This week’s episode features a thorough look at the world of college basketball with hot topics from all BCS conferences discussed as well as some notable mid-majors as well.

Specific topics discussed this week include:

• Big 12: Thoughts on Baylor, Scott Drew, and a key stretch for Iowa State
• Big Ten: Michigan’s inconsistency and the future for Illinois and Northwestern
• Big East: Syracuse’s recent struggles and thoughts on who the second best team in the league is
• ACC: Talk about Austin Rivers, Michael Snaer, and Harrison Barnes
• Pac-12: Oregon’s chances at a Pac-12 title
• SEC: Attempts to make sense of Lunardi’s bracket projection for Florida
• Other thoughts on Dayton, the race in the Colonial, New Mexico, BYU, and the number of bids from C-USA.

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What I found is a staggering lack of road games for college basketball teams from major conferences.

College Basketball’s Dearth of Non-Conference Road Games

Through Sunday’s games, teams in the six “BCS” conferences have a combined record of 552-212.  However, just 122 of those 764 games (16 percent) have been true road games.  In fact, major conferences teams are an ugly 57-65 in games held on their opponents’ home floor.

Image credit: AP Photo/Darron Cummings via Crimson Quarry

Given that there are 74 teams within those six leagues, that averages out to 0.77 road wins per team and just 1.65 road games per squad.  Thirty-four of those 74 teams have played one or fewer road games, and eight of them have played none.  To look at it in a slightly different way, just 14 squads have taken more than two road trips through more than a month of the season.

As if these numbers didn’t seem bad enough, factor in that 24 of these road games were part of the Big Ten/ACC and Big East/SEC Challenges where the teams essentially had no choice in the matter.

In addition to the lack of quantity, there is also a lack of quality road victories for these teams, which shows that many of the road games being scheduled aren’t actually that challenging in the first place.

Here’s a quick rundown for each conference:

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ACC:

• The league is 9-14 in road games, with the “best” wins coming against Nebraska and Oregon, who ranked 86th and 96th in Sunday’s Pomeroy Ratings.
• Four of the nine wins have come against teams ranked 235th or lower.

Big 12:

• Teams from this conference have played just 10 road games so far this season, with three squads (Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma) yet to play any.
• In the league’s defense, the Big 12 is 7-3 in road games with five of the wins coming over Top 100 teams.
• Baylor’s exciting win over 19th-rated BYU is the conference’s best, but given that the 10 teams are a combined 60-1 at home, I guess I can understand their reluctance to leave.

Big East:

• Over half of the 16-team conference’s teams have played one or fewer road games.  Overall, they are just under .500 at 11-12, but only three of the victories have come against Top 100 teams.
• That said, Marquette’s win over Wisconsin at the Kohl Center is one of the most impressive road performances of the early season.
• UConn and Seton Hall both have just one loss but have yet to play a road game.

Big Ten:

• Six of the league’s 20 road games came during the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, but the conference’s 11-9 record in those 20 contests is good for second best among the six leagues.
• The best of those 11 victories was Michigan State’s win at Gonzaga, but none of the others came against teams considered to be tournament-worthy.
• Minnesota has yet to play a true road game and won’t until Big Ten play begins.

Pac-12:

• Despite the fact this is easily the worst of the BCS leagues, the Pac-12′s 11-12 road record is tied for third best.
• However, the best wins were against 80th-ranked New Mexico State and the aforementioned Cornhuskers, with five of the victories comings against teams outside of the Top 200.
• For as bad as UCLA has been, they haven’t even played a road game yet, although with Pauley Pavilion being renovated, you could argue they haven’t played a true home game either.

SEC:

• Their 8-15 mark is the worst of any of the six major conferences, and only one of the wins (South Carolina’s triumph at Clemson) came against a Top 100 team.
• It is the only league where each team has played at least one true road game, and it also has the smallest percentage of total wins (65.7) coming from home games.

I also looked at teams ranked in the Top 25 that just came out today.  The 20 major conference teams in the rankings are a combined 17-9 in true road games.  Four of the Top 10 have no road wins at all, and three of the Top 11 haven’t even played a true road game.  In addition, eight of the 26 road games played were a result of one of the aforementioned conference challenges.  Of the 17 wins, seven are against Pomeroy’s Top 100.

The other five teams in the rankings (Xavier, Creighton, Murray State, UNLV, and Harvard) are a combined 14-4 on the road.  To be fair, two of those games came in the Missouri Valley/Mountain West event and nine of the wins have come against teams outside of the Top 150.  Still, they have four Top 100 wins to their credit, but just one of them came against a major conference team since scheduling is such a challenge.

What Are Coaches Thinking?

So what is the conclusion here?  I’m sure it’s not earth-shattering to know that major college coaches are reluctant to challenge their teams with road tests early in the season for fear of losing.  In fact, the Top 25 would actually indicate it’s in their best interest to just rack up wins at home or on neutral floors in the early going.

But if a coach’s job is to prepare their team for the rigors of the conference season and eventually the tournament, how exactly does playing nearly every game at home accomplish that goal?  The traditional argument is that there is nothing to gain from playing on the road since the best case scenario is winning a game most people think you should win anyway, and the worst case scenario is losing and having it held against you later.

I would argue just the opposite.

First off, the only way to even come close to preparing a team to play in front of a hostile crowd is to actually do it.  Too often teams panic at the first sign of adversity on the road and things snowball, turning a 4-0 run into a 12-0 run before you know it.  Even if Hollis Thompson had missed his last-second shot against Alabama, are you telling me the experience gained in that game wouldn’t serve them well later in the season?  I’m quite certain they will recognize more future benefit from that game than they did by blowing out NJIT by 40 at home.

In addition, every year we watch teams get skewered by the selection committee for not challenging themselves in the non-conference, and if the current schedules are any indication, that message isn’t getting through.  You obviously don’t want to schedule five road games and lose them all, but I would also argue that if you do that, you probably aren’t a great team to begin with.

I understand we are dealing with the delicate psyches of 19- and 20-year old kids here, and the balance between building confidence and challenging the team is a delicate one.  Still, the scale seems to have tipped too far in the other direction, and as a result, we have little idea how some of these teams might react to tough situations as conference play opens up over the next couple weeks.

What might be even more frightening is that a number of coaches are in the same boat and don’t know how their teams will fare once they hit the road for some of their most important games of the season.  The difference is they could have actually done something about it.

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Follow me on Twitter (@andybottoms) for more thoughts on college hoops, and check out the latest edition of the Bottoms Line podcast.

This week’s topics include:

• More Pac-12 suspensions
• Jared Sullinger’s back injury
• The Missouri Valley
• The recent struggles of Florida and Alabama
• Our mutual admiration of Marquette
• Who wins the Big 12?
• Big Ten surprises (IU and Illinois)
• Thoughts on UK-UNC last weekend.
• We also looked ahead to a few key games this weekend.

Click play on the player below to listen:

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• Join the The Bottoms Line College Basketball Email Digest to get an email whenever a new post or podcast is posted
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A few players expected to play key roles for their teams won’t be suiting up this season, which should have a significant impact on the conference race.  In putting together my predictions for the league, it was actually easier to slot in the last two teams than it was the first two.

Before we get to those predictions, here’s what has changed since my first look at the league.

•  Baylor: The Bears played a four-game exhibition tour in Toronto, and the offense looked solid, averaging better than 90 points per game.  Perry Jones led the team in scoring with 20.3 points and hit 59 percent from the field.  Boston College transfer Brady Heslip was red hot from the outside, connecting on 41.7 percent from deep and pouring in 16.5 points per contest.  Redshirt freshman Cory Jefferson played well on the trip with Quincy Acy and Quincy Miller sitting out, which adds another weapon to an already deep frontline.
• Iowa State: Like Baylor, the Cyclones embarked on a foreign tour, with ISU heading to Italy.  Royce White followed up his summer league triple-double with an impressive trip.  He posted a pair of double-doubles and routinely put up impressive numbers in multiple offensive categories.  Chris Babb and Melvin Ejim were among a slew of other Cyclones to play well on the trip.
• Kansas: Don’t expect the NCAA Clearinghouse to get a Christmas card from Bill Self this winter.  Three incoming freshmen, Braeden Anderson, Ben McLemore, and Jamari Traylor, were all deemed partial qualifiers and will be ineligible to play this year.  The Jayhawks did add Kevin Young, a Loyola Marymount transfer who spurned San Diego State at the last minute to head to Kansas.  Expect him to play a huge role given the lack of depth in Lawrence.
• Missouri: Senior forward Laurence Bowers tore his ACL and will miss the season.  While the Tigers have a lot of depth, the one area where they are thin is up front.  Outside of Ricardo Ratliffe, the only big guys on the roster are senior Steve Moore and redshirt freshman Kadeem Green, which may force first-year coach Frank Haith to go with Kim English at the four.
• Oklahoma State: The Cowboys picked up another big man, as seven-footer Marek Soucek signed in September.  The Czech native played at the Canaris Academy in Spain last season and has a chance to earn playing time given the lack of experienced bigs on the roster.  Recently, freshman point guard Cezar Guerrero suffered a scary neck injury in practice, but all signs point to a full recovery.
• Texas: After being granted a release from his letter of intent to Pittsburgh, forward Jaylen Bond signed with the Longhorns.  It was initially believed Bond would attend prep school, but he is heading to Austin instead, where he joins a relatively inexperienced Texas front line.
• Texas A&M: New coach Billy Kennedy is currently spending time away from his new post to deal with an undisclosed medical situation.  No details have really surfaced around the actual medical condition or how long he will be out.  The Aggies also took an exhibition trip this summer, traveling to Europe for a four-game tour.  Washington transfer Elston Turner led the team with 13.8 points per game while David Loubeau paced the squad with 9.3 boards per contest.

