The Gally Blog

The Big XII had a bit of a renaissance in 2009. Old powers rose again in Nebraska, rivalries were renewed in the South, and Colorado was reminded of their place by being a horrible, horrible football team. Just like they should be. In the offseason, the romantic winds of change blew up the conference’s skirt as it was looking to establish itself as perhaps the second most relevant NCAA football conference outside of the SEC. That is, until Missouri started flirting with the Big 10, Colorado ran to the Pac10, Nebraska ended up being the school to move to the Big 10, Texas threatened to leave for the west as well, and Texas A&M almost headed to SEC country. When all was said and done, the Big XII was left weak, with doubts about it’s future, and a clear center of power in Austin, Texas.

But this isn’t the place to discuss conference realignment. There is some real, genuine, college football that is starting up soon. There are crowds in Kansas that are prepping to wave their arms like a cornfield. There are people in Lubbuck who are curious about their new coach. There are fans in Norman looking forward to a rebirth of their team. And fans all across the Big XII are prepping for one last swan song, one final send off for Colorado and Nebraska before the Big XII as we know it dissolves. Will there be blood? Oh yeah. Buckets of it enough to satisfy a Twilight Mom. So let’s get this college football season started, with a Big XII preview.

Baylor- Historically the doormat of the Big XII South for … what has it been now, eons? … The Baylor Bears have experienced an uptick in quantifiable awesomeness ever since quarterback Robert Griffin stepped on the field. He’s a home run threat every snap and has even affected recruiting in Baylor. People just want to play with him! However, since his injury in 2009 and despite the fact that football requires 11 players on offense and defense, Baylor still finds itself on the outside looking in. But damn, they are fun to watch. Or at least they will be for a little while longer.

Colorado- It’s almost unbelievable, in this US economic climate, that someone like Dan Hawkins would still be employed. Since he was hired in 2006, Hawkins has successfully driven a college football program which once had moderate success and history into the land of laughable terribleness. He’s driven fans into a frenzy, which they unleash in uncouth manner upon visiting team’s fans, and Colorado has become more famous for their April 20th smoke out than anything football, or sport, related. Bang up job, Hawkins. This year’s team looks similarly horrible.

Iowa State- The winds have been changing in Cyclone land (pun!) ever since Paul Rhoads took the reigns from underachieving Gene Chizik. In 2009 they stunned the eventual Big XII North winning Cornhuskers by beating them in Lincoln, then had a spirited and emotional congratulations ceremony in the visiting locker room afterward, which turned into internet fame and was later seen emotionally in the Two Rainbows video. More importantly, they made it to a bowl game in 2009 and eventually beat the Minnesota Golden Goofers as well, ending 2009 on a high note and setting surprisingly uplifting expectations for 2010. Watch out, a tornado’s a commin’!

Kansas- Feel that weight lifted from you? No, it’s not because you had the assault charges dropped against you from last weekend. It’s because Mark Mangino has left the conference buffet table, allowing you to push your chair away from your table. In his absence, Kansas made a surprisingly good move by hiring former Nebraska star and recent Buffalo head coach Turner Gill. Gill, while doing some wizard tricks in Buffalo, has his work cut out for him in Kansas this year and upcoming. The projected Kansas starter, Kale Pick (unfortunate name), has five career passes. Lucky for Gill, however, Kansas gets a pass on Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech this year. What does this mean, six wins maybe? They’ll struggle.

Kansas State- Despite popular opinion, Bill Snyder is in fact NOT dead. In fact, he’s back as the KState head coach and is as crotchety as ever. Last year he surprised some people with his team full of JUCO transfers and I believe a schedule that included 12 former division II college teams. As it was, KState finished 6-6 and went from almost winning the Big XII North to not even making a bowl game. Ouch. In 2010, Snyder will ride senior tailback Daniel Thomas all season long, behind a veteran offensive line. If the defense holds up and a new crop of JUCOs catch on, KState may surprise some teams in the Big XII.

Missouri- Blaine Gabbert came out at the recent Big XII media days and said he’s still super serious upset with Nebraska for twisting his ankle in the rain, at Missouri, last year. SO UPSET that he’s going to throw the ball SO HARD this year. Although, what Blaine fails to realize, is that despite him being a pretty good quarterback, he plays on a team with an inept head coach and a defense that let’s more men run through it than Lindsay Lohan looking for bail money. And it’s been like this for years, even when they had Chase Daniels. The rest of the Big XII has caught up to the spread offense, and unless Gary Pinkel adjusts, Missouri will continue to be good, just never good enough.

Nebraska- The Huskers and Nebraska fans come into the 2010 season feverishly stroking themselves. Expectations for football have not been this high in Lincoln in almost a decade. Yet, despite large questions at QB and losing a once in a lifetime player in Ndamukong Suh, those expectations are grounded in hesitant realism. Nebraska showed flashes of offensive life in their 2009 bowl game against Arizona, and with further depth along the offensive and defensive line, Nebraska is prepared to play tough all year. With a favorable schedule, and another year in Bo Pelini’s tricky defensive scheme, Nebraska is a clear favorite to win the North and a contender for the Big XII crown in their final year within the conference.

