Big 12 media days start this afternoon, with Nebraska coming up first at 1:00 pm central. Niles Paul, Pierre Allen, and Jared Crick will join Bo Pelini, being grilled under hot, bright lights by very tough Big 12 media veterans. Nebraska will be followed by Baylor, Iowa State, and Texas A&M for Monday, the whole thing lasting from 1:00 - 4:00 pm. 

You can watch live if you like, and if you do, consider this a live thread. I'll be honest, though, I'm not sure why you would. Expect some questions designed to spur more hatred of Texas while reporters look for anything they can write about, and given the boring status of the Big 12 coaching ranks, I mean anything. Let's remember where we are now.

Mike Leach has been replaced by an already shackled Tommy Tuberville. Paul Rhoads will be still excited to be Iowa State's coach, but Bill Snyder is back, and along with an emotionally destroyed Dan Hawkins you can bet there will be coachspeak aplenty but very little of anything that resembles "interesting". 

What you'd really like to see is Jared Crick tear his shirt off while screaming "let's go now!", but what you're going to get is Crick proclaiming how much he likes puppies while Pierre Allen tells the country how much he likes puppies from Texas and thinks they're the best in the nation. Niles Paul will tell us he likes to run real fast while carrying a puppy because they like it too, and it makes their ears stick up funny, making them even cuter than they were standing still. Pelini will tell us how much respects Texas and isn't worried about the Big 10 because he still has a year to play in the Big 12, but he will say nothing about puppies. (He doesn't need to, dammit, his team will speak for him on that matter.) 

I am cynical? You betcha. To be blunt, I'm not even sure why they still have Big 12 media days. With newspapers losing money and readership left and right, college programs complaining about increasing costs, and the ability to do all this through audio and video conferencing, why bother? On top of that, does anyone in the Big 12 realize the danger facing today's media? 

It used to be all you had to fear was being stuck with Bill Snyder, but now you've got Dan Beebe, complete with hypnotic powers. Add in BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock and you've doubled the possibility someone could die of dehydration.

Then there's the worst case scenario - Coordinator of Football Officials Walt Anderson decides at the last moment that there's another second missing, and the whole world is stuck watching Mack Brown (coincidence that Texas goes last? I think not!) say "Aw, shucks, we love Nebraska" in a feedback loop that only stops once the 2010 season has ended. 

Just imagine - 2010 never happens. The rest of the college football goes on without us. Nebraska moves onto the Big 10 with no farewell tour, and the last rematch with Texas gets replaced by Washington vs Oregon State. College football fans are sad, somewhat, but they move on. Big 12 fans, however, will require massive counseling or alcohol, whichever they can afford. 

All because some still see a need for Big 12 Media Days. I don't get it.

On the other hand, Mike DeArmond could be the one stuck with Snyder......