40 Acres Sports

The Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team went from a top ten ranking to possible on the outside looking in for the NCAA Tournament. Saturday the team dropped its third in a row to Nebraska to fall to 6th place in the Big 12 thanks to a 4-4 conference record.

This may have been one of the most disappointing games of the seasons as at the end of the first half and beginning of the second they played some of their basketball in weeks. In the end it was another hectic finish and just like in previous games the Horns couldn’t get it done. AJ Abrams and Justin Mason both had looks in the last moments but neither made the shot and Texas fell 55-58.

ESPN “highlights” are below:

SI.com writer Stewart Mandel has written up his predictions for all the BCS and non-BCS bowls and has the Horns headed to the Fiesta Bowl. He’s predicting Texas Tech will win out and make it to the BCS title game. The Red Raiders winning out would make football hell freeze over but is actually the clearest path for the Horns to make it into a BCS game. Mandel’s BCS and Big 12 predictions are below:

BCS Bowls

Orange: Maryland (ACC champ) vs. Cincinnati (Big East champ)
Rose: Penn State (Big Ten champ) vs. USC (Pac-10 champ)
Sugar: Alabama (BCS at-large) vs. Utah (BCS at-large)
Fiesta: Texas (BCS at-large) vs. Ohio State (BCS at-large)
BCS Championship: Texas Tech (BCS No. 1) vs. Florida (BCS No. 2)

Big 12 non-BCS Bowls

Alamo: Missouri (Big 12 No. 4) vs. Northwestern (Big Ten No. 4)
Holiday: Oregon State (Pac-10 No. 2) vs. Oklahoma State (Big 12 No. 3)
Toilet: Michigan (Big 10 No. 9) vs. Texas A&M (Big 12 No. 11)
Sun: Arizona (Pac-10 No. 3) vs. Nebraska (Big 12 No. 5)
Insight: Minnesota (Big Ten No. 6) vs. Kansas (Big 12 No. 6)
Cotton: Oklahoma (Big 12 No. 2) vs. LSU (SEC)

In the first week of conference play every team that was supposed to win did just that. Iowa State gave Kansas a heck of a run so they move up one spot even after a loss, but no one else moves. This week should be much more interesting as four of the top five teams in the conference go head to head.

Check out this week’s Big 12 power rankings below:

1. Oklahoma

   
   LW: 1

   The Sooners throttled an overmatched Baylor team and ended the game quickly by putting up 28 first quarter points. Baylor QB Robert Griffin ran well against them so maybe Colt McCoy can do the same this week when the Sooners and Longhorns face off.

2. Missouri

   
   LW: 2

   Mizzou wins in Lincoln for the first time in thirty years in a rout. The Tigers’ defense continued to give up big yards (particularly through the air) but only gave up 17 points to the Cornhuskers. This week the Tigers face Oklahoma State.

3. Texas

   
   LW: 3

   The Horns took care of business easily against CU in their conference opener. The offense wasn’t perfect but the defense nearly was in the team’s win. This week the Longhorns will try to take down rival and top ranked Oklahoma.

4. Texas Tech

   
   LW: 4

   Tons of points for both Tech and Kansas State. The game was never in doubt for the Red Raiders but the team’s defense still is. The team faces a good passing offense this week in Nebraska and we’ll see if they’re up to the test.

5. Oklahoma State

   
   LW: 5

   The Cowboys whooped the Aggies and at 5 - 0 are climbing up the national rankings. The team advantage of five Aggie turnovers and won easily despite giving up a lot of yards. The Cowboys face a big time defensive test this week against Missouri and I don’t think they’re up for it.

6. Kansas

   
   LW: 6

   Uh oh. I was tempted to drop Kansas even after squeaking by with a win against Iowa State. They had to rally from a 20-point halftime deficit to the Cyclones but surprisingly held their #16 national ranking. Should be an interesting game against Colorado this week.

7. Colorado

   
   LW: 7

   Colorado coach Dan Hawkins desperately needs to find offensive line help or he’s going to get his own son killed. The line was completely dominated by the Longhorns and therefore couldn’t get anything started on offense. They travel to Kansas this week for a battle to be the North’s second best team.

8. Nebraska

   
   LW: 8

   They ran their mouth during the week and then spit on Missouri QB Chase Daniel before the game but got blown off the field once the game started. They make way too many mistakes (penalties and turnovers) to be a good team. Up this week is Texas Tech.

9. Baylor

   
   LW: 9

   They’re still Baylor, in case you were wondering. Despite looking like an improved team early in the season they didn’t put much of a fight against Oklahoma. The defense surrendered nearly 600 total yards and 49 points in game that would have been much worse if OU hadn’t started taking it easy after just one quarter. This week the Bears have a winnable game against Iowa State.