With all that in mind, here are my predictions for the league this season:

Big 12 Predictions: Standings

1. Baylor

I picked the Bears to win the league over the summer, and nothing has happened to change my opinion.  Their front line is as deep as any team in the country with Perry Jones, Quincy Acy, Anthony Jones, Quincy Miller, and the aforementioned Jefferson.

The biggest question here is at point guard, but I expect Pierre Jackson to provide the stability that A.J. Walton didn’t and Gary Franklin can’t.  Brady Heslip gives them a solid outside shooter to complement the athleticism of Deuce Bello.

While there is validity to some of the concerns around Scott Drew’s coaching track record, the talent level is certainly worthy of a conference champ.

2. Texas A&M

The more I look at this team, the more I like them.

They have an all-conference player on the wing in Khris Middleton to go with David Loubeau up front.  Kourtney Roberson showed flashes last season and should have a smooth transition into an expanded role.  As mentioned above, Washington transfer Elston Turner led the team in scoring on their exhibition trip and gives the team another reliable scorer.

Like Baylor, the biggest question mark is at the point.  Dash Harris returns, but don’t be shocked if true freshman Jamal Branch eventually earns the starting job.

3. Kansas

It’s hard to project anyone but the Jayhawks to win the Big 12, but there just isn’t enough depth on the roster.

I expect big things from both Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor, and Elijah Johnson seems poised for a productive season.  Kevin Young will be counted on to contribute right away inside, because Jeff Withey simply hasn’t shown anything when he’s been on the floor.  The same could be said of Travis Releford, who will now be counted on to produce as a senior.

I like freshman Naadir Tharpe as a point guard and leader, but this team has too many unknowns to be picked to win the league.

4. Missouri

You cannot overstate the loss of Laurence Bowers, who did a little bit of everything for the Tigers.  That puts a ton of pressure on Ricardo Ratliffe inside, because there are no other proven commodities down low.  Consequently, Kim English may be forced to play the four, which would put Mizzou at a disadvantage defensively.

There is a glut of talented guards with Marcus Denmon, Flip Pressey, Michael Dixon, and English, but I’m not convinced that new coach Frank Haith’s style will allow them to take full advantage of that depth.

5. Oklahoma State

These next four teams are all evenly matched, but there are a number of things to like about the Cowboys.

First and foremost is stud freshman LeBryan Nash, who will make an immediate impact and be one of the league’s most explosive scorers.  J.P. Olukemi averaged double-digit points in just over 20 minutes per game and is poised for a breakout season.  Veteran guard Keiton Page also returns, and backcourt mate Reger Dowell showed potential during the home stretch of the season.

The Pokes are yet another team with point guard questions, although freshman Cezar Guerrero may be the answer.  Someone needs to step up inside, with the most likely candidates juco transfer Philip Jurick, who nearly averaged a triple-double last season, and redshirt freshman Michael Cobbins, who missed last season while recovering from injury.

6. Texas

After being crushed by early entrants to the NBA Draft, there is very little returning talent for the Longhorns.

Guard J’Covan Brown is the only returnee to average more than 2.3 points, and he should lead the team in scoring.  Freshman Myck Kabongo was a top 10 recruit and should excel running the point for Rick Barnes.  There are huge question marks inside, and you certainly can’t assume veterans Alexis Wangmene and Clint Chapman will suddenly become reliable options in the post.

There will be a major reliance on freshmen at virtually every position, and while many of the recruits like Sheldon McClellan, Julien Lewis, Jonathan Holmes, and Sterling Gibbs were highly rated, that will lead to growing pains early on.

7. Kansas State

With Jacob Pullen gone, Rodney McGruder will be asked to should the scoring load, and there’s plenty of things to like about his overall game.  Will Spradling showed some flashes as a freshman, but a number of newcomers should also factor into the backcourt rotation.

Up front, Jamar Samuels will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing junior year, and big man Jordan Henriquez needs to maintain his level of production while logging expanded minutes.  Coach Frank Martin has already praised the team’s improved depth, which should lead to a more aggressive attack on both ends of the floor.

8. Iowa State

Along with Oklahoma State, the Cyclones are the biggest wild card in the league.

Transfers Royce White, Chris Babb, Chris Allen, and Anthony Booker will play large roles on the team with sharpshooter Scott Christopherson and forward Melvin Ejim the only returnees of note.  I’m all in on White and his wide array of skills, and the experience in Italy should serve this team well going forward.  Replacing Diante Garrett at the point will prove to be difficult, and there isn’t a ton of size on the roster.

A few newcomers have the potential to help out in both areas, but there is a pretty wide range of potential outcomes for ISU this year.  They are definitely a team to watch in the early going.

9. Oklahoma

Lon Kruger walked into a team with a number of players returning, but the problem is that team went 14-18 last season.

Andrew Fitzgerald and Cameron Clark give him some building blocks, but point guard Carl Blair struggles with shooting and turnovers while Steven Pledger has been plagued by inconsistency.  Mississippi State transfer Romero Osby should factor heavily into the team’s plans, and a number of newcomers will see major minutes out of necessity.

The rebuilding process is on in Norman.

10. Texas Tech

Speaking of rebuilding, Billy Gillispie returns just one player, forward Robert Lewandowski, who averaged over 5.0 points.  Utah transfer Marshall Henderson should lead the team in scoring, and there are more new players than I even have room to list here.

Two true freshmen to watch are Toddrick Gotcher and Terran Petteway, both of whom should get plenty of run this year.  With so many new faces, it will take time for roles to be defined and the team to gel.

Big 12 Predictions: POY and All-Conference Team

Player of the Year: Thomas Robinson, F, Kansas

Robinson was limited to fewer than 15 minutes per game last season with the Morris twins dominating frontcourt playing time for the Jayhawks.  Still, T-Rob averaged 7.6 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting over 60 percent from the field.

With the Morrii gone and limited depth on the roster, Robinson will more than double his playing time, and even if he falls short of doubling his production, he could still average a double-double.  Given his gaudy rebounding percentages and his relentless nature on both the offensive and defensive glass, Robinson is a virtual lock to average double-digit rebounds, and if the offensive game he displayed at the Amar’e Stoudamire Skills Academy carries over to this season, look out.

Image source: Nick Krug via iSportsWeb

With limited options up front, getting shots won’t be an issue, and after suffering through a series of personal tragedies and challenges last year, the adversity an inexperienced Kansas team is likely to face won’t phase him at all.

All-Conference Team

• Marcus Denmon, G, Missouri
• Perry Jones, F, Baylor
• Khris Middleton, F, Texas A&M
• Thomas Robinson, F,  Kansas
• Royce White, F, Iowa State

Freshman of the Year: LeBryan Nash, F, Oklahoma State

Nash is a big-time athlete whose body already looks NBA-ready with the skills to match.  Smaller opponents can’t handle him in the post, while bigger ones can’t stay with him off the dribble.  Coach Travis Ford is on the hot seat, and his future is best served by allowing Nash to flourish during what most expect will be his only season in Stillwater.

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Follow me on Twitter (@andybottoms) for more thoughts on college hoops, and check out the latest edition of the Bottoms Line podcast.

* – Perry Jones photo credit: AP via SI.com

#4 Oklahoma State is taking their fast paced offense on the road to Columbia, Missouri where the Tigers have won 10 straight at home.  This current winning streak has included victories over some of the top teams in the Big 12 and none was bigger than last season’s upset victory over #1 Oklahoma.   Many people think Oklahoma State is going to stroll into their final game undefeated, but this game has the potential to ruin the Cowboys’ perfect season.

Here is why the Missouri Tigers will upset the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

MISSOURI’S RUSHING ATTACK

Missouri is one of the best teams in the country at rushing the ball, led by sophomore Henry Josey.  Josey’s 717 rushing yards is tops in the Big 12 and the young running back is averaging 9.6 yards per carry.  Due to injuries at the running back spot, Missouri was forced to use Josey and he has turned into one of the top running backs in the country.

Not only does Missouri have running back that can beat you rushing the ball but they also have a quarterback that can do the same.  Missouri’s James Franklin is a very mobile quarterback that can take off and get positive yards at anytime.  Franklin’s most impressive performance rushing the ball this season came against Oklahoma’s stout defense, where he ran for 103 yards.

Oklahoma State’s defense is susceptible to giving up a lot rushing yards, and last week Texas ran for 231 yards against them.

OKLAHOMA STATE’S DEFENSE IS WEAK

Oklahoma State’s defense gives up a lot of yards and the only thing saving them is that they force a lot of turnovers.  The Cowboys are allowing 426.7 yards per game, and as usual Missouri has one of the best offenses in Big 12.

The Cowboys defense has allowed teams with lesser offenses than Missouri to rack up a large amount of yards against them.  Oklahoma State gave up close to 500 yards of offense against Tulsa and Kansas, two teams that don’t have a winning record.

Missouri is going to get their yards in this game and if they don’t turn the ball they are going to defeat Oklahoma State.

MISSOURI HAS MOMENTUM

Missouri might be the best team without a winning record (3-3) in the country, and their only losses have come on the road against ranked opponents.  The Tigers are coming off a confidence building win against Iowa State, dominating the Cyclones 52-17.

Missouri played very well against Iowa State especially on the offensive side the ball.  Against the Cyclones, Missouri had nearly 600 yards of total offense in a very balanced attack, churning out 289 yards in the air and 294 yards on the ground.

MISSOURI HAS THE HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE

The Tigers have their back against the wall and will be motivated not to drop their fourth game of the season.  Missouri fans are going to be loud in this game and will make it very difficult for the Cowboys all day.

Missouri is very tough team at home and that is why I like the Tigers to pull of the up and win this game 49-42 in a shootout.

