KSU Football Blog top 25

The BCS has asked that I begin ranking my Top 25 for consideration in future BSC rankings.


Defense will reload and be good enough, while the Offense is real and they are spectacular.

Adrian Peterson is the front runner for the Heisman

Louisville is WVU’s toughest opponent in 2006

Brady Quinn will carry the offense, but will the defense be good enough?

Reloading big time this year, but they have the athletes in place to finish in the Top 10

Should be solid on both sides of the ball and win the SEC West

Loss to Auburn keeps them out of the SEC Championship game

Without Vince Young to bail them out, they will likely lose 2 or 3 games, just like they would have last year without VY.

Look for Florida to win the SEC East with a victory over Georgia at the World’s Largest Cocktail Party.

Nate Longshore and Marshawn Lynch will lead an explosive offense

Will Proctor appears ready to take over for departed QB Charlie Whitehurst.

An early battle with Kansas State will give both teams an indication of what is to come

Could be the best Florida State team in the last few years

Drew Tate (QB) and Albert Young (RB) will put up big numbers for Iowa this year in a strong Big 10 conference

New Coordinators on Offense and Defense could lead to Michigan surprising a few teams

Defense should be tough again, but not as tough as the SEC East this year.

The Ducks have a difficult schedule including OU at home the third game of the season.

Could be a tough transition year for the Hurricanes

The defense will be good but can Zac Taylor continue to improve?

Can the Frogs make another BSC run? Probably not as they are replacing most of their O-Line

Schedule favors the Hokies but they have a lot of work to do

BC should be in the hunt until Florida State come to town in late October…

Does JoePa have one more year left? If you ask him, he has several more.

Offense should be explosive and the PAC10 won’t be as good either.

Graham Harrell will be the next no-name QB that carries the Tech offense.

Lance Berkman wins American Idol 5

Congratulations to Lance Berkman, aka Taylor Hicks for winning American Idol 5.

Houston Astro Lance Berkman won American Idol 5 over Katharine McPhee last night. Berkman, who is known as Fat Elvis within the Astros organization locked up first place last night after his performances on Tuesday.

Berkman’s Tuesday night performance included “Levon”, an apparent tribute to the Astros ability to “leave on base runners” this year. Another song sang by Berkman this season was “Not Fade” which he performed about the time the Astros began to fade. Along the same lines was “Trouble” which he dedicated to Russ Springer just after his 4 game suspension for plunking Barry Bonds. Berkman also lived up to his “Fat Elvis” nickname by singing “In the Ghetto”.

Lisa Dames - "No One Like Me"

This is a bit off subject from Kansas State football, but well worth the diversion from our regular discussions.

Lisa Dames is a up and coming artist who is too old for American Idol but trying to make it in the music business.

Information from her bio...
Lisa Dames is a thirty-something singer/songwriter with an uncommon presence which is both commanding yet appealingly vulnerable. From an early age, her musical aspirations were met with discouraging admonitions she didn't have the right voice, the right look, or the right "anything." Despite such receptions, Lisa was to prove her detractors wrong. Originally from Cincinatti, Ohio, Lisa eventually garnered the attention of L.A. based, Grammy-nominated producer, David Grow. Nine months later, the result of their hard work paid off. Perhaps like the proverbial ugly duckling, Lisa blossomed into a breath-taking beauty who, on her new CD, "No One Like Me," unflinchingly tackles issues of betrayal, coping with un-met life aspirations, and personal redemption-- all with power and panache. These are her stories. This is her life and the emotion is sometimes raw, sometimes sassy but always very near the surface. Her voice is classic--almost old-school country-- while song after song she dazzles with facile rock-pop hipness. When not on tour, she happens to be a home-maker. But like the characters on "Desperate Housewives," she has not let her role as a housewife become a sentence. To the contrary, Lisa's passion to embrace her dearest dream at this point in her life underscores her determination to be her very best and have a voice for women of all ages who take inspiration from her story of hope and courage.

You can check out one of her new releases here... give it a listen then you can rank it.

Lisa Dames - "No One Like Me"

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

The First Decade of the Big 12

The Big 12 Conference has 10 years under its belt now and earlier I posted an article about who the “Winners” and “Losers” in the first 10 years. But who has really won the most and lost the most? Who has the Championships to brag about? Who has the Bowl victories? Who has the most All-Americans?

The Big 12 by the numbers in the first 10 years has produced 3 National Champions, 3 Heisman Trophy Winners, 56 Consensus All-Americans, 33 Bowl Victories and 794 wins overall by all Big 12 teams.

The biggest indicator of overall success is wins and losses. Texas Leads the Big 12 in Conference wins and overall wins. Followed by Nebraska, Oklahoma and Kansas State. The Big 12 North has been more top heavy with only 3 teams with an overall win/loss record over 50% while the South has 5 teams at 50% or better.