10. Iowa State

    
    LW: 11

    The Cyclones move up one spot despite losing. They jumped out to a big halftime lead but just couldn’t hold onto it once KU got going in the second half. The game could have been either a sign the team is getting better or a backbreaking loss that sends them into a tailspin. We’ll find out Saturday against Baylor.

11. Kansas State

    
    LW: 10

    The Wildcats put up some yards against Texas Tech but were bad on third downs and couldn’t put up nearly enough points to make up for their defense. KSU needs to win their next two games against A&M and then Colorado if they hope to pull themselves up from the bottom tier of the conference.

12. Texas A&M

    
    LW: 12

    As predicted, the Aggies got their butts kicked against Okie State. The offense did put up a ton of yards but turned the ball over five times in the first half. This week they face a pretty average Kansas State at home so we’ll find out if they’re as bad as we think they are. Should be fun(ny).

With the Horns and Sooners set to do battle at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, there’s another reason for fans of the two teams to argue and spit at each other. The Big 12 has released the men’s basketball preseason coaches poll and Texas is at number two right behind Oklahoma.

The Horns lost their best player in DJ Augustin but returns a ton of talent and depth everywhere but point guard. With defending conference and national champs Kansas losing so many players the conference is wide open this season. If either Dogus Balbay or somebody can step up to man the point the Longhorns should have another shot to win the conference and make a deep tourney run.

2008-09 Big 12 Preseason Poll

See how the coaches think the league will turn out below:

There were several of teams off last week in the conference but there was still a lot of movement in the power rankings. Losses by Colorado and Nebraska and a shaky home win by Texas A&M sent all those teams down a bit. Meanwhile Oklahoma State continues to win in impressive fashion. The Cowboys are undefeated and putting up big offensive numbers so have moved up three spots to number five. Conference play starts Saturday so things should be much clearer in next week’s rankings.

Check out this week’s Big 12 power rankings below:

1. Oklahoma

   
   LW: 1

   The Sooners jumped to a huge first quarter lead against TCU and then just road that through the end of the game. QB Sam Bradford threw for a ton of yards but had by far his least accurate performance of the season. More troubling for OU is the complete ineffectiveness of the running game. They tried to force the issue but manage to only rush for an abysmal 25 yards on 36 carries.

2. Missouri

   
   LW: 2

   Bye week. The Tigers face Nebraska this weekend to open Big 12 play.

3. Texas

   
   LW: 3

   Another week and another 52 - 10 win for the Longhorns, this time over SEC rival Arkansas. The Texas offense has been impressive all season but for the first time all season the defense was dominant. The front seven was able to sack the Razorbacks’ QBs seven times and the Horns are now top five nationally with 16 sacks on the season. Texas faces Colorado Saturday at 6pm on FSN.

4. Texas Tech

   
   LW: 4

   Bye week. Red Raiders open Big 12 play against Kansas State.

5. Oklahoma State

   
   LW: 8

   Okie Lite put another 50 spot on the scoreboard this past weekend against Troy. The Trojans aren’t exactly a national power but Ohio State struggled to get past them while the Cowboys racked up 612 total yards. They host the Aggies Saturday at 7pm.

6. Kansas

   
   LW: 7

   Bye week. KU opens conference play with a virtual bye against Iowa State.

7. Colorado

   
   LW: 5

   Colorado didn’t show up well in a surprisingly thorough loss to Florida State. QB and coach’s son Cody Hawkins was inaccurate and inefficient and the running game didn’t do enough to pick him up. The FSU offense wasn’t much better but thanks to terrible kick coverage was able to play with a short field on several possessions. The Buffaloes face the Longhorns Saturday.

8. Nebraska

   
   LW: 6

   Nebraska fans may be disappointed in a home loss to Virginia Tech but Bo Pelini’s team fought hard till the end and almost came back and won it. This week Nebraska has a tough one when they host #4 Missouri.

9. Baylor

   
   LW: 10

   Bye week. Next up are the number one ranked Sooners.

10. Kansas State

    
    LW: 9

    Another shaky week for the Wildcats, barely beating a 1 - 3 Louisiana-Lafayette team in Manhattan. QB Josh Freeman and the offense again looked solid but the defense looked like swiss cheese. The Ragin’ Cajuns ran all over them to the tune of 335 total rushing yards in the game. Not good. Up this week is Texas Tech.

11. Iowa State

    
    LW: 12

    Bye week. This week the Cyclones face off against Kansas.

12. Texas A&M

    
    LW: 11

    Just how bad are the Aggies? Army wasn’t just winless but they were winless against mediocre competion, and at Kyle Field the A&M needed a fourth down stop to escape with a win. Their match-up with Oklahoma State Saturday night will be an interesting one to watch (but not actually watch because it’s embarrasingly not being televised).