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Oklahoma State v Missouri Game Info:

• Oklahoma State-Missouri Date: Saturday, October 22nd
• Oklahoma State-Missouri  Kickoff Time: 12:00 ET
• Oklahoma State-Missouri  TV: FX
• Oklahoma State-Missouri Point Spread: Oklahoma State -7

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* – Missouri Tiger football photo credit: via Rok Grilec

1. I will probably be wrong about the survival of the Big 12.

Three weeks ago, I predicted that the Big 12 conference would survive. But yesterday the Austin American-Statesman reported on a plan to bring Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech into what would become the Pac-16 conference.

The plan involves dividing the league into 4 4-team divisions (presumably one with the Texas and Oklahoma schools, one with the Washington and Oregon schools, one with the California schools, and one with Utah, Colorado, and the Arizona schools). More importantly, the plan allows Texas to keep the Longhorn Network by turning it into one of the Pac-12 regional networks.

The Pac-16 is far from a done deal. There’s still a chance that Pac-12 presidents won’t approve the plan. But it could be hard for existing schools to turn down the addition of Texas television money and the potential to recruit more effectively in the Lone Star State.

2. The Big East, as a football conference, is in big trouble.

The Big East has spent the last 6 years trying to justify (not very successfully) its BCS automatic bid. Last year the conference added TCU to improve its football profile. And, before this weekend, it stood to gain its choice of Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Iowa State, and Baylor in the event of a Big 12 catastrophe.

Then Pitt and Syracuse decided to leave for the ACC. (And UConn is begging to join them.) Pitt and Syracuse aren’t exactly Miami and Virginia Tech, but their exit will leave the Big East with 7 football schools (8 if it decides to add Villanova when Nova makes the jump from the FCS), 4 of which were in Conference USA a decade ago.

Kansas, Missouri, and company may be better off keeping a version of the Big 12 alive—or hoping for an invitation from the Big Ten—than moving east and joining a dying conference. Perhaps they could even play the aggressor, and talk to West Virginia, Louisville, and TCU about forming a new league. Who knows?

3. The ACC has reaffirmed its identity as a basketball conference.

In 2004 and 2005 the ACC added Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College in hopes of becoming a football power conference. That never happened. Only Virginia Tech remained a relevant football power. Meanwhile, all three schools suddenly got much better at men’s basketball. While Pittsburgh and Syracuse both have rich football traditions (Dan Marino, Jim Brown, and so forth), both are currently basketball-first schools. By adding Syracuse and Pitt (and potentially UConn), the ACC likely will overtake the Big East as the best basketball conference (and, as Clay Travis pointed out, the ACC will own women’s lacrosse), but the league’s football product will not improve.

4. Cam Newton will break Peyton Manning’s rookie passing records.

In two games Cam Newton has thrown for a total of 854 yards. That’s more than Alex Smith, Donovan McNabb, and Matt Cassell combined. Newton is on pace to surpass the 3,739 yards that Peyton Manning threw for in 1998, an NFL record for rookies. Keep in mind that, despite Manning’s impressive stats, the 1998 Colts were 3-13.

5. The transitive property doesn’t apply to football.

If you have forgotten the transitive property, here is a refresher. The transitive property of equality says that, if a = b and b = c, then a = c. The transitive property of inequality says that, if a > b and b > c, then a > c; and, if a < b and b < c, then a < c.

This week the Tennessee Titans beat the Baltimore Ravens 26-13. Last week the Titans lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 16-14. By the transitive property, Jaguars > Titans and Titans > Ravens; therefore, Jaguars > Ravens. We can disprove the transitive property of football by saying that anyone who thinks the Jaguars—who lost to the Jets 32-3 on Sunday and boast a quarterback tandem of Luke McCown and Blaine Gabbert—are better than the Ravens (and, by extension, the Steelers, who lost 35-7 to the Ravens in week 1) is clinically insane.

6. Preseason and early season rankings are meaningless.

You should have known this already, but this truth has been especially obvious so far in the 2011 college football season. Auburn dropped from the rankings when the Tigers nearly lost to Utah State in week 1. But Auburn climbed back into the rankings after defeating Mississippi State—a ranked team. But Mississippi State has thus far done nothing to justify its preseason ranking; Auburn, for its part, gave up an early lead and got thumped by unranked Clemson Saturday.

Saturday morning, analysts were giving Boise State props for the Broncos’ 25-point take-down of Toledo, a team that had nearly beaten #17 Ohio State in the Horseshoe. Saturday afternoon, Ohio State showed, in a 24-6 loss to Miami (FL), that its top-20 ranking probably wasn’t justified. (I hope that people’s opinions of Boise State don’t suffer as a result.) Curiously, the coaches who vote in the USA Today poll gave Ohio State 92 votes and Miami only 39. Apparently preseason assumptions matter more than actual on-the-field results.

Notre Dame opened the season ranked #16 in the AP Poll and #18 in the coaches’ poll then lost to two unranked teams. Both of those teams (#18/#17 South Florida and #22/#21 Michigan) are now ranked, thanks largely to their upsets of Notre Dame. The Irish acquitted themselves this weekend by beating #15 Michigan State 31-13. State had ascended from its preseason #17 ranking to #15 after defeats of FCS Youngstown State and Florida Atlantic. The Spartans are now #23 according to the coaches and #26 according to the AP. (In both polls State received several times more votes than Notre Dame. Those wins over Youngstown State and FAU must have meant a lot to voters.)

College football is the only major sport in which polls help determine the national champion. But the polls are obviously flawed, largely because they rely so heavily on preseason assumptions. Even voters in the Harris Interactive Poll, which doesn’t come out until late September, are influenced by the late-summer assumptions of their colleagues. Alas, there is no way to prevent the AP, or any other media outlet, from releasing a preseason poll; so there’s really no use complaining about it.

7. Jay Cutler still dominates.

This has been established beyond a reasonable doubt. His teammates must have let him down against the Saints. I don’t know, I didn’t catch that game. (On a serious note, keep the Urlacher family in your prayers.) Cutler’s dominance has rubbed off on his alma mater. 3-0 Vandy, after consecutive wins over UConn and Ole Miss, this week received 8 votes in the AP Poll and 11 in the coaches’ poll.

8. Justin Verlander should be the AL MVP.

Verlander yesterday won his 12th straight game, improving his record to 24-5. Verlander is only the seventh pitcher since World War II to reach the arbitrary milestone of 24 wins and 240 strikeouts (and the first since Ron Guidry in 1978). It’s obvious that Verlander is more valuable to the Tigers than any other American League player is to his team. The only thing standing between him and a Most Valuable Player Award is anti-pitcher bias.

Luke Skywalker is real. Science says so.

9. George Lucas was right: It is possible for a planet to orbit two stars.

George Lucas hasn’t been right about much these days. But he deserves credit for introducing moviegoers to the idea that a planet could orbit two stars. Late last week astronomers announced the discovery of a planet that, like Luke Skywalker’s home planet of Tatooine, has two suns. Kepler-16b is a “Saturn-like world” that orbits two stars in a binary system.

10. iCarly may have jumped the shark.

If you watch Nickelodeon and Disney Channel as much as I do, you know that iCarly has long been the class of the tween sitcom genre. But the new season is off to a rough start. While I like the idea of a Sam-Freddie relationship, the execution has been poor. It just happened way too fast, with no build-up. Yes, Sam and Freddie kissed in Season 2. And Sam walked in on Freddie and Carly dancing and appeared to be jealous early in Season 3. But nothing has happened between then and now to make their current relationship seem believable.

Creator Dan Schneider also hasn’t figured out how to use Noah Munck, Gibby, as a full cast member. While I appreciate that Schneider hasn’t allowed Gibby to take over the show Steve Erkel-style, Gibby right now feels like a recurring character who makes way too many appearances. Schneider gave Gibby a major role in this weekend’s episode. But his reason for wanting to break-up Sam and Freddie wasn’t convincing, nor was his sudden change of heart.

My hope is that iCarly will get through this funk and return to tween sitcom dominance. But I’m not optimistic.

At this time, when everyone is looking ahead to 16-team superconferences and/or conferences that are geographically abhorrent and make no effort to preserve traditional rivalries, let’s look back at where these conferences started and where they have come.

Click on the links below to jump to a conference:

Big Ten
SEC
Pac-12
Big Eight
Southwest Conference
WAC
ACC
Big East
Conference USA

Big Ten Conference

Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives (better known as the Western Conference), original roster, 1896

Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives (better known as the Big Nine), 1899

Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives (better known as the Big Ten), 1917

Michigan left in 1908, but rejoined in 1917. Ohio State joined in 1912.

Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives (better known as the Big Ten), 1950

Chicago left in 1946. Michigan State joined in 1950. This roster would remain unchanged until 1990, when Penn State joined the league. (Penn State did not begin play in the Big Ten until 1992.) In 1987 the conference officially changed its name to the Big Ten.

Southeastern Conference

In 1932, 13 members of the Southern Conference broke away to establish the new Southeastern Conference. At that time the Southern Conference included the following schools (23 in all): Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Maryland, Mississippi, Mississippi State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Sewanee, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tulane, Vanderbilt, Virginia, VMI, Virginia Tech, and Washington & Lee.

Southeastern Conference, original roster, 1932

Southeastern Conference, 1967

Sewanee left in 1940; Georgia Tech in 1964; and Tulane in 1966. This roster would remain unchanged until Arkansas and South Carolina joined the league in 1991.

Pacific-12 Conference

Pacific Coast Conference, original roster, 1915

Pacific Coast Conference, 1928

Washington State joined the PCC in 1917; Stanford in 1918; USC and Idaho in 1922; Montana in 1924; and UCLA in 1928.

Athletic Association of Western Universities, original roster, 1959
The PCC disbanded in 1959. Five of its member institutions formed a new conference, the AAWU, also known as the Big Five.

Pacific-8 Conference, 1968

Washington State joined the AAWU in 1962; the Oregon schools joined in 1964. In 1968 the league formally changed its name to the Pacific-8 Conference.

