Say it with me Longhorn fans... M - I - Z !!! Z - O - U !!!
I know what you're expecting from me this week. Humble pie and awe shucks my Tigers can't even beat lowly Kansas comments, but you can sweep those sentiments right out the door.
Kansas is our biggest rival, period. Records mean very little in that game. Ask them how many times our basketball team has beaten their #1 ranked basketball squad while we were barley above .500.
Sure, I may be the odd man to say I an extremely disappointed with a three-loss season at Mizzou. But give me four losses and I'll be burning Pinkel at the stake.
Well, maybe just the defensive coordinator.
Mizzou has not forgotten last year's Big 12 Championship game and all the hype going into that game. All we had to do was win and go to the National Championship Game. The BCS. Instead we went to the frigging Cotton Bowl and played some #### SEC team.
This is Championship weekend though, folks. This weekend determines who we will see and where. It's either time to celebrate or time to mourn. Of course, I started mourning after the second quarter in the Mizzou/Texas game. But I still think any Sooner fans waiting to see Mizzou roll over like they did in that game are in for a long night Saturday.
Mizzou 45 Oklahoma 42
I know what you are thinking. How can Mizzou keep the Sooners from scoring 60+ points? Easy, we rediscover our running game. Yeah, easy. Call me crazy, but this is one game that Big Game Bob is going to blow. Better now than the BCS Championship Game, right? If you look at the Mizzou Tigers this year, one thing is apparent: they haven't played their best game of the year yet. Hell, they haven't played as well as they did last year at all. Not once. Not good for a team with pretty much the same key players as the year before, which means it comes down to coaching. Can Pinkel earn his dream of spending the rest of his career at Mizzou? The bigger question of course is whether the Tigers can finally beat the Sooners and send Texas to the National Championship while earning a BCS berth themselves.
Alabama 35 Florida 28
Am I the only one in the country that thinks Alabama is the most disrespected undefeated and #1 ranked team ever? Seriously, not one analyst I have heard over the last few weeks expects the Tide to win the SEC, much less the National Championship. An undefeated team that has won more on talent and coahing than luck or chance. Sure Ole Miss is a great squad and caught Florida asleep at the wheel. But Alabama has proven all year that they are for real and they are the real deal. I suspect the bandwagon will have a nice loud roar of Roll Tide Roll come Sunday.
USC 66 UCLA 3
Every week I call a close game from the Trojans and every week they make me look bad. This week, maybe I'll jinx them instead. But I doubt it. These Fighting Neuhzies are that good.
Virginia Tech 19 Boston College 12
These two schizo teams have no identity this year and Beamer's big recruits from the Hampton Roads area in years past have proven big players, but lately the talent pool is a little shallow. Still, I like the Hokies in this odd defensive game in an offensive world.
West Virginia 35 South Florida 17
This game had so much potential at the beginning of the year to determine the Big East Champion. What a disappointing year for the conference, given the weakness of the Pac 10 and SEC this year. I doubt many outside the alumni associations watch this one.
Ball State 31 Buffalo 20
Can they do it? It's been difficult for Ball State to keep the dream alive, but with undefeated Utah and Boise State both up for BCS bids it really doesn't matter in the end.
This close to gametime I don't expect discussion, but gotta put 'em on the record here in the blogosphere anyway.
With that said, I have to put and "I TOLD YOU SO" out there for all the BYU talk I heard every week I said they were pretenders all along. Also Boise State, contenders. Period.
The Texas bandwagon gets derailed Saturday in Austin. Put down those ugly #### burnt orange pom poms and get the black and gold back out of the closet.
As we have learned in the Big 12, there is no such thing as home field advantage. Sure it helps, but with the quarterback stockpile in the conference it is clear that it takes more than one good game to make a season.
Will it be a shootout? Absolutely, but more than likely the game will be decided on the last possession.
We could see 90 points scored in this game, but folks thought that about the OSU game as well.
On another note, is it just me, or is Chase Daniel the fastest chubby little ####ker in the world or what? Perhaps that is part of his success, the defense sees his beer belly and think that he's a slow lumbering fullback. Then he zooms by and has a 30 yard rush.
No offense to Chase intended, I had similar comments made about me as a player. (not at Mizzou in case you're wondering) I was to busy working my way through school. As you can see from my new avatar, my job had some perks.
Anyway.
As disappointed as I am by last week's debacle in Columbia, the Tigers never showed up on offense and didn't play even a third as well as we can. Ever see Varsity Blues? Remember when the gang went out and hung out at the strip club and pulled an all nighter the night before a game? Yeah, but the grumbling around town has other acquisations flying around as well.
Hell, I remember partying during the Brocky IV year at Mizzou with many a player in the VIP section of a few spots downtown. But that was after we carried the goalposts to Harpo's after beating Texas. Was it that year???? ####, things are fuzzy from the Larry Smith years nowadays.
The Big 12 North will be the champion division this year. It begins again this Saturday. Then when OSU beats Texas and sets up the Redemption Bowl II, this year Mizzou will finally live up to it's talent level.
For all you Johnny-come-lately peeps that try and say that Mizzou is a fluff team that just came on the scene last year haven't been watching the Big 12. Our last QB is playing on Sundays, though as a receiver I'll grant you. But catching passes from Brett Farve has got to be fun.
But Chase will be playing at the next level despite his size. Then again Chase and Chase will be there as well. And Jeremy Maclin, of course.
Well, I didn't get out the shotgun and blow my head off last night. Although, my head sure feels like it today.
I called for Okie State to make some noise in the south, even had some doubts going in to the game. Never though, did I worry. Not even as the 4th quarter began and we were still trailing. Then Chase decided he didn't want the Heisman and threw bonehead interceptions.
Our D-line never showed up, though our secondary did pretty well. Imagine that.
Pinkel was completely out coached inthe second half. Not as badly as in years past, but enough to make me want to kick him in the arse a few times this morning.
I called the Texas win over the Sooners, but I was not as impressed as everyone else. They were slow on offense, but stiff on defense when it came to the run. I still see a Mizzou win this coming weekend, though. Our boys are not going down two weeks in a row.
With that, all I can say is I never in a million year thought I would be ranking a Big 10 school at #1 at ANY point this season. Then again, this is Jo Pa we're talking about.
We may not have any undefeated school in the National Title game this year, though. If my Cowboys lose to the Cards today the suicide watch may be extended pending the outcome of the ALCS.
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.
I have been blogging here for so long, I forgot my old password and had to set up a new blog this year. BOO!
Anyway, my old space was at community.fox sports.com/bl ogs/brianblac k in case you think you've heard the trash talk before... It's the same this year as it was last year... Mizzou is #1!!!!!!! Go Cowboys! Go Rays!
www.myspace.c om/revbrianbl ack
