would be respectable to have the three flaky, cream-centered pastries. This is very unlike a typical Penn State OOC schedule. Grade: F+
– Utah, Miami (OH), Notre Dame, Toledo. This is not really good , but it is not quite as bad as it looks. Notre Dame may be the worst team on this OOC schedule. Utah has not been able to put it back together since losing Meyer, but they are ok. Miami (OH) is like Ohio and Central Michigan…not going to win but they will fight hard. Toledo may or may not put up a fight. I suppose I should cut Michigan some slack after last year’s 0-2 start. Naw. This is pitiful for a team that wants to be considered elite. Grade: F
Well, well, well. Isn’t that interesting? Ohio State and LSU playing for the national championship has to be a dream match-up for the fat-cats in the smoke-filled rooms. It couldn’t have worked out better, right? My hat is off to the fat-cats. You really have to admire their resolve and unflappability in stressful situations.The people in the smoke-filled rooms must have been feeling somewhat nervous with the potential match-up between Missouri and West Virginia. I don’t believe it would have been anything close to a ratings bonanza. I would venture to guess it would have been a little tougher to get the millions of dollars, the fat-cats are used to, for the advertising spots because of the smaller followings of these two teams.
I am a firm believer that what frightens these puppet-masters is the threat of losing money. Therefore, they will support and guide events towards the most lucrative outcomes. Ohio State and LSU will certainly have many, many people watching. It will be a great game. I will be watching. But what does it prove? It proves nothing. It does not provide us, the fans, with a true champion. It is because this will be a great game that there will be no change in the current bowl system.
My problem with the way things are run in Division-1 football is why these guys, fat-cats, are so frightened of trying anything new. Wouldn’t a playoff strengthen the ratings for some of the smaller market teams?
If West Virginia had made it through a 3 rounds of playoffs, wouldn’t they create a bigger following? Wouldn’t the ratings shoot through the roof? If Hawaii was able to knock off a team like Oklahoma in the first week of a playoff, then wouldn’t it be safe to assume that the next week there would be even more people watching Hawaii’s game? I am not looking forward to the Hawaii/Georgia match-up, but if Hawaii would have had to get through a few playoff games, then I would probably be very excited for the game.
If you are going be greedy, then be as greedy as you can. Sure, the old way has made many a cat fat, but this new way could send profits through the roof. The shortsightedness of the cats in the smoke-filled rooms is frustrating.
Much to the chagrin of the officiating crew from the Pitt/WVU game, West Virgina blew any chance of any change coming soon. Missouri had to do their part, but it was a much tougher hill to climb for the Tigers. Without the pocketbooks of the fat-cats being affected, it will be impossible for there to be change in Division-1 football. As long as the status quo is not affected, then the puppet-masters are happy. I guarantee Ohio State and LSU makes the puppet-masters happy.
What happens to other colleges in the state when the premier school looks out of state for talent? Just look at Nebraska for the answer.
Over the last few years, the state of Nebraska has blossomed in the sport of football. The Division 1 team, the Cornhuskers, may not have fared very well, but the rest of the state is doing just fine.
Here is a list of the records of some of the other schools in the state.
Chadron State - Chadron, NE
2007 – 11-0
2006 – 12-1
2005 – 4-6
2004 – 7-3
University of Nebraska - Omaha, NE
2007 -- 10-0
2006 -- 8-3
2005 -- 8-3
2004 -- 8-3
Nebraska Wesleyan – Lincoln, NE
2007 – 7-3
2006 – 7-3
2005 – 6-4
2004 – 5-5
Contrary to popular belief, there are football players in Nebraska. California, Texas, and Florida have enough to justify the talent export of their states, but there are players in Nebraska if you look.
My case in point is a young kid by the name of Danny Woodhead. This fantastic young man wanted nothing more than to play football at the college level. Coming from North Platte, NE, of course he wanted to play for the Cornhuskers. He ends up at Chadron State. He also ends up with more than 7,555 yards rushing for his career. Yes, that is a record. That is the record for all divisions in the NCAA.
Over the bye-week that Nebraska is currently in, the Coaching staff is going to focus efforts in-state. I wonder if this is Bill “as good as canned” Callahan’s idea or Tom Osborne’s?
I have refrained from piling on the soon to be ex-head coach of Nebraska, but I guess I’m in a fightin’ mood. After reading the articles above, I don’t think anyone would blame me.
I was one of his staunchest supporters for most of the year. The 41-6 loss to Mizzou was enough for me to start to criticize, but I was not calling for his head. I was calling for him to get the ship back on the right course.
