2011 In Review

I would first like to say Happy New Year to all of my readers, I hope you all have a fun and safe night, and keep every resolution you attempt to begin tomorrow.

Now, let's review this past year and what all went down in sports. I started this last year, and know that everyone posts their cheesy lists, but I cut the cheese and get straight to the point.

So, without further adieu, here are my Top 5 moments of 2011.

Number 1: World Champions
We finally did it. I've watched the Mavericks since they seemed to go 0-82 back in my elementary years, and never thought I'd see the day. But I finally did, and Cuban hoisting the trophy paired with Dirk raising the MVP trophy was the best image of 2011.

Number 2: The Rushing of the Field
I was moving between the press box and the roof of Boone Pickens Stadium for the Bedlam game (December 3), and it was incredible. I got to sit back and watch everything and soak it all in, and it was the craziest atmosphere I had ever seen. Then, with four minutes to go in the game I moved down to the walkway between the field and Gallagher-Iba arena, and watched as the sea of orange flooded the field like a tsunami of fanatical, long-awaited happiness. I saw them tear down the goal posts and move them through the crowd as people hung off of them, everyone rejoicing in the schools first ever Big 12 Championship. Then, we went to Washington Street afterwards, home of "The Strip" and witnessed the celebration there as well. Incredible night.

Number 3: Back to Back American League Champions
Highlighted by Nelson Cruz' boomstick, the Rangers raised another AL Championship trophy and another AL Championship banner. Unfortunately, they couldn't finish it off (again) in the World Series, but it was another great year and another huge step taken towards being a major MLB power.

Number 4: Pack Attack
Before 2011, Aaron Rodgers was only known as "The quarterback who fell really far in the draft." He is now known as World Champion, and led an injury-stricken Packers squad to their first Super Bowl in a long time.

Number 5: The Rise to Dominance
Not exactly a moment, but the entire year was incredible for Cam Newton. He started it off by winning the National Championship in January, then followed that up by being the first pick in the NFL draft. Now, he has broken two rookie quarterback records (One held by Peyton Manning) and is becoming ONE OF the best quarterbacks in the leagues (YES, I said it!). Cam is a star and a role model, and the NFL needs him to do exactly what he's doing. Imagine what he would be doing if DeAngelo Williams was having a year like he did in '09. Can you say "Playoffs"?

Happy new year, hope it's a safe one!

Tebow

Tim Tebow is now 7-1 as a starter.

Brace yourself for the eighth straight week of Tebow mania on ESPN, as well as every radio station you come across... But I can't say I don't love it.

Let's get this out of the way... Tebow isn't an elite quarterback. He's not Aaron Rodgers (The best, period), Tom Brady or Peyton Manning (The second best in my opinion), but what do all four of these players have in common?

Their job is to win football games.

Tebow has won 7 of them in his last 8 games.

Yet people are still looking for arguments to debunk the Tebow-Mania that has ensued on everyone's Twitter timeline...

"But Brendon, his defense is playing incredible! That's the reason they're winning!"

Sure, the defense is playing great. I'll give that to them. But aren't they supposed to do that? The defense's sole job is to give their offense a chance to win the game (I go to Oklahoma State, I know this better than anyone).

Guess what? The defense is doing their job, and Tebow is doing his.

"But Tebow didn't kick that field goal in overtime, the kicker won the game!"

This is the funniest. Tebow's job isn't to kick the field goal. Overtime rarely ends with a touchdown unless it comes from 25+ yards away (on a long play). Any time a team gets within 30 yards of the endzone, they run the ball a few times and kick a field goal.

Tebow's job is to get the ball inside the kickers range, that's EVERY quarterback's job in the NFL. The kicker's job is to kick the field goal.

The kicker did his job, Tebow did his.

All in all, the only reason Tebow gets talked about is because there are so many people who want to throw him out as a quarterback. That's what Skip Bayless, ESPN's most controversial analyst, thrives off of. Someone says something, and he goes against it, THAT'S why you hear about it. That's what the national media does, and that's what you tune into when you turn on ESPN or the radio.

Tebow is not a quarterback. Fine. I'll give you that. But he's doing every job a quarterback is supposed to do, and doing it well.

Tebow's job is to give his team the best chance to win. Moving the ball inside of field goal range in overtime is the job he was handed, and he did it.

That's the same job Rodgers, Brady, Manning, Romo, Flacco, Alex Smith and Roethlisberger all have. That's the job you have as a quarterback.

Tebow does his job.

If I had a vote...

If I had a vote in any of these, this is how I would be voting.