No movement at the top but the teams in the bottom half of the rankings are starting to drop games. Last weekend Kansas State, Baylor, Texas A&M, and Iowa State all had losses. The most impressive team last week may have been the Colorado Buffaloes, who if they keep the running game going might be able lay claim to be the best team not named Missouri in the Big 12 North.

Check out this week’s Big 12 power rankings below:

1. Oklahoma

   
   LW: 1

   Off week before facing number 24 TCU this weekend.

2. Missouri

   
   LW: 2

   Tigers made a lot of mistakes and let lowly Buffalo hang in there for a long time. Chase Daniel’s career day eventually allowed them to pull away in the second half. The Tigers are off this week in prep for Big 12 play.

3. Texas

   
   LW: 3

   The Horns clobbered an overmatched Rice squad with another near perfect performance from Colt McCoy. The defense wasn’t great but may have turned a corner when they put up an epic goalline stand. This week Texas hosts former SWC rival Arkansas in their last non-conference outing.

4. Texas Tech

   
   LW: 4

   The Red Raiders put on a good ol’ thumping of Division 1AA UMass. They have off this week but their real season will finally begin when they stop playing Pop Warner teams and start playing Big 12 foes.

5. Colorado

   
   LW: 5

   Impressive overall performance for the Buffs on national television against top 25 ranked West Virginia. He might not get the pub his fellow freshman running back does but the miniature Rodney Stewart looked lightning quick while rushing for 166 yards. Next up is another tough one against Florida State.

6. Nebraska

   
   LW: 7

   Bye week for Nebraska before they face Virgina Tech this Saturday.

7. Kansas

   
   LW: 8

   Not exactly impressive but the win over Sam Houston State was never in doubt either. Former car detailer and OU quarterback Rhett Bomar threw for 340 yds but was also picked off three times. Kansas is off this week.

8. Oklahoma State

   
   LW: 9

   Oklahoma State was off last week. This week they get Troy State.

9. Kansas State

   
   LW: 6

   First real opponent of the season and Kansas State didn’t look good against a Louisville team that isn’t of the caliber of recent years. It was only a nine point loss but the Wildcats never stood a chance. Up this week is Louisiana-Lafayette.

10. Baylor

    
    LW: 11

    UConn isn’t some chump team and the Bears played them very tough on the road. Losses like this would be wins at home and might lead to future wins from freshman QB Robert Griffin. Baylor has an off weekend to prepare to attempt a huge upset of OU on October 4th.

11. Texas A&M

    
    LW: 12

    Aggies got blown out of the water by the Miami Hurricanes and it could have been much worse. If they had wanted to the Hurricanes could have ran off tackle every play for 300 yards and never attempted a pass. This week they host Army.

12. Iowa State

    
    LW: 10

    I thought head coach Gene Chizik might have turned things in the right direction in Ames but maybe not. Iowa State has now lost 13 straight road games and unless they beat Baylor in a few weeks they might not win one away from home this season either. The Cyclones have a much needed bye this Saturday.

Outside of Kansas against South Florida not an exciting week of games in the Big 12. None of the top six teams moved but losses by KU and Iowa State means some movement in the bottom half of the rankings.

Check out this week’s Big 12 power rankings below:

1. Oklahoma

   
   LW: 1

   Another week, another dominating win. The defense gave up a little more this week though, especially through the air as Washington QB Jake Locker passed for 249 yards. OU QB Sam Bradford was nearly perfect in the win, passing 304 yards and 5 TDs on 18 of 21 attempts.

2. Missouri

   
   LW: 2

   The best offensive performance of the season by the Tigers. Chase Daniels passed for 405 yards and four TDs as the offense put up 69 points against Nevada. The backup quarterbacks added 114 more yards for a whopping total of 519 yards through the air. Up this week is another easy one against Buffalo.

3. Texas

   
   LW: 3

   Unexpected bye week thanks to Hurricane Ike. Next up the Horns face Rice in what should be a gimme.

4. Texas Tech

   
   LW: 4

   The Red Raiders defense picked off five passes from SMU’s Bo Levi Mitchell and the offense had nearly 700 total yards. Tech is going to give up yards, but if they can become a big play defense that creates turnovers that might make them a legit Big 12 title contender. This week on their gauntlet of a non-conference schedle is Division 1AA UMass.

5. Colorado

   
   LW: 5

   Colorado had last week off before a nationally televised Thursday night game against West Virginia.

6. Kansas State

   
   LW: 6

   Off last weekend in preparation for an mid-week game against Louisville.