Pacific-10 Conference, 1978

The Arizona schools joined in 1978, and the Pac-8 became the Pac-10. This roster would not change again until Colorado and Utah joined the league this year.

Big 8 Conference

The history of the Big 8 officially ended with the creation of the Big XII conference in 1996.
Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, original roster, 1907

Iowa was a member of both the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association and the Big Ten during this time.

Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, 1925

Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, better known as the Big Six, 1928

The private schools, along with Oklahoma A&M, left in 1928 to form the Missouri Valley Conference.

Big Eight Conference, 1964

Colorado joined in 1948, and the conference became known as the Big Seven. Oklahoma State rejoined the league in 1958. In 1964 the conference formally changed its name to the Big Eight. This roster and name would remain until the formation of the Big XII Conference in 1996.

Southwest Conference

Southwest Conference, original roster, 1915

Southwest Conference, 1926

Southwestern left in 1916, Oklahoma in 1919, and Oklahoma A&M in 1925. SMU joined in 1918, TCU in 1923.

Southwest Conference, 1971

Texas Tech joined in 1956, Houston in 1971. This roster would be stable until Arkansas left for the SEC in 1991. In 1996 Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech joined with the Big 8 schools to form the Big XII. Rice, SMU, and TCU joined the WAC. Houston became a founding member of Conference USA.

Western Athletic Conference

Western Athletic Conference, original roster, 1962

Western Athletic Conference, 1980

UTEP and Colorado State joined in 1967. The Arizona schools left to be part of the Pac-10 in 1978. The WAC replaced them with San Diego State (1978), Air Force (1979), and Hawaii (1980).

Western Athletic Conference, 1996

Air Force, BYU, Colorado State, UNLV, New Mexico, San Diego State, Utah, and Wyoming left in 1999 to form the Mountain West Conference. The WAC’s roster has been unstable ever since. Notice that, by next year, the only team from the 1996 roster that will still be in the conference is San Jose State.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Atlantic Coast Conference, original roster, 1953

The ACC hasn’t changed much in its 58 years as a conference. South Carolina left in 1971 and was replaced by Georgia Tech in 1978. Florida State joined in 1991. The ACC added Miami and Virginia Tech in 2004, followed by Boston College in 2005.

Big East Conference (Football Only)

Big East Conference football members, original roster, 1991

The Big East didn’t sponsor football until 1991. At the time Boston College, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse were the only Big East schools with Division I-A football programs. The other five schools were new to the conference. Temple, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia joined as football-only members. The Big East dropped Temple in 2004, the same year UConn was eligible to become a football member and Miami and Virginia Tech left for the ACC. In 2005, when Boston College left, the Big East added Cincinnati, Louisville, and South Florida from Conference USA. TCU will join next year.

Conference USA

Conference USA football members, original roster, 1996

Conference USA was established in 1995 but didn’t sponsor football until 1996, when Houston joined. (Houston was a founding member of Conference USA but had to play out the 1995-1996 season in the Southwest Conference before joining. The other members were football independents before 1996.) East Carolina joined as a football-only member in 1997; Army in 1998.  UAB and South Florida were founding members of Conference USA, but were not admitted as football members until 1999 and 2003, respectively. TCU joined in 2001. Army left in 2004; TCU left in 2005, the same year several other schools left for the Big East. That year Conference USA added UCF, Marshall, Rice, SMU, UTEP, and Tulsa. The league has been stable ever since.

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Josh Tinley is the author of Kneeling in the End Zone: Spiritual Lessons From the World of Sports. Follow him at twitter.com/joshtinley or send him an e-mail.

(For a complete timeline of the events that led to the Big XII’s current state, click here.)

Colorado and Nebraska left last year; and rumors that the SEC will go after Missouri or that the Oklahoma schools will bolt for the Pac 12/14 never seem to go away. Both the Big Ten and Pac 12 have long coveted Texas, and the Big East has suggested that it would welcome the four schools from the former Big XII North.

But is the Big XII really as doomed as everyone seems to think it is?

Austin American-Statesman columnist Kirk Bohls thinks that one more move—perhaps Oklahoma to the Pac 12—will kill the conference. Bohls tweeted earlier this week that there’s a 70 percent chance that Texas will end up in Pac 12. Meanwhile rumors abound about possible expansion candidates.

While some observers are prepping for a conference alignment apocalypse, the Big XII’s situation isn’t nearly as dire as the conventional wisdom suggests, and it’s quite possible that the conference will survive. Here’s why:

The Big XII, like Gloria Gaynor, will survive.

Nine Teams Is Plenty

Aside from the embarrassment of calling yourself the Big XII even after three of your 12 teams have left you, there is no shame in being a 9-team league. The Big XII’s predecessor, the Big 8, thrived for decades with only 8 teams (and zero top-ten media markets). The Southwest Conference—longtime home of Texas, Texas Tech, and Baylor—never had more than 9 teams. Prior to  2004, the ACC only had 9 teams. The Big East and Mountain West currently have 8 teams apiece. As recently as 1991, every Division I-A football conference had between 7 and 10 teams.

Granted, all the other major conferences are expanding. The Pac 12 just added Colorado and Utah; the Big Ten added Nebraska; the Big East will be adding TCU; the SEC will be (presumably) adding Texas A&M; the Mountain West just added Boise State, with Fresno State, Nevada, and Hawaii (football only) soon to follow. And it’s only been six years since the ACC added Boston College. No conference wants to be the only major conference that’s shrinking, but bigger isn’t always better.

In 1996 the 10-team Western Athletic Conference decided to become a superconference, adding three Southwest Conference schools that didn’t get Big XII invitations (TCU, SMU, and Rice), along with UNLV, Tulsa, and San Jose State. Expansion got the WAC into new media markets, but it also diluted the product. Old-guard schools such as Utah, BYU, New Mexico, Colorado State, and Wyoming weren’t interested in being in a 16-team conference that spanned from Houston to Manoa. So they—along with UNLV, Air Force, and San Diego State (and later TCU)—broke off and formed the Mountain West Conference. By next season the Mountain West will have poached the WAC’s last remaining notable programs, leaving the lesser league begging FCS schools to upgrade their athletic departments.

The ACC’s recent expansion is another cautionary tale. Adding Virginia Tech, Miami, and Boston College helped the ACC get a nice new TV contract with ESPN, but it hasn’t turned the ACC into a football power conference, nor has it elevated the ACC to the level of the Big Ten, SEC, and Pac 12.

Nine is fine. Adding BYU to get back to 10 would be a good move. Adding Louisville, Pittsburgh, Memphis, and/or any former Southwest Conference school to get to 12 wouldn’t. I don’t care how badly Boone Pickens wants TCU. Expand with caution.

Who Else Might Leave?

In its current configuration, the Big XII is in good shape. It will never be worse than the fourth best football conference. And when it comes to conference alignment, football drives everything. (That said, as long as it has Kansas, the Big XII will be a relevant men’s basketball conference too.) Any speculation about the league’s demise comes from the assumption that more teams will leave.

For a school to switch conferences a school a) must want to leave its current conference and b) must secure an invitation from a new conference. Are there Big XII schools that would benefit from leaving and be welcome elsewhere?

The Pac 16: not as inevitable as you think

Both the Big Ten and Pac 12 have expressed interest in Texas in the past; but that was before the Longhorn Network. Pac 12 commissioner Larry Scott has said that the Longhorn Network would be a “huge impediment” to Texas joining the league.

It makes sense that Iowa State, Baylor, and Texas Tech would begrudgingly approve of UT’s 20-year deal with ESPN. If they hadn’t, they might be headed to the Mountain West or Conference USA. USC, UCLA, Arizona, and Oregon wouldn’t be so forgiving. Considering that no one can even watch the Longhorn Network, one might think that Texas would give up on the Longhorn Network or turn it into one of the Pac 12′s regional networks. But I can think of $300 million reasons why that won’t happen.

Carter Strickland of ESPN’s HornsNation blog (yes, ESPN now has a HornsNation blog) says that Texas is better off staying put. As long as it’s in the Big XII, Texas can do whatever it wants. It wouldn’t have nearly as much sway in the Pac 12.

Independence is another option that Texas has allegedly discussed. The football Longhorns would do well as an independent, but the other sports would need a home conference. No major conference, apart from maybe the Big East, would welcome Texas without the football team. And if UT wants people to tune in to volleyball and baseball games on its new network, it would be best if those teams didn’t play in a second-tier league.

Other than Texas, Oklahoma is probably the only school that could kill the conference by leaving. I have no doubt that the Sooners would love to join the Pac 12, but I’m not convinced that the Pac 12 wants them.

Oklahoma would give the Pac 12 a top-10 football program and eyeballs in the coveted Texas media markets. It would also give them Oklahoma State. Politically, it would be near impossible to take one without the other. Adding Oklahoma would mean splitting revenue 14 ways instead of 12. Some Pac 12 presidents might also be concerned about how the Oklahoma schools fit in culturally, geographically, and academically.

The Pac 12 expressed interest in Oklahoma last year, but that was when Texas was part of the package. Much has changed since then.

Missouri could realistically leave for the SEC, but the Big XII could survive without Missouri. You’d hate to lose St. Louis, just like the league probably hated to lose Denver, but the big money is in Texas (and the real college sports fans are in Kansas City).

All of the former Big XII North schools would be welcome in the Big East, and some would probably be welcome in the ACC, but the money is better in a nine-team Big XII with Texas and Oklahoma that it would be in a 14-team ACC or a 29-team Big East.

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Final Thought

The Big XII can live and thrive as a 9- or 10-team league. It will even be OK losing another school or two, as long as that school or two isn’t Texas and/or Oklahoma.So don’t hold your breath waiting for the Pac 12 to make an offer to the Big XII’s premier programs, and don’t assume that, if the opportunity arises, current Big XII will leave for another league.

There is no reason why the Big XII cannot remain the flagship college athletic conference in Texas and the Great Plains for years to come.