Heisman Voting
1- UW RB Montee Ball
2- LSU DB Tyrann Mathieu
3- BU QB Robert Griffin III
4- STAN QB Andrew Luck
5- ALA RB Trent Richardson

All Big 12 Team (Second team in Parenthesis)
QB- OkSt Brandon Weeden (BU Robert Griffin III, 3rd Team KSU Collin Klein)
RB- BU Terrance Ganaway (OkSt Joseph Randle, 3rd Team A&M Cyrus Gray)
WR- BU Kendall Wright (OU Ryan Broyles, 3rd Team TTU Eric Ward)
WR- OkSt Justin Blackmon (A&M Ryan Swope, 3rd Team OU Kenny Stills)
TE- MU Michael Egnew (OU James Hanna, 3rd Team KU Tim Biere)

Top 25 Ballot
1. LSU
2. Oklahoma State
3. Alabama
4. Stanford
5. Oregon
6. Kansas State
7. Arkansas
8. Boise State
9. Wisconsin
10. Clemson
11. South Carolina
12. Baylor
13. Virginia Tech
14. Oklahoma
15. Michigan
16. Georgia
17. Michigan State
18. Houston
19. Nebraska
20. TCU
21. Penn State
22. West Virginia
23. Southern Mississippi
24. Auburn
25. Florida State
Others: Texas

Ranking the best field rushes of the recent past

Saturday was the first time I have ever experienced a field-rush firsthand.

I've rushed the court once in high school after our basketball team won homecoming in triple overtime, but rushing with 40 other students isn't the same as rushing with 60,000 like they did last night at Boone Pickens Stadium.

Although I was covering the game and was standing on the Gallagher-Iba patio to watch the madness ensue before finding my way down to the field, I must say that it was as cool as I've always thought it to be.

That being said, my prayers and thoughts are with my fellow students who were injured during the process. This type of thing is about celebration, and it upsets me that last night was probably the best night in those students recent lives up until they were unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It's always been a dream of mine to be playing in a game that big and to have the crowd rush onto me like the student section, and eventually the entire stadium, did last night.

It was awesome. My hands were shaking, partly due to it being 35 degrees outside, but also because the adrenaline to blood ratio was about 2:1 in my veins.

So, without further delay, I present to you the 5 best field rushes in recent history, being the last 3-5 years.

Criteria: I'm basing these rankings off of a few things.
#1: How fast the field was filled and how heavy the stream of students was coming out of the stands
#2: How fast the goal posts came down, if they came down
#3: How much the field was filled overall.

Number 5: Texas A&M upsets #8 Nebraska -- 2010
I loved this one. A&M was on a historic run in 2010 to lock up a share of the Big 12 south division and made a huge statement against Nebraska. The cool thing about this field rush is that at Kyle Field, only 1/3 of the students are on the field level. The other 2/3 are either a deck or two up, so the initial rush is the lower level, then in the extended versions, there are two more huge rushes that hit from the next two decks. Great effort, but not good enough to get any higher than 5.

Number 4: Wisconsin upsets #1 Ohio State -- 2010
Ohio State had just received it's #1 ranking after a loss at the top the week before, but they had to go to Wisconsin to defend it. Then it all went sour. My favorite part? Listen to the PA Announcer. "Students, PLEASE stay back!" "Students, PLEASE get off the goal posts." Shutup and let the kids have some fun man.



Number 3: Iowa State upsets #2 Oklahoma State -- 2011
This one hurts, but I had to put it up. They filled the field quickly. Didn't go after goal posts though... Why?



Number 2: Oklahoma State over Oklahoma, wins first Big 12 Championship in school history -- 2011
Finally a win. After 8 long years the Pokes got the big Bedlam W. The students attacked the field, given the 8 foot wall they had to drop down to get to it, and took out BOTH of the goal posts. Awesome. Also, notice how the PA announcer keeps celebrating instead of yelling at the students. We're adults, okay!?



Another cool video that went up on the O'Colly website after I posted this of the field rush.



Number 1: Texas Tech upsets #1 Texas -- 2008
Nothing will ever beat this field rush. Ever. Mike Crabtree grabbed a comeback on the sideline, then slipped past a defender and tip toed into the endzone. Tech students rushed with 1 second left, so half of the stadium, which was at capacity, was already on the sidelines. All they had to do was run to midfield. The greatest field rush in the history of college football. Period.

See 8:05 if you don't want to watch the game highlights.

Oklahoma State gets jipped

I'm going to do my best Kirk Herbstreit/Mark May/Craig James impression and break this down at face value.

Really?

Kirk Herbstreit and Mark May both took shots at Oklahoma State's defense tonight. Were they not watching last night?

Jamie Blatnick and Richetti Jones were ONE YARD SHORT of outscoring the Sooner offense... And they're defensive ends.

"What else do these guys have to do," Brandon Weeden asked me at the team's BCS watch party. "They just shut down the fifth ranked offense in the nation, what else is there?"

I fully agree, and the feedback after the Bedlam game is disgusting. The contest is being chalked up as OU just simply not showing up.

Really?

Give credit where credit is due. The Pokes held the Number 5 ranked passing offense (People are conveniently forgetting that detail) out of the endzone with their lone touchdown coming from the backup quarterback.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist in the least bit, but to echo Oklahoma State receiver Isaac McCoy's comments on twitter, I have a feeling that if Texas or OU were in this position, the Big 12 would have a representative in New Orleans come January 9th.

