BOOMERBRADLEY
2/22/2006, 01:28 AM
www.collegefootballnews.com
1. Watch out for the the tough road stretches
Most programs in big-time conferences are able to stretch things out so there aren't too many bad road trips in a row with some scheduling cupcakes in between nasty battles to catch a break. The Big 12 scheduling gods aren't so kind, and it's a really, really big deal. Iowa State is the only team that doesn't have to play back-to-back conference road games, while Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech all have to play three Big 12 road games in four dates.
How important is the three-in-four scheduling twist? Last year, Kansas lost all three road games (and lost all four games in the stretch), Missouri lost its three road games, Nebraska lost three of the four games (with a win at Baylor that kicked off the stretch), Baylor lost three of its four games, Texas won all four of its games, but the three road games were against non-bowl bound Oklahoma State, Baylor and Texas A&M, A&M lost three of its four games, and Texas Tech lost two of its four finishing the month with the shocking loss at Oklahoma State.
By comparison, several ACC and Pac 10 teams also have to deal with the three road games in four date problem, but many of them get a break with a bye week or a non-conference game. The Big 12ers have no such luck with all the aforementioned teams having to play all four games in four weeks. (It's also interesting to note that Tennessee is the only SEC team to get nailed with the same twist, although Florida and Georgia have a neutral site date with each other for a three game away-from-home stretch.) Of course, the flip side is a nice homestand, so the key to the Big 12 season might be to see who does the best job of surviving their tough month.
2. Replacing the star quarterbacks
Good luck finding a league in recent memory that has to replace a more star-studded group of quarterbacks. Missouri's Brad Smith has been the face of the program for four years finishing his fantastic career with 8,799 passing yards and 56 touchdown passes along with 4,299 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns. Texas A&M's Reggie McNeal might have had a relatively disappointing career considering he was ranked by some as a better prospect than Vince Young coming out of high school, but he still threw for close to 7,000 yards with 44 touchdowns and ran for 1,889 more with 15 scores. Texas Tech's Cody Hodges won't fall into any all-timer categories, but he did finish second in the nation in total offense (behind Hawaii's Colt Brennan) averaging 369 yards per game. Colorado's Joel Klatt might not have been flashy, but he led the Buffs to two straight Big 12 title games. Of course, there's Vince Young, who leaves Texas as arguably the greatest college quarterback of all-time with a 34-3 record as the starter along with a national title. Good luck filling all the big shoes.
3. The North isn't going to be a pushover anymore, is it?
How down has the Big 12 North been? Over the last two seasons it's 9-29 against the South and just 4-28 if you don't count Baylor's 1-5 record against the North. No, the North isn't going to be better than the South, but it should be more competitive with everyone but Kansas returning the bulk of their top starters. The division has to be better, doesn't it? Maybe not. There isn't a dominant team on a national scale like Texas or Oklahoma should be, and Texas Tech might be the preseason favorite if it played in the North. Nebraska should be far better, but two of its three games against the South are on the road at Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. The home date? Texas. Iowa State has to go to Oklahoma and Texas, along with a home date against Texas Tech. Missouri has to go to Texas Tech and Texas A&M and hosts Oklahoma. Good luck Northerners.
4. The Red River Rivalry could be even more important
The last three winners of the Oklahoma-Texas shootout have played in the BCS national title game and the last six Big 12 title games has seen one of the two powerhouses. There should be championship implications yet again on October 7th in Dallas when the two teams meet in their annual classic, and the stakes can be jacked up even higher if the Sooners win at Oregon on September 16th and the Longhorns beat Ohio State on the ninth. But this should be for more than what it normally means. If Texas wins, it'll mean Mack Brown has officially ended the Sooner curse and would prove that last year wasn't an aberration. If OU wins, it can blow off last year's 45-12 shellacking as a fluke and even suggest that things might have been different had Adrian Peterson been healthy. Let the hype begin.
5. Not afraid of the non-conference tests
While Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Kansas aren't exactly pushing themselves, give most of the Big 12 credit for taking on at least one good non-conference test (compared to a league like the SEC). If the Big 12 wants to be the nation's top conference, it'll have plenty of chances to showcase what it can do. Here are some of the better non-Big 12 battles.