7. Nebraska

   
   LW: 8

   A solid win over a New Mexico State team playing their first game of the season. The Huskers jumped out early and stayed up throughout. The defense wasn’t dominant but didn’t allow any long scoring drives. This week they face their first half decent test against Virginia Tech.

8. Kansas

   
   LW: 7

   The Jayhawks fell in a close one on the road against South Florida. They were up at halftime but were completely dominated in the third quarter as they coughed up the lead. KU won’t be a contender in the North unless they can run the ball better and do a better job defending the pass. This week they face Sam Houston State.

9. Oklahoma State

   
   LW: 10

   Not exactly a game that tells us much about the Cowboys but the rushing offense did impress. Against Missouri State three different players topped 100 yards on the ground and the team averaged eight yards per carry. They’re off this week.

10. Iowa State

    
    LW: 9

    They didn’t get blown out against rival Iowa but the Cyclones’ offense couldn’t put the ball in the end zone. They actually outgained the Hawkeyes 325 to 244 but turned the ball over three times and gave up a long punt return for a TD. Head coach Gene Chizik has them headed in the right direction but I’m not sure he’ll be around long enough to reach the destination. This week: UNLV.

11. Baylor

    
    LW: 12

    I love me some Robert Griffin. After throwing the ball in his first start, against Washington State the Baylor quarterback ran all over the place. He rushed 11 times for 217 yards, which is nearly 20 yards per carry. This week the Bears face UConn on Friday night.

12. Texas A&M

    
    LW: 11

    No game as the Aggies get two weeks to prepare (to get blown out) for the Miami Hurricanes.

After a second week of games the Big 12 pecking order is starting to clear up just a little. The conference won all 12 games last weekend but not every team played well. Even in victory, several teams (including Texas) were outgained by their opponents. There’s some shuffling in the rankings this week, including near the top as Mizzou hopped ahead of Texas.

Check out this week’s conference power rankings below:

1. Oklahoma

   
   LW: 1

   The Sooners looked nearly as good as in week one, this time against a much better opponent. It was close at halftime and for a while in the third quarter but QB Sam Bradford led a 24-0 run to put the game away. They face a Washington team this week who got screwed Saturday and might not be up for another top 25 opponent.

2. Missouri

   
   LW: 3

   After playing a tough opponent last week Mizzou had a virtual bye this week against Southeast Missouri State. The Tigers rolled to a 48-0 lead by halftime but did give up 334 yards. The FCS Redhawks put together three long, sustained drives in the first half but came away with no points. After two games the defense has to worry Tigers fans at least a little.

3. Texas

   
   LW: 2

   After two straight weeks of pass defense resembling 2007 the Longhorns drop behind Missouri this week. There’s time for the secondary to improve and I still have faith in Will Muschamp, but for now the Horns just aren’t playing as well as the Tigers. Texas is off this week after the Arkansas game was postponed.

4. Texas Tech

   
   LW: 4

   Another win but another troubling game for Tech fans. The Red Raiders were outgained 488 to 421 by Nevada and QB Graham Harrell completed only 41% of his passes and threw two interceptions. I looked for a team to move ahead of them but despite the struggles no other Big 12 team really has earned this spot either.

5. Colorado

   
   LW: 5

   The Buffaloes barely survived a scare at home versus Eastern Washington. They were down by 14 at halftime and down by a touchdown with only two minutes left in the fourth quarter. They scored with two minutes left and then less than 30 seconds later picked off a pass for the gamewinning score. Big game hosting West Virginia this week.

6. Kansas State

   
   LW: 6

   A big blowout win for the Wildcats against FCS Montana State. I’m not sure exactly what they’ve proved in the first two weeks but both games have been incredibly easy for KSU. QB Josh Freeman was again impressive.

7. Kansas

   
   LW: 8

   KU jumps Nebraska after a shutout win. The defense shut down the Louisiana Tech offense and QB Todd Reesing threw for a career high 412 yards. The Jayhawks get their first test of the season this coming Saturday when they face #19 South Florida on the road.

8. Nebraska

   
   LW: 7

   As is a common theme this week in the conference, the Cornhuskers were underwhelming in a win and were outgained by their opponent. The score is deceiving but Nebraska was only up 14-12 in the fourth quarter before returning a kickoff for a touchdown and opening up the game.

9. Iowa State

   
   LW: 9

   Another week and another solid win for the Cyclones as they made the most of turnovers and big plays. Iowa State had five scoring drives less than 25 yards, including three under 10 yards. Rivalry game up this week against Iowa is their first real test.

10. Oklahoma State

    
    LW: 10

    Wide receiver Dez Bryant put up incredible numbers in a big shootout against Houston. He had nine catches, 236 yards, and three touchdowns and RB Kendall Hunter chipped in 210 yards rushing as Okie State put 56 on the board. The Cowboys have a couple of “easy” games before starting Big 12 play in October.

