I kinda feel like everything I did on this blog led up to the weekend I had last weekend. From grilling to barhopping to going to a game, last weekend had everything I wised for. Except a win. Yup, I was in Waco for the sorta Big 12 Championship when Kansas State played Baylor. Continue reading Stadiumspotting (And So Much More) At McLane Stadium In Waco
Tag Archives: Big 12 Championship
Pick It And Stick It: Championing The Pick
After a turkey induced coma, I’m back! It’s the last big week of the season. Yup, it’s championship weekend! Except for the Big 12. They have a kinda, sorta, championship weekend. I’ll be personally overseeing this as well to make sure it’s kinda, sorta, awesome. But until I make that trip to Waco, I’m going to run down how I think things will shake out. Continue reading Pick It And Stick It: Championing The Pick
Dart Board Predictions for 2014: From The Ashes Comes A New Set Of Arrows
Hey guess what? I’m back! No Purple Yeti Roar, no previews (yet), and not much fanfare. Let’s be real here, I’m distracted by the the Kansas City Royals actually being in a pennant race. But also I’m tired of the vlogging business. Plus the picks and the feedings felt a bit tired. But I’m back regardless with some tasty predictions. Continue reading Dart Board Predictions for 2014: From The Ashes Comes A New Set Of Arrows
Purple Yeti Raor 59: Purple Champions
It’s all Kansas State this week for me. Well, mosty purple. Kansas gets a nod in there too for winning a share of the Big 12 (_basketball_) Championship but it’s really the Wildcats that I’m excited about. Watch me talk about that Traevohn Wrench, Dalvin Warmack, BIll Snyder, Texas, Major Applewhite, Big 12, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Russell Athletic Bowl, Texas Tech, North Dakota State, and Luke Joeckel. Continue reading Purple Yeti Raor 59: Purple Champions
Up and Down at Champions
The weekend was very much filled with ups and downs as I had a great friend in town and was juggling college football, concerts, and quality time. That’s why some of you who were expecting a GameDay post Saturday came up empty. Never fear, my funky friends, I now get to talk about Champions Bar and Grill in downtown Austin. My bud and my lady took over the bar for a the brief amount of time and then we bolted on out for the rest of our adventure. That ended up being the best plan, too, because my team fell back down to earth and I missed the crash. Continue reading Up and Down at Champions
Pick It and Stick It Week 14: Championship Pickers
It’s a light week as most of the teams are done and the rest of the action is either rivalry or conference championship. That’s okay for the Pick It and Stick It as the last week will give us some great match ups to pick. Now with the last week of Pick It and Stick It, we are now getting into Bowl Season. With that in mind, we have a Bowl Pick It and Stick It set up at Yahoo again this year. We’ll give you the deets after we go over the tasty picks for this weekend.
Continue reading Pick It and Stick It Week 14: Championship Pickers
Crib Sheet: Ready to Ride I-70
A very special lady sprung on me some tickets to the Kansas State and Nebraska game going on tomorrow. So we’ll do some Stadiumspotting there as well get you stoked for this week of football. First thing is first, though. This week’s Crib Sheet goes over some of the hottest news items of the last week. We have some spicy giblets ready to feed ya and then we’re gonna get the car ready for the impromptu road trip. On to the sheet:
Crib Sheet: Media Blitz
We’ve been sacked from the Big 12 Media Days on this week’s Crib Sheet. We’ll go over the last media day next, as we have a major pile of news dump on you. Here we go:
- The Big 12 Preseason media poll is out and we have ourselves a rivalry game for the Big 12 Championship. The sports media picked Nebraska in the North and Oklahoma in the South, with Missouri and Texas shortly behind in both divisions respectively. Speaking more locally, Iowa State’s big season last year didn’t improve their status as they were voted last. Kansas and Kansas State are neck and neck for the middle of the pack, with the benefit of the doubt going to the Wildcats and its coaching experience. Usually the sports media is wrong so we’re anxious to see how it plays out this season.
- Meanwhile the All Big 12 Preseason was announced as well. Two Missouri kids, one Kansas, one Kansas State, and a whole bunch of Texas and Oklahoma kids make up the team. That pretty much tells you what the sports media thinks of the talent in the conference. Pretty obvious too.
- So the SEC and the NCAA saga continues this week as Georgia is the latest school in the south to be investigated. Apparently the agent/player gaming of the system has been going on for years and the SEC is the first target (after sharpening their sword on USC). The center of which is a reported party in South Beach, Miami hosted by the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers Frank Gore. So it looks like a big dust-up will happen here right before the college football season to make sure all players in the college football game stay honest. For how long? We don’t know.
