First Year Coaches - Week 4

Boise State was the only team to win over the weekend and remains the only unbeaten team. Chris Petersen has picked up right where they left off last year after Dan Hawkins left for Colorado. I am sure Hawkins would switch places with Petersen if given the chance. The group is 16-27 on the year.

Standings:

(4-0) Boise State: Chris Petersen - Beat Hawaii with a trip to Utah this week.

(3-1) Kansas State: Ron Prince - KSU heads to Conference play 3-1 after a loss to #8 Louisville.

(3-1) Wisconsin: Bret Bielema - Tough loss on the road at Michigan.

(2-2) Middle Tennessee: Rick Stockstill - Rolled by OU - 59-0.

(2-2) Northwestern: Pat Fitzgerald - Lost at Nevada with a trip to Happy Valley this weekend.

(1-3) Idaho: Dennis Erickson - Shut out bu Oregon State.

(1-3) Buffalo: Turner Gill - Shut out by Auburn 38-0.

(0-3) San Diego State: Chuck Long - Lost to Utah.

(0-4) Colorado: Dan Hawkins - Blew a 13-0 lead and lost to Georgia 13-14.

(0-4) Rice: Todd Graham - Florida State big... Army up next.

(0-4) Temple: Al Golden - Outscored 174-10 on the season.

Quotes from Talking Heads after KSU upsets Louisville...

Lee Corso - "Not so fast Nebraska, I have had my eye on the Cats all year, they are my sleeper."

Kirk Herbstriet - "With all those starters returning, I knew they would be strong this year. Does my hair look alright?"

John Madden - "You see, what happened here, was the purple team scored more points then the other guys. In football, when you score the most points, you usually win"

Dennis Dodd - "I knew Ron Prince would see immediate results and I was right again"

Stewart Mandel - "KSU has talent and an excellent coaching staff, this is not a surprise to me"

Chris Fowler - "This young coaching staff is living up to their expectations, I knew they would not only bring a high energy level to this program but a lot of experience"

Brent Mussberger - "Coach Snyder is doing an excellent job this year"

Big 12 Week 3 Results

I went 11-3 on the weekend but the Big 12 did not fare so well, going 5-7. The Big 12 is 25-11 on the year, with the South at 13-5 and the North at 12-6.

Kansas at Toledo - Toledo wins in OT

Iowa State at Iowa - ISU falls to cross state rival

Marshall at Kansas State - KSU continues to improve and pulls away in the second half

Oklahoma at Oregon - OU wins a tough road game.

Baylor at Washington State - Baylor falls short on the road

Texas Tech at TCU - Texas Tech wins a high scoring battle

Texas at Rice - This game will seem like a home game for UT at Reliant Stadium, UT wins big.

Arizona State at Colorado - Buffs continue to struggle and move to 0-3

Florida Atlantic at Oklahoma State - Florida Atlantic loses a second straight to Big 12 opponents

Nebraska at USC - Nebraska struggles against a tough USC defense, USC wins.

Missouri at New Mexico - Missouri may be the surprise team in the North this year, the win easily at New Mexico.

Army vs. Texas A&M in San Antonio - Texas A&M wins on the neutral field.

First Year Coaches - Week 3

Boise State, KSU and Wisconson win again to maintain an undefeated record. KSU and Wisconson both play Top 10 teams this week against Louisville and Michigan. Four first year coaches are still looking for their first win of the year.

The group is 15-17 on the year.

Standings:
(3-0) Boise State: Chris Petersen - 17-10 victory over Wyoming.

(3-0) Kansas State: Ron Prince - KSU continues to improve with a 23-7 win over Marshall. .

(3-0) Wisconsin: Bret Bielema - Improves to 3-0 with a win over San Diego State.

(2-1) Middle Tennessee: Rick Stockstill - Roll over Tennessee Tech 44-0 with OU up next.

(2-1) Northwestern: Pat Fitzgerald - Bounce back with a 14-6 over Eastern Michigan.

(1-2) Idaho: Dennis Erickson - 27-24 over Idaho State.

(1-2) Buffalo: Turner Gill - Loss to Northern Illionois with a trip to Auburn this week.

(0-2) San Diego State: Chuck Long - 14-0 loss to Wisconson.