Deplorable is the best word I can come up with to describe the behavior of this egomaniac that is the worst excuse of a coach I have ever seen.
Let us put aside the “X’s” and O’s” for a minute. I want to talk about Bill Callahan as a role model, as a father figure, as a nurturing head coach. Maybe I am too touchy-feely, but part of the job of the head coach is to protect his kids. A good head coach will take the bullets being fired from the media. A good head coach will praise his players for outstanding performances.
Bill Callahan has a lot of growing up to do. I pity the team he goes to after he gets $h!t-canned by a living legend. Sorry about the language, but I am fired up and I want to make sure this comes across as true to my emotions as it can.
The most anticipated game for the Big 12 North will be played 11/24 in Arrowhead Stadium against the Missouri Tigers and the Kansas Jayhawks. If both teams can refrain from losing a game until then, then the ramifications of that game could be enormous.
Let us travel for a bit to the land of what ifs. What if a 11-0 KU team beats a 10-1 Mizzou. Does KU finally jump in front of the rest of the one-loss teams? I say no. What if KU pulls out a victory against Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game? Will that be enough to catapult KU past any one-loss teams in front of the Jayhawks? I would certainly hope so. KU would have 2 top ten victories in as many weeks. Do I think this will happen? No. I have my doubts that KU will make it past Oklahoma State much less Missouri and Oklahoma.
What if Mizzou beats the Jayhawks and Oklahoma? With one loss, will that be enough to propel the Tigers to the front of the one-loss line? If the rankings stay as they are now, I would certainly hope that 2 wins against 2 top ten teams would count for something. I would give more credit to this "what if" prediction because Missouri is playing well on both sides of the ball. We know they have one of the best QBs in Chase Daniel, but they are now playing good defense to boot.
I think Oklahoma needs help in order to get to the National Championship Game. They would only have one win over a top 10 team. That would put them in the same boat as LSU, Oregon, Boston College, Arizona St, and West Virginia. That is big pack of one-loss teams. OU would stand out a bit because of the extra game for the Big 12 Championship. LSU would not be playing a team as highly ranked as KU or Mizzou in the SEC Championship. LSU should be rooting for Georgia right about now, but that is another blog for another person to write.
Who is the biggest fan of KU right now? I would say Mizzou is pulling for the Jayhawks to win this week against Oklahoma State and Iowa State next week. If Mizzou beats an undefeated KU and comes through on another shot at Oklahoma, then they have to be a lock for the National Championship Game. Right?
Friends Forever (or at least until 11/24)
I have given my opinion on the current state of affairs in the Big 12 North. For the record, I would like to say that the North has surpassed any expectations I had before the start of the season, but it does not seem to be deserving of two top ten teams.
How does the coach’s son playing first string quarterback affect a team? The head coach for Colorado is playing his son, Cody, at starting quarterback. Cody has had some limited success at the position this year. How does a father evaluate his son’s talent against others competing for the same position without bias? It would seem to be a near impossible task. Is it worth all of the second-guessing to Coach Hawkins to have his son running the show on the field on Saturdays?
It seems a daunting task to be a head coach for a Division-1 football team. It seems even more stressful if the team you are coaching is in a big conference like the SEC or Big 12. Now take that amount of pressure and stress and add to the equation that you are coaching at a school that has had enjoyed the highest level of success for the last 20 years. Only until recently has Colorado taken a turn for the worse.
Enter Dan Hawkins. He is a young and energetic coach that can light a fire under his players. Coach Hawkins is a great motivator and one heck of a head coach on game days. He has assembled a team of assistants that has taken a talented, underachieving team and turned them into a giant killer in less than 2 years. This Colorado team may not be the most consistently good team, but if they give you their best shot you are in serious trouble. Just ask Oklahoma. Coach Hawkins would seem to be on top of the world right now.
Enter Cody Hawkins. Cody is a good quarterback. Cody seems to have a decent enough grasp on the offense and at times has shown brilliance at the position. He is a sophomore and is a team leader on offense. Cody is mature beyond his years and can be capable of leading a “big –time” college team throughout a season.
As a sophomore, is Cody that good? Does he give his team the best chance to win this year? I understand that by the time he is a senior, he should be considered one of the nation’s elite quarterbacks, but as a sophomore does he deserve to start?
Did Coach Hawkins want to start his son? What kinds of problems would it start at home if he didn’t? Would his wife think that Dan was choosing the game of football or the Colorado program over her boy?
