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

Michigan

Question:  What do you say about your quarterback after he throws for 510 yards and 7 touchdowns? 

A.  This kid is great and he played his heart out on Saturday.

B.  He has emerged as a team leader and proved it on Saturday.

C.  We couldn’t be happier with his outstanding performance.

D.  All of the above.

E.  The reason our quarterback did so well was because of the system I have set in place.  Anyone would have done as well because my system is the best.                                           
                

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1200&u_sid
=10183463  

 lhttp://www.theindependent.com/stories/11
132007/hus_huskcallahan13.shtm  

 http://journalstar.com/articles/2007/11/12/h
uskerextra/football/doc4738af2512ed3297191768.txt

 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. 

All right, everyone has made it through the first 3 weeks of games this year.  We are now starting to see some strengths and weaknesses come into the light.  It is early yet, but with a couple games under the belts of this years' teams, we can start to classify some teams with potential and some without.

With that being said, I am still full of questions.  I am like that annoying guy that sits in the front of the class and keeps everyone late because there is no end to the stupid questions spewing from his mouth. 

Texas A&M/Miami - Which one of these two teams is further up the road to regain the winning traditions their fans are used to seeing?  Will that once vaunted aTm defense be able to stop the underachieving Miami offense?  Can the Miami offense execute?  How many Hurricanes does it take to bring down big Javorskie Lane?  Probably too many.  If it were in College Station, I would like the Aggies.  Flip a coin.  Heads=aTm Tails=Miami.

North Carolina/South Florida - How long can the Bulls keep it going?  Can the Tarheels leave Florida with a 2-2 record?  Will the week off for the Bulls keep them from a let-down game?  How much talent do they have in South Florida?  I like the Bulls to edge-out the Tarheels in this one.

East Carolina/West Virginia - Can the ECU defense come up with an answer to the mighty Mountaineer offense?  Is the heat that West Virgina been taking over not dominating others well founded?  WV should win this one 9 times out of 9, but I have a feeling that it will be closer than the 25 points the experts in Vegas believe it to be.

Wyoming/Ohio - Which 2-1 team will prevail?  Don't you have to like match-ups like this one?  Both are teams that are playing for nothing more than the chance to go to a bowl game at the end of the season.  No day one NFL draft picks.  No chance at a BCS.  Possibly a chance to play for their respective conference championships.  I know I am in the minority, but I love games like these.

Penn State/Michigan - How many home games can a team start with?  Can Joe Pa get that big, stinky, flea-infested, mangy #### off his back?  Will this Michigan team rise to the challenge this week?  How can Michigan lose 3 home games in the same week?  Stay tuned.  Joey P. should come out ahead, but anything is possible in college football.

Texas Tech/Oklahoma State - What is up with Okie State?  If the strongest part of OSU's team is the offense, how can they even stand a chance in this one?  How many pass plays will be in this one?  Which of these two teams have to battle it out with the Aggies for third place in the conference's Southern division?  Oklahoma State should be better than they are right now.  I have faith that this OSU squad will put it together at some time during the year, just not this week.  I have to give the nod to the Leach's pass-happy bunch from Lubbock. 

Kentucky/Arkansas - Can the Wildcats keep the magic while on the road?  Can Arkansas play to the expectations of their fans?  Will that Razorback defense be too much for Kentucky's QB Woodson?  Will Kentucky survive to be in the polls next week?  How bad will that heartbreaking loss to the Tide affect the Hogs' season?  My pea-sized brain says Arkansas, but my heart is with the Cats on this one.

New Mexico State/Auburn - How bad is Auburn?  I ask this question every week and every week the answer is really, really bad.  Will Hal Mumme's offense steal the show?  I would hope that Auburn wouldn't lose this one, especially at home.  But, NMSU did beat UTEP and played the Lobos tough.  The Lobos did just beat the Arizona Wildcats, and Hal Mumme used to coach the Wildcats of Kentucky.  Coincidence?  I think not.  Upset city, baby!  (That is why I am the Village ####.)

Georgia/Alabama - After the huge win against Arkansas, how will the Tide fair against a seemingly good Georgia team?  Can Saban rally the boys to defend his home turf against the Bulldogs?  Just how good are these boys from Georgia?  Will the loss to SC kill the spirit of the Dawgs?  This is a good interdivisional match-up from the SEC.  I like Georgia to show Alabama what a let-down game feels like.

Iowa/Wisconsin - How bad is Iowa?  How good is Wisconsin?  I don't think you can gauge how good/bad Iowa is when they play Iowa State.  So, the Hawkeyes lost in Ames to a seriously inferior team.  The Badgers have not really dominated the way they were expected.  I think it is another good match-up.  Wisconcin should win but the Hawkeyes make it an exciting game for sure.

And Finally!!!

South Carolina/LSU - How good is this batch of boys the old ball coach has playing for him?  How can LSU not win?  Will the stout defense slow down the LSU offense?  Has LSU shown what they can really do?  I am afraid for South Carolina that LSU hasn't even begun.  I am not that stupid to count Spurrier out.  I am sure that he has something up his mighty sleeve that will give LSU fits for a while, but Pelini has too much for the Gamecock offense.  16.5 points? I like LSU until they show some kind of weakness.  So far, I haven't seen any.

 The first week is in the books.  Now, we can start to answer some questions about some teams' performances.  These are some of the more interesting games for me.

Miami at Oklahoma - Can Miami execute on Oklahoma’s Defense?  Is Oklahoma’s offense that good?  Is this the same Miami team from last year?  How well is Oklahoma’s QB going to hold up under some real pressure?  You can’t knock either of these teams’ scheduling.  Who would want to play either of these teams if you had title hopes? 

Nebraska at Wake Forest – Will the defending ACC Champs go 0-2 to start the season?  Can the new Nebraska run the ball like the old Nebraska for another week?  Was the devastating loss to Boston College a product of looking ahead to the Big Red?  Will the Big Red be looking ahead to USC?  Can the Demon Deacons muster any running attack?  Is Sam Keller as good as advertised?  Nebraska has to win this one for anyone to take them seriously next week.  Wake needs a win if they hope to repeat as champions of the ACC and save face.

California at Colorado State – Will California be hampered by the altitude and a good Colorado State offense?  Can Colorado State stop anyone?  How ####ed up is Cal after the complete domination o####ood Tennessee team last week?  Can Colorado State stop anyone?  Cal should roll, but I expect Colorado State to score more than a couple times.

Oregon at Michigan – Do the Ducks stand a chance in the Big House after all that has happened?  Is Michigan really that bad?  Can Oregon kick a wounded Wolverine while it is down in it’s own house?  Is Michigan really that bad?  We will all find out if Michigan is going to be worth watching for the rest of the season.

Notre Dame at Penn State – Penn State should roll.  You know that the Golden-Domers are going to surprise at least one team this year.  Is it going to be Joe Pa and his boys? 

I have saved the best for last!

Virginia Tech at LSU – Tigers and Cajuns and Creoles oh my!  At night, on the Bayou, surrounded by a mass of yellow and purple clad drunk, crawdad eating, psychopaths, screaming things only a native can understand.  I love watching LSU home night games!!!!  That is the cream of the crop of the SEC venues.  Do the heartfelt Hokies stand a chance?  Were they looking ahead to LSU last week?  For their sakes, I hope so.  Dem boys can play some o’dat fooseball down dair in Louisiana.