11. Texas A&M

    
    LW: 11

    There’s definitely a quarterback controversy brewing in College Station. After Stephen McGee went down with an injury sophomore Jerrod Johnson filled in and tossed three touchdown passes. It got sketchy for a while against New Mexico in the fourth quarter but they held on. The Aggies may be in for a world of hurt against Miami this week.

12. Baylor

    
    LW: 12

    Coach Art Briles gets his first win as Baylor coach as true freshman QB Robert Griffin looked great in his first career start. Griffin completed 79% of his passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns against Northwestern State. He also rushed for 42 yards and another score. I’m feeling a big win coming this weekend against Washington State.

Last week’s rankings

Finally some football. After one week of games the top 5 in the weekly Big 12 power poll stays the same but there were a few changes in the list. Kansas State looked good and jumps a couple of spots and meanwhile the Aggies drop big time after their loss to Arkansas State. Check out the rankings below:

1. Oklahoma

   
   LW: 1

   Not that you can really learn a lot when you play a team like Chattanooga but the Sooners were about as dominant as you can be. They were a perfect 7-for-7 on drives to start the game and were up 50-0. Amazingly they outgained Chattanooga 343-to-10 in the first half and 487-to-36 for the game. Dominant.

2. Texas

   
   LW: 2

   The Longhorns played a much tougher opponent than OU and were pretty much just as dominant, certainly on the offensive side of the ball. Quarterback Colt McCoy was near perfect and the offense could have and did do whatever they wanted to against FAU. The pass defense looked eerily familiar to last season, let’s hope that was an aberration or the offense may have to put up 52 every week to win once in Big 12 conference play.

3. Missouri

   
   LW: 3

   The Tigers had easily the toughest opening week opponent and for parts of their game against Illinois looked like a national title contender, but their defense made Juice Williams look like Dan Marino to the tune of 451 yards and 5 TDs. Kick returner Jeremy Maclin was electric but left with an ankle injury, Missouri fans better have their fingers crossed he stays healthy all year or they’re not going to be able to outscore every team on their schedule.

4. Texas Tech

   
   LW: 4

   That improved defense sure looked good giving up 17 points in the second quarter to Eastern Washington. Just as troubling is that the offense “only” had 35 points after the end of three quarters. They sure looked like the same Red Raiders team who drops 4 or 5 games per season.

5. Colorado

   
   LW: 5

   The Buffs looked pretty solid in a rivalry game against Colorado State. They played well on offense, defense, and Josh Smith had a 93-yard kickoff return for a score. Things are going get a lot tougher starting with West Virginia on 9/18.

6. Kansas State

   
   LW: 8

   Great first win for the Wildcats and QB Josh Freeman against North Texas. Freeman was efficient and error-free throwing the ball and added two scores on the ground, an impressive game that could give him confidence for the rest of the season. The KSU defense completely shut down Todd Dodge’s spread offense attack whose only score came on a 15-yard drive.

7. Nebraska

   
   LW: 6

   The Bo Pelini era starts off with a win but not an overly impressive one. The Huskers’ offense looked good but the defense gave up over 340 yards through the air to Western Michigan quarterback Tim Hiller. I think NU needs to control the game with Marlon Lucky and the running game in order to improve on their 5-win 2007 season.

8. Kansas

   
   LW: 9

   The Jayhawks were in complete control of the game by halftime and cruised to an easy opening week win against Florida International. Todd Reesing threw 52 passes in a very busy and effiecent performance. The KU defense looked goosd as well, giving up only 139 total yards.

9. Iowa State

   
   LW: 10

   San Diego State isn’t a big time opponent but Gene Chizik’s Cyclones did what they’re supposed to do against this caliber of an opponent. Last year started with losses to Kent State and Northern Iowa so a win is a win for this program. They finished the season pretty strong last year so they should be gaining confidence and a win over Kent State would give them good momentum going into the Iowa game.

10. Oklahoma State

    
    LW: 11

    Good start for the Cowboys. Washington State is a middle-of-the-road Pac 10 team but they’re better than a lot of the other Big 12 opponents and OSU won easily. They were in control throughout the game and their return men twice set the offense up for easy points.

11. Texas A&M

    
    LW: 7

    Uh oh. I didn’t expect a huge season from the Aggies this season but not only did they lose to Arkansas State but they looked terrible doing it. Mistake-prone and average in all three phases of the game. QB Stephen McGee didn’t play well but that might have something to do with offensive line and the fact that his top two receivers in the game were the second and third string quarterbacks.