Wouldn’t starting your son at quarterback hurt your recruiting efforts? Why would a stud quarterback want to play for a coach that is playing his son at quarterback for the next 3 years? What about the other quarterbacks on the team? Are they getting a fair shot at starting? What about the friends of the other quarterbacks? Do they have a loyalty to their friends who are getting shafted by the coach and his son?
The situation does not make any sense to me that Coach Hawkins wants his son to play for him at this level. Even if Cody is the best quarterback on the team, there will always be these kinds of morale killing questions by the media and players.
I really want to hear some opinions on this matter. Please let me know what you think.
It is official. The "End Times" are upon us. Two of the Four Horsemen are wearing the school colors of Kansas and Missouri. Quick!! Hide the women and children! Slaughter and store the pets for food. There is something horribly bad going on and I don't think the Space-Time Continuum of our universe can contain the magnitude of the absurdity of it all!!!
I don’t know how many of you remember, but I wrote a blog about how I thought the Big 12 North was the best division in college football. My post was supposed to be a homeristic view of how ridiculous some of the conference cheerleaders sound after just a few games in the book. A mild satire, if you will, with a bit of seriousness. It was not supposed to be taken 100% serious. Someone should have informed Kansas and Mizzou that I did not really mean for anyone to take my post to heart.
The Big 12 North is the best division in college football. At this late stage in the season, all teams have been road tested and tested at home. There have been times where the outlook o####ame was in question and a team had to dig deep to find a way to win. Missouri has only lost one game, much like LSU, Oregon, West Virginia, and Arizona State. Missouri’s loss was to a team that has been in the top-10 all year. All Kansas has done is put up gaudy numbers and won every single game. I don’t care how bad Texas A&M is, College Station is a tough place to pull out a victory for a visiting team.
FACT: As of right now and for at least until the weeks end, the supposedly weak Big 12 Conference has three (3) top 10 teams in the BCS. (Kansas – #4, Oklahoma – #5, Missouri – #6) Hmm. That is interesting. Two (2) of these teams are in the Big 12 North. I remember seeing polls comparing conferences to one another and the Big 12 was 4th behind the SEC, PAC-10, and Big 10. How did this anomaly come about? How could the powers at be allow this kind of travesty?
No one, and I mean no one, saw Kansas starting the season 9-0. I will admit that even after they were 6-0 I had my doubts about their legitimacy. The schedule the Jayhawks played left much to be desired for true competition. Although, the manner in which they dominated these lesser teams made people start saying “maybe.” Maybe they are good this year. How good is this year’s batch of Jayhawks? Good enough to be a legitimate top 10. Good enough to make Oklahoma work for this year’s Big 12 title. Good enough to put up 76 on a division 1-A team. (Ok that maybe stretching it a bit; Nebraska’s defense is playing more like a preseason NBA team’s defense.)
Where are the chinks in the mighty KU armor? There are not any. Some may look at this Nebraska game as a poor defensive showing. Don’t believe that for a second. Nebraska had it’s best showing on offense in years. On the offensive side of the ball, Nebraska rallied around the new starting quarterback Joe Ganz. I won’t even get started. That would be an entirely different blog. KU has 2 very good running backs, a quarterback that doesn’t make mistakes, a receiver corp. that would improve all but just a handful of offenses, and a rock solid defense.
Missouri has been on the verge of having a breakout season for more than just a few years. They have always been held back by the same thing, themselves. Coach Pinkel has seemed to finally clear out all of the sel####oubt and insecurities of his team and he has them playing lights out at the right time. This Missouri team should scare anyone who is on the field with them. Chase Daniel is the real deal. We have all known that for a number of weeks. That is old news. Hot off the press!!!! Extra!! Extra!! Missouri’s defense is ready to play football now.
Mizzou’s defense was the subject to many a criticism. “Was” is the important word here. When the Tigers traveled down to Lubbock to face the high flying offense of the Texas Tech Red Raiders I was expecting an over/under of at least a 100. Missouri held that juggernaut of offense to 10 points. 10 points!! I was sold on the effectiveness of the Tiger defense ever since.
Now, what does the future hold for the mighty Big 12 North? Kansas and Mizzou play at Arrowhead on November 24th. Before either one of these teams can begin to think about that match-up of Big 12 North titans, they each have 2 more games.
