Hey, this week's roundtable is being hosted by Iowa State dude Alex at Clone Chronicles!

Were Saturday’s games a sign that the Big 12 North may be on its way back?

No, but they're a sign that the Big 12 is the most dysfunctional conference in Div IA football.

Texas wasn't that good to begin with, so the upset by the Wildcats shouldn't be all that shocking. Colorado and Kansas State ruined all of the pre-game hype that would have gone into the  "Red River Rivalry"  this coming weekend. Oklahoma, easily the best team in the Big 12, got caught up in themselves, thinking that newspaper clippings will knock over an opponent. Don't expect them to make that mistake again until the Big 12 conference game.

Nebraska versus Missouri in a battle for the North supremacy while Texas battles Oklahoma for the South this coming weekend. That's what this coming weekend was supposed to be about. Instead all of these teams are full of self-doubt (with a dash of self-loathing), and looking vulnerable.

The only team that appeared to have a defense gave up 17 points in the fourth quarter,not a good indicator regarding the strength of the conference. We're what I've despised for year - all offense, no defense. Maybe we should rename the conference. Midwestern Weiner Boy Conference - the MWBC? (Suggestions are welcome.)

How seriously do we take the hot starts at Mizzou and Kansas?

Missouri and "hot start" go together like salt and pepper. When the Tigers get to "hot finish" is when we should all be worried about them. Otherwise, they're the same old Mizzou, finishing too early. They should learn to pace themselves. Their fans would be much more satisfied.

Most people pointed to the Missouri- Nebraska game this coming week as the big one for the Big 12 North with the winner taking the North title. I didn't believe that then and still don't. The Nebraska - Kansas State game will say more about who wins the North because Missouri will collapse towards the end of the season. It's in their blood.

Kansas - who can say. They've obliterated teams they're supposed to. They didn't bother playing anyone worth mentioning but Cupcakes-A-Plenty. Insert your obligatory Mangino-fat joke here.

Pick one team from the opposite division that you truly hate, and say why; follow this up by picking another team from the opposite division that you don’t mind pulling for, and say why.

Who can't pick Texas to hate? They have more money than anyone in the nation. They can buy whatever they want for facilities and coaches for every sport they field. They have a great recruiting base. Their baseball team always walks out at the end of the games and does that damned "Hook 'Em Horn" sign. Then they show great sportsmanship by failing to pick up their second place trophy at the CWS a few years ago.

Who can dislike Baylor? They're mostly harmless, and the recent pig-killing incidents are just one of many weird things that have happened around Waco the last few years.

I'd probably pull for the Aggies, though, just because I worked on Kyle Field years ago. I now have a nephew at College Station studying engineering. Funny thing is he grew up in Austin.

The NCAA has enacted a rule allowing you to bring back one senior that graduated last year to play for your team for the rest of the season. Would you do it? And if so, who?

The obvious choice is Adam Carriker. He played against double teams and still came up with the sacks. There were a couple times the other team's entire offensive line would block him. They'd stack up on pass plays, two at a time, and he'd tear through them like running through a gauntlet.

With Carriker around, Ndamukong Suh wouldn't seem so alone. The holes would be small. We would stop the run. Oh, the joy!

Rank the conference teams

I hope that people aren't seriously doing "Power" rankings after last weekend. I'll stick with the 'dysfunctional' theme. Then you can get a good look at what's really happening in the conference:

• Texas A&M - Coach Fran sells insider information to proud Aggie boosters. Who's the more dysfunctional party here? Coach Fran for knowing he would like like an idiot when it came public and going ahead and doing it anyway?  Or boosters of a school that prides itself on tradition, honor, and behind the scenes dealing that destroyed the SWC?

This is so stupid an act that Coach Fran has outdone all of the other contestants, which is pretty tough, considering:

• Texas is rolling dice to see who's turn it is to get arrested this week.
• Oklahoma State - "Mother of Children" speech backfires as Bobby Reid looks more like a momma's boy after tirade. Do you have children? You'd better be feeding them beef instead of chicken!
• Oklahoma - University President David Boren still stays up late at night with his lawyers coming up with ways to have NCAA reprimands removed. He's still not over that whole Oregon thing from last year.
• Baylor - We mentioned that pig killing thing, right?
• Texas Tech - fired defensive coordinator mid-season because he screwed up Talk Like A Pirate Day. Maybe it was because they lost to a team with a more manly backup quarterback and they couldn't stop him. I forget.

Big 12 North.... uh, dysfunctional? Oh, yeah, Kansas State coach Ron Prince made his assistant coaches run the stairs a few weeks ago. He's run off a fair number of players, too, all the while leaving the impression that he's a maniac. Tell you what's good about maniacs. After they're done getting rid of those that ain't with 'em the only people left are fanatics that will run through walls for you. Kind of like the like the Wildcasts did in Austin.

Gee, not a lot of neurosis in the Big 12 North except for Kansas State and it's a natural fit there, so they're definitely lagging. Time for Dan Hawkins to do something stupid. And we haven't heard from Bill Callahan in this department for quite  a while now. Get in gear guys!