(0-3) Colorado: Dan Hawkins - 21-3 loss on the road at Arizona State.

(0-3) Rice: Todd Graham - Ran into a pissed off Texas team, 52-7.

(0-3) Temple: Al Golden - Outscored 133-3 in first three games..

Big 12 Week 3 Predictions

The Big 12 has started strong this year with a 20-4 start. Colorado is still searching for their first win and Baylor and Texas both sit at 1-1. All the other teams remain undefeated. The Big 12 hits the road in week 3, with 8 teams playing away and one team on a neutral field.

Can't Miss: Nebraska at USC
Hit or Miss: Oklahoma at Oregon
Must Miss: Kansas at Toledo

Friday, September 15th

Kansas at Toledo - Kansas wins a close one on the road.

Saturday, September 16th

Iowa State at Iowa - ISU falls to cross state rival

Marshall at Kansas State - KSU continues to improve and pulls away in the second half

Oklahoma at Oregon - OU wins a tough road game.

Baylor at Washington State - Baylor falls short on the road

Texas Tech at TCU - Texas Tech wins a high scoring battle

Texas at Rice - This game will seem like a home game for UT at Reliant Stadium, UT wins big.

Arizona State at Colorado - Buffs continue to struggle and move to 0-3

Florida Atlantic at Oklahoma State - Florida Atlantic loses a second straight to Big 12 opponents

Nebraska at USC - Nebraska struggles against a tough USC defense, USC wins.

Missouri at New Mexico - Missouri may be the surprise team in the North this year, the win easily at New Mexico.

Army vs. Texas A&M in San Antonio - Texas A&M wins on the neutral field.

First year Coaches

Three of the 11 first year coaches remain undefeated. Boise State, KSU and Wisconson all move to 2-0. While 4 coaches have dropped to 0-2, Colorado, Idaho, Rice and Temple.

The biggest upset goes to New Hampshire, knocking off Northwestern.

The group is 9-12 on the year.

Standings:

(2-0) Boise State: Chris Petersen - Beat a PAC 10 team, Oregon State 42-14.

(2-0) Kansas State: Ron Prince - Rolls past Florida Atlantic, 45-0.

(2-0) Wisconsin: Bret Bielema - 34-10 over Western Illinois.

(1-1) Buffalo: Turner Gill - Lose to Bowling Green 48-40.

(1-1) Middle Tennessee: Rick Stockstill - Lose on the Road at Maryland.

(1-1) Northwestern: Pat Fitzgerald - A stunning loss to New Hampshire.

(0-1) San Diego State: Chuck Long - Weekend off.

(0-2) Colorado: Dan Hawkins - Beat by in-state rival Colorado State 14-10.

(0-2) Idaho: Dennis Erickson - Washington State wins easily, 56-10.

(0-2) Rice: Todd Graham - In the first game of the worst non-conference schedule in college football, Rice loses 16-26. Up next, Texas then at Florida State.

(0-2) Temple: Al Golden - 62-0 loss to Louisville.

Big 12 Week 2 Results

I hate to brag, but after a 12-0 weekend, I am 23-1 on the year. CSU and OSU were the spoilers this week. Ohio State proved it was for real and Texas proved that Vince Young was all that.



Sat. Sept. 9th

Mississippi at Missouri - Missouri rolls 34-7.

Nicholls State at Nebraska - Nebraska in a laugher.

Washington at Oklahoma - OU and AD pull away in the 2nd half.

Colorado at Colorado State - 0-2 and the tough games are coming next.

Northwestern State at Baylor - Baylor gets first win of the season, 47-10.

UNLV at Iowa State - ISU by 6 points..

UL-Monroe at Kansas - Kansas squeaks by UL-Monroe, 21-19.

Florida Atl at Kansas State - KSU rolls before and after rain delay.

Texas Tech at UTEP - Tech needs OT to edge UTEP 38-35.

UL-Lafayette at Texas A&M - Easy win at Kyle Field.

Oklahoma State at Arkansas State - OSU 35 ASU 7

Ohio State at Texas - Troy Smith does his best impression of Vince Young.

Big 12 Week 2 Predictions

The Big 12 started off the week 10-2, the only real upset came in Boulder, where Colorado lost to 1-AA Montana State. For the year, I am 11-1... nice way to start off the season but it gets a little trickier from here.