Kansas has to play an improving Oklahoma State team that lost a heartbreaker against Texas last week. This Cowboy team will certainly test the Kansas defense with a high powered, balanced offensive attack. This talented OSU team seems to have the same problem Mizzou has had over the last few years. They seem to beat themselves. Unlike past Mizzou teams, OSU seems to start off weak and get stronger as the year goes on. Kansas will have another chance to show the country that they belong in the top-5. This game is in Stillwater. The next week, Kansas hosts the flailing Iowa State Cyclones. This game would have “trap game” written all over it except Iowa State is the only team worse than Nebraska in the North. (That hurt to say)
Mizzou has a little tougher road to follow. The Tigers host aTm and travel to Manhattan to play Kansas State. Mizzou will be the heavy favorite in each game. In order to have a realistic shot at taking the Big 12 North crown, they have to win both of these games.
Oklahoma has been officially notified that the Big 12 Championship will have to be earned this year, as opposed to recent years. Which poison do you think Oklahoma would rather have to ingest? A Missouri team that has improved on defense and confidence since last meeting the Sooners, or a well coached, fundamentally sound, balanced, and hungry Kansas team? Either way, the Big 12 Championship should be a great “David and Goliath” game where David is packing something a bit more powerful than a sling and a pebble.
The season is finally upon us. The kids are back in school. ESPN is getting geared up for another great season of NCAA Football. Lou and Kirk are ready to debate. May and Holtz, well they are ready to do whatever it is that they do. It is easy to get caught up in following your team. It would be a shame for someone to get hurt or arrested while tailgating. Knowing this, I have made a list of things that one could do to enhance and make safer the activity of tailgating.
To make it easier to remember, I have separated this survival guide into two main categories: Visiting fans and home fans. For the home fans I have two subcategories: Hosting a tailgate and patronizing a tailgate. This will be a three part series.
Part one: Hosting a Tailgate
Choosing the best spot for a proper tailgate should take at least 6 hours of recon. During the intelligence gathering phase the host needs to keep in mind that a bathroom facility should be nearby but not so close that the smell will sour appetites for beer and brauts. Also, the terrain and flow of traffic need to be considered.
Reserving the spot can sometimes be tricky. I have seen two very effective ways to reserve the perfect tailgate spot. The first way is to make sure you are the first person to be let in the parking area. A bribe is usually helpful. I do not recommend sleeping in your vehicle. Police tend to frown upon people sleeping in vehicles loaded with beer. Plus the temptation to crack open one may overcome some. The second way is to go to the nearest hobby store to get some fake blood and police tape. Simply mark your spot with police crime scene tape and dump a ton of blood in the area. This has always worked when I have seen it done. The only problem is that if you don’t get there before the press, then there will be some explaining to do.
A proper tailgate should provide 3 full meals with food from different food groups offered. A suggested menu would be something like this. Breakfast – Fruit and vegetables: Salty-dogs, Bloody-marys, or Screwdrivers. Breads and cereals and dairy: chips and cheese dip. Meats: any. Lunch and dinner would be the same as the breakfast menu except beer is usually substituted for all food groups. Please remember to not make accomodations to Veegans. It is a waste of time because no self-respecting football fan would ever think of being a Veegan.
While cooking the food, the chef needs to know that the rules of cooking in a kitchen and cooking in a parking lot have some subtle differences. First of all, there is no sink readily available. Proper planning can fix this minor inconvenience. A small bucket of water can make for a nice makeshift sink. The bucket will also come in handy later. Second, the 5 second rule is now extended to 90 seconds. If the food does not get lost in the dirt or roll under a car, it is still food. I would suggest giving it to the last person who didn’t bring anything to the tailgate.
I cannot stress the importance of choosing a designated driver. In the last paragraph, I mentioned that the sink/bucket would come in handy later. This would be the time. Find your designated driver and throw the bucket of water directly onto his/her face. Usually, the DD is asleep (passed-out) by the time a proper tailgate is finished. I have found that making the splash in the face a tradition can be great fun. Throwing the water in the face of a fully conscious person is much more difficult and takes a certain kind of finesse.
One often overlooked detail of tailgating is respect for the area that you are in. This can include peeing in public. I know that there are some men who think it is a divine right handed down from God that we can pee where ever and when ever we feel the urge. I am here to say that is not true. If the urge is too great. If the Port-a-Poty is just too far. If your legs are not responding correctly to your brain’s orders, you can, in emergencies only, open the door to your truck and while facing inward urinate. This is a very bold maneuver to attempt especially if one is very drunk. Peeing onto the floorboards or on the inside of the door is very possible. It is not advised to pee in public while intoxicated. Ones awareness to ones surroundings are usually at an all-time low. Police tend to frown upon the act of urinating in public.