Of course, I could be wrong about all of this. So next week, when Texas and the Oklahoma schools announce that they’re leaving and that the conference will disband after this season, you can tweet me, @joshtinley, and tell me why I’m an idiot.

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Josh Tinley is the author of Kneeling in the End Zone: Spiritual Lessons From the World of Sports. Follow him at twitter.com/joshtinley or send him an e-mail.

* – Bob Stoops/Mack Brown photo source: Bleacher Report

What has sparked the outrage around the Big 12 and the rest of college football, is that the Longhorn Network wants to show the high school games of players that are committed to Texas.  Texas A&M is the first team to speak out against the unfairness towards recruiting that this presents and more teams could follow their lead.

Here is what Dave Brown, who is the ESPN VP of programming overseeing the network said in an interview with KZNK-FM in Austin Texas that created all the controversy.

This part of the interview transcript was provided by SPORTSbyBROOKS:

“We’re going to follow the great [high school] players in the state. Obviously a kid like [unsigned Texas verbal commit] Johnathan Gray. I know people [Longhorn Network subscribers] are going to want to see Johnathan Gray, I can’t wait to see Johnathan Gray.

“Feedback from our audience is they just want to see Johnathan Gray run whether it’s 45-0 or not, they want to see more Johnathan Gray. So we’re going to do our best to accommodate them [Longhorn Network subscribers] and follow the kids who are being recruited by a lot of the Division I schools. Certainly some of the kids Texas has recruited and is recruiting and everyone else the Big 12 is recruiting.

“One other thing, you may see us, I know there’s a kid [unsigned Texas verbal commit] Connor Brewer from Chapparal high school in Arizona. We may try to get on one or two of their games as well so people [Longhorn Network subscribers] can see an incoming quarterback that’ll be part of the scene in Austin.“

This new revelation has caused Texas A&M and 8 other schools from the Big 12 to have closed-door sessions about the fairness of the network broadcasting the games of kids committed to Texas.  These schools are worried that this latest development will give Texas an unfair advantage when it comes to recruiting.

When ESPN and the University of Texas announced that they were forming this new network, they did not state that their intentions were to show the high school games of players committed to Texas.  What was announced in January was the network was planning on broadcasting games that involved all the athletic teams from the University of Texas.  This is an excerpt from ESPN’s announcement of the Longhorn Network in January:

Included in the coverage will be at least one exclusive football game, eight men’s basketball games, women’s basketball coverage of games not televised elsewhere, and Olympic sports coverage. There will also be pregame and postgame shows for football and basketball games, coaches’ shows for every sport Texas sponsors and other daily programming. Plans call for 200 events a year.

Texas A&M’s complaint about this creating an unfair advantage in recruiting is completely accurate and warranted.   This is telling all the top high school recruits that if you commit to playing football at the University of Texas than we will broadcast your games on television.  Since every other football program across college football does not have the resources to do that, then neither should the University of Texas.

Texas had the opportunity to create this network when the Big 12 was in disarray after Nebraska and Colorado left for new conferences.  Texas was the key to keeping the conference together and that gave them all the power to get anything they wanted from the rest of the Big 12.  When they proposed this network idea to every team in the Big 12, they had to agree or they would have scrambled to find a new conference.  If they would not have agreed, than Texas would have bolted for a new conference and some of the teams from the former Big 12 North would have been out of BCS conferences completely.

Clearly the idea of airing high school games of kids committed to Texas was not known to the rest of the athletic directors in the Big 12, or Texas A&M would have spoken out and taken a  stance against it.  Texas A&M was not one of those schools that had to succumb to Texas’s demands because they had an open invitation to join the SEC.  If Texas A&M would have known the Longhorn Network’s intentions from the beginning, they almost certainly would have left for greener pastures.

If the Longhorn Network does follow through on playing high school football games, it could spell the end of the Big 12 conference.  Texas A&M is the first team to voice their displeasure because they know that there is another conference that will take them at any moment’s notice.  If Texas A&M is already this unhappy, then it will only be a matter time before Oklahoma and the other big schools in the conference start to voice their discontentment about the Longhorn Network.

The Longhorn Network might sound good for Texas and the Big 12 in the present time but it does not bode well for the conference in the future.

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* – Longhorn Network photo credit: via chron.com

* – Texas A&M vs. Texas photo credit: via Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images via Bleacherreport

However, the conference lost its share of star power with five players entering the NBA draft along with high-scoring guards LaceDarius Dunn and Jacob Pullen (beard sold separately).  Iowa State’s Diante Garrett was another underrated player who has earned high praise from NBA scouts.

The departure of 10 of the league’s top 12 scorers (including the top six) and six of its top eight rebounders should lead to a wide open race for the conference championship with four squads holding a relatively equal shot at the crown.  And oh by the way, there are four new coaches in the mix as well.

All is not lost though.  Perry Jones stunned many experts by returning to Baylor, and a number of impact transfers (mostly at Iowa State) become eligible this year.  Throw in three Top 25 recruiting classes, including three of the Top 10 players by some rankings, and things should remain entertaining in the Big 12.

Worst case, you get to hear Bob Knight breaking down Big Monday matchups once a week.  Shot fake!

Baylor

I was shocked to see Perry Jones head back to Waco, but the prospect of watching him team up with highly touted recruits Quincy Miller and Deuce Bello has me salivating.

Jones posted nearly 14 points and seven boards as a true freshman and will likely be a top pick whenever he heads to the NBA.  Miller is a consensus 5-star recruit at forward and should start right away.  With reigning Big 12 Sixth Man Award winner Quincy Acy and Anthony Jones also back along the front line, no one in the conference can match the Bears’ depth and athleticism up front.

The question marks here are primarily in the backcourt after losing leading scorer LaceDarius Dunn.  Bello helps to ease some of that sting, and Boston College transfer Brady Heslip will also be in the mix.

At the point, A.J. Walton returns after dishing out 4.7 assists per game last season.  That looks great on the surface, but Walton also struggled with his shooting and posted more turnovers than you’d like to see from a lead guard.  Enter juco All-American point guard Pierre Jackson who will likely unseat Walton from his starting role.  Jackson dished out roughly the same number of assists at Southern Idaho while shooting 25 percent higher than Walton from the free throw line.  Cal transfer Gary Franklin will also add depth once he’s eligible in December.

Baylor has as much talent as anyone in the league, and they’re my early pick to win the league.

Iowa State

Coach Fred Hoiberg is quickly turning Ames into Transfer U, or at the very least some kind of halfway house for Big Ten castoffs.  The Cyclones lost three of their top four scorers, but transfers Chris Allen (Michigan State), Chris Babb (Penn State), Anthony Booker (Southern Illinois), and Royce White (Minnesota) gained valuable experience practicing with one another while sitting out last season.  That should help Hoiberg restock the cupboard when teamed with Scott Christopherson and Melvin Ejim.

Christopherson averaged 13.7 points last season, thanks in large part to knocking down better than 44 percent of his triples.  The 6-foot-6 Ejim was a monster on the offensive glass while also scoring in double figures as a freshman.  No other returning players scored over four points per game, so the glut of transfers will see major minutes.  Allen and Babb can both knock down the outside shot and were key members of the rotation for their former teams.  Booker should help down low, and the enigmatic White never even suited up for the Gophers due to some off-court transgressions.  For a time, he even threatened to give up the game entirely, but he was a highly sought after recruit when he came out in 2009.

The team also recently signed power forward Percy Gibson after he de-committed from Dayton in the wake of the Flyers’ coaching change.  Due to limited inside depth, Gibson should see playing time and can help out mostly on the glass.  With Diante Garrett lost due to graduation, point guard play will be critical.  Allen can play that role to a certain extent, but junior college transfer Tyrus McGee will also be in the mix.

Kansas

Bill Self was caught off guard by both Morris twins and Josh Selby staying in the NBA draft, and consequently, the Jayhawks still have three open scholarships remaining.  They are hoping one of those goes to DeAndre Daniels, who is working diligently to set the record for most rumored and/or postponed announcements on his intentions for next season.  In the meantime, Kansas is preparing for the season minus six of its top eight scorers (including the top three) and six of its top seven rebounders.

The loss of the Morrii dealt an obvious blow to the front court, but even though Kansas fans won’t soon forget the tournament shooting woes of Brady Morningstar and Tyrel Reed, the stability they brought to the backcourt was vastly underrated.  Tyshawn Taylor, who led the team in assists last season, will take on a larger role this year, as will Thomas Robinson, who battled through personal tragedies last season to be a tremendous asset off the bench.  Despite playing just 14.6 minutes per game, T-Rob scored 7.6 points and grabbed 6.4 boards and should excel in an expanded role.  Outside of that, Elijah Johnson will see more minutes in the backcourt, and Jeff Withey will have to produce down low.

While there are some nice recruits entering the fray, this doesn’t have the same fanfare as some of the recent KU classes.  Small forward Ben McLemore is the highest rated of the bunch, and by all accounts, he has the tools to be an explosive wing player as he adds a bit more weight to his frame.  Point guard Naadir Tharpe has a shot at earning a starting job as well, while Jamari Traylor and Braeden Anderson will see time up front out of necessity if nothing else.

Adding Daniels to the mix would bolster the team’s overall talent level, and despite the fact that many things appear stacked against them, I don’t think you can ever write off Kansas entirely.

Kansas State

Following the departures and transfers of six players, most notably Jacob Pullen, Curtis Kelly, and Wally Judge, Frank Martin will be breaking in (and maybe breaking down) plenty of new players, albeit with far lower expectations than a year ago.  The good news is that they return six players who played at least 12 minutes per game last year.