Oklahoma- Injury stricken in 2009, Oklahoma is looking to come back and steal your land right from under you. While number one NFL pick Sam Bradford nursed his bruised heart on the sidelines throughout last year, the Sooners fought hard for their 8-5 record while simultaneously providing some experience for 2010 QB Landry Jones. Undoubtedly, they’ll lean on their duo running back tandem of (Chris) DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown (not that one), who should produce stellar numbers. Star receiver Ryan Broyles will help with the old pass and catch too. They’ll return a stout defense, as always, with linebacker Travis Lewis, and have a good defensive end in Jeremy Beal. Big XII South contenders for sure, as well as conference title contenders.

Oklahoma State- Do the names Dez Bryant, Russell Okung, and Zac Robinson remind you of anything? Oh, right, they were the veterans on the 2009 Okie State team that have since all left the team. What does this mean? It means for fiery head coach Mike Gundy that he’s going to have to be a real big man this year in coaching a bunch of newbies in a rather competitive South division. It’ll be tough to reach a winning record, however, as Okie State faces both Texas and Oklahoma on the road, late in the season. Things could get ugly in Stillwater.

Texas- Clear competitors for the South division and the Conference, Texas simply reloads in 2010 with more five star talent to try and take another shot at the National Championship. Word has been that Texas is looking to lean more on the ground game in 2010, turning away from the popular spread option that Colt McCoy dominated throughout his career. Passing will still be essential this year, however, as Texas has a strong veteran receiving core. As usual, their defense will be dominant under coordinator Will Muschamp, and the defensive backs at Texas may be the best in the nation. But a few hiccups are expected, and they’re no longer the run-away favorites for the South or the Big XII. It’ll be interesting, although Texas fans will tell you differently.

Texas A&M- Jerrod Johnson, the guy you saw around Thanksgiving 2009 causing all of UT to crap their collective pants as he wracked up 4,000 total yards against the vaunted Muschamp led Texas defense, is pretty much the only shinning spot that this team has in 2010. The other skill positions are young, and the defense had trouble stopping a Baylor team missing Robert Griffin. Also, Mike Sherman is a former Packer coach, which says all you need to know. Outlook at TAMU? Not too good.

Texas Tech- You can’t employ a child abuser forever, even if he essentially ran a fool proof football system that could out score anyone but rarely defend a hidden coin. What? You get the idea. That has been Mike Leach’s philosophy at Texas Tech before he got booted for locking some bratty kid in a storage shed. Whatever. Now, in 2010, Tech will hit the field with a new coach in Tommy Tuberville who will focus on defense and ball control. All the tools are still in place to have a high powered offense, but it remains to be seen how Tuberville will best utilize Leach’s old pieces, or how much he’ll try to exert his Tubervillian will on his new team.

- After losing three games in 2010, Texas fans will start a Facebook group to coerce Dan Bebe to let Texas into the title game anyway, and then buy his conference president seat for the rest of the year and just steal the Big XII title trophy anyway. In doing so, they’ll call anyone who says they can’t do it liars, cheats, and idiots. And no one will care.

- Colorado students will forget that they have a football team after they lose to CSU to open the season. They will go back to their dorms and hibernate throughout the winter with massive amounts of weed, then wake up just in time for a spring graduation.

- During Kansas’ homecoming, Mangino will give everyone in attendance a fright as he rumbles towards the stadium, threatening to eat everyone and everything in a fit of rage. He’ll have a heart attack before that happens though, and his bloated body will be used for a bouncy gym for kids during game day for years.

- Oklahoma will use 2010 to travel across Big XII country one last time, and at every destination they will steal another piece of land on their way back home. Damn dirt burglers …

- Upon realizing Gary Pinkel will never get them over the hump after they fail to win the Big XII North, Missouri fans will go back home and continue to upgrade their bathroom meth labs with the finest of Wal-Mart bought chemistry sets.

- Nebraska fans will welcome the colder weather towards the tail end of the Big XII season so that they can finally pull their Starter jacket from 1995 out of their closet and proudly wear it for the one time of the year. Until their wives with the Kate Gossling hair cut makes them take it off. Unless she’s wearing one herself.

- Kansas State will build upon their historic and lucrative history by producing more famous rally videos.

- Iowa State fans will blackout half way through the season when they see highlights of their win against Kansas on ESPN. They’ll miss the rest of the season though, as they’ll still be unconscious, which is fine, since they won’t win again.

- Texas A&M will experience the worst season in their storied history once they realize that “12th Man” is actually just a sexual euphimism that they’ve hung their hat on all these years.

- Insert your own Baylor, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State jokes here, because it’s too easy to hate on them. “Oh, you suck, you won’t ever really compete, etc, etc.”

1. Oklahoma

2. Texas

3. Texas A&M

4. Texas Tech

5. Baylor

6. Oklahoma State

1. Nebraska

2. Missouri

3. Kansas State

4. Iowa State

5. Kansas

6. Colorado

Nebraska over Oklahoma, 23-21. BOOSH PREDICTIONS!!!