12. Baylor

    
    LW: 12

    I thought they’d give Wake Forest more of a fight than they did but it wasn’t a terrible opening week showing under a new head coach. Best news for Baylor fans is it looks like they may have found their quarterback for the next 4 seasons in true freshman Robert Griffin.

No games have been played since our spring power rankings so there’s not much movement in our preseason big 12 power rankings below. Baylor kicks things off for the conference and the entire country Thursday night when they host Wake Forest and everybody else finally gets underway Saturday. A week from now in our first regular season power rankings things will begin to clear up, but here’s our preseason conference rankings:

1. Oklahoma

   
   LW: 1

   The Sooners are on many lists as a top national title contender and until at least October will likely remain the class of the conference. We won’t learn a thing about them in week one against Chattanooga .

2. Texas

   
   LW: 2

   Muschamp fever is spreading and I’ve definitely caught it. The Texas defensive depth chart is incredibly young but with Muschamp calling the shots there could be a big improvement over last year.

3. Missouri

   
   LW: 4

   Mizzou moves up because I’ve got less and less faith in Texas Tech as we get closer to kickoff. The offense will be great, can Gary Pinkel and the defense hold up their end of the bargain?

4. Texas Tech

   
   LW: 3

   Improved defense? Where? The Red Raiders played four good teams after the coaching change and gave up 41, 59, 27, and 28 points. They’ll be good but they’ll fade again when they hit the tough stretch.

5. Colorado

   
   LW: 6

   I’m not the biggest Darrell Scott fan after his recruitment but I think he’s going to make a big difference for CU starting this season. They’ve got an incredibly tough schedule starting with week one so I wanted to give them some love now because they might drop fast.

6. Nebraska

   
   LW: 5

   I like Bo Pelini but I’m starting to get a bad feeling about his tenure in Lincoln. It’s just incredibly quiet up there and with a program with the history and prestige of Nebraska I don’t think that’s a good thing.

7. Texas A&M

   
   LW: 7

   With the way they’re “recruiting” for 2009 Aggie fans better hope they overachieve this year or Mike Sherman is a coaching god because it’s going to get worse before it gets better. I like Stephen McGee, can he remember how to pass now that he’s in a real offense?

8. Kansas State

   
   LW: 8

   Something is still missing about this team, I thought they’d have turned a corner by now. I’m still glad they’re off our schedule this year. Can Ron Prince and Josh Freeman lead them to any upsets and get them in a bowl game this year?

9. Kansas

   
   LW: 9

   I thought I might be alone on my opinion of the Jayhawks return to the bottom third of the league but I haven’t really seen too many national experts expecting them to come close to repeating this season. We won’t know anything about them till week three.

10. Iowa State

    
    LW: 10

    Probably the easiest schedule of any Big 12 team. They play Iowa in non-conference play but they manage to avoid Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech. Gene Chizik is thanking the scheduling gods every morning.

11. Oklahoma State

    
    LW: 11

    I don’t know what happened to Oklahoma State… oh wait I do: Mike Gundy. As much as I thought Les Miles was a dufus he had the Cowboys headed in the right direction before he left.

12. Baylor

    
    LW: 12

    Art Briles looks like he’s going to put things in true freshman QB Robert Griffin’s hands early and reports are he’ll be a good one. I think Briles’ has the offensive mind to take advantage of his great size and speed.

Texas ranked sixth in 2008 college football spring game attendance. Nebraska and Alabama are the top two.

Fanatic Cornhusker faithful pay $95 for spring game tickets. Nice devotion, but that’s idiotic. It’ll be just as boring as every other school’s free spring scrimmages.

Horns hold off Nebraska 70-66 at the Erwin Center. Blew huge early second half lead but hold on to win and Big 12 lead.

After seeing the first spring Big 12 power rankings from ESPN and disagreeing with their placement of the Missouri Tigers at number one, I am now proud to present the first 2008 Bevo Sports Big 12 Power Rankings. This will be a weekly feature during the season and we’ll likely post updates at the end of spring practice and again in the preseason.

1. Oklahoma

   
   

   I’m not 100% behind Sam Bradford as a top quarterback but he’s definitely good enough to lead this team. They lost several good players early to the NFL Draft, but they’ve got talent and running back DeMarco Murray is a stud.

2. Texas

   
   

   Too many question marks to be ranked any higher this early, but early practice reports from this spring are encouraging. If the Horns’ secondary and linebackers improve and flourish under coach Will Muschamp they’ll be my conference favorite.

3. Texas Tech

   
   

   I struggled deciding between Tech and Missouri, but I ended up placing the Red Raiders third thanks to a slightly better defense and a love for pirates and Michael Crabtree.

4. Missouri

   
   

   I don’t trust Gary Pinkel, I think he lucked into last year’s success and was tempted to put the Tigers much lower. Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin could be poised for a huge season, but their defense leaves a lot to be desired.

