Ouch.

Now I know how Marty felt after USC tossed the Buckeyes around like ragdolls. 

But this... this was worse.

Missouri didn't even realize the game had started until halftime.

What makes it sting more is the fact that we'll have to sit through another debacle like this December 6th at Arrowhead in the Big 12 Title game.

There is NO doubt this week who the #1 team in the nation is.

Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo is the best in the nation and will be a future HOF'er in the NFL with that kind of brutal strength and speed.

To the haters go the spoils, but don't be quick to be one of those morons saying Mizzou is a four-loss team. There is not one team left on the schedule aside from Kansas that has a chance of stopping the Tigers. Of course, it helps when all those teams are from the North division that is floundering once again after looking great at the beginning of the season.

There is NO doubt this week which division is the best in the conference as well as the nation.

The Tigers, now 5-2 after their third straight 5-0 start in as many years have pretty favorable remaining schedule. Which will set up a 10-2 Mizzou squad with dellusions of grandeur and with each of the games being televised don't expect the Tigers to take it easy on any of them.

Homecoming is this Saturday (10/25) when Colorado comes to town. The Tigers should work out some of the frustration out on those poor Buffs. Say what you want about Mizzou, they still put up 31 on the Longhorns which in my opinion is the best defense in the nation. The Buffs are lucky to score at practice, much less in a real game.

Then to Waco for a game with an improved Baylor squad on 11/1, but despite some great athletes taking up residence on campus Baylor has a defense even worse than Mizzou's. A high scoring affair for Mizzou and another win.

Then the Blackout game against Kansas State in Columbia on 11/8. Kansas State showed signs of life at the beginning of the season, but they are still two years away from being able to beat Mizzou again.

Then to Ames on 11/15 and the new look Iowa State squad that decided ugly colors were better than a marketable logo. Mizzou has had games stoeln from them in Ames in recent years due to bad officiating, but this game won't be close enough for that to happen this year.

Then to Kansas City and Arrowhead Stadium for a showdown with our most hated rival and the most dangerous team left on the Mizzou schedule on 11/29. Well, even IF something crazy were to happen and the Jayhawks added to this debacle of a season and won, Mizzou would still go to the title game because before the two teams meet Kansas (5-2) will have lost to Texas and Texas Tech and possibly Nebraska. But it makes little difference what the records are when the Jayhawks and Tigers play each other, not matter what sport we are discussing at the moment. Still, I find it hard to imagine Tigers blowing a shot at the BCS again this year.

But then again, they are The Pretenders of the Big 12 we are talking about. They pretend to be in the same class as Texas and Oklahoma, but given the chance to prove it they fail and fail miserably. People that leave the state sometimes refer to the place as Misery, which is what Mizzou football fans have felt every year since 1969.

That was the last time Missouri won a conference championship.

Of course, there are four teams in the South that could stand in the way of Mizzou getting to the BCS at all. Texas Tech and Oklahoma State are both undefeated while Oklahoma only has one loss as of yet. All of those teams face each other or Texas, so the losses will come. I find it hard to believe they would all lose three, which is what it would take for Mizzou to still get in the BCS and not have to beat Texas for the Big 12 title. So if Mizzou wants to go to the BCS dance this year, they have to win the last game of the year December 6th at Arrowhead.

If I were a betting man, I wouldn't place any money on those odds. The Homer Poll to follow later this afternoon. I am actually at work right now, so get off my #### already.

Last night, I had two TV's in the living room with the Rays/Red Sox game on at the same time. By halftime, the Rays were on the big screen and the Tigers were on the 32 inch with the sound muted. By the end of the night, there was a movie on the big screen and the Rays on the muted screen. Man, my teams know how to make a fan miserable.

Don't look now, St. Louis is beating the Cowboys.

Well, conference play is in full swing and the games should be GREAT this weekend. The biggest game on the college football menu this weekend of course is the Red River Rivalry.

#1 vs. #5. By the end of the weekend there will no longer be three Big 12 teams in the Top 5, so all you haters will be happy for a couple of weeks anyway.

By Monday, I believe we will have a new #1 in the major polls.

Texas 31 Oklahoma 30

Vanderbilt 22 Miss State 21

North Carolina 34 Notre Dame 14

Michigan State 44 Northwestern 34

South Carolina 27 Kentucky 7

Arizona State 14 USC 13

Texas Tech 65 Nebraska 34

Mizzou 44 Oklahoma State 10

Florida 24 LSU 21 (OT)

Boise State 48 Southern Miss10

Bonus

Dallas Cowboys 35 Arizona 24

Win and you're in.

Sure, any day a team can say those words. For the Rays, today they can say for the first time ever in team history, "We're going to the playoffs!"

Though I didn't make it to as many games as I would've liked, I am proud to say I was there opening day and dozen or so other nights I left with the Trop lit up in my rearview mirror.

Here in Tampa Bay, fans and local media were whispering about this season as the BCS was coming to a close. Despite the excitement of Bowl season, more than a few minutes of airtime on local radio was spent on talk of a pennant race.

The guys really looked good and you could tell the team was showing patience in developing the players and grooming them to fit the plan laid out by management. Then the success was followed by ownership assuming the fans and City of St. Petersburg owed them for their making the right moves to create a winner.

Fans and city residents disagreed. Others, including myself, dreaded the thought of unending rain delays and scorching South Florida heat. #### the ####.

"It's always a perfect 72 degrees inside Tropicana Field," was one of the old selling points in the Devil Rays marketing geared at enticing people to come to the worst stadium in the majors to watch one of the worst teams in the majors.

But we went when we wanted to take our kids to a game or to see the Red Sox or the Yankees. Jeter was going yard at least once, if not more.

You have to take the kids to see that.

Nevermind the expletives that followed from Dad.

I hate Jeter, for the record. Not as a person because I don't know him, but as a player that always made the D-Rays look like kids in the Sandlot.

Sure I want to see him homer, but not with two on and no outs.

This year I got to harrass Royals fans that showed up wearing Jayhawks gear. My kids entertained everyone sitting behind us with their dance moves at Kool and The Gang.

I got to see MC Hammer talk for an hour and play three or so songs. By the way, he did the #### song he did for the Addams Family sequel.

I got to see Longoria hit a grand slam.

I got to see the Rays battle and SWEEP the Red Sox here at the Trop.

We set up the grill, turned up the radio, cracked oped some Miller Lime and tailgated on one of the patches of grass with a tree in the parking lot.

We bought cheap seat tickets and snuck down to the good seats.

We sat by Monty Kiffen, Bucs defensive coordinator and high fived one of the Gruden brothers during a Rays homerun.

We had a blast watching the Rays this year.

Last night as I tucked my daughters into bed, my girls wanted a bedtime story. We talked about the time we saw the Seahawks play the Cowboys up at Qwest Field. Chloe said her team was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and she couldn't wait to see them play here (They spent the night with grandma and grandpa when mommy and daddy headed to Ray Jay.) Kayla said her team was the Rays.

"I love going to the Rays game Daddy," she said with a huge grin.

Me too, baby. Me too.