Big 12 Roundtable - The End Is Near

This week's Big 12 roundtable is being hosted by Texas blog Gabriel's Horn. Pretty appropriate title - The End Is Near. You suppose we'll see at least one guy dressed as an apocalyptic monk outside Memorial with a sandwich-board sign this weekend?

1. With only two or three games left, how are you feeling about your season? Disappointed, elated, surprised, a little violated?

Disappointment is when you fumble a ball on a 3rd and 2 play and let Texas come back to beat you at home. It's when your star receiver fumbles a ball on the first play of the Big 12 Championship game and spots Oklahoma a 7-0 lead. No, this season isn't disappointing. This season is embarrassing. It's humiliating.

The only silver lining to this season is that perhaps Nebraskans will have realistic expectations for our next coach. If we don't, we can count on being the next Alabama. I don't want that.

We still have a shot at our next two games. I still have hope. Perhaps I'm a fool for that.

2. I have to ask, how do you feel about the (possible) buyout of Fran at Texas A&M?

He broke the number one rule of staying employed. If things are going badly, don't give them an excuse to get rid of you. I never saw the greatness that others did in Franchione before he got to A&M, but the stunt he pulled with the insider's newsletter was the mark of a fool.

Ralphie's Wild Cousin - Live Free or Die!

3. We’ve picked coaches, players, stadiums and everything else from other teams. Now, we get down to something even more near and dear: mascots. If you could pick another Big 12 mascot other than your own - who would it be and why?

Ralphie from Colorado. Don't know if you've ever been close to a Buffalo, but they are ginormous beasts. Sounds entirely un-Nebraskan, but it's not. Bison roamed the plains, not the mountains.

Besides it's part of my master plan - the invasion of Colorado. Mass the Nebraska National Guard near Imperial, Nebraska and go across the border. Take out that University in Boulder, take their mascot as a prize. We'd conquer them while they were wondering what neighborhood covenants we'd broken.

We'd be merciful. We'd give Aspen back to the millionaires to whom it belongs while we freeze the assets of the billionaires that live there. We'd allow Colorado State to remain Colorado State and accept them into the Big 12. Rams live in the Mountains.

4. Unexpected Greatness, Unexpected Suckage. Who surprised you this year? Who did you get really excited about, only to be let down? (The first Roundtable asked who was the face of the franchise - do you still feel that way?)

I picked Ndamukong Suh, defensive lineman as the face of the franchise, so blame me for the Huskers being ranked 118th in stopping the run. Clearly I damned them. He's still young and there's still time for him to be a force. Wait, maybe I'm just damning him to mediocrity.

Sam Keller was going to be a NFL-level talent that took the offense to new heights. Didn't happen.

Matt Slauson was the disappointment of the offensive line. I was very high on the line coming into the season. Big disappointment.

The young backs look great. Quentin Castille, Roy Helu. Along with Marlon Lucky, the next coach will have a good corp of backs to start with.

5. I told you there would be booze. Characterize your team by the beverage of your choice.

Skunky beer. You drink some and you think, boy this tastes weird, and then you drink some more. After you've finished a can, you have this sudden bad feeling and the next few hours you spend in the bathroom with fluids coming out of both ends. After that's finished you realize you never want to do that again.

Lightning Round - worth double the points (which will still work out to zero...), and twice the fun!

- Love ‘em.

• Maurice Purify. He started this year having legal problems, then had his brother killed in a car-jacking/robbery and his girlfriend killed in a car accident. Then he got to partake in a bad season of Husker football. He hasn't seen the ball as much as we'd like. I hope that Maurice Purify has a good career in whatever he does because he deserves it.
• Zack Bowman. As a leader, took off his Blackshirt and no one followed. Said a lot early on.
• Courtney Grixby. Played much taller than his size, took a lot of grief for it and never complained.
• Ndamukong Suh. I still have faith that he can prove himself in the seasons to come.

- Diss ‘em.

• The Big Three - Steve Pederson, Bill Callahan and Kevin Cosgrove. Wherever they go, whatever they do will be forever tied to this, potentially the worst season in Nebraska's 117-year history.
• Mike Gundy. Pretty tough in front of young female reporters. Not so tough at home with a lead.
• Dennis Franchione. Upperclass Twit of the Year Candidate. There certain to be some car-door slamming in College Station the day after Thanksgiving!

- Pick ‘em.

Colorado @ Iowa State - Colorado

Texas A&M @ Mizzou - Mizzou - The Tigers have found an identity in Chase Daniel.

KState @ Nebraska - Nebraska - Hope springs eternal.

Tech @ Texas - Texas - Tech can't win on the road.

Baylor @ Oklahoma - OU

Kansas @ Oklahoma State - Kansas - Fourth quarter against Texas blew their confidence.

- Rank ‘em.

1. Oklahoma
   
2. Kansas/Missouri
   
4. Texas
   
5. Oklahoma State/Texas Tech/Colorado
   
8. Texas A&M
   
9. Kansas State/Nebraska
   
11. Iowa State
   
12. Baylor