Foremost among those is Rodney McGruder who was second on the team in scoring and led them in rebounding despite being just 6-foot-5.  Forward Jamar Samuels saw his shooting and consequently his scoring fall after a strong sophomore campaign, so he’ll be looking to bounce back during his final season in Manhattan.  Seven-foot soph Jordan Henriquez-Roberts, who averaged 4.3 rebounds in fewer than 14 minutes, will join Samuels up front, and Will Spradling and Martavious Irving will see expanded minutes in the backcourt.  Martin also adds six new players to the roster.  Power forward Thomas Gipson is a “space-eater” inside and should post his share of double-doubles by the time is career is over.  Juco guard Jeremy Jones posted 18.1 points and 4.6 assists last season and has a shot to start at the point.  Fellow junior college product James Watson and former St. John’s guard Omari Lawrence seem to be the other new faces most likely to work their way into the rotation.

Regardless of their quality of play, Martin’s antics make the Wildcats intriguing, and if the players buy into his style of play, they have a shot to exceed expectations this year.

Missouri

I’m not sure if any new coach walked into a better situation than Frank Haith did this offseason.  The former Miami head man inherits a team that lost only Justin Safford and his 6.4 points per game while bringing back nine players who averaged at least 9.8 minutes and six who logged over 22 minutes per contest.

Among those are five double-digit scorers, led by guard Marcus Denmon who scored 16.9 points per game and made a ridiculous 44.8 percent from beyond the arc.  They also boast Big 12 All-Defensive First Teamer Laurence Bowers, reigning Newcomer of the Year Ricardo Ratliffe, and Kim English, who has a terrific Twitter feed for those of you interested in that sort of thing.  Throw in Michael Dixon and Flip and Matt Pressey and you have a great mix of experience and depth.  They have no incoming freshman, but redshirt forward Kadeem Green is recovered from an Achilles injury suffered his senior year in high school and should help with his defense and shot-blocking.

The main question mark here is Haith and the change from Mike Anderson’s trapping, uptempo style.  Haith compiled a 129-101 record in seven seasons with Miami, with the lone NCAA appearance coming in 2008.  In his defense, the program wasn’t in great shape when he took over, and his graduation rate was stellar.  However, he finished 26 games under .500 in the ACC despite a portion of his tenure coming during a “down” period for the league.  More than that, the Hurricane fan base isn’t basketball crazy by any means, and Haith appears to be a guy whose had mediocre success at best in a low pressure situation.  Mizzou fans, on the other hand, love their hoops, and with a team full of veterans, expectations are high for this season.  How Haith responds to that scenario remains to be seen, but I think anything outside of a top two finish in the league would be disappointing.

Oklahoma

Like Missouri, the Sooners welcome in a new coach, albeit a more well-known one in Lon Kruger, who already has earned the support of Toby Keith.  However, Oklahoma’s leading scorer and rebounder Cade Davis graduated, and the overall talent level isn’t what it needs to be following a couple subpar seasons.

Junior forward Andrew Fitzgerald posted 12.6 points and 5.0 rebounds as a sophomore but faded down the stretch.  Cameron Clark also returns up front and needs to be more consistent for the Sooners to be more competitive.  In the backcourt, Carl Blair dished out nearly five assists per game, but his shooting is a liability and allows defenses to sag off of him.  Shooting guard Steven Pledger has shown flashes (see: 38-point outburst against Iowa State last year), but he’s also been dramatically inconsistent (see: 0-point performance in 33 minutes versus Texas).  Barring additional signees, Kruger will add just a few new faces to the roster.  Juco center Casey Avent averaged a double-double last season, and point guard Sam Grooms doled out six assists for Chipola Junior College.  Mississippi State transfer Romero Osby also becomes eligible and adds depth inside, which is good news for a team with limited height.

Kruger has the Sooners in rebuilding mode, but they should certainly be improved from a year ago.

Oklahoma State

There’s a lot going on in Stillwater.  First, leading scorer and rebounder Marshall Moses graduated.  Ray Penn is transferring, and the well-traveled and oft-troubled Matt Pilgrim has exhausted his eligibility.  Darrell Williams’ status is still uncertain due to rape charges, but don’t count on him being back.  However,  despite that roster turnover, there is plenty of reason for optimism.

That begins with Top 10 recruit LeBryan Nash, who will be an impact player from day one.  At 6-foot-7, 225 pounds, Nash’s body is ready for the college level, and his athleticism allows him to hurt opponents in a variety of ways.  Throw in the return of Keiton Page, who averaged better than 13 points last year, and junior J.P. Olukemi, who put up 11 points and four rebounds in just over 20 minutes per game, and you have a solid nucleus.  Guard Reger Dowell also came on strong late in the year, reaching double figures in six of the final nine games, and Markel Brown showed some potential at shooting guard, too.  A few other new faces should see playing time as well, particularly inside.  Center Philip Jurick averaged 10.5 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 9.5 blocks at Chattanooga State last season, and redshirt freshman Michael Cobbins was a highly rated recruit before suffering a knee injury in high school.

The Cowboys finished last season with more turnovers than assists last season (by a fairly wide margin), so point guard play will be key.  Page will likely start there, but speedy freshman Cezar Guerrero could run the show as well.  Oklahoma State has some nice pieces and could well be a wild card in the Big 12 race.

Texas

Few teams were hurt by NBA early entrants as much as the Longhorns with Jordan Hamilton, Tristan Thompson, and Cory Joseph all staying in the draft.  Throw in the losses of Gary Johnson and backup Matt Hill up front and guards Dogus Balbay and Jai Lucas in the backcourt, and Texas lost six of its top seven scorers, its top six rebounders, and its top three assist men.

In fact, guard J’Covan Brown is the only returnee to average more than 2.3 points, but they do add a slew of talented recruits.  Point guard Myck Kabongo is Top 10 prospect who should be given the keys to the offense right away.  He boasts terrific athleticism and can get into the lane with ease as well as knock down open shots.  Texas also adds Sheldon McClellan, Julien Lewis, and Sterling Gibbs to its stable of guards.  McClellan and Lewis are both known for attacking the rim, and Gibbs, the brother of Pitt guard Ashton, signed with the Longhorns after the coaching change at Maryland.  If you noticed I haven’t talked about many big guys yet, it’s because there aren’t many.  Six-foot-seven Alexis Wangmene is their top returning frontcourt player after averaging 2.3 points and 2.3 rebounds last year.  Texas has just three players taller than Wangmene though, two freshmen and a seldom-used senior.  One of those freshman, Jonathan Holmes, will likely start right away in the post, while the other, Kevin Thomas, should see plenty of minutes as well.  Rebounding was a huge strength a season ago, and it may well be the biggest question mark heading into 2011-12.

The freshman class is loaded with talent, and Rick Barnes will have no choice but to rely heavily on them.  Expectations are certainly lower than in years past, but Texas should still be in the mix for a tournament bid if the team can gel quickly.

Texas A&M

While the Aggies lost Nathan Walkup and B.J. Holmes to graduation, their biggest offseason departure came a few weeks ago when coach Mark Turgeon left for Maryland.  That isn’t to say that they didn’t do a nice job of filling that hole with former Murray State head man Billy Kennedy, but with a talented core of players back in College Station, a coaching change has a chance to upset the apple cart.

The Aggies will be anchored by the frontcourt duo of Khris Middleton and David Loubeau.  Both toyed with the idea of heading to the NBA before ultimately coming back to school.  Middleton, a 6-foot-7 swingman, notched double-digit points in 27 of 33 contests last season and is also the leading returning rebounder.  Loubeau has shown steady improvement in each of his three seasons and played his best basketball over the final two months of last season, averaging 14.0 points and 4.6 boards while shooting 55.8 percent from the field and 79.2 percent from the line.  Sophomore Kourtney Roberson also returns after posting 5.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in just 12.7 minutes per game, and without Walkup, his minutes should increase.  In the backcourt, Dash Harris was second on the team with 3.1 assists last season but shot just 26.8 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from deep.  If that doesn’t change (and maybe even if it does), freshman Jamal Branch has a chance to assume the starting role.  Branch is a Top 50 recruit according to at least a couple scouting services and provides more offensive potential than Harris.  At shooting guard, Naji Hibbert returns, and they add freshman Jordan Green and Washington transfer Elston Turner.  Kennedy should be able to mix and match enough to get by with that trio.

With solid depth and a wealth of experience, Kennedy has walked into a terrific situation.  The Aggies should be a lock to finish in the top four of the conference with a legitimate shot to win it.

Texas Tech

Much to the chagrin of Kentucky fans, Billy Gillispie has found work again, this time in Lubbock.  However, Big Blue Nation can take solace in the fact that the Red Raiders are in full scale rebuilding mode after losing their top four scorers, top three assist men, and top two rebounders.

Gillispie returns just one player, forward Robert Lewandowski, who averaged better than five points a season ago.  He’s also the only guy to play more than 14 minutes per game.  One of the bright spots is that Utah transfer Marshall Henderson will be eligible this fall.  Henderson scored nearly 12 points per game as a freshman and should be the focal point of the Red Raider backcourt.  As you might expect, there are a slew of new players joining the squad.  Shooting guard Toddrick Gotcher was tabbed as the conference’s best incoming shooter by Rivals, while small forward Terran Petteway was cited for having the best motor.  Fellow freshman Kevin Wagner is undersized at 5-foot-8 but should compete for time at the point along with juco transfer Ty Nurse.  With limited depth inside, many of the newcomers could play immediately there as well.  Center Kader Tapsoba averaged 3.5 blocks at Tyler Junior College, although he wasn’t much of a scorer.  Jaron Nash, a teammate of Tapsoba last season, also joins the team but is described as more of a perimeter player despite his 6-foot-8 frame.  Freshman Jordan Tolbert is a bit undersized for a power forward but has a chance to help on the glass.

Gillispie has had success in the Big 12 before, but it’s hard to envision a scenario where the Red Raiders aren’t in the conference’s cellar.

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Given the current state of the bubble and the apparent reality that no one actually wants to make the tournament, another team or two may well sneak into the field of 68.