Note: NU's overall win total should be 96, not 76, sorry for the confusion.

Another indicator of success is Championships. OU leads the league with 1 National title and 3 Big 12 Championships. While Nebraska and Texas are tied with 1 National title 2 Big 12 Championships each. Kansas State, Colorado and A&M all have one Big 12 title.

Overall Bowl standings are part of the picture as well. Nebraska leads the league with a 6-3 record overall in bowls and also in bowl appearances at 9, tied with Texas. Colorado UT and OU are the other teams in the conference over .500 in bowl games. Kansas State and Texas Tech have are tied for 2nd with 8 bowl appearances each. I am not sure which is worse, OSU at 1-3 in the bowls or Baylor who hasn’t been to a bowl since the Big 12 was formed.

Once again, UT leads the Big 12 with 14 All Americans and OU is right behind them with 12. Nebraska and KSU are next in line with 9 and 8 respectively.

So… what does all this mean? Who is the King of the Big 12 in the first decade? Here is how I would rank them from bottom to top…

12. Baylor – Starting with the easiest one. A total of 8 Big 12 wins, Zero bowl appearances and Zero All Americans. Baylor has lost 90% of the Big 12 games and 75% of the games overall over the last 10 years.

11. Kansas – KU has shown some life over the last few years but their 20-60 win/loss record in the Big 12 speaks for itself.

10. Iowa State – ISU has a 31% winning percentage in the Big 12 and only slightly better 42% overall.

9. Oklahoma State – An even 50% overall the last 10 years, but 1-3 in their 4 bowl appearances.

8. Missouri – Similar record to OSU but they have had more success in their bowl games.

7. Texas Tech – Tech has a solid record in the Big 12 with a 56% winning percentage but they have failed to win the Big 12 South and are 3-5 in bowl games.

6. Texas A&M – One Big 12 Championship and a 55% winning percentage help A&M to a 6th place finish but a horrible 1-5 record in bowl games prevent them from a higher finish.

5. Colorado – Solid 60% victories in the Big 12 and one Big 12 title to go with it. Colorado also has a winning 4-3 bowl record and has featured 5 All Americans.

4. Kansas State – 72% over all and 66% in the Big 12, one Big 12 Title and 8 All-Americans gives KSU a 4th place finish.

3. Nebraska – One National title, 70% winning record in the league and overall, 2 Big 12 titles and 9 All Americans lead Nebraska to a third place finish.

2. Oklahoma – 3 Big 12 Titles and 1 national title and a 69% overall winning percentage make Oklahoma the 2nd best team over the last 10 years.

1. Texas – 2005 moved Texas to the top of the list. UT has won more Big 12 games then anyone with 62 wins. They lead the league with 14 All Americans and they have a winning bowl record. Two League titles and their 2005 national championship make them the best team over the last 10 years from the Big 12.

2006 Post-Spring-Pre-Season Predictions

It nut-cuttin’ time.

You have seen a few previews of Big 12 teams here and some information on what you can expect to see this year in the Big 12 but now is time to lay it all out there…

My Post-Spring-Pre-Season Predictions…

Team Conf Overall
KSU 6-2 9-3
NU 5-3 8-4
CU 4-4 6-6
ISU 3-5 6-6
KU 2-6 6-6
MU 2-6 6-6

OU 8-0 11-1
UT 7-1 10-2
TAMU 5-3 9-3
TTU 3-5 7-5
OSU 3-5 7-5
BU 0-8 3-9

Before you say it, yes, I am a homer. But there is no clear favorite in the Big 12 North, so why not KSU?

K-State loses to Louisville in non-conference and UT and a surprise upset to OSU at home but locks up the Big 12 North with a good ol’ ass whippin’ of KU to end the season.

Nebraska struggles on the road with losses at USC, KSU and Texas A&M, as well as a home loss to UT.

Colorado losses to Arizona State and UG in non-conference games and struggles in the Big 12 with losses at MU, OU and NU and looses at home to KSU.

In the South, Oklahoma returns to the top of the Big 12 and runs the table in the conference, with the only loss coming at Oregon, early in the season.

Texas has another great year but struggles to win the big games without Vince Young. Losses to Ohio State and Oklahoma put them out of the race for the Big 12 and a shot at repeating as national champions.

Texas A&M shows some signs of life with a good year but losses to UT, OU and Tech.

The Big 12 after 10 Years

An Interesting article on who the Winners and Losers are from the creation of the Big 12...

The Big 12 after 10 years

Earl Woods Laid to Rest in Manhattan

From the Manhattan Mercury...

Sunset Cemetery has become the final resting place for Earl Woods, the father of famed golfer Tiger Woods.

The elder Woods, who died last week at age 74 following a lengthy battle with cancer, was laid to rest between his father and mother during private committal services Saturday.

Family acquaintances indicated that Tiger Woods attended the service here, although it was not clear what other family members were present.