Can't Miss: Ohio State at Texas
Hit or Miss: Washington at Oklahoma
Must Miss: Northwestern State at Baylor


Sat. Sept. 9th
Mississippi at Missouri - Missouri pulls out the win to stay undefeated.

Nicholls State at Nebraska - Nebraska continues to roll along.

Washington at Oklahoma - Oklahoma failed to impress last week but will this week, OU big

Colorado at Colorado State - CU loses again on the way to an 0-4 non-conference start.

Northwestern State at Baylor - Baylor wins easily at home.

UNLV at Iowa State - Iowa State moves to 2-0.

UL-Monroe at Kansas - Kansas wins big at home, not Mangino big, but pretty big.

Florida Atl at Kansas State - KSU plays better after near disaster in week one.

Texas Tech at UTEP - Tech wins a close game on the road.

UL-Lafayette at Texas A&M - Easy win at Kyle Field.

Oklahoma State at Arkansas State - Not sure why OSU agreed to play this one on the road, but they get the W.

Ohio State at Texas - Offense led by a freshman QB cannot keep up with Troy Smith and company... Ohio State wins in Austin.

Two UT Players Arrested

http://criminalathletes.blogspot.com/2006/09/two-players-arrested-on-drug-weapon.html

The 2006 season kicked off for 11 new 1A coaches and the group went a combined 6-5. The big losers for the week are Colorado who lost to a weak 1AA opponent and Temple who lost to first year coach Turner Gill.

Boise State shows it can survive without Dan Hawkins who left for CU and Bret Bielema beats Bowling Green after taking over for Alvarez at Wisconsin.

Standings:

(1-0) Boise State: Chris Petersen - Continues the tradition of high powered offenses and beats Sacramento State 45-0

(1-0) Buffalo: Turner Gill - Wins 9-3 in OT over Temple.

(1-0) Kansas State: Ron Prince - Takes advantage of a questionable decision by Illinois State to go for two instead of a tie at the end of the game, hold on to win 24-23.

(1-0) Middle Tennessee: Rick Stockstill - The Blue Raiders held on to beat Florida Intl. 7-6 at home.

(1-0) Northwestern: Pat Fitzgerald - Wins opener on the road 21-3 at Miami OH

(1-0) Wisconsin: Bret Bielema - Beat Bowling Green 35-14 in Home Opener.


(0-1) Colorado: Dan Hawkins - Loss opener to 1AA Montana State... Could be a long year for a team that went to the Big 12 Championship game last year.

(0-1) Idaho: Dennis Erickson - Beat on the road at Michigan State.

(0-1) Rice: Todd Graham - Rice was beating cross town Rival Houston 30-14 mid way through the 3rd qtr, but UofH scored 17 unanswered points to beat Rice 31-30.

(0-1) San Diego State: Chuck Long - Rallies in the fourth to within 3 points, but falls to UTEP in home opener, 34-27.

(0-1) Temple: Al Golden - Lost to first year coach Turner Gill in OT.

Chris Simms comes out of the closet...

The truth is finally out there... what a huge burden that must have been all these years. Chris Simms, QB for the Tampa Gay Buccaneers and his former lover, Kyle Shanahan have revealed that their love for each other was so intense that they got their initials tattooed on each others lower legs.

While Simms had his mind set on putting his love on display for the world to see, Shanahan was not so sure. "Kyle was a real wimp about it," Simms said. "He got a small one on his ankle. He was afraid his mom and dad would see it, so he keeps it hidden underneath his socks."

Simms reveals more about their relationship "We talk at least once a week. We're obsessed... We have a great love..., and we're constantly talking" Simms said of Shanahan.

"I met Chris for the first time right after I transferred to Texas (from Duke) in January (of 2000)," Shanahan said. "I was the new wide receiver, and one day I was naked in the dressing room. Chris came up, introduced himself." He went on to say "He was prettier then most chicks at UT, so I thought 'what the hell'.
"Later, he invited me out to dinner. We hit it off immediately, and we've been together ever since."

This has been a tough year for the couple, Shanahan took a job in Houston as the Texans WR Coach while Simms remains in Tampa. They are however, considering buying a home together in Vermont where they plan on raising floppy eared rabbits during the off season.