As I’ve done previously with the Big Ten and ACC, here’s what you may have missed so far in the Big 12 this season.

Best Team: Kansas (20-1, 5-1)

The Jayhawks are one of the deepest teams in the country with ten players averaging at least 13 minutes.  The Morris twins, Marcus and Markieff, combine for nearly 30 points and 16 boards per game, and the mid-season addition of highly-touted freshman Josh Selby gives them an upgrade at the point.  Selby sat out the first nine games of the season for receiving improper benefits, but he’s knocking down better than 43 percent from beyond the arc since joining the team.

KU’s lone loss came at the hands of Texas and in the wake of the tragedies surrounding forward Thomas Robinson.  In the span of less than a month, Robinson lost both of his grandparents and his mother, who left behind Robinson and his nine-year old sister.

With just three ranked teams left on the schedule, expect the Jayhawks to earn a one seed in March.

Biggest Surprise: Texas (18-3, 6-0)

The aforementioned win by the Longhorns nearly had me listing them as the conference’s best squad.  Sure, many feel like they’ve been reeled in by Texas in the past (I’ve have the X’ed-out brackets to prove it), but this team is doing it differently.  In conference play, the ‘Horns are shutting opponents down to the tune of 0.84 points per possession, the best of any major conference team.

They’re no slouch on the offensive end either.  Sophomore Jordan Hamilton has shown great maturity after a frustrating freshman year and leads the team in both scoring and rebounding while hitting on 42.4 percent from deep.  Freshmen Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph have contributed immediately and meshed well with the team.

Based on their recent play and overall resume, you could make a compelling argument for Texas to earn a one seed as well.

Biggest Disappointment: Kansas State (14-8, 2-5)

The Wildcats were miscast as a Top 10 team to start the season, but the team is completely imploding at this point.  You can blame the loss of leader and point guard Denis Clemente, but this team’s issues run deeper than that.  A series of off-court transgressions and disjointed play on the court would seem to indicate coach Frank Martin has lost this team.

Guard Jacob Pullen said earlier this season that he wouldn’t play if the team made the NIT, and we’re getting pretty close to figuring out whether he’s a man of his word.  The Wildcats do have wins over Virginia Tech, a disappointing Gonzaga squad, and the aforementioned road win at Wazzou, but that won’t be enough if they can’t turn things around within the conference.  Home dates with Kansas and Missouri and a road trip to Texas provide the only opportunities to enhance their case.

Best of the Rest:

Texas A&M (17-3, 4-2)

After knocking off Missouri in OT, the Aggies were 16-1 and one of the nation’s biggest surprises.  They’ve since dropped two of three with the Longhorns looming on Monday.  The win over Mizzou is their best, but the Aggies have also knocked off Washington and Temple, so a decent seed is still a possibility.  A&M does play five of their final nine games away from home, but they face just one ranked team during that stretch.

Missouri (17-4, 3-3)

The Tigers can light up the scoreboard thanks to their running and pressing style of play.  Like Kansas, Missouri has a deep bench with 10 players averaging better than 10 minutes and five scoring in double figures.  With the exception of two games against Kansas over the remainder of the year, Missouri has a favorable schedule and should wind up with a top four seed.

Baylor (14-6, 4-3)

The records don’t look bad, but Baylor’s best win is probably at home versus Colorado.  Five ranked opponents await them from here on out, so they’ll have their chances to earn a bid.

Nebraska (15-5, 3-3)

Saturday’s win over Texas A&M was nice, but losses to Davidson and Texas Tech are flat out ugly.  The Huskers pushed Kansas to the brink, but they need more quality W’s from here on out.

Colorado (14-8, 3-4)

A couple weeks ago the Buffs were sitting at 14-4 and 3-0 in the conference after wins against Missouri and Kansas State.  With four losses in a row, Colorado is reeling as they near the halfway point in league play.

They do have four more chances to knock off a ranked team, but with losses to San Francisco, Harvard, and Oklahoma, the Buffs will need to win at least one or two of them.

Oklahoma State (14-7, 2-5)

Saturday’s overtime loss at Texas Tech might be the final nail in the coffin for the Cowboys.  Outside of that, none of their losses are terrible, but they’ll need to perform well in their four remaining games against ranked teams to reach the .500 mark in conference play.

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The Big 10, which actually had 11 teams, added a team from the Big 12, which did in fact have 12 teams at the beginning of today. So now, the Big 10 actually has 12 teams while the Big 12 actually has 11…no wait, 10, because Colorado is now a part of the Pac-10, which had 10 teams but now has 11.

So, let’s try this again: the Big 12 had 12 teams, but lost two and now has 10, technically making it the Big 10. And the Big 10, which had 11 teams, added one and now has 12, technically making it the Big 12. The Pac-10, which no one will care about anyway now that USC is on probation, is now the Pac-11.

[Deep breath....deep breath]

I can’t take this anymore. Let’s make fun of some coaches.

Johnny, let’s show the Big 10 (12) and Pac 10 (11) what they’ve won!

As previously mentioned, the Big 10 added Nebraska today. Purportedly, the #1 reason why the Big 10 was interested in Nebraska was to confuse and infuriate Indiana fans when both red & white schools (say it with me now Hoosiers, “We’re cream and crimson damnit!) are on the same field/court. But that is not, in fact, the real reason why Nebraska was added.

The Big 10 added the Cornhuskers because coaches in the conference have gone soft and the Big 10 needed the constant screaming and contorted facial expressions of Bo Pelini.

Remember, this is the conference of Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, Hayden Fry, Bob Knight, Jud Heathcoate, Gene Keady, and other assorted old, angry (and sometimes goofy) white men. Now, however, this drill sergeant legacy has been replaced by politicians like Jim Tressel, douchenozzles like Rich Rodriguez, old guys who can’t remember where they are like Joe Paterno, and men who think they are cheerleaders like Tom “Clap, Clap, Clap” Crean.

Something had to be done, and Bo Pelini is the right man to do it, as the following video and pictures prove:

Image source: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images via Zimbio.com

Image source: DawgSports.com

Image source: John F. Rhodes / DMN Photo Staff via DentonRC.com

Image source: Deadspin

Hmm…not really sure what to say about that last picture. Let’s just say that most people who wear Cleveland Indians clothing look or at least act like that.

Moving on.

Nebraska wasn’t the only member of the former Big 12 (now technically Big 10, but not that Big 10 who is now technically the Big 12, but not that Big 12…AHHHH!!! I said I was going to stop! We’ll all go insane!) to move. Colorado and football coach Dan Hawkins will now be doing a lot more flying left to the West coach on Fridays as they begin new rivalries with their new Pac 10 (11) brothers.

Right brother?

And we’re not talking about intramurals either, are we brother?

No sir. We’re talking about DIVISION 1 COLLEGE FOOTBALL! (You know…the kind they haven’t played in Boulder since Bill McCartney left.)

At least, that’s what Dan Hawkins was talking about (brother).

This is similar to a rant that Hawkins made when he played coach Pete Bell in the movie Blue Chips.

At least now Hawkins is going to a conference with schools that take football seriously, certainly more than those pansy asses in Texas and Oklahoma. Light weights! Hard Ass Hawkins and his mighty Buffalos will now get to match up in battles of will and toughness with the likes of UCLA. If I do say so myself, it’s about damn time.

Oh, and for good measure, Hawkins has some stupid pictures on the Internet too. Let’s enjoy those before going back to Izzo Watch 2010.

Image Source: TideDruid.com

Image source: EDSBS

Image source: BuffZone

Image source: Downstreamer

(P.S. In case you didn’t figure it out, I think Dan Hawkins looks like Nick Nolte. Actually…and don’t tell the Pac-10 this because they’re really excited about getting Colorado…the Dan Hawkins we’ve seen coaching at Colorado actually is Nick Nolte. The real Dan Hawkins is still back coaching Boise State in secret. What…do you have a better explanation for the Buffs’ play under Hawkins?)

Anyway, congratulations to the Big 10 (now 12) and Pac 10 (11) both of which gained colorful coaches who will provide bloggers with funny pictures and snarky comments for many Falls to come.

And to the Big 12 (now 10…for now), it truly is your loss. But hey, at least you still have a crazy coach or two left, including the one below…you know, until you don’t even exist as a conference anymore.

Image source: The Pitch

Update: A loyal twitter follower just reminded me that Mark “Mangiant” no longer coaches at Kansas anymore. Haha, I forgot. Damn it sucks to be the Big 12 right now.

First things first though, or to be over dramatic, THE FUTURE IS NOW!

All the indications from the mainstream media are that The University of Nebraska will formally announce a move from the Big XII to the Big Ten by this weekend. This, ironically, would leave the Big XII at 11 teams (insert “they always were 11, Iowa State sucks” joke here) and Nebraska boosts the Big Ten from 11 to 12 teams.

If that is confusing, so too will be a redesigned symbol if the conference tries to hold onto the Big Ten name.

My head is spinning with double digit numbers and synonyms of “large” and “middle America”. Midwest 12…The NEW Big 12….Dozen Dunkerds Conference?

Leave it The Big Ten, just get that graphic designer they used in 1993 when Penn State joined. Oh he’s crippled from carpal tunnel syndrome, you say? And can’t draw anymore? Crap. I’ll do it for him.

Orangebloods.com has high placed sources telling them about the eventual Nebraska move and also claims the Big XII is all but dead now. They report that Texas and Texas A&M officials are meeting today to make sure both schools are on the same page. Also, trying to save the Big XII conference doesn’t seem to be in the cards.

How did this all happen? What seemed like years away from official moves and expansions (and dismantling) has quickly gained momentum the last couple weeks during and after conference athletic meetings.

It has already been reported that the PAC-10 is about to offer Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Colorado spots in their conference, I guess to form one stupidly huge conference stretching thousands of miles from Seattle to Austin. Stupidly Huge Conference might be a confusing name. You may have heard it as some variation of “Super Power Mega Conference” based off the number of schools added.