Apparently in the interests of privacy, the services were not announced ahead of time. The burial of Mr. Woods' ashes was announced today on Tiger Woods' website, tigerwoods.com.
A memorial service was held Friday at the Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim, Calif. Tiger and his mother Kutilda were joined by about 200 invited guests for that event. Prior to that service, a small number of invited guests took part in a formal memorial service, also in Anaheim.

Earl Woods' connections to the Manhattan area were extensive. A native of the city, he was the youngest and only male of four children. His father Miles died in 1943 and his mother Maude in 1947, orphaning the boy at 15. Raised by his eldest sister, he was a star catcher at Kansas State University in the early 1950s, good enough to win a contract offer from the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro League. He turned down that offer to join the Army, where as a special forces soldier he was stationed at Fort Riley.

David Blaine – Magician or Idiot?

I am sorry to say that I threw away 30 minutes of my life last night watching David Blaine fail miserably while attempting to break the record for holding his breathe. He came up almost 2 minutes short of the current world record of 8:58. As a matter of fact, his time is only 10th best ever recorded. It was the biggest live TV flop since Geraldo busted open Al Capone’s safe.

David Blaine’s extensive resume now includes being buried alive, frozen in time, stuck on a pole, locked in a box and drowned alive. That is not magic, that is a lame episode of “Fear Factor”. Fill the tank with flesh eating fish and goat testicles or have a crane violently shake the snow-globe type tank, then you have something.

Stuart Scott hosted the 2 hour event on ABC which featured segments on his the extensive training he went through in order to fall short by 20%. Perhaps Stuart said it best when Blaine fell short, Stuart, then off camera narrated the events by stating “While Blaine did not achieve what he had set out to do, people watched him” They interviewed Blaine’s head trainer, Kirk Krack, who adds nothing to this story, but I wanted to use his name.

The truly amazing thing about the David Blaine phenomenon is the people that follow him. Linda Brady, of New York City, brought along a boom box and loudly played Jennifer Lopez's "My Love is All I Have." "I just love him," Brady said. "He has a creative mind just like me, and he's crazy just like me."

Imagine the possibilities… I think after I get off work today, I will grab my “boom box” and head over to Roger Clemens’ house and blast out the “Player” classic "Baby Come Back". Come on sing it with me…

Baby come back, any kind of fool could see
There was something in everything about you
Baby come back, you can blame it all on me
I was wrong, and I just can't live without you

Another spectator, David Linker, said Blaine symbolized "man's strength to go beyond what normal people can do." Yea, that’s right and John Daly symbolizes man’s amazing ability to overcome additions like alcohol and gambling.

The only thing any of these stunts have managed to accomplish is the fill David Blaine’s bank account. Which I guess is the point, right?

University of Texas Used Cars

University of Texas Used Cars

In 2005 University of Texas Used Cars (UTUC) had a record setting year. However, critics site that much of the success was due to the performance of one car, a prototype vehicle built by Volkswagon and Yugo, that we will call VY. UTUC had high expectations for VY and they paid off. He was all that they had hoped for. But VY was auctioned off at the latest used car auction as the third car selected and UTUC must find a replacement.

UTUC is known nationally for bringing in an excellent stock of used cars every year but their performance has consistently been below expectations. Leading to question weather or not Mack Brown was able to get the most out of the cars he brought in.

In 2006 Mack Brown insists that the low mileage models he has brought in will be able to replace VY. Brown says “My Mentor, Darrel always says… You gotta dance with who brung ya, well, the guy that brung me left the dance early but don’t worry, I got a couple of real beauties I am going to dance with. Both got low miles and all the bells and whistles, so we plan to use ‘em both.”

Some industry experts question Browns two car approach and site disasters in years past. As recent as 2003 Brown was trying to sell newly acquired VY and a less impressive Chevy Metro we will call Chance. You see Chance had been on the lot for a few years, so Mack thought he should get a shot. Of course, the biggest 2 car debacle Mack has been involved in was when he had just brought in a Cadillac Seville from an old lady in Simmsville and a trusted, reliable old pickup that came from a major applefarm just outside Austin. The old pick-up was called Major and was a favorite on the lot, but Mack picked up that shiny caddy from a guy named Phil in Simmsville and Mack had promised Phil, that his caddy would be to featured car on the UTUC lot. Mack stuck to his guns throughout the year, even when the Cadillac was under performing and Major was over-performing, Mack kept trying to sell the benefits of driving his Cadillac.