5. Nebraska

   
   

   I think the Cornhusker players will play with a new enthusiasm after being rescued from Bill Callahan’s regime. Marlon Lucky is a very talented running back and coach Bo Pelini’s return should immediately improve the defense.

6. Colorado

   
   

   This is a team I’m really not sure about. They could go either way, either compete for the Big 12 North or completely suck. They lost a couple of good linebackers but if QB Cody Hawkins makes plays and Darrell Scott is as advertised they could compete.

7. Texas A&M

   
   

   I think this is a transition year for the Aggies and new head coach Mike Sherman. I think he’s a step up from Fran but I’m not sure he’s the longterm solution. The defense should be improved under new coordinator Joe Kines, but losing Yemi Babalola off the offensive line hurts bad.

8. Kansas State

   
   

   I like quarterback Josh Freeman a lot but the two other guys that killed the Horns the last two years (particularly Jordy Nelson) are gone. Ian Campbell is a beast on defense.

9. Kansas

   
   

   Welcome back to reality Kansas fans, though I still think the Fightin’ Manginos are headed in the right direction. They don’t have the same season they did in 2007 but they’re going to be a contender in the Big 12 North again soon if Mangino stays.

10. Iowa State

    
    

    Other than a win over rival Iowa last season the Cyclones and former Texas coach Gene Chizik had a rough 2007. Chizik reportedly has things headed in the right direction and two conference wins late last year might be an indication of that.

11. Oklahoma State

    
    

    The only coach in the Big 12 I think less of than Mizzou’s Pinkel is the Cowboys’ Mike Gundy. They’ve had more talent in previous years and not done much with it, this is a down year and they’ll finish near the bottom and Gundy won’t be back in 2009.

12. Baylor

    
    

    I think bringing in Art Briles was a genius move by Baylor. It is going to take a couple years for him implement his scheme and bring in his type of players, but he’s got a chance to turn the Bears into a Texas Tech caliber team. They’ll suck this year.

Update: Preseason Big 12 Power Rankings are released! (8/27/2008)

CFN takes another look back at 2007 season in the Big 12. Nice capsules on all the teams.

It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t pretty, but the Longhorns came back from down 14 and then barely held on in the final minutes to knock off Nebraska 28 - 25. The victory takes the Horns to 7 - 2 on the season and puts them back in the discussion for a Big 12 title shot. The game wasn’t sealed until Texas was (finally) able to recover an onside kick and pick up a critical first down that allowed them to run off the last two minutes from the clock.

ESPN highlights of the game are below:

Jamaal Charles had the biggest game of his career with 290 rushing yards, with a whopping 216 of those coming in the fourth quarter including three long touchdown runs. His big day took him over the 1,000 yard mark for the season.

The game will be re-aired by ESPN Classic on Sunday morning at 8 a.m.

Will it be 2003 all over again for the Horns? Zone read unveiled against Nebraska in 2003, do we see any new wrinkles this year?

Nebraska newspaper writer thinks Colt McCoy will pick apart Blackshirts in Texas win and win big over Nebraska.

DE Aaron Lewis is probable for Nebraska game. I thought his elbow injury was going to keep him out a lot longer. Great news.

I’ll be surprised if Bill Callahan survives the weekend after Nebraska’s blowout loss to A&M. I knew Nebraska was terrible but didn’t expect A&M to score almost 40.

Texas beat Nebraska 5-4 this afternoon. Since the Aggies had won their game earlier in the day, the Horns knew they were out of the hunt for a spot in the Championship Game. I saw some chatter on different sites saying the Horns should throw the game so the Aggies couldn’t make it, either. If you ask me, throwing a game is always a bad idea. And, there’s no way in the world Coach Garrido would allow one of his teams to do such a thing. Can you imagine? People are funny.

Anyway, the Horns played well enough. Adrian Alaniz got the nod and did not have his best outing of the year. He gave up 3 runs (1 unearned) in 3 innings on 4 hits (all singles) with 1 strikeout, 1 walk, and 1 hit batter. Austin Wood replaced Adrian on the mound at the start of the 4th and sat down the first 11 batters he saw. Wow. The 12th batter reached on an error by Chais Fuller at ss. Chais had lost a ball in the sun in the first inning and then let one roll under his glove in the 7th; rather uncharacteristic for Chais. When the 4th batter of the 7th reached on an infield single, the Horns sent Randy Boone to the mound and he got the next batter to fly out to cf to end the threat. He struggled a bit in the 8th, though. After getting a couple of quick outs, he gave up back-to-back singles. On the 2nd hit, Kyle Russell tried to scoop up the ball and throw in one motion. Sadly, he missed the ball, ran past it a bit, and could not gather it up. The runner from 2b scored and the batter reached 2b. Randy then walked the next two batters to load the bases! Ack. The next batter hit a high-bouncer right in front of the plate that Preston Clark fielded; he stepped on home plate to end the inning. Nebraska argued that the ball was foul to no avail.