Also, if anyone has any connections at ESPN, let them know I'm available for hire. I would love to talk football with these imbecile's they put on their panels.

I think the pointless debates with my buddies on random things like who has the best batting stance in baseball are harder to win then it would be to talk football on these BCS shows.

What's the point?

The BCS system claims "Every Game Counts."

Umm... No.

The National Championship should be about a body of work, which means THE ENTIRE season instead of the timeliness of a loss.

Let's face it, it's harder than every to go undefeated in the NCAA, and will only get tougher. Strength and conditioning is becoming an exact, calculated science that is turning two and three-star recruits into superstars. Just look at Justin Blackmon, he was ranked a three-star prospect out of five total stars coming out of high school.

Not to mention, that strength and conditioning is spilling over into high schools. What does that mean? Better development of talent, and more players to choose from.

Which also means teams are better, faster, stronger and overall just more talented, and the overall landscape of college football is evening out. Nowadays, a Herschel Walker can hardly come in and dominate the field because he'd have a backup that is more of a speedster.

All in all, the fact that college football is evening out means that the BCS is showing more and more flaws.

Especially this year. What's the point of a rematch? What do we gain out of it?

If Alabama wins, LSU can easily say "We had to play one more game then you, PLUS we beat you on your field already. The series is tied 1-1."

If LSU wins, we are reminded that they're the best team in the nation because we've known it for a few weeks now. What's the point of that?

I'm not saying that LSU and Alabama aren't the two best teams, and I'm not saying they are. All I'm saying is what is the point in seeing the same two teams rematch again? LSU already won outright and Alabama won't be their conference's champion... Then again, LSU may not be either.

And Alabama's head coach, Nick Saban, thinks that as well. He said it in 2003 while coaching the Tigers of Baton Rouge.

He said:

"Anyone who doesn't win their conference has no business playing in the national championship game."

Thanks for saying it for me, Coach.

Better question: If LSU loses, how do you justify having a National Championship game played between two teams who weren't their conference's champion?

I give up. See you in the Fiesta Bowl against an overrated Stanford team and a sleeper of a BCS bowl that Oklahoma State will win 70-10.

Column: Kurt Budke -- My First Interview

I woke up to my phone ringing.

Nothing seemed more important than a few more minutes of sleep, so I ignored it.

When it stopped ringing, I checked my phone and realized I had a few missed calls and even more text messages and eventually gathered the news everyone was trying to tell me.

Oklahoma State women's basketball coach Kurt Budke and his assistant, Miranda Serna, died in a plane crash flying back from a scouting trip to Arkansas.

Stunning news, especially for me. Budke was my first interview as an aspiring college journalist, an interview that started terribly wrong and ended unimaginably perfect.

It was January of 2011, and I found myself standing in a crowded Gallagher-Iba practice gym face to face with the coach.

I stood in the corner of the practice gym and watched Budke run his practice, stopping the drills here and there to coach his players in his own warm, loving way.

"Back when I was coaching my daughter's team, I asked Kurt for advice," said Dave Hunziker, play-by-play voice of the Cowboys. "I remember him saying that coaching girls is different. He said ‘If you show them you care, they'll run through a brick wall for you,' and even with girls as little as my daughter, it was the truth. He knew what he was doing."

It was evident that Budke operated by that philosophy, but it didn't stop with his team.

Budke applied that ideal to every component of being a head coach.

I experienced that theory firsthand when I approached him to ask him questions about the game.

The fact that it was my first interview was something he recognized right away.

My mouth opened and something that loosely resembled a question lazily tumbled out.

"So, coach … your team is preparing for a big game against the Aggies … How does it look to do that?"

I immediately realized that my brain had simply pieced together fragments of about 20 different thoughts and created one question. I ducked my head in embarrassment and fear.

"Is this your first interview?" Budke asked with a grin.

I nodded, still avoiding eye contact, ready to sprint out of the gym in tears while cursing my plan for a career in sports journalism.

Instead of laughing me out of the gym as I expected, Budke smirked, put his hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes.

"Be confident in your questions and we'll give you what you need," he said. "Don't ever get embarrassed about something; if you need a quote then go after it and get it out of me."

What he said has always stuck in the back of my mind, and although I doubt he would have remembered anything about that day, I remember it as if it had just happened a few moments ago.

I have more than 200 interviews with various Oklahoma State coaches and athletes stored up on my recorder, but this one has always been my favorite — not only because it was my first, but also because of what happened.

I moved on to cover the men's basketball program for the remainder of the season but ran into Budke quite a few times after.

The greeting was always the same ­— a smile, a handshake and a pat on the shoulder.

Budke was more than just a coach at Oklahoma State University. He was a friend to his team, a role model for all who watched him and a great person on and off the court.

