Volume 124 Issue 42
kansan.com
Thursday, October 20, 2011
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
PAGE 14
"When — or make that if — Snyder ever stops coaching, the Big 12 needs to name something else after him; the Big 12's Coach of the Year award. That's because there is not a coach anywhere that gets more out of his players than Bill Snyder."
—Brett McMurphy, CBSSports.com
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2011
FACT OF THE DAY
When Snyder began coaching at Kansas State in 1989, the school was amidst a 0-26-1 streak.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
—kstatesports.com
MORNING BREW
College football still entertaining
Although the Jayhawks 2011 football campaign has been rocky
— to say the least — there have been plenty of great college football performances and story lines as we hit the season's midway point.
As entertaining as the first half of the season was, the remainder of the season promises to have college football fans on the edge of their seats. This is what I expect to see going forward in the 2011 college football season.
GAMES TO WATCH:
NO. 1 LSU AT NO. 2 ALABAMA
Ever since the BCS system was enacted, the public outcry for a playoff system in college football has increased every year. Even though a college football playoff is unlikely in the near future, these two teams are almost de facto semifinal games.
The Southeastern Conference has claimed the last five BCS titles, so it is safe to say that the winner of the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta will have a spot in the title game. Within the SEC West, Alabama and LSU have been the two dominant teams thus far. Bama's rushing attack, led by Trent Richardson, has been a lethal force, while LSU's defense, led by cornerback Tyrann Mathieu, has singlehandedly led the Tigers through the nation's toughest schedule. The winner of this heavyweight showdown on Nov. 5 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., will be in the title game driver's seat. I think the Tigers ultimately get the huge victory on the road.
NO. 3 OKLAHOMA AT NO. 4 OKLAHOMA STATE
Now that Nebraska and Colorado are no longer part of the Big 12, the conference no longer has a title game (old news, I know). However, the annual Bedlam rivalry game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State is going to be as close as the conference can get to a title game. The Dec. 3 matchup in Stillwater, Okla., promises to have all the stakes of a title game, as the winner will certainly find itself a spot in the BCS National Championship Game. Oklahoma's defense will have to stop the electrifying duo of quarterback Brandon Weeden and wide receiver Justin Blackmon. When it's all said and done, "Boomer Sooner" will be all over Bourbon Street; Oklahoma wins in Stillwater.
HEISMAN TROPHY: ANDREW LUCK, STANFORD
Luck took a huge chance by returning to Stanford as a senior as we have seen many highly touted prospects hurt their draft stock by returning to school. Through half a season, Luck still remains as the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. In addition to leading an undefeated Stanford Cardinal team, Luck has put up an impressive 1,719 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. I expect Andrew Luck to receive the famed Heisman Trophy when his name gets called in New York this winter.
Kansas played admirably against the Sooners, but I just don't see the Jayhawk winning another game this season. But hey, it still beats Sports Illustrated's 1-11 preseason prediction.
KANSAS' RECORD: 2-10
Edited by Sarah Champ
Edited by Jonathan Shorman
WHAT PLAYER COULD SURPRISE FANS THIS SEASON?
Coach Bonnie Henrickson watches on as the one-on-one interviews progress at the 2011 Big 12 media day at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. This is Henrickson's eighth season as coach. The Jayhawks look to improve on their 21-13 record of last year.
I'll go with forward Kevin Young, the transfer from Loyola Marymount. Coach Bill Self said Young has a chance to be a starter, and he will have plenty of opportunities to prove himself this season. With forward Jamari Traylor ineligible, Young looks to be the third scholarship forward on the roster, garnering him plenty of playing time. Thomas Robinson will be consistent, somewhere around 12 points and eight rebounds a game. The rest of the production down low will have to come from Jeff Withey and Young. At Loyola in 2009, Young broke fresh records in total rebounds (224) and rebounds per game (7.2). He's also played for the Puerto Rican under-19 team, so the experience is there.
the moves were based on football, women's basketball was also affected by the changes.
CHRIS BRONSON/KANSAN
Coaches such as Oklahoma's Sherri Coale stressed the strength of the conference that sent seven of its 12
KIM MULKEY
Baylor coach
teams to the NCAA tournament last season.
"When you play in a league that has the strength that the women's basketball conference or the Big 12 Conference and women's basketball has, you don't want to see that broken up for any reason." Coale said. "And that's not good
petitive standpoint, it is even more challenging because of the strength that the southern part of the league has and how talented those teams are," Harrisckon said.
The Jayhawks feature seven players from Texas and one from Oklahoma. Henrickson said the additions of
southern games would be more motivating for those athletes and would be a good opportunity for recruiting.
As the conference continues to change, the rivalries that have lasted through the existence of the conference will also be affected.
When asked about whether she
would continue to schedule Missouri if the school left the conference, she paused and winked.
"Our rivalry belongs in the Big 12," Henrickson said.
Tensions were highest regarding the decision of Texas A&M to leave the Big 12 for the SEC. The Aggies are the defending national champions and are predicted to
finish second in the conference despite the loss of two starters.
4
Baylor coach Kim Mulkay compared the abandoned rivalry with Texas A&M to an ended marriage and admitted that she did not want to continue the competition beyond the conference.
"If a man wants to divorce me and says our relationship has no
value to him, and then he asks to sleep with me, the answer is: no," Mulkey said. "We are not going to play them anymore, because they decided that playing us was not important to them."
Edited by Sarah McCabe
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