- In case you are wondering, Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne will be heading to the Big 10’s preseason meetings next month. We’re wondering if he will be shining shoes while he’s there.
- Big 12 media days came and Dan Beebe will spoke, as well as BCS head honcho Bill Hancock. They are bringing out all of the PR guns to fight of the sports media blitzkrieg surrounding the expansion explosion over the summer. Even with detailed recounts of the summer of expansion love. Is Dan Beebe the savior?
- Iowa State defensive back David Simms looks to be under the police gun for a stolen credit card number and is charged. They haven’t filed charges yet, but the police did search his place. We’ll see if he was the culprit or one of his buddies.
- Kansas Frosh Jeremiah Evans’ career is officially over due to his worsened heart condition. It sucks when you can’t get on the field due to health issues and we wish him the best in whatever he decides to do with his life.
- Lane Kiffin ticked off Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher by hiring his running back coach for his USC team. Fisher calls it unprofessional, we think it’s the next step in coaching evolution. Courtesy calls are out the window if you want a guy bad enough. It’s dog eat dog out there. The Titans apparently think that USC broke the law too.
- Bo Pelini was mum on the Big 10 during Nebraska’s media day time. It looks like he’s pulling out the ole coaching classic. And while not chewing any gum with his mouth open. The Nebraska players are wearing reminder bracelets of their loss last year as well.
- Back in his NCAA days, Dan Beebe wanted to contract sports agents with universities so everything could be on the table. If a violation was found, the agent could lose potentially millions and the university may not be on the hook as much. Beebe is looking better and better every week.
- Ron Prince’s side of the story was obvious, as a deposition revealed. He was guaranteed money and now he wants it. There was even a napkin thrown in by former Kansas State athletic director Tim Weiser. It’s another he said she said, with a “Memo of Understanding” between the two. The courts will take this one over and we’ll see who gets the dough.
- The once troubled and jailed Maurcie Clarett is out of jail and back in his former school, Ohio State. Hey sometimes it takes people much longer to realize a college education is a useful tool in this world.
- The Pac 10 has a new logo. Ain’t it cute? They are also changing their name to the Pac 12 once Colorado and Utah join.
- Dan Beebe has also been busy trying to sweep the leaving teams out the door quick. He doesn’t want a court battle over the fees. Plus he thinks Colorado leaving next year instead of 2012 makes much more sense. The sooner the better for everyone involved.
- Oklahoma State safety Victor Johnson was arrested for smoking dope. Ruh roh. Suspension time for that guy.
- Missouri has some beef left over from last year’s Navy blowout. Blaine Gabbert looks to be the guy and Derrick Washington looks to be his running buddy. The Tigers have a couple of chips including being picked behind Nebraska and not being invited to the Big 10.
- Kansas State on the other hand, looks to be clawing it way up, with the help of running back Daniel Thomas. Bill Snyder 2.0 won’t give away the starter at quarterback (again) and he’s dealt with the loss of a puff schedule he like so much.
Holiday Wishes from the KCCGD Crew
Happy Holidays everybody from the KC College Gameday Crew! It’s been a couple of years now of doing this blog and we’ve learned alot along the way. We also are very thankful for all 12 of you that actually read this internet football rag. It’s not a perfect blog and we strive hard everyday just to make it a little bit better. We wished it could be perfect, but sometimes great things come from imperfections. Much along those same lines, we have Christmas wishes we want to share with you this holiday season:
Big 12 Bowl Preview and Predictions
Alrighty, we are in the 1st quarter of bowl season and fortunately we don’t have any Big 12 bowl games until next week. So we have the opportunity to preview and predict what’s coming up in the next couple of weeks for the Big 12. We’ll talk briefly about the match up and go into our expert predictions. Chew on this while you are doing your last minute shopping on Amazon. Oh and please pick us up something nice while you’re at it.
Crib Sheet: Back and Ready to Go Bowling
After a well deserved week off, we are back to bringing you some tasty college football. Alot happened during our mini hiatus so we are playing catch up with the Crib Sheet. We have alot to get to here with the start of bowl season this weekend. Tune in soon for a couple of year end reviews, bowl picks, and some bowlspots. Until then, here’s a very chunky Crib Sheet:
- Alabama took the high road when it announced that they will cancel classes for the BCS National Championship. That’s nice for football fans, but the last time I remembered there are people who actually don’t like football AND go to college. It seems kinda chintzy to lob off classes for everyone during the bowl game. Then again, this is South and it is football.