Texas scored one in the 1st, one in the 2nd (a solo shot by Preston Clark, his 8th dinger of the year), and 2 in the 3rd (when Jordan Danks and Kyle Russell reached on back-to-back walks and then both scored). Luckily, they scored a 5th run in the top of the 8th when Chance Wheeless reached on a single and was driven home a few batters later on a 2-out single by Chais Fuller.

The Horns made a few mental errors and have some things they need to work on before the Regional starts on Friday. But, they also did some things very well. Austin Wood had a great outing on the mound and got the win. Chance Wheeless went 4-for-4 with 2 driven in and a run scored. Jordan Danks went 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored. And Chais Fuller managed to do well at the plate, despite his fielding problems, going 2-for-4 with a run driven in.

As usual, more details are available on the game report on my page.

Did Nebraska’s Marlon Lucky overdose? Thankfully the kid is okay.

RB Brandon Jackson is leaving Nebraska early. Could be second round day pick.

Big game this morning for the Texas Longhorns in some frigid weather up in Lincoln. The result of this game against Nebraska won’t have much impact on Texas’ goal of a Big 12 title but it certainly has national implications. One of Texas’ toughest remaining games and the Longhorns need as many quality wins as they can get to get some BCS computer love and rise in the rankings. Hook ‘em!

• Sweet, the game is in HD. I didn’t think it was going to be. ABC has been much better this year.
• What are Musberger and Davie standing in front of? Is that just a green screen with footage from the crowd behind them? It sure was weird looking.

First Quarter

• YES!! Big return by Quan Cosby on the game’s opening kickoff takes it back close to 80 yards. It was a short and low kickoff. The guys on both sides are bundled up and it makes them look pretty slow out there.
• Some sort of end around to Jordan Shipley didn’t work at all. No need for that down on the damn five yard line at all. Crap.
• Tough looking angle for the field goal but Greg Johnson knocks in the short field goal. Horns get points but that’s a missed opportunity.

Texas 3, Nebraska 0

• Let’s see if the Horns can do a better job on the kickoff. Hunter Lawrence did a good job last week putting them in the end zone. And he kicks it out of bounds and gives Nebraska good field position. Come on freshman!
• The Shipley play actually had an opening other than the one linebacker who spotted him hiding behind the line early. Just doesn’t seem like a smart play call to pick up short yards. Have confidence in your guys to get 5 yards.
• Aaron Lewis in the game early instead of Brian Robison. Rumors had Robison in a boot this morning around the hotel. Hopefully we’ll see him later.
• Picture of Limas Sweed instead of Marlon Lucky.
• Scott Derry makes a good play on 3rd and short but can’t keep the running back short of the first down.
• There’s Robison in there on a long 3rd down. Might not be 100% and might only be available for passing situations. Tim Crowder gets in there and gets a big sack. Big play by the defense early to get the offense the ball back.
• I think it’s weird that Dr. Pepper is using a song about masturbation for their commercials.
• Vince Young at the game after all. Heard he wasn’t going to be there.
• Longhorns open the game with 4 runs before the first pass. Colt McCoy has a guy open on a deep out but overthrew the pass.
• Terrible job by McCoy. Set up the quick screen to Cosby and McCoy tries to throw it sidearm while backpedaling and doesn’t get the ball to his receiver.
• Derek Lokey just blows up his man and gets in the backfield as the RB takes the hand off.
• Bad job on the ball and even worse tackling by Deon Beasley. Then Michael Griffin knocks him off the tackle and the NU receiver runs 63 yards for the TD.

Texas 3, Nebraska 7

• Offense is not looking good so far. Starting out about the same as we did last week. Just antsy out there or something.
• Selvin Young can’t hesitate when he’s block on the QB draw. McCoy doesn’t have the speed to hesitate and still make plays. Just go block someone.
• I don’t think the football players live in Jester anymore. I know my senior year at least some of them had moved into the new San Jacinto Hall.
• Seems like all Greg Davis thinks McCoy can do is throw to heavily covered WR screens.
• Damn the wind must be blowing. Johnson looked like he got off a good punt but it went absolutely nowhere.
• Robert Killebrew is down and they’re looking at his knee or ankle. Sergio Kindle in the game for him.
• Lewis is looking like a player for us for the long term. He could end up at either defensive end or tackle but he looks solid.
• The Horns punt return team backs up the offense big time.

(more …)

Be ready for play action, protect the QB, and stay warm.