Okay so in case you’ve heard we are heading up north. Yup, it’s gonna be chilly but hopefully not as chilly as some of the picks we have this week. There’s only 25, our lowest of the year so far, and we’re feeling the pinch of lower confidence points. Pick well, every one. Dig down deep and go for more. You’ll need to be spot on for this set and probably the rest of the sets.
So way back in 2007 we went on a road trip up to Iowa and now we are finally heading back. Des Moines, specifically. Much has happened up there and we’re itching to see what’s changed. We’re gonna do the same thing we did with Wichita and just pick a spot. Same stips’ apply. If you are lucky enough to be in the Des Moines area or want to follow us on up there, check out this page or our twitter feed (@kccgd) and we’ll let you know. Until then, we got some tasty roasted corn like games for the weekend that you need to check out.
The only other thing this week’s Crib Sheet needs is bacon. Grab some and check it out:
Man what a crazy roller coaster of an offseason for the Big 12. Who would’ve thought a year ago that the Big 12 would be rocked to its very knees and survive probably one of most weirdest advances in college football history. It was like a whacked out game of Axis & Allies. Welp Germany didn’t win and neither did the Big 10. So here we are going into what is the last season we will ever see for this 12 conference league. Who will come out on top? Roll dice to find out (er read below).
Big Al’s in the house this week as we are one more mascot away from completing the top mascots that we have yet to cover from Phil Steele’s Preseason Top 40. The #3 Alabama Crimson Tide won the big shiny ball last year and look to repeat this year with returning Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram carrying the rock. The competition is hot in the SEC and what better hot weather animal to have around as a mascot then the elephant known as Big Al. We were just as confused as you may be as to why a team by the name of Crimson Tide employs and elephant mascot. We’ll find that out as well as how we think Alabama finishes out the season.
Rolling on through Phil Steele’s Preseason Top 40 standings and reviewing the mascot on the list we’ve yet to check out, we find ourselves at number 15 and Auburn’s Aubie. There’s also a confusing status in the War Eagle we’ll take a look at. The Auburn Tigers are a former national championship team and the mascot has won a couple himself. This year, former Iowa State head coach Gene Chizik looks to take the winning attitude down there to the next level, and Aubie looks to follow suit. This week we find out of Aubie’s suit is up for and try figure out just what the heck War Eagle is.
Coaches come and coaches go, but we can’t believe how things are getting turned around in the very start of this off season. Coaches leaving. Coaches coming. Some with long tenures, some with short. The heads at the KCCGD headquarters are still a little scrambled. Fortunately, we have this week’s Crib Sheet to help sort things out. We’re sure you are about as confused as we are so let’s get right to it:
The holidays are over and we have just 4 games left to go on the Bowl Pick It and Stick It. We here at the KCCGD all feel about 10 pounds heavier after chugging through the holiday foods and drinks. So while we go map out a plan to lose the flab, check out the latest updates. Please note: there are some games left off from the results that we are saving for the last update. The final numbers will be a little off. That said, here’s the update:
Continue reading Bowl Pick It Standings: The Holiday is Over
Last year, the Big 12 was a flutter with big time scoring led by big time spread offenses. This year, it’s more of a sputtering of offense here and there. Sure, there have been big scores but it’s mainly been in the form of blowouts. Shootouts are rare this year as we’re seeing scores like last week’s 10-7 barn burner in Lincoln. Where did the offense go? Did the defense show back up? A couple of factors help lead into why we are seeing such a down turn in offense this year.
Another week of football came and went and in between the drizzles, the greasy smells, the turning leaves, and bands hitting the bricks, we gots ourselves some pick it standings sizzling on the grill. So let’s munch on these tasty numbers and see what they turn up. Let’s hope they don’t turn our stomach. No room for leftovers, however, as we are merely just practicing for Thanksgiving. It’s still a month away, you know.
Continue reading Pick It Standings Week 08: Post Traumatic Grill Syndrome
What’s wrong with a little celebration? We here at the KCCGD like to shimmy and shake here after an especially tasty nacho dip or greasebuger. So why is it so hard to let the college football players jump up and down? Granted we don’t zebra striped dudes follow us to the Golden Tee table and inspect our reaction to making a great save putt. But that’s where the problem is. The referees are subjectively deciding whether or not the celebration might be offensive to him or the other team. That seems just a bit too wacky. There’s already enough pressure on the refs for actual blown calls. Don’t let them blow it on stupid rules.
So the only real big game hyped up in the area this week is Kansas State taking on Iowa State at Arrowhead Stadium. The other local teams are on break and getting ready for conference play next week. This is a great opportunity for these two teams to showcase themselves (on a national spotlight even). Both programs are suffering a bit right now. Both of them will be run centric and defense heavy. Both have new coaches (albeit one is returning). Both teams were projected to be in the cellar of the Big 12 North this year. Well it may not mean much for everyone else, but it means the whole season for these two team.
For Iowa State, they’ve always been in the shadow of Iowa for years. Sure, there’s been times when the Cyclones were up and the Hawkeyes were down. But last year and especially this year, Iowa State is taking a back seat. They axed coach McCarthy last year and ended up with what looks like a trade with Auburn. McCarthy went on the head coach the Tigers where Iowa State got defensive coordinator Paul Rhodes. It’s a new regime for the Cyclones and expectations are that this guy will be instilling defense into a league that forgot how to spell it.
Meanwhile, Manhattan’s favorite son has returned in the form of Bill Snyder 2.0 to build back the program that was once a national title contender. After the embarrassing skid mark that was Ron Prince, Snyder 2.0 is back to bring street cred back to the Wildcats. And he’s doing it in the same way that Rhodes is trying to do up north. Defense and a big ole running game is what was missing last year and Snyder 2.0 is hell bent on bringing it back. Fortunately he has help in a JuCo transfer by the name of Daniel Thomas to help lead the way.
So today’s game is much more than deciding who will share the cellar with Colorado in the Big 12 North this year. It’s a progress game. The winner will have a better shot at making the most improvement this year. The loser will have to eat it and plan on building for much longer. Being the Kansas State grad that I am, I’m pulling for Snyder 2.0. But I think the fact that I’m not going to Arrowhead shows just how close this game might be. Let’s hope it’s not on ugly game on both sides of the field. Now off to the bunker. IT’S FARMADGEDDON!
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.