- Congress will crack the whip on the BCS soon and vote on a bill to ban promotion of the NCAA division I football series unless they get a playoff. The argument against it is that they have better things to do (health care bill, anyone). The argument for it is that the NCAA is a business and they should treat the conferences like companies in an industry. Problem with that one is that then the argument will come up that the students should get paid then (on top of free college). The slippery slope just got some juice.
- Charlie Strong is you new Lousiville head coach. This guy was rumored for the Kansas job, but right now the hot note is Buffalo’s Turner Gill. Anywho, back to Strong. This guy was co-defensive coordinator for Florida and looks to be a real good hire. Good luck to Cardinals.
- Tennessee confirms that there is an investigation into their Orange Pride group and possible recruiting violations. Basically, the Orange Pride comprises mostly of very attractive Volunteer females that drive around and persuade recruits to join the program. They would even friend them on Facebook. Did they break any rules? Who knows? This has been going on for a long time, however. The power of gender persuasion is a might force, my friends.
- Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh hired his dad Jack to be interim running backs coach for the Sun Bowl. It’s nice to see that the Harbaughs like to keep in the family. His dad won some titles in Division II and his brother John just happens to the head coach of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens.
- Notre Dame took the plunge and finally hired a head coach. His name? Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly. It’s a good fit for the Domers. They guy won the Big East the last two years and has won at least 10 games the last three. Let’s hope the boosters expectations aren’t too high this time around, otherwise we’ll be seeing this dance again in three years.
- Mack Brown from Texas is getting an extra $2 million per year on the rest of his contract for doing such a great job. The guy now will make about $5 million per year. Meanwhile, an Iowa senator complains that coaches are being paid too much. Nevermind that Texas brings in about $100 million a year via the athletic department. Oh and don’t let Kirk Ferentz or Paul Rhoads hear this guy. They might go somewhere else and the voters will vent on their frustration in the voting booth.
- Colt McCoy wants a bowl playoff. He’s thought about long and hard. Did he think about it while he almost blew the game for the Longhorns at the Big 12 Championship? Maybe that’s why he wants playoff. It would’ve covered up his mistake. Doh!
- A handful of awards were handed out on ESPN last week to college football players. We’re not going to go through the whole list but we will say that Big 12 was represented very well. Congrats to Colt McCoy and Ndamukong Suh.
- So Kansas ended its coaching search over the weekend. Some people thought it was Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, but that was denied big time. So the Jayhawks fell to their 2nd choice, Turner Gill. This guy turned around Buffalo from perennial losers to a decent MAC team, even winning the title last year. Some people have overlooked that and started a fire-this-guy website. Oh well, beggars can’t be choosers.
- Congrats to Northwest Missouri State who became the Division II champions over the weekend. It was their first title since 1998. Good job guys!
- Mark Ingram won the Heisman over the weekend as well. The race ended up being the closest ever with Ingram taking it over Gerhart, McCoy, Suh, and Tebow respectively. The sexy pick leading up to it was Suh, but that’s why it was sexy. No chance of winning and you get to appear smart. That said, there was no clear leading guy running up to it, so it’s no surprise it was this close.
- Kansas State special teams stand out Brandon Banks was released from jail after beating a women while stoked on some stimulants. Ruh Roh. At least there’s no bowl to damage for the Wildcats. Hopefully this guy will get his act together and salvage his draft status, if there’s any left.
- Looks like Illinois will hire Kansas State co-defensive coordinator Vic Koenning to be their sole defensive coordinator. He was with Clemson for a couple of years before his one year stint with the Wildcats. Hopefully the Wildcats defense won’t suffer that much.
- Looks like the Big 10 will finally come into the century and explore a possible 12th team and conference championship. Who will it be? Some say Missouri or Iowa State. We know Missouri would listen. Others are point toward the Big East and Syracuse, Rutgers, or Pittsburgh. Let’s hope they keep it Big East for the east coast television money too.
- The NCAA, following the lead of the NFL, will recommend keeping an athlete out of the game if they lose consciousness or show signs of a concussion. Head trauma is big news nowadays and the NCAA is quickly stepping in to cover their own heads with this rule. Now I get the old folks harping about leather helmets and poor pads being a better sport. We’ll be talking like that in a c0uple of years.
Crib Sheet: Tis the Season
As expected, there is a ton of news this week. Conference championships are over, coaches are fired, kids are leaving for the NFL, and the bowls are lighting up. Here’s this week’s Crib Sheet while we go do some Christmas Shopping:
- Mark Mangino resigned last week from his head coaching position at Kansas. They negotiated a fat deal for him to walk away. It was bound to happen. Stories upon stories show how quickly alot of people were ready to turn on this guy. The moral of the story? You can be a big bully until you start losing. And being a bully as a head coach can be hard to do.