UTUC will have a lot of competition from the other 11 regional competitors. Including their annual battle against Bob Stoops of Oklahoma Performance Racing. OPR started slow last year and Mack was able to finish ahead of Stoops for the first time in many years. However, OPR was firing on all cylinders at the end of the year and looks like they could reverse the one year trend. Stoops who is known for bringing in good cars and turning them into great cars says UTUC is all about looks not performance, “UTUC brings in some decent cars and they shine them up, maybe add some spinners, but at OPR we rebuild the engines, the suspension and totally pimp ‘em out. When our cars roll off the lot, the buyers know they are getting an excellent product”

“We got the finest cars money can buy” says Mack. “We keep ‘em in the best garages and we got the biggest lot around. Some of out competitors invest a lot of time into their cars after they arrive, we just throw ‘em out there and hope for the best.”

UTUC will also be going head to head against the new kid on the block, Ron Prince from PowerCars. Prince is taking over the Manhattan based PowerCars from the retiring Bill Snyder. Snyder left a lot full of cars from the previous year and Prince has brought in a few of his own.

Another challenge will be from the CarHuskers. The revamped CarHuskers were a very successful John Deere dealership that had fallen on hard times. So they brought in Wild Bill Callahan to move from the old school mentality to a high performance system. Wild Bill brought in his “West Coast” philosophy last year and has turned the Carhuskers around and has them heading in the right direction.

The bottom line is that Mack Brown is the best used car salesman in the region. However, his competitors do more to make their cars perform at a higher level. And in the end, no matter how good the salesman is or how much you spend on Marketing and PR, the better product will come out on top. Until Mack finds another VY, they will have to settle for second place.

Hurricane Warnings in Manhattan Kansas

In yet another sign of how times have changed since Ron Prince took over for retiring Bill Snyder, the Wildcats have nearly completed a contract with the University of Miami (not Ohio) for a home and home series in the 2011 and 2012 seasons. K-State will travel to Miami in 2011 and the 'Canes will be in Manhattan the following year.

"Ron (Prince) wants to have one marquee game on the schedule every year," Kansas State Athletic Director Jim Epps said. "That could also include teams from the Mountain West Conference and Conference USA. He's been very open-minded about playing the best schools out there."

As a Wildcat fan who has consistently had to defend the Wildcat program for their scheduling philosophy in the past, I am happy to see that Coach Prince has made a commitment to play one "Big-Name" school every year. This is good for the program for several reasons. First, it will better prepare the team for the Big 12 but more importantly, it will, most likely, put KSU on National TV in the pre-season. It will also eliminate the "they don't play anyone in non-conference" arguement that has been used against the Cats in the past to keep us out of Tier 1 bowls.

It kind of makes you wonder about the "no one will schedule a home and home series with us" arguement that the Athletic Department has been using over the last 10 years to justify the likes of Western Kentucky and McNeese State.

Mark Mangino Controversy in Lawrence

University of Kansas Chancellor Robert Hemenway has had several closed door meetings with Head Football Coach Mark Mangino, after reports surfaced that several items had disappeared from the Natural History Museum. Items missing included two stuffed Polar bears, three stuffed moose and several other smaller animals.

Several members of the museum staff had seen members of the KU football team carrying some of the items out of the museum to a waiting truck with Mangino at the wheel.

When asked about the reports, Mangino explained that he has been in a dispute with local Dillon’s grocery stores regarding the amount of meat they stock.

“Over the last several months, I have been buying every pound of beef and pork I could find but they are always out of stock towards the end of the week.” Said Mangino. He continued, “I tried some of the chicken, but it just seemed too healthy.” “I have a very high metabolism rate and I have to eat a lot of sausage and pork chops or I start to get weak and have even passed out”.

Dillon’s Regional Manager, Gary Jenkins, says they have struggled over the last few years stocking enough meat for Coach Mangino. “We have expanded our Meat departments at all of our Lawrence based stores and even increased the number of deliveries during the week. However, we have been unable to keep up with the Coach’s demand for fatty foods.”

Coach Mangino has offered to return two of the moose and one polar bear but he will have to replace the animals that he ate. “I had a helluva bar-b-que with that first polar bear. I had never eaten polar bear and thought it was kind of tough, then the Chancellor told be it was actually stuffed and I had eaten about 400 pounds of foam” “I will eat anything if you put enough bacon fat and butter on it” Mangino said when asked about eating the stuffed moose.

The plant and vegetation section of the Museum was untouched.

Big 12 Athletes in the NFL

The Big 12 currently has 202 players listed by the NFL Players union. Here are some interesting facts about the players and the Big 12 schools the represent.

Nebraska leads the Big 12 with a total of 37 players in the NFL. Texas A&M and Kansas State are next with 25 each. Then Oklahoma at 24 and Texas at 22. Colorado has 21 players and then there is a big drop off to Oklahoma State at 11. Kansas, Missouri and Iowa State are tied for the fewest at 6 each. Here is the breakdown:

Nebraska 37
Texas A&M 25
Kansas State 25
Oklahoma 24
Texas 22
Colorado 21
Oklahoma State 11
Texas Tech 10
Baylor 8
Missouri 6
Iowa State 6
Kansas 6

I am a little surprised that Texas and Oklahoma are not higher on the list considering the level of play over the past several years at each of those schools.