They are also in negotiations for a reality show that will air on the Bravo Network called "Tight Ends".

KSU Depth Chart - Week One

Offense

WR 27 Jordy Nelson (6-2, 213, Jr.-1L) 10 Jermaine Moreira (5-10, 191, Sr.-3L)

LT 64 Nick Stringer (6-6, 271, Fr.-RS) 71 Derek Meyer (6-6, 301, Fr.-RS)

LG 67 Greg Wafford (6-2, 339, Sr.-1L) 69 Caleb Handy (6-1, 313, So.-1L)

C 79 Jordan Bedore (6-3, 302, So.-1L) 72 John Hafferty (6-2, 296, Jr.-2L)

RG 73 Gerard Spexarth (6-6, 312, So.-1L) 65 Logan Robinson (6-8, 338, Jr.-SQ)

RT 77 Michael Frieson (6-7, 316, Sr.-SQ) 76 Brock Unruh (6-5, 301, Fr.-RS)

TE 89 Rashaad Norwood (6-3, 229, Jr.-1L) 82 Michael Pooschke (6-3, 245, Jr.-JC) / or 85 Jeron Mastrud (6-6, 255, Fr.-HS)

WR 16 Yamon Figurs (5-11, 173, Sr.-2L) 88 Cedric Wilson (6-1, 190, So.-JC)

QB 9 Dylan Meier (6-2, 211, Sr.-2L) 1 Josh Freeman (6-6, 238, Fr.-HS)

RB 21 Carlos Alsup (6-0, 212, Sr.-2L) 14 Leon Patton (5-7, 184, Fr.-HS) / or 8 James Johnson (5-11, 200, Jr.-JC)

FB 28 John McCardle (5-8, 200, So.-1L) 87 Donald Raymer (6-2, 238, Sr.-SQ)

Defense

LE 98 Ian Campbell (6-5, 232, So.-1L) 54 Trevor Viers (6-4, 259, Fr.-HS)

NT 99 Steven Cline (6-1, 291, Jr.-1L) 56 Quintin Echols (6-0, 316, Sr.-3L)

DT 34 Blake Seiler (6-2, 254, Sr.-2L) 50 Alphonso Moran (6-0, 294, So.-1L)

RE 95 Rob Jackson (6-3, 265, Jr.-JC) 90 Eric Childs (6-3, 230, Fr.-RS)

SLB 53 Reggie Walker (6-0, 233, So.-1L) 37 Marcus Perry (6-1, 225, Jr.-2L)

MLB 52 Zach Diles (6-0, 240, Sr.-1L) 24 Maurice Mack (5-10, 215, Sr.-3L)

WLB 46 Brandon Archer (6-0, 239, Sr.-3L) 43 Antwon Moore (5-10, 209, So.-JC)

CB 3 Bryan Baldwin (5-10, 190, Jr.-1L) 6 Byron Garvin (5-10, 180, Jr.-2L)

SS 9 Kyle Williams (6-0, 201, Sr.-1L) 15 Kevin Hollis (5-11, 190, Fr.-RS)

FS 18 Andrew Erker (6-0, 195, So.-SQ) 2 Marcus Watts (6-2, 180, Jr.-1L)

CB 22 Justin McKinney (5-9, 185, Jr.-1L) 12 Devin Anderson (5-8, 178, Jr.-JC)

Specialists

KO 19 Jeff Snodgrass (6-0, 200, Sr.-1L) 18 Jared Parker (5-11, 197, So.-SQ)

PK 19 Jeff Snodgrass (6-0, 200, Sr.-1L) 26 Tim Schwerdt (5-8, 174, Jr.-1L)

HOLD 2 Marcus Watts (6-2, 180, Jr.-1L) 9 Dylan Meier (6-2, 211, Sr.-2L)

LS 62 Jeff Mortimer (6-0, 231, Sr.-2L) 82 Michael Pooschke (6-3, 245, Jr.-JC)

P 17 Tim Reyer (5-11, 208, Jr.-2L) 21 Cole Brokenicky (5-10, 197, Jr.-SQ)

PR 16 Yamon Figurs (5-11, 173, Sr.-2L) 10 Jermaine Moreira (5-10, 191, Sr.-3L)

KR 16 Yamon Figurs (5-11, 173, Sr.-2L) 10 Jermaine Moreira (5-10, 191, Sr.-3L)

Big 12 Week 1 Predictions

The Big 12 starts off with a whimper. Baylor is the only school with a challenging game this weekend, and it is a game they should lose. With the Big 12 hosting powerhouses like Toledo, Montana State, Murray State, Northwestern State, Missouri State and Illinois State, they should finish the weekend at 11-1 and be prepared for a more challenging schedule next weekend.