Earlier in the week the Big XII was giving Nebraska and Missouri a Friday ultimatum to announce whether they are staying or leaving the conference.  Needless to say, Nebraska will announce “bye bye” and Missouri wants to join the Big Ten but have no offer. Both will now be despised by the rest of the Big XII now. The Big XII adding a BYU, TCU, Houston, or Colorado State, as has been rumored, would be akin to the Big Ten adding a Ball State, Ohio University, Central Michigan, or Marshall. So with thin options for the Big XII to replace Nebraska and Missouri, the PAC-10 expansion seems more likely.

I have a feeling the Nebraska invitation to join the Big Ten is the biggest name they could get to commit right now. We may still see more invites from the Big Ten, especially if the PAC-10 can add all 6 teams they are trying to pry from the Big XII. With the Nebraska arrival in Big Ten country, the Big Ten would again push the idea at Notre Dame eventually, if they haven’t already, and Missouri will get their invite as well only if Notre Dame caves in and they need a 14^th school.

The other two schools thrown around out there who may get a Big Ten invite have been Rutgers and Ralph Friedgen’s stomach, I mean Maryland. This wouldn’t be until year 2012, which makes for two awesomely awkward football and basketball seasons before any of said moves occur in the standings and schedules across the nation.

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* – Young Tom Osborne photo credit: Eric-Rasmussen.com

If you came to this page looking for picks and predictions for the 2009 NCAA Tournament, we’ve got you covered.

Follow the link to our 2009 NCAA Tournament Game-by-Game Picks all the way through the Final Four.

Or, you can view them by region:

• Midwest Region Breakdown and Predictions
• East Region Breakdown and Predictions
• South Region Breakdown and Predictions
• West Region Breakdown and Predictions

And if you actually came to this page to review our 2009 Big 12 Tournament predictions, pardon the interruption and continue reading below.

So, if you didn’t realize from my Big 12 Tournament Preview post earlier this week, I have always thought one thing when I look at Kansas head coach Bill Self: Jon Arbuckle. I was a huge Garfield fan when I was a kid, and Self is the spitting image of Garfield’s toolish owner.

Luckily for Kansas fans though, Self has been much more successful as a college basketball coach than Jon Arbuckle ever was…at anything.

The Jayhawks enter the 2009 Big 12 Tournament as the champions of the last three, and winners of six of the twelve Big 12 tournaments that have taken place. I don’t think many people expected Kansas to have the #1 seed this year, considering what they lost off of last year’s NCAA Championship team, but here they are.

Will Kansas achieve a very impressive Four-Peat? Or will they ar-buckle under the pressure and allow a new Big 12 Tournament champion to emerge?

Before I give you my predictions, let’s break down a few important things first: a) a few links on the Big 12 Tourney and to help you buy tickets to the Big 12 or NCAA Tournament; b) the bracket, which I will update as the games become final; and c) the current odds for each team. Here we go:

Links:

• Big 12 Tournament History: Past Champions and MVPs
• StubHub Tickets: 2009 Big 12 Basketball Tournament Tickets
• StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets

And here are the odds of winning the 2009 Big Ten Championship game for each team (according to OffShoreInsiders.com):

• Oklahoma odds: +140
• Kansas odds: +150
• Missouri odds: +350
• Texas odds: +800
• Texas A&M odds: +800
• Kansas State odds: +1000
• Baylor odds: +2500
• Nebraska odds: +2500
• Field (any other team): +2500

And now, let’s break down the 2009 Big 12 Tournament game-by-game until we come up with a hypothetically predicted Big 12 champion:

Big 12 Tournament Bracket and Predictions: Wednesday Games

What a disappointment Baylor has been this season. Coming off last year’s success, Scott Drew was the favorite of some IU fans to become the new head coach in Bloomington. And with guys like Curtis Jerrells and LaceDarius Dunn back, Baylor was a trendy pick to be a Top 25 team in 2008-09. However, the Bears are 17-13 (5-11 in conference) after starting the season 12-2. Still, I think the Bears’ ability to score (despite recent struggles), and their postseason experience from last year, makes them a darkhorse in the Big 12 Tournament. Nebraska just beat Baylor 66-62 in each team’s final regular season game, but I think Baylor pulls off the mini-upset here and advances. Baylor wins.

Colorado went 1-15 in conference play and sucks. Texas only went 9-7, but this is a solid 20-10 team that will play in the NCAA Tournament. I’d be shocked if this is even a game. Texas wins.

Oklahoma State finished in the four-team quagmire at 9-7, and this is a team that can really score and that is playing well. In their last 7 games, OSU is 6-1 with a four-point loss to Oklahoma being the only blemish. They spanked Iowa State earlier this year and the Cyclones, losers of 5 out of their last 7, have done nothing to show they have improved since the first meeting. Oklahoma State wins.

As a die-hard Hoosiers, Texas Tech has been my 2nd-favorite team since Bob Knight took over there. Now that Pat Knight is the head coach, the Red Raiders remain a favorite of mine. Unfortunately, Tech has sucked this season, going 3-13 in conference play and not stopping anyone on D. A&M beat them twice, scoring 79 each time. Of course, Texas Tech did recently beat Kansas by 19, so anything is possible. I hope Texas Tech proves me wrong, but I think Texas A&M wins.

Big 12 Tournament Bracket and Predictions: Thursday Games

Assuming that my Wednesday picks prove true, my darkhorse Baylor will be playing Kansas in Round 2. Can the Bears win? Probably not. Kansas has really played well in conference play, minus the hiccup against Tech. They beat Baylor earlier this year, and while I think the Bears will make this a good game, I don’t think they play enough D to win it. Kansas advances.

Texas would play Kansas State in my hypothetical 2nd round. Both teams went 9-7 in conference play and both teams went 20-10 overall. However, Kansas State beat Texas in their one meeting in Austin. This game is a really toss up, so I’m going with Kansas State — because I live in Dallas and Longhorn fans can be really annoying. Not a very scientific way to pick a victor, I know, but there just is not much separating these two teams.

An Oklahoma-Oklahoma State matchup in the 2nd round would be fun. Most people think, and I agree, that Oklahoma is the best team in the conference. Had Blake Griffin not gotten hurt, they might not have dropped that back-to-back set against Texas and Kansas. Still, the Sooners have lost three of their last five. But they beat Oklahoma State twice during the regular season, and are now back at full health. I think Griffin and the Sooners will be on a mission to prove that they are the best team in the Big 12. Oklahoma wins.

Texas A&M-Missouri in the second round would be a rematch of both teams’ final regular season game, in which A&M won by 10 at home. In the two previous games, Missouri lost to Kansas by 25 and then beat Oklahoma by 9. Will the real Tigers please stand up? The Aggies are playing very good defense of late and have won six in a row entering the tourney. I think the Aggies score another win over Missouri and advance to the semi-finals.

Big 12 Tournament Bracket and Predictions: Friday Games

The battle of Kansas would ensure if my above predictions prove true. They played twice this season, with Kansas winning by double figures each time. And while I think Kansas State will pull of the win over Texas, the Wildcats have not scored an impressive victory since February 7th at Texas A&M. The Jayhawks will march on to the Big 12 Championship game.

Oklahoma-Texas A&M could be a very good game, and one the Aggies could win. However, Oklahoma won both regular season meetings and this would be A&M’s third game in three days. I think their Big 12 Tournament run ends here, as the Sooners and Blake Griffin will just be too much to overcome with less-than-100% legs.

Big 12 Tournament Championship Game on Saturday

It is the matchup that everyone wants to see: Kansas versus Oklahoma. You know Blake Griffin wants a chance to avenge the February 23rd loss, and a pissed off/motivated Blake Griffin is not a good thing for any opponent. Oklahoma is the best team in the Big 12 when healthy, and is still gunning for a #1 seed. I think the beat Kansas, and beat them convincingly to win the Big 12 title.

So there you go — one man’s first impression, quick hit predictions for the 2009 Big 12 Tournament. As always, I suggest that you run to your nearest bookie and bet completely the opposite way, but that’s your call. Game 1 between Nebraska and Baylor tips off in a little over an hour, so I’ll be updating the bracket above as the day and week goes on.

Sam Bradford has thrown for 4468 yards and 48 touchdowns in an extremely tough Big 12 conference. In the last 5 games, Oklahoma has hung at least 60 points on their opponent. These opponents include the second ranked Texas Tech and the twelfth ranked Oklahoma State. This impressive season could mean that Sam Bradford will be the Heisman Trophy winner.

Colt McCoy has also put his name in the hat for the Heisman Trophy this season, throwing for 3445 yards and 32 touchdowns while rushing for 10 more on his own. He has truly been the MVP for the Longhorns, who were kept out of the National Championship game by the flawed BCS, but that’s another story.

Other candidates include Florida’s Tim Tebow, Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell, and Iowa’s Shonn Greene.

Last years Heisman Trophy winner, Tim Tebow, has also had a great season with 25 passing touchdowns and 12 rushing touchdowns to boot. This is more impressive considering the utter class that is the SEC, however his 2515 passing yards combined with his TD rate simply cannot compare to either Sam Bradford or McCoy.

Graham Harrell, who leads the always impressive Texas Tech offense, is a candidate who also had a good year. With 4747 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes, Harrell is no slouch, but his team’s crushing loss to Oklahoma definitely hurt his chances for the Heisman Trophy.

Finally the NCAA’s leading rusher for the season, Shonn Greene definitely deserves to be considered a candidate. Greene rushed for at least 100 yards every game this season. With 1729 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns, Greene is certainly no slouch, but 2008 was the year of the quarterback, and Greene does not have a chance at this year’s Heisman Trophy.

The Heisman Trophy winner will be announced on December 15, 2008 in New York.