The Big 12 is known for tough defenses and of the 202 players, 54% are on the Defensive side of the ball while the Offense accounts for 41% and Special Teams 4%. On Defense, the Defensive Line and Defensive backs account for 75% of the players with Linebackers the other 25%.

DL 41
LB 28
DB 41

Offensively, the O-Line accounts for 42% of the players currently active.

OL 35
QB 6
RB 15
WR 18
TE 9

The Big 12 has 9 Special Teams players as well.

Interesting facts:

Defense and Offensive Line account for 84% of all Nebraska players in the NFL

Four Teams are split evenly between offense and defense: Kansas State, Texas, Baylor and Missouri

Three teams are heavily weighted to one side of the ball: Oklahoma – 67% Defense, Iowa State – 67% Defense and Kansas – 67% Offense

25% of Baylors players are Special Teams players.

Schools with strong positional representation:

Kansas State – DB
Texas – DL
Texas A&M – DL
Nebraska – DB
Oklahoma – DB

Quarterbacks: The Big 12 only has 6 Quarterbacks in the NFL and Chris Simms is the only starting Quarterback at this time.

Spring Game Draft

MANHATTAN, Kan. - The Kansas State football program conducted its inaugural Purple-White Spring Game Draft Thursday at the Vanier Football Complex with defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and offensive coordinator James Franklin selecting their respective squads for Saturday's spring game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Morris, who will coach the White team, didn't waste any time putting his defense in place and made senior linebacker Zach Diles the first overall selection, according to K-State head coach Ron Prince.
Purple head coach, offensive coordinator James Franklin, also went with defense with his first pick, selecting redshirt freshman defensive end Eric Childs.
The balance of the two teams were filled out in less than an hour, Prince said, with the two coordinators alternating selections.
On Friday, the two teams will practice separately for Saturday's spring game, with Morris' White squad preparing in K-State's indoor football facility and Franklin's Purple charges working out in Snyder Family Stadium.
The workouts are open to all K-State students, faculty and staff with I.D.


Purple Roster

White Roster

2006 Big 12 Games of the Week

September 2nd
Can’t Miss: Louisiana Tech at Nebraska
Hit or Miss: TCU at Baylor
Must Miss: Northwestern State at Kansas

September 9th
Can’t Miss: Ohio State at Texas
Hit or Miss: Washington at Oklahoma
Must Miss: Northwestern State at Baylor

September 16th
Can’t Miss: Nebraska at USC
Hit or Miss: Oklahoma at Oregon
Must Miss: Kansas at Toledo

September 23rd
Can’t Miss: Colorado at Georgia
Hit or Miss: Louisville at Kansas State
Must Miss: Southeastern at Texas Tech

September 30th
Can’t Miss: Texas Tech at Texas A&M
Hit or Miss: Kansas at Nebraska
Must Miss: Sam Houston State at Texas

October 7th
Can’t Miss: Texas vs. Oklahoma in Dallas
Hit or Miss: Nebraska at Iowa State
Must Miss: Baylor at Colorado

October 14th
Can’t Miss: Nebraska at Kansas State
Hit or Miss: Iowa State at Oklahoma
Must Miss: Baylor at Texas

October 21st
Can’t Miss: Texas at Nebraska
Hit or Miss: Texas A&M at Oklahoma State
Must Miss: Kansas at Baylor

October 28th
Can’t Miss: Texas at Texas Tech
Hit or Miss: Iowa State at Kansas State
Must Miss: Texas A&M at Baylor

November 4th
Can’t Miss: Oklahoma at Texas A&M
Hit or Miss: Missouri at Nebraska
Must Miss: Baylor at Texas Tech

November 11th
Can’t Miss: Texas at Kansas State
Hit or Miss: Nebraska at Texas A&M
Must Miss: Baylor at Oklahoma State

November 18th
Can’t Miss: Kansas State at Kansas
Hit or Miss: Missouri at Iowa State
Must Miss: Oklahoma at Baylor

November 25th
Can’t Miss: Texas A&M at Texas
Hit or Miss: Colorado at Nebraska
Must Miss: Kansas at Missouri

Colorado Spring Football Outlook

In the Rearview Mirror
After winning 7 of their first nine games last year, Colorado went on a 4 game losing streak to end the season. Including being outscored 100-6 by Nebraska and Texas in the season finale and the Big 12 Championship game. The four game losing streak was one of the reasons Colorado has a new coach this year.

Looking to the Future
Dan Hawkins, 53-11 as a head coach, will have a number of issues to address to repeat as Big 12 North Champs this year. The defense was solid last year and returns eight starters from last years squad. On the other hand, the offense only returns 5 starters and must replace QB Joel Klatt.