"I can still see it right now," Hunziker said. "Every Sunday he was in church. Halfway down on the right side, right arm around his wife, left arm propped on the arm of the pew."

That Kurt Budke is the very same man who helped me out that day in the practice gym and the same man who quietly took his seat for every Cowgirl basketball game since he was hired in 2005.

He was the man who would sit in the first row of the bleachers before and after practices, leaning back against the second row with his arms spread and his legs crossed while talking to members of the media or a fan who happened to wander into practice.

Budke treated both the same — with respect. And it didn't matter who he was talking to; his approach never changed.

"He was a very good coach and a better person," Oklahoma State alumnus and ESPN analyst Doug Gottlieb said. "He took over a team that hadn't won a conference game the previous year and made them successful. But it wasn't a success in which anyone else felt threatened by because of how well-respected he was around the department and around Stillwater.

Budke's success on the court was evident, but anyone who knew him also knows that that wasn't all he was worried about. He was as much concerned with preparing his players for the next game as he was preparing them for life after Oklahoma State. In doing that, the coach gained the respect of everyone around the program and city.

"Kurt was kind of like the mayor," Hunziker said. "He had so many people in Stillwater that respected him because he was so approachable that he probably could've won office if he tried. He was that kind of man."

His approachable characteristics quickly gained popularity among the fan base of Oklahoma State.

"I always saw the Oklahoma State women's team as the team of Payne County," Hunziker said. "You had so many people right there in Stillwater that maybe couldn't afford football tickets or men's basketball tickets, so they'd rally behind his team because they could be there, and the fact that he was such a good guy only helped that."

Coming off the 10-year anniversary of the tragic 2001 plane crash that claimed 10 Oklahoma State lives, the situation is all too familiar for any Cowboy or Cowgirl who has been around the program for any period of time.

But if 2001's tragedy is any type of hint, then one thing is for sure when it comes to Kurt Budke and Miranda Serna.

Oklahoma State will never forget.

O Football God's, Where Hast Thou Gone?

Throughout the season, it seems the football God’s have been smiling down on the orange and black all season.

That is, all season until the Cowboys traveled to Ames.

It all started when they traveled to College Station to face a high-ranked Texas A&M football team.

The game was played at Kyle Field, usually considered one of the toughest places to play in America due to the intensity of the Aggie student section, nicknamed ‘The 12th Man.”

Enter the Cowboy luck.

The game was in late September, which meant the weather was still very warm in South Texas.

Kickoff was scheduled for 2:30, and the acclaimed 12th Man had their energy stolen by an especially hot southern sun who smiled down on the stadium for four hours.

The lack of energy showed in the second half, as students chose to sit under the stands and chug water instead of yell until their throats went raw at those daing Oklahoma State Cowboys.

The luck continued.

The Pokes traveled to Austin for a 2:30 kickoff. Same story as Texas A&M, except half of the crowd didn’t even bother to show up.

Then, a trip to Columbia, Missouri and Lubbock, Texas to face Missouri and Texas Tech, both 11 am kickoffs at places that are usually considered death-traps by high-ranked Big 12 teams.

Oklahoma State rolled against Mizzou, and sent the crowd back to their tailgates before halftime in Lubbock.

But eventually, the luck had to run out – And it finally did in Ames.

“I don’t think the scheduling God’s did us any kind of favors on this one,” offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. “We have to travel home from Lubbock, then we have a short week to prepare and travel to Ames. Are you kidding me?”

Although Oklahoma State agreed to the Friday night kickoff back in April, they didn’t expect the week to unfold in the way it did.

When heading back from Lubbock, the Cowboy’s plane had problems that forced the team to sit at the airport for hours. That meant the coaches and players were getting home quite a bit later than expected.

“That threw us off a bit,” defensive coordinator Bill Young said. “It started the week off on a weird note. We weren’t expecting to get in bed that late that night, but that’s the way it happened.”

Add that to the already short week, plus news of the tragedy that hit Oklahoma State on Friday and the Cowboys had a recipe for disaster when they came out of the tunnel to face the Cyclones.

While the Oklahoma State community was down, the football God’s got a few kicks in with a double-overtime loss, and pictures of a jubilant Iowa State crowd rushing the field that just won’t go away.

With the events that unfolded around college football on Saturday, the Oklahoma State title chances aren’t exactly gone, and a win over the rival Sooners could solidify their legitimacy.

But they’ll probably need to get the football God’s back in their corner to down the Sooners for the first time in eight years.

After all, those God’s seem to have been wearing orange all year.

What’s another two games?

Bedlam

Bedlam: Noun -- a scene or state of wild uproar and confusion.

It's coming, Oklahoma. Stillwater will host two teams that are responsible for 21 wins and only 1 loss in the 2011 season.

Blood is already boiling over it. Is it possible for the Oklahoma State football team to lose this game?

"It's fate. It can't happen. No way, we're going to New Orleans."