Can't Miss: TCU at Baylor
Hit or Miss: SMU at Texas Tech
Must Miss: Missouri State and Oklahoma State


Winners are in BOLD

Thu., Aug. 31
Toledo at Iowa State

Sat., Sep. 2
North Texas at Texas
Montana State at Colorado
Louisiana Tech at Nebraska
Murray State at Missouri
SMU at Texas Tech
Northwestern State at Kansas
Missouri State at Oklahoma State
UAB at Oklahoma
The Citadel at Texas A&M
Illinois State at Kansas State

Sun., Sep. 3
TCU at Baylor

New NCAA Football Coaches

There are 11 new NCAA Division 1 football coaches this year, including Ron Prince of Kansas State. I will be keeping a season long update of how each coach is doing at their new job.

Check back every week for updates.

Boise State: Chris Petersen
Buffalo: Turner Gill
Colorado: Dan Hawkins
Idaho: Dennis Erickson
Kansas State: Ron Prince
Middle Tennessee: Rick Stockstill
Northwestern: Pat Fitzgerald
Rice: Todd Graham
San Diego State: Chuck Long
Temple: Al Golden
Wisconsin: Bret Bielema

More Trouble for OU...

Meet Leon Warren. The Oklahoma man, 64, was recently nabbed for running a moonshine business out of his home. According to an August 7 District Court criminal complaint, Warren is facing a felony rap for operating a whiskey still and two misdemeanors for possessing non-taxed liquor and producing wine without a permit. Warren, who faces up to three years in jail and a $5000 fine if convicted of the charges, posed for the below mug shot at the Pushmataha County Sheriff's Office before posting $1000 bond.

As I am sure he is a booster of the University of Oklahoma, this could spell more trouble for the OU atletics programs.

Big 12 Post Secrets

One of the hottest blogs is Post Secret. Their website sells itself as an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. I thought it might be interesting if some of the past and present Big 12 athletes were to post their "post secrets"...



































More to come as the year goes on...

Odds to Win the 2007 BCS National Championship

Sportsbook.com has posted the odd to win the 2007 BCS National Championship. I have highlighted the best bets in BLUE and the worst bets in RED.

National Contenders
Ohio St 5-1
Notre Dame 5-1
Oklahoma 7-1
Texas 8-1
USC 10-1
Florida 10-1
West Virginia 10-1
Miami FL 15-1

Long Shots
Michigan 20-1
Auburn 25-1
Florida St 25-1
LSU 25-1
Penn St 35-1
Louisville 35-1
California 40-1
Iowa 40-1
Tennessee 40-1
Nebraska 45-1
Arizona St 45-1
Virginia Tech 50-1
Georgia 55-1
Oregon 90-1

No Shots
UCLA 100-1
Texas Tech 100-1
Texas A&M 100-1
Boston College 100-1
Arkansas 180-1
South Carolina 200-1
Clemson 200-1
Alabama 200-1
Georgia Tech 200-1
Maryland 200-1
North Carolina St 200-1
TCU 200-1
Wisconsin 200-1
Michigan St 200-1
Colorado 200-1
Arizona 200-1
Purdue 200-1
Virginia 200-1
Iowa St 300-1
Pittsburgh 300-1
North Carolina 400-1
Hawaii 450-1
Northwestern 500-1
BYU 500-1
Oregon St 500-1
Fresno St 500-1
UNLV 1000-1
Field 30-1 (Wake Forest, Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Rutgers, South Florida, Syracuse, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Stanford, Washington, Washington State, Kentucky, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt)

Note: I have listed most of the teams from the BCS conferences here, it is not meant to include all teams in the field.

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.