Biggest Questions for 2006
Offense: Quarterback – The Buffs must replace Joel Klatt at Quarterback. Going into Spring ball the position was wide open with SR James Cox and JRs Brian White and Bernard Jackson battling it out for the top spot. White played with the First Team offense for three possessions and Jackson with the Second Team for another three possessions. Jackson led the Spring Game in Rushing with 60 yards on 10 attempts. They are both listed as starters but my money is on Jackson being the man at the beginning of the 2006 campaign.
Defense: Defensive Line – With the loss of James Garee and John Guydon, Vaka Manupuna from the front four, there are a lot of holes to fill up front for Colorado. SO George Hypolite and SO transfer from Notre Dame, Brandon Nicolas should be able to pick up the slack. Thaddaeus Washington could have an All-Big 12 type season, but that will depend on whether the front four can keep him freed up to get to the ball.
Special Teams: Punter – Ray Guy Award runner-up John Torp is gone as well as his back-up Matt Hammond. Replacing him will fall onto redshirt Freshman Matt DiLallo and Daniel Agostino. Long Snapper Greg Pace is gone as well. All these changes could lead to some early problems on the Punt team.

Team Strength in 2006
Offense: Wide Receivers – SR Evan Judge is the only loss from a talented group of Receivers. Returning are JRs Dusty Sprague, Stephone Robinson, Alvin Barnett and Reggie Joseph as well as a few talented young players that will push for playing time. Dusty Sprague led the spring game in Receiving but the key may have been the play of Sophomore Patrick Williams who had 3 catches for 41 yards.
Defense: Linebacker – Returning starters Thaddaeus Washington and Jordon Dizon will be the anchors for the 2006 Colorado Defense. Sophomore Brad Jones is expected to be the third starter. Washington will be mentioned for the Butkus Award in the pre-season and should have another great year.
Special Teams: Place Kicker – Lou Grouza 2005 Runner-up, Mason Crosby returns this year and has his sites set on making a record breaking 70 yarder.

Schedule
Sep 02 MONTANA STATE BOULDER
Sep 09 Colorado State at Denver
Sep 16 ARIZONA STATE BOULDER
Sep 23 Georgia at Athens, Ga.
Sep 30 Missouri at Columbia, Mo.
Oct 07 BAYLOR BOULDER
Oct 14 TEXAS TECH BOULDER
Oct 21 Oklahoma at Norman, Okla.
Oct 28 Kansas at Lawrence, Kan.
Nov 04 KANSAS STATE BOULDER
Nov 11 IOWA STATE BOULDER
Nov 24 Nebraska at Lincoln, Neb.

2006 is Successful if…
Someone steps up and Quarterback and is able to execute Hawkins Offense effectively. There is little time for learning once the season starts with games against Colorado St, Arizona St. and Georgia in the non-conference schedule.

2006 is a Failure if…
The Defensive line is unable to free up their linebackers to run the field and make plays.

Oklahoma Football Spring Outlook

Oklahoma Football Spring Outlook

In the Rearview Mirror
Oklahoma finished the 2005 campaign strong, winning 6 of their last seven games to compile an 8-4 record overall. A very young team and the a schedule that was the most difficult in college football is part of the reason for the drop off. They also fought injuries to key personnel including RB Adrian Peterson.

Looking to the Future
The Sooners have 26 players back from last year that have starting experience, including standout RB Adrian Peterson and QB Rhett Bomar. On Defense, OU returns their leading tackler, Rufus Alexander and leading sacker Calvin Thibodeaux. The Sooners will once again be a dominant team in the Big 12 and should battle Texas to represent the South in the Big 12 Championship game.

Biggest Questions for 2006
Offense: Offensive Line – The Sooners only have one starter returning from last years team, RT Chris Messner. OU does have several players with starting experience
Defense: Defensive Line – OU’s defense is looking pretty stout heading into this year. The loss of Dusty Dvoracek will be a big hole to fill in the front four.
Special Teams: Punter – Coby Freeby was booted off the team earlier this week which means OU will have a new punter for the 2006 season. Freeby had a solid year last year averaging 42.3 yards per punt. He also was the holder on Place Kicks. This combined with the loss of Long Snapper Jacob Rice will be an area of concern for Coach Bob Stoops.

Team Strength in 2006
Offense: Running Back – Adrian Peterson missed most of 4 games last year battling an ankle injury and still managed to gain over 1200 yards and average 5.0 YPC. If the Offensive line can reload, Peterson should be back to his Freshman form when he finished 2nd in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Defense: Defensive Backs – Oklahoma was very young in the Secondary in 2005 and has a lot of players with experience returning. This from a group that in Big 12 games last year ranked #1 in Completion Percentage Defense, #2 in Passing Efficiency Defense and #3 in Passing Yardage.
Special Teams: Kicker – Garrett Hartley handled all the kicking duties last year and he has a strong leg. More then half of his kick-offs went for Touchbacks and he was 14-22 on Field Goals, including a 52 yarder against Texas.