"No way. They're the same old Cowboys. The 'Poke Choke' has to come sometime, it'll be in Bedlam."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Growing up, I was an Aggie fan. My mother graduated from Texas A&M, and if school had been important to me, odds are I would be the same.

Fortunately, I'm a good test-taker and qualified for entrance to Oklahoma State, the only other school I applied for.

I held out for Texas A&M, and eventually got wait-listed. The plan was to go to the junior college in College Station for a year, then sport the Maroon & White until I die.

But I didn't want to be a JuCo kid, I couldn't fathom it, and it eventually caught up to me.

"Mom, let's visit Stillwater."

People were nice, I was hooked. I'd go there for a year or two, then transfer back home. But my blood turned from Maroon to Orange very quickly.

In freshman orientation, I was sitting in the back. The counselors were doing skits and giving info for the 200+ kids there, and they called a guy onto the stage. He was wearing red.

"We don't do this here. Burn this shirt when you get home. You don't wear red in Stillwater. Ever."

That was about the whole message, and I haven't worn red since then.

Obviously, I fell in love with Oklahoma State. I'm an 'underdog guy', and I see Oklahoma State as the underdog in their own home state.

But why?

On the way back from Lubbock after seeing Texas Tech run out of their own stadium by the orange and black, we talked about it. Our photographer KT King, who's a long-time Oklahoma State fan and Oklahoma native, hit the nail on the head.

"Oklahoma has never had a unifying thing. If you grow up in Texas, you may be a Texas Tech fan and your friend may be a Longhorn, but you both like the Dallas Cowboys or the Houston Astros. You have common ground. In Oklahoma, the first thing to come around is the Oklahoma City Thunder, but that's second to college football. There will always be a line between the two, and I doubt anything comes along that is strong enough to erase it."

It was tough for me to understand it, so I took to twitter. Describe Bedlam for me, tweeps.

@Daniel_Toofine: Epic.
@Mitchell_Bro: BOOMER.
@DenLowery: Blood Bath.
@OKenglandk: Japanese anime-like.
@Schemingdreamin: Insanity.
@Chase_Wilcher: It's THE GAME for OSU fans, and it's the last scary test before a big bowl for OU fans

While I was sitting in the O'Colly newsroom today, we were having our usual football talk and putting our guesses down against the Vegas odds. Then I thought about it.

"Is it even possible? The football God's have smiled down on Stillwater all season, is it possible for the Sooners to win? After years of coming in second place in Oklahoma, is it finally the Poke's chance to stand at the top of the state?"

Trenton Sperry, our managing editor who is also an Oklahoma native, looked at me and said "It's Bedlam. Anything can happen."

On one hand, I agree. But on the other, why chalk it up to 'Who knows?'

That's the difference I've noticed from Texas to Oklahoma.

In Texas, unranked Texas Tech WILL beat Oklahoma because Tech is the greatest team on the planet.

In Texas in 2002, top-ranked Oklahoma comes into College Station to face a 5-4 Texas A&M team, but the Aggies WILL beat Oklahoma because the Aggies are the greatest team on the planet.

In Texas, the Longhorns are going to the National Championship to play Matt Lienart and Reggie Bush, possibly the best quarterback-runningback duo to ever play college football. But the Longhorns WILL WIN because they're the greatest team on the planet.

In Texas, Euless Trinity and Southlake Carroll can win multiple state championships because their fan base KNOWS THEY WILL WIN no matter what.

They expect it, they don't hope.

In Stillwater, no one BELIEVES, and the sooner (no pun intended) they start BELIEVING, the sooner they will sit atop of the football world.

Believe.

Paterno

DISCLAIMER: With this post, I am not choosing a 'side' on this whole situation, I am simply expressing my opinion. Don't think that I'm a child-molestation advocate who has completely peeved that people are being fired over this scandal, I'm not. These are my opinions, as it says at the top of this page.

I don't support anything in this case. I can't imagine having to deal with the emotional abuse that those children are having to deal with because of Jerry Sandusky's selfish and unspeakable actions.

I also don't know that I support the amount of blame that has been placed on Joe Paterno.

A head coaches job is to keep his house in order, and that includes coaches, players, managers, medical staff, etc, and do whatever necessary to win football games and putting the finishing touches on MEN (not football players).

I've heard Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy talk about it a million times. One of the biggest hurdles in recruiting is gaining the recruit's parents trust, as they basically give their son away for four years.

Nowhere in that job-description does it say the coach should enforce any rules. He only makes them.

Obviously, it shouldn't have to be written that no coaches should participate in child molestation or anything that could be thought of in that way.

But since it came up (A graduate assistant came to Paterno and told him about what he saw) Paterno reported it to the higher-ups in the athletic department (The Athletic Director and the university President.)

As seen here, the department 'handled' the situation.

Why is it Paterno's job to go to the police or mention it in a press conference? Don't you think just as much damage would've come if Paterno made a false accusation claiming that Sandusky was a child-molester?

