The Big 12 Media voted and picked Mizzou as the favorite to win the Big 12 North this season, ahead of Nebraska and Kansas State. There is nothing wrong with the choice. Mizzou has Nebraska at home and Kansas State is in their second year of rebuilding.
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A lot of things point to Missouri winning the North:
- This year's Nebraska-Missouri game is in Columbia, MO. The Tigers have won the last two meetings in Columbia.
- Chase Daniels is a darned good quarterback.
- Tony Temple is more than an adequate running back.
- Chase Coffman and Martin Rucker are excellent receivers.
- 98% of their offensive firepower returns this season.
- Their defense is, uh, questionable at best, having lost five key playmakers so the offense had better be darned good.
- They have a history of winning big games when it counts. They won the Big Eight in 1969 and they haven't won a title since.
All of these are nothing compared to the most important reason to pick them:
- If you don't pick them this year, then when?
What is the Big 12 media to write about from year to year? If they'd have picked Nebraska, it'd be the same ol', same ol'. Picking Missouri gives them another team to write fresh stuff about. They can put them at the top and see if they stand or fall.
If Mizzou happens to win it, the media can live it up with regards to their powers of prediction. If they don't, they can tear Gary Pinkel apart. Therefore, Mizzou is the best pick possible.
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I was going to respond about regarding Stewart Mandels' response regarding Bill Callahan being a bad coach, but I see that Jeffie Husker over at Double Extra Point has already done a good job of it.
I can understand Mandel's point about Callahan playing not to lose, like they do in the NFL. In his first year, Callahan attempted an extra point from the one foot line at Pittsburgh, a typical NFL road game move. I went ballistic at that. It was clear at that time that he was not a good college coach. But in last year's USC game he called a fake punt that should have scored, and against Auburn called another fake punt that probably cost us the ball game. This isn't a coach that's playing not to lose anymore.
I'm not 100% sold on Bill Callahan as the next great Nebraska coach. I hope that he is, but he's going to have to prove it in the win column. I do believe that as the Huskers have improved as a team, Bill Callahan has grown as a college football coach. 2007 will be a fascinating year for Husker football.
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I stayed up late last night watching the 1930 version of "All Quiet on the Western Front". I think I read the book somewhere around seventh grade and I've seen the movie several times. 77 years later the movie remains incredible.