I like the match-ups and the years of bad-blood between rivals in college football. I enjoy a good game no matter the national implications. Give me a 3OT game between a couple of Sun Belt teams over a 40 point blowout between a couple top 25 teams anytime. I consider myself to be a fan of the game. I will be as respectful to visitors on my blog as they are to me. Go Huskers! Go Navy! Go Jags! Go Cubbies!
With the way that the Big 10 (+1) has been playing as of late, a strong out-of-conference (OOC) schedule would benefit the teams. When one of the top 2 teams in your conference is on the verge of a 6 win season *chough…Michigan*cough *cough, your conference may be lacking in the quality opponent category. The ACC and Big East are getting more love from top to bottom than the Big 10 (+1). I got an idea. If you want to beat a team like LSU or Florida, then try to play some of the same team they do. Let us see who had the Rocky Mountain Oysters to schedule some competition OOC. In case you missed my other grades here are the links: 
Ohio State – Youngstown State, Ohio, USC, Troy. I like this OOC schedule because they want to play USC. Sure Youngstown St is a patsy, but to go out and willfully schedule arguably the most successful team over the last 5-6 years shows moxy. That is gutsy considering that you will probably will be competing for a national cahmpionship yourself. That subscribes to my philosophy of beating the best to be the best. I can’t say that Ohio is a patsy, but I can say that they stand no chance against OSU. Troy is a very decent team, but they stand little chance here against the Buckeyes. Here’s my best Ali G impersonation “Respect! Boo-Ya-Ya!” Grade: A
Michigan State – California, Eastern Michigan, Florida Atlantic, Notre Dame. The Spartans did go out and get a game with a quality team in Cal. I understand the need to play the Eastern, Western, and Central Michigans every year. What I really like about this schedule is that there are no FCS(Div-1AA) teams. If you want to be considered one of college footballs elite, then you have to stop shceduling non-Div-1 teams. Notre Dame is the Spartans’ prison girlfriend year in and year out. Watch out for Florida Atlantic this year. They have shed that “patsy” title and will upset some one in the OOC. Could it be the Spartans? Quite Possibly. That Cal game will be really tough for the Spartans. Grade: A-
Michigan, Notre Dame. I give a little credit for having Notre Dame on the schedule because they have a potential of giving a good game. Not this year, but in years past. The Ducks are a consistently good team. They are certainly a Top-25 team year-in and year-out. Central Michigan is like Ohio in that they will fight hard, but it is hard for them to compete with the talent level difference. Although, Central Michigan has a great quarterback in LeFevour. N. CO stinks and there is too much stabbing going on in the special teams. Grade: B+
Illinois – Missouri, Eastern Illinois, Louisiana-Lafayette, Western Michigan. Illinois is certainly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the Big 10 (+1). It would seem that Coach Zook may have the foundation for something special. Mizzou is a serious test for Illinois right off the bat. Then they get a few weeks to recover. The rest of their OOC schedule is cream-puff city. I wonder if they had the thought that Mizzou was going to be a top-10 team when they contracted the games. I guess they just got lucky. I don't think they need to have both Eastern Illinois and Louisiana-Lafayette on the schedule. One of those two and substitute a Div-1A cream-puff like Buffalo for the other. Grade: C- (that is all dumb luck having Top-10 Missouri on the schedule)
Northwestern – Syracuse, Duke, Southern Illinois, Ohio. I guess if you are Northwestern this schedule is somewhat competitive, but I call it giving up. Syracuse and Ohio are the only teams of any kind of note in this one. Ohio is the best team on the OOC schedule? My, my how far we have fallen since the glory days with Barnett. Syracuse has not been the same since McNabb left and that was a long time ago. I love the Salukis, but they are no good at football. Duke is at least from the ACC and they are a BCS conference. I guess that is something. Right? Grade: C
Iowa – Maine, Florida International, Iowa State, Pittsburg. At least there are two teams from BCS conferences in IA St and Pitt. Iowa always gets Iowa State’s best shot of the year. I love that game because whoever wins seems to do worse throughout the rest of the season. Pitt did beat WVU, much to the chagrin of the refs and the Mountaineer faithful. That is something that Oklahoma couldn’t even come close to doing. Maine and FIU are bad patsies. With the way Iowa has been playing lately, maybe they deserve a break here. Grade: C- 
Indiana – Western Kentucky, Murray State, Ball State, Central Michigan. Again, like Northwestern and Minnesota before them, Indiana really can’t be blamed too much for the smelly 
Minnesota – Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Montana State, Florida Atlantic. For the Golden Gophers it has been tough. I can’t really say anything about this OOC schedule. They may not be favorites in a couple of them. GO GOPHERS!! I'm being hard on the Gophers here, but they should lose to Florida Atlantic and Bowling Green. Grade: D
Penn State – Coastal Carolina, Oregon State, Syracuse, Temple. This OOC schedule is pretty bad. Oregon St is ok, but the rest is stinking up the joint here. For a team of Penn St’s status, this is disappointing to say the least. They need another middle-of-the-road BCS conference team to 
– Utah, Miami (OH), Notre Dame, Toledo. This is not really good , but it is not quite as bad as it looks. Notre Dame may be the worst team on this OOC schedule. Utah has not been able to put it back together since losing Meyer, but they are ok. Miami (OH) is like Ohio and Central Michigan…not going to win but they will fight hard. Toledo may or may not put up a fight. I suppose I should cut Michigan some slack after last year’s 0-2 start. Naw. This is pitiful for a team that wants to be considered elite. Grade: F 
The people in the smoke-filled rooms must have been feeling somewhat nervous with the potential match-up between Missouri and West Virginia. I don’t believe it would have been anything close to a ratings bonanza. I would venture to guess it would have been a little tougher to get the millions of dollars, the fat-cats are used to, for the advertising spots because of the smaller followings of these two teams. 