Schedule
Sep 02 UAB Norman
Sep 09 Washington Norman
Sep 16 Oregon at Eugene, Ore.
Sep 23 Middle Tenn Norman
Oct 07 Texas at Dallas, Texas
Oct 14 Iowa State Norman
Oct 21 Colorado Norman
Oct 28 Missouri at Columbia, Mo.
Nov 04 Texas A&M at College Station, Texas
Nov 11 Texas Tech Norman
Nov 18 Baylor at Waco, Texas
Nov 25 Oklahoma St at Stillwater, Okla.

2006 is Successful if…
The Offensive Line can reload and fill the holes from last year.

2006 is a Failure if…
They lose to Texas.

Bennett Coming to Kansas State

Jason Bennett, a 7-foot-3 Center from Jacksonville, FL has signed a letter of intent to play for the Wildcats and Coach Bob Huggins.

Bennett averaged 12.5 points, 13 rebounds and 8 blocks last year and led Arlington Country Day High School to a second consecutive Class 2A state championship.

Bennett had verbally committed to Cincinnati last year but decided to follow Huggins to Kansas State.

"I saw what they did with their big man as far as teaching him and helping him gain weight and get stronger," Bennett said during a signing ceremony at his high school. "Coach Huggins has gotten a lot of players to the NBA. I think he can get another one there."

"I know I have to improve my offense - my jump shot and my moves in the post," Bennett said. "I feel comfortable with where my defense is, but my scoring has to get better."

“Jason is going to be the centerpiece of what we build in the future here at Kansas State,” said Huggins. “He is an outstanding shot blocker. He has a great presence around the goal and that will enable us to do more offensively. I fully expect Jason to come in and contribute immediately to this program. He is going to get nothing but bigger, stronger and better as we move closer to the fall.”

Kansas State Football Spring Outlook

Kansas State Wildcats Spring Outlook

In the Rearview Mirror
Another disappointing year for the Wildcat faithful as KSU landed in last place in the Big 12 North in 2005. The Cats finished 5-6, including a 2-6 record in Big 12 play. The year was not without a number of bright spots, including victories over state rival Kansas and the final game of Coach Snyder’s career, Missouri. Of course, THE story of 2005 was Coach Snyder announcing his retirement. After bringing K-State from the basement of the college football world to a penthouse suite Coach Snyder decided it was time to walk away. Regardless of the successes of Ron Prince or any other future coaches, Bill Snyder will always be thought of as the Heart and Soul of the KSU Football program.

Looking to the Future
Coming off a 5-6 season, you might think Coach Snyder left the cupboards bare for incoming Coach Ron Prince. Not so fast my friend. KSU has no fewer then 41 returning Lettermen and 20 starters back. However, everyone will be learning a new system and this team will need some time to adapt to all the changes. Coach Prince has said every position is open and all the players are starting with a clean slate.

Biggest Questions for 2006
Offense: The Quarterbacks - The Wildcats have 3 Quarterbacks on the roster this year with starting experience. However, when you have three quarterbacks with starting experience, it is usually because one has not stood out above the rest, and that is the case here. Additionally, Redshirt Freshman Kevin Lopina and true Freshman Josh Freeman are also expected to get looks from the coaching staff. Perhaps the favorite is Dylan Meier, after sitting out all of last year recovering from surgery. All five QB’s have the talent to lead the Wildcats this year, the one who is able to quickly adapt to Ron Princes system will be the starter when Illinois State come to the Little Apple. In my opinion, that guy will be Dylan Meier.
Defense: The Secondary – The Wildcats are returning plenty of talent from last years team, including Marcus Watts at Free Safety. After the switch from Wide Receiver, Watts finished 2nd on the team in Tackles and was selected as Honorable Mention All-League by the Coaches and the AP. The big question will be how the new defensive schemes work in the Big 12. New Defensive Coordinator, Raheem Morris will most likely implement a version of the Cover-2 or Tampa-2 Defense at Kansas State. This will be a huge change at KSU and it is yet to be seen how that defense will translate to the college game.
Special Teams: Punter – OK, maybe this is a stretch, but the Wildcats seem to be pretty solid in Special Teams. With virtually everyone of importance returning on Special Teams, Punting is the one area that could use some consistency. Tim Reyer averaged nearly 3 yards more per punt last year then he did his freshman year and was not as consistent as the coaching staff would have liked. If he can get back to his ’04 form, the Wildcats should be in great shape on Special Teams.