If that had happened, and Sandusky was innocent, the man would never be able to work anywhere again, much less coach.

This is really a simple matter. There are no winners here, the main losers are the higher-ups in the Penn State department.

But Paterno is less of a loser than they are.

Take a step back, and I hope you read the article posted above for this. The janitor saw Sandusky doing (insert details here) in the shower with a boy, and IMMEDIATELY reported it to his manager.

Should he lose his job? Absolutely not, he did what he was supposed to do.

Paterno heard second-hand from a 20-something year old graduate assistant that he saw something in the showers A WEEK LATER, and Paterno IMMEDIATELY reported it to his boss, who should've handled it accordingly but didn't.

If Paterno should be fired, so should the janitor.

But I guarantee the janitor wasn't fired, I'd be willing to place money on it.

The truth of the matter is that Penn State is doing what it has to do to move forward and get this into the deepest, darkest corner of the school's past as fast as it can, and I don't disagree with the firing for that matter alone.

But at the same time, I think the only reason Paterno's firing should be taking place is for that reason alone, and not because he didn't defy his university's president and athletic director's orders and try to do their job.

It's not his responsibility. The man acted as he should have, and unfortunately the people above him let him down, and now he has become the scapegoat because of it.

Unfortunate situation.

My last thought is something that most people won't be able to comprehend because this is a very passionate and emotional subject, and I fully expect the responses of "IT WASN'T CANDY, THESE WERE KIDS!" to flood my comments section, but if you can remove yourself from that thought-process then hear me out.

Every day after you attend school at Bedford Junior High, you walk over to 7Eleven on Brown Trail and Harwood road.

Your friend comes up and says "I saw that kid over there (We'll call him Jeremy) stealing candy before he left the store last week, but I don't want to tell the manager because I don't want to get in trouble for not telling him sooner."

So you go tell the manager.

Yes or no, is it your job to come back the next day and the next day and the next day to make sure that Jeremy got in trouble for what he did?

Phase 3: OSU Schedule Breakdown

They're 8-0, and the home stretch is looking good.

Let's get into it.

Game 9: Oklahoma State 56, Kansas State 18. Uniform Prediction:White Helmet, Orange Jersey, White Pants.
After Kansas State hit the buzz-saw of Oklahoma last week, OSU will have added confidence. The Cowboy defense has been the scapegoat of the National Media for months now, yet they're still undefeated. That speaks volumes, although perhaps not as loud as holding Robert Griffin touchdown-less for three quarters. Cowboys roll.

Game 10: Oklahoma State 62, Texas Tech 21. Uniform Prediction: Black Helmet, White Jersey, Orange Pants
There won't be an OU-type of surprise in this game. Tech's offense is explosive, but after seeing Iowa State shut them down this past weekend I'm not a believer. I see Justin Blackmon have a 200+ yard game in Lubbock.

Game 11: Oklahoma State 48, Iowa State 10 Uniform Prediction: White Helmet, White Jerseys, Orange Pants
Iowa State played well against decent teams this year, and that was mostly due to their defense shutting down the opposing offense (Iowa, Texas A&M, Tech). I don't think they can match up with the speed and 'pick your poison' type of Oklahoma State offense though, and I'm expecting this to be a shalacking.

Game 12: Oklahoma State 51, Oklahoma 38 Uniform Prediction: Black Helmets, Black Jerseys, Black Pants.
I firmly believe that this is the year of the Cowboy. Everyone will pick OU in this game because of OSU's defense, but I believe they'll get it done just as they did against Baylor. OU is vulnerable, as shown by Texas Tech, and I think the mixture of Boone Pickens Stadium being a madhouse and Weeden dissecting that semi-weak secondary that Texas Tech played will result in a field-rushing, BCS National Championships berth. This is going to be a game like no other, and will be summed up with one word... Bedlam

My Top 10
1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Oklahoma State
4. Boise State
5. Oklahoma
6. Oregon
7. Stanford
8. South Carolina
9. Clemson
10. Nebraska

Yes, my Top 10 doesn't include Arkansas. You'll see why in the next few weeks.

That's all I've got. Notice I didn't talk about any Dallas teams in this post. It's been a rough weekend.

No Words Can Describe, But This Is My Best Effort

The boys of September have done it again.

Yes, I said it. The boys of September. You can figure that nickname out, I have faith.

Again, the Rangers pull out the heart's of their fan base, throw it on the ground (the pitch was called a ball in the process), and trot off into the sunset.

Last year, the Rangers were the feel good story of the year. No one expected a World Series team, and they somehow got past the Rays and Yankees to surprise the world before bowing out after just five games.

2011 was a different story. The Rangers were expected to be a playoff team, and expected to do well in them by their fan base.

They did well, until once again bowing out. This time, in the 9th inning of Game 6.

A good closer doesn't throw a pitch that can be hit 300+ feet, especially in a 2 strike count. Period. End of story.