- Baylor: TCU, at Washington State
- Colorado: Colorado State, Arizona State, at Georgia
- Iowa State: at Iowa
- Kansas State: Louisville
- Missouri: Ole Miss (this wasn't a bad game when it was scheduled), at New Mexico
- Nebraska: at USC
- Oklahoma: Washington (once again, not bad when it was scheduled), at Oregon
- Texas: Ohio State
- Texas Tech: at UTEP, at TCU
1. Watch out for the the tough road stretches
Most programs in big-time conferences are able to stretch things out so there aren't too many bad road trips in a row with some scheduling cupcakes in between nasty battles to catch a break. The Big 12 scheduling gods aren't so kind, and it's a really, really big deal. Iowa State is the only team that doesn't have to play back-to-back conference road games, while Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech all have to play three Big 12 road games in four dates.
How important is the three-in-four scheduling twist? Last year, Kansas lost all three road games (and lost all four games in the stretch), Missouri lost its three road games, Nebraska lost three of the four games (with a win at Baylor that kicked off the stretch), Baylor lost three of its four games, Texas won all four of its games, but the three road games were against non-bowl bound Oklahoma State, Baylor and Texas A&M, A&M lost three of its four games, and Texas Tech lost two of its four finishing the month with the shocking loss at Oklahoma State.
By comparison, several ACC and Pac 10 teams also have to deal with the three road games in four date problem, but many of them get a break with a bye week or a non-conference game. The Big 12ers have no such luck with all the aforementioned teams having to play all four games in four weeks. (It's also interesting to note that Tennessee is the only SEC team to get nailed with the same twist, although Florida and Georgia have a neutral site date with each other for a three game away-from-home stretch.) Of course, the flip side is a nice homestand, so the key to the Big 12 season might be to see who does the best job of surviving their tough month.
2. Replacing the star quarterbacks
Good luck finding a league in recent memory that has to replace a more star-studded group of quarterbacks. Missouri's Brad Smith has been the face of the program for four years finishing his fantastic career with 8,799 passing yards and 56 touchdown passes along with 4,299 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns. Texas A&M's Reggie McNeal might have had a relatively disappointing career considering he was ranked by some as a better prospect than Vince Young coming out of high school, but he still threw for close to 7,000 yards with 44 touchdowns and ran for 1,889 more with 15 scores. Texas Tech's Cody Hodges won't fall into any all-timer categories, but he did finish second in the nation in total offense (behind Hawaii's Colt Brennan) averaging 369 yards per game. Colorado's Joel Klatt might not have been flashy, but he led the Buffs to two straight Big 12 title games. Of course, there's Vince Young, who leaves Texas as arguably the greatest college quarterback of all-time with a 34-3 record as the starter along with a national title. Good luck filling all the big shoes.
3. The North isn't going to be a pushover anymore, is it?
How down has the Big 12 North been? Over the last two seasons it's 9-29 against the South and just 4-28 if you don't count Baylor's 1-5 record against the North. No, the North isn't going to be better than the South, but it should be more competitive with everyone but Kansas returning the bulk of their top starters. The division has to be better, doesn't it? Maybe not. There isn't a dominant team on a national scale like Texas or Oklahoma should be, and Texas Tech might be the preseason favorite if it played in the North. Nebraska should be far better, but two of its three games against the South are on the road at Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. The home date? Texas. Iowa State has to go to Oklahoma and Texas, along with a home date against Texas Tech. Missouri has to go to Texas Tech and Texas A&M and hosts Oklahoma. Good luck Northerners.
4. The Red River Rivalry could be even more important
The last three winners of the Oklahoma-Texas shootout have played in the BCS national title game and the last six Big 12 title games has seen one of the two powerhouses. There should be championship implications yet again on October 7th in Dallas when the two teams meet in their annual classic, and the stakes can be jacked up even higher if the Sooners win at Oregon on September 16th and the Longhorns beat Ohio State on the ninth. But this should be for more than what it normally means. If Texas wins, it'll mean Mack Brown has officially ended the Sooner curse and would prove that last year wasn't an aberration. If OU wins, it can blow off last year's 45-12 shellacking as a fluke and even suggest that things might have been different had Adrian Peterson been healthy. Let the hype begin.
5. Not afraid of the non-conference tests
While Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Kansas aren't exactly pushing themselves, give most of the Big 12 credit for taking on at least one good non-conference test (compared to a league like the SEC). If the Big 12 wants to be the nation's top conference, it'll have plenty of chances to showcase what it can do. Here are some of the better non-Big 12 battles.
- Baylor: TCU, at Washington State
- Colorado: Colorado State, Arizona State, at Georgia
- Iowa State: at Iowa
- Kansas State: Louisville
- Missouri: Ole Miss (this wasn't a bad game when it was scheduled), at New Mexico
- Nebraska: at USC
- Oklahoma: Washington (once again, not bad when it was scheduled), at Oregon
- Texas: Ohio State
- Texas Tech: at UTEP, at TCU