- Because of Mangino going, Dezmon Brsicoe will forgo his senior year and head to the NFL Draft. Jeremy Maclin he ain’t, but he will be a force in the NFL.
- As for Mangino’s replacement, the rumor mill is churning big time. Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt was rumored but declined. Last real talk we heard was Buffalo’s Turner Gill interviewing for the job. No matter who they get, they will have an uphill battle due to teams rebuilding from this year have improved and have a year head start.
- Wisconsin settled a lawsuit with the family of an ABC cameraman who fell from a platform and died at a game in their stadium. Alot of people think the danger is only on the field, but it can also be on the sidelines and in the stands. The Badgers goofed by not properly setting up a rail for the guy to catch onto. They do need those stinkin’ rails.
- Everybody’s talking about undefeated teams this year but let’s not forget the winless teams. Western Kentucky finished out the year winless Thursday and extended their streak of losses to 20. Good job guys!
- Colorado head coach Dan Hawkins has a super secret email address because of all of the hate email he’s been getting. If this guy puts his money where his mouth is and actually produces, he wouldn’t be bombarded with nasty grams between the Viagra spam.
- What about the Heisman? Yes, the race is still on and Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh and Texas quarterback Colt McCoy are among the finalists. We also have Florida weeper Tim Tebow, Stanford running back Toby Gerhart, and Alabama running back Mark Ingram. It’s a tight race and it would be cool to see a defender get one. Meanwhile, Suh won the Bronko Nakurski Award.
- Welp, Notre Dame officially blew up. Weiss is out, of course, and his kids voted against going to a bowl this year. Plus, offensive superstars Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate both declared for the NFL Draft. So their offense will dip almost as low as their defense. It’s going to take a strong man to rebuild this program. Maybe Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly is up for it.
- Hofstra’s ending it’s 72 year old football program. Alot more of these smaller schools are axing them due to cash and lopsided scheduling with bigger schools. It’s a shame too. If there are no more small schools, how will the big boys practice for their conference? What about upsets? Let’s hope this slows down.
- Utah State is renaming its field to Merlin Olsen Field, after the famous alumni, NFL star, and actor. Next thing you know, they’ll have Mongo concessions. Mongo like candy!
- Bobby Bowden got his farewell wish and is playing his old school, West Virginia, in the Florida Gator Bowl. We don’t think there will be a group of kids more pumped up to finish out a bowl than the ones that will take the field for this legendary coach. West Virginia should be favored but who knows? They may lay down for the coach.
- A marine accidentally shot another marine to death because of a fight over the Texas and Nebraska Big 12 Championship game. Apparently, there was a tussle and a gun went off. Yikes, aren’t these guys trained to be weapon experts? We’re guessing they were pretty drunk when it happened.
Barspotting: The Shiny Plasma at the Brooksider Brings Us Back for the Championships
Okay, if you remember last week, we loved up on the Chappell’s sports junk but we recommended it if you want to see just one game. Welp this week we are going back to a place where you can watch multiple games and watch the best one on a big ole 71″ inch plasma television screen. That’s right, folks, we are going back to the Brooksider. If you remember in the past, it was the best for big screens and good lookin’ waitresses. Now we are going there not really to review, but to watch Florida take on Alabama and Texas take on Nebraska. We’re gonna get a table seat in front of the big screen and park there the whole day. So come on out and hopefully help us dodge the live music traffic after the Big 12 Championship is over.
Spit Ball Predictions for 2009
We can take a couple of more days to draw up a preview of each conference and then roll the dice on how the bowls will shore up but that would take way too much time and reach far out of our happy little niche. So what we are going to do instead is spit up some predictions for what’s going to happen this year in college football. We may talk about your favorite conference, we may not. Chances are we’ll predict the title winner, but we may over look the Outland Trophy Award winner. Who knows? We’re loading up our straws (or empty pens) and seeing what sticks to the wall for 2009.
Big 12 Preview 2009
Most folks outside of the midwest believe that the Big 12 Conference is 2nd nationally amongst conferences in terms of football strength. Much of the talk points toward the Big 12 South. As we roll into the 2009 season, we find some teams reloaded, some teams are out of ammo, and the rest either misfired or are shooting blanks. We’re gonna see where they all stack up and how they will finish in 2009, according the Purple Yeti’s crystal ball. There are some shifts in power, but the top stack will stay the same and most of the close calls will still be close. Hopefully the crystal ball pulls through.