Team Strength in 2006
Offense: Offensive Line – Could this be the year we manage to make it all season without any major injuries to the Offensive Line? The injuries could turn out to be a big part of the O-Lines success this year. K-State returns seven lineman with starting experience. Because of the injuries, players got much needed playing time at multiple positions. Not to mention, the O-Line is Ron Princes baby. He is an experienced O-Line coach and will take great interest in the success of this group.
Defense: Linebackers – K-State is returning both the starting Outside Linebackers and has a Middle Linebacker with a lot of experience. Senior Brandon Archer has led the Wildcats in each of the last two seasons and should have another great year. Maurice Mack made the transition to the Weakside Backer last year and started all 11 games, finishing with 53 tackles. Zach Diles appears to be the man in the middle when the season kicks off. Diles managed 50 tackles last year in limited play. I also think Matt Wallerstedt will have a positive impact on this group. Matt was a standout at Manhattan High School and at K-State before starting his coaching career.
Special Teams: Punt and Kick Returns – Jermaine Moreira and Yamon Figurs should provide solid options in the returns.

2006 Schedule
Sep 02 Illinois State Manhattan, Kan.
Sep 09 Florida Atlantic Manhattan, Kan.
Sep 16 Marshall Manhattan, Kan.
Sep 23 Louisville Manhattan, Kan.
Sep 30 Baylor at Waco, Texas
Oct 07 Oklahoma State Manhattan, Kan.
Oct 14 Nebraska Manhattan, Kan.
Oct 21 Missouri at Columbia, Mo.
Oct 28 Iowa State Manhattan, Kan.
Nov 04 Colorado at Boulder, Colo.
Nov 11 Texas Manhattan, Kan.
Nov 18 Kansas at Lawrence, Kan.

2006 is Successful if…
Someone steps up at Quarterback.

2006 is a Failure if…
The team is slow in adapting to the new systems.

University of Nebraska Football Spring Outlook

Nebraska Football Spring Outlook

In the Rearview Mirror
Nebraska finished last season on a high note by beating Michigan in the Alamo Bowl, 32-28. The finished 2nd in the Big 12 behind Colorado with a 4-4 mark in conference play. It was the second year for head Coach Bill Callahan and first year for JUCO transfer QB Zac Taylor.

Looking to the Future
The Huskers are returning 16 starters from last years squad, 8 on offense, 7 on defense and a kicker. Zac Taylor will be in his second year leading the Husker offense and should have a great year. He broke most of the Nebraska passing records last year and should do it again this season. The Husker defense is returning 5 of the starting front seven and returning Husker players accounted for 34.5 of the NCAA best 50 sacks last year.

Biggest Questions for 2006
Offense: Offensive Line – NU returns two of the starters from last years unit, but the anchor, Kurt Mann will miss spring ball due to off-season shoulder surgery. He is expected to be ready for the regular season. However, NU must replace the right side of their line with the departure of Seppo Evwarye and Brandon Koch. The Huskers do have some experienced players that can step up into the starting role but will have to do so quickly with USC looming the third week of the season.
Defense: Secondary – The Huskers graduated both of their Safeties after last season. With three experienced CB’s look for one to switch to Safety during spring ball. They seem to be solid at cornerback but lack depth at Safety and in the Secondary in general. This is evident by the 5 scholarships given to DB’s in the ’06 recruiting class.
Special Teams: Punter – Nebraska will need to replace two-year starter Sam Koch who set the single season Nebraska record averaging 46.5 yards per punt. There are several candidates that will be fighting for the starting Punter position but it almost certainly will be a drop-off from last year.

Team Strength in 2006
Offense: Quarterback – Zac Taylor spent last spring trying to learn a new offense and fighting for the starting role. This year he enters spring ball as the #1 guy and can focus on getting better. He had an impressive first year, passing for 2,653 yards and throwing 19 TDs. He also had a 55.1% completion percentage. In ’05 he threw 12 picks and needs to cut down on those numbers.
Defense: The Front Seven – NU returns it’s linebacking corps in its entirety and both starting defensive ends. They lose the interior d-lineman but have some experienced players that should be able to step in right away. This group looks like the Blackshirts of yesteryear.
Special Teams: Place Kicker – NU returns Sophomore Jordon Congdon who after missing his first PAT attempt of the year, connected on 31 straight to finish the year. He connected on 19-23 field goals and will spend the spring focusing on extending his distance.

2006 Schedule
Sep 02 Louisiana Tech Memorial Stadium
Sep 09 Nicholls State Memorial Stadium
Sep 16 USC at Los Angeles, Calif.
Sep 23 Troy Memorial Stadium
Sep 30 Kansas Memorial Stadium
Oct 07 Iowa State at Ames, Iowa
Oct 14 Kansas State at Manhattan, Kan.
Oct 21 Texas Memorial Stadium
Oct 28 Oklahoma State at Stillwater, Okla.
Nov 04 Missouri Memorial Stadium
Nov 11 Texas A&M at College Station, Texas
Nov 24 Colorado Memorial Stadium

2006 is Successful if…
The Offensive line can reload after last years losses.

2006 is a Failure if…
They fail to find the right combination and depth in the Secondary