I'm a Neftali Feliz fan, but what in the world were you thinking?

Whatever, we still have Game 7 right? Wrong.

I made an effort to not watch any ESPN or listen to anything but The Ticket radio station out of DFW all day because I knew they would rule the Rangers out.

But then again, everyone kept harping on "Well the Rangers haven't lost consecutive games in 46 contests!"

The Rangers also weren't in Busch Stadium against Chris Carpenter in any of those 46 games, so I wasn't sold.

I just didn't have a good feeling about it, and turns out I was right. They started out hot, but it turned into a game of Rangers walking to the plate, guessing, and turning around to head to the dugout.

I was confused by that. The Rangers took almost every first pitch, and almost every first pitch was a strike. Then they'd watch the next (Especially Elvis, every time), as a fastball sped right down the middle. Their at-bat would finish with them trying to dig a curve ball out of the dirt almost every time.


I've got to tip my hat to the Cardinals though. They showed up when they needed to show up. Chris Carpenter put the team on his back (Is that term overused yet?) and got it done in the biggest game of his life.

The Cardinals bullpen slammed the door closed, something the Rangers bullpen probably saw as foreign.

And even though this was the greatest season in Texas Ranger franchise history, I'm still not happy with it.

Last year was the year to GET THERE. I know I'm ready to WIN ONE, and I know the 300 other fans that showed up to games back in the mid-90's feel the same way.

I don't mind the bandwagon fans, I wrote a post on that last October.

But I am proud to say that my parents raised me as a Ranger fan from birth. As I put on twitter earlier, I even named my hamsters I got in kindergarten after my two favorite Rangers -- Pudge and Juan (who we later found out was Juanita...)

So yeah, it may be "the greatest season in history", but it wasn't. It ended with a loss, which the Rangers have in common with every other playoff team except for the Cardinals in 2011.

I'm tired of saying "That's how baseball go", so I'm not going to say it. I'm done with that.

MAKE the baseball go where you want it to go instead of heading to the plate guessing and gazelle-jumping into the right field wall as Freese slides into third.

I stand behind Ron Washington. I stand behind Jon Daniels. I stand behind Nolan Ryan.

However, I do not stand behind the mindset I saw from that team in the last 12 innings. Whoever needs to fix that problem, fix it.

See you in the spring, it's now fully football season at Oklahoma State.

Describing The World Series So Far

My friend Justin (@JustinSouthwell) tweeted last night: "Baseball = World's slowest rollercoaster"

Looking back at this world series, I fully agree with him.

I mean, this is ridiculous. If my doctor was in the room for any game, she'd hospitalize me for ridiculously high, neck vein bulging, face reddening blood pressure.

But I thought about Justin's tweet more and more, and I realized it matches a roller coaster perfectly... So I'll match it up with my favorite. The Titan.

The Build Up:
Clank clank clank clank, there goes the chain as we leave the station and start going up for the first drop. The suspense is building up. We beat the Ray's, this is going to be a sweet ride. We're struggling with the Tigers, this drop is going to be huge... I'm getting kind of nervous. I think I can see Fort Worth... Alright, we're at the top. Commence screams.

Game 1: The First Drop
Straight down. CJ pitches alright, gives up 3 runs in almost 6 innings, but Carpenter is even better and gives up 2. It's a kick in the gut, but we expected this drop to be there and be steep, so it's not that big of a deal. Oh, and don't forget the photo booth at the bottom, that's all of your Cardinals friends talking mess. We've got 6 games and a lot of roller coaster left though, breathe.

Game 2: Cruising Straight Up
On the Titan, you go underground, then shoot straight back up. That's just what happened in Game 2. We were at the bottom, then all of the sudden (in the 9th inning) we shot straight back up to almost as high as the first drop. Sweet.

Game 3: What? Another Drop?
This roller coaster is crazy. Not only is this drop even steeper, but it's sideways. Adding to the scary-ness (Is that a word?) of the drop. This is when Pujols hit a ball to the east side of Dallas, and then crushed two more as the Cardinals racked up 16 runs on Matt Harrison, who will be our Game 7 starter if it gets that far. Oh great.

Game 4: Corkscrew
The roller coaster then goes into a two-story corkscrew drop, and this is my favorite part. Yeah, it's a drop, but it's really fun. You try to stick your arms up but you're going so fast they get slung to the side. That's the best way to describe Holland's start, it's so good but so scary at the same time. This is the same guy who threw 10 straight balls in last year's world series when he came out of the bullpen, and he just shut down the Cardinals lineup (except for Berkman) for 8 1/3 inning? Wow. That was a sweet corkscrew.

Game 5: Power Brakes
The Cardinals scored first, just like when you're going about 50 miles an hour and stop on a dime towards the end of the ride. You're thinking it's the worst, but then you go into another corkscrew drop, this time slower. Alexi Ogando somehow escaping an inning, then Mike Napoli doing his best superman impression. Sweet.