I am a firm believer that what frightens these puppet-masters is the threat of losing money. Therefore, they will support and guide events towards the most lucrative outcomes. Ohio State and LSU will certainly have many, many people watching. It will be a great game. I will be watching. But what does it prove? It proves nothing. It does not provide us, the fans, with a true champion. It is because this will be a great game that there will be no change in the current bowl system. 
My problem with the way things are run in Division-1 football is why these guys, fat-cats, are so frightened of trying anything new. Wouldn’t a playoff strengthen the ratings for some of the smaller market teams? 
If West Virginia had made it through a 3 rounds of playoffs, wouldn’t they create a bigger following? Wouldn’t the ratings shoot through the roof? If Hawaii was able to knock off a team like Oklahoma in the first week of a playoff, then wouldn’t it be safe to assume that the next week there would be even more people watching Hawaii’s game? I am not looking forward to the Hawaii/Georgia match-up, but if Hawaii would have had to get through a few playoff games, then I would probably be very excited for the game. 
If you are going be greedy, then be as greedy as you can. Sure, the old way has made many a cat fat, but this new way could send profits through the roof. The shortsightedness of the cats in the smoke-filled rooms is frustrating.
Chadron State - Chadron, NE
University of Nebraska - Omaha, NE
Nebraska Wesleyan – Lincoln, NE 
Let us put aside the “X’s” and O’s” for a minute. I want to talk about Bill Callahan as a role model, as a father figure, as a nurturing head coach. Maybe I am too touchy-feely, but part of the job of the head coach is to protect his kids. A good head coach will take the bullets being fired from the media. A good head coach will praise his players for outstanding performances.
Bill Callahan has a lot of growing up to do. I pity the team he goes to after he gets $h!t-canned by a living legend. Sorry about the language, but I am fired up and I want to make sure this comes across as true to my emotions as it can. 
Let us travel for a bit to the land of what ifs. What if a 11-0 KU team beats a 10-1 Mizzou. Does KU finally jump in front of the rest of the one-loss teams? I say no. What if KU pulls out a victory against Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game? Will that be enough to catapult KU past any one-loss teams in front of the Jayhawks? I would certainly hope so. KU would have 2 top ten victories in as many weeks. Do I think this will happen? No. I have my doubts that KU will make it past Oklahoma State much less Missouri and Oklahoma. 
What if Mizzou beats the Jayhawks and Oklahoma? With one loss, will that be enough to propel the Tigers to the front of the one-loss line? If the rankings stay as they are now, I would certainly hope that 2 wins against 2 top ten teams would count for something. I would give more credit to this "what if" prediction because Missouri is playing well on both sides of the ball. We know they have one of the best QBs in Chase Daniel, but they are now playing good defense to boot.
I think Oklahoma needs help in order to get to the National Championship Game. They would only have one win over a top 10 team. That would put them in the same boat as LSU, Oregon, Boston College, Arizona St, and West Virginia. That is big pack of one-loss teams. OU would stand out a bit because of the extra game for the Big 12 Championship. LSU would not be playing a team as highly ranked as KU or Mizzou in the SEC Championship. LSU should be rooting for Georgia right about now, but that is another blog for another person to write.