Technically, this would be where you cruise into the station on the Titan, jump out of the car and simultaneously kiss the ground and thank God you lived, aka a celebration? Hopefully that isn't a jinx, but I'm only speaking about the Titan if you want to get down to it.

Also, don't forget that the 2011 World Champion Dallas Mavericks series did the exact same thing as the Rangers have done so far. Loss away, win away, loss at home, win at home, win at home, then they won away and danced on LeBron's kingly court.

Could the Rangers dance on Prince Pujols' lawn? I predicted Rangers in 6, but no one can seize momentum in this so you never know. But I'd like to think so.

One thing is for sure...

All trains checked, all seats cleared. Please keep your seat fastened at all times, and enjoy your ride on The Titan at Six Flags Over Texas.

World Series Thoughts & Predictions

Sorry for the onslaught of posts tonight, but tonight is best up by one of my favorite quotes in the movie Mean Girls: "I just have a lot of feelings..."

But I needed a separate post to dedicate to MY BACK-TO-BACK ALCS CHAMPION TEXAS RANGERS, and what I am predicting for the World Series.

First off, if you're one of my dedicated fans of this blog, you saw my blog post that previewed the Rangers season. One of my favorite players going in was Mike Napoli, and I'd say he's lived up to my expectations beautifully.

Second, as I said before, we're back in the World Series. My only worry with this team is that the offense is either welders-torch-hot or Antarctica-Polar-Bear-cold.

The lineup needs to find a happy medium between the two. Our starting pitching has been good, but not great. It's obvious that they aren't going to pitch a shutout and will give up 3-5 runs just about every game, so the offense needs to become a constant stream of success. That's something they started doing in the ALCS, and we'll hope they continue to do so.

Third, read the above two paragraph's again, except every time you read the word "Offense", replace it with "bullpen."

Finally, my in-depth predictions for the World Series are as follows.
Rangers in 6.
Michael Young named MVP (He's getting it going!)
Derek Holland goes 2-0 in the series.
I'm also setting the Over/Under on the amount of times the commentator sounds acts like he wants to jump in bed with Pujols per game at 8.

Leave your predictions in the comments, let's get a discussion going!

The Weekend That Was

It's been an (almost) great weekend.

Audrey called me tonight while I was in my Daily O sports section meeting and left me a voice mail that pretty much summed it up.

"It was potentially the greatest sports weekend of our lives... Then the Cowboys played..."

This has become the story of my life the last couple of weeks.

First, Texas A&M handles Baylor and all order is restored in the world. If Baylor had somehow knocked the Ags off in College Station, I'm pretty sure the administrators would have closed the school. But the 'ol "Wrecking Crew" came through, and Ryan Tannehill came through.

Speaking of Tannehill, I'd like to issue an apology to the quarterback. I was among the Tannehill haters coming into last year when Jerrod was pulled. Jerrod was one of my favorite Aggies to ever play behind Dat Nguyen, Reggie McNeal and Jamaar Toombs (TOOOOOOOMBS!!!), and I think the fact that Tannehill had to come in and replace him is why I didn't like the guy.

I saw him as a conservative quarterback, and once called him an SEC quarterback (go figure...). He never slung the ball around like the rest of the Big 12, but he's coming into his own now. Had he played against Nebraska and OU last year like he did against Baylor this weekend, the Ags would've won by 50. So Ryan, if you're reading this, my bad buddy. My bad.

Then, Oklahoma State played. Blah. That's all I have to say about it. It was a good game because of the outcome, but not a great game. I thought the play-calling was sub-par, Weeden was about a step off and our special teams were suspect as usual. However, I was impressed with the defense. They locked down and only TRULY gave up about 10 points. Well done, Pokes.

Side note: As I put on twitter yesterday, Jamie Blatnick (defensive end, #50) is one of the scariest guys I have ever met and seen play. Next time you see an Oklahoma State game, watch him. He's a freak.

Finally, the Rangers took the field and sent the Tigers back to Detroit with their tails between their legs. Between a 9 run third inning and a steady flow of run support after that, the Rangers Cruz'd (pun intended) into their second straight World Series appearance, which will be played with what looks like the St. Louis Cardinals.

Take care of business this time, boys.

The weekend was great... Or should I say, the Saturday was great.

And just like Audrey said on my voicemail -- "Then the Cowboys played."

No comment.

TCU Makes Sense (And Cents)

It will be official any minute now. TCU has accepted the invitation to join the Big 12 as of July 1, 2012.

And I like it a lot.

Bringing TCU to the Big 12 makes a world of sense, and I still don't quite understand why it didn't happen sooner. You can blame it on Beebe or whoever, but it just doesn't make sense as to why they weren't Big 12 members earlier.

For those of you who aren't caught up on the TCU history, when the Big 12 was formed, they invited Baylor instead of the Frogs, which is one of the story lines that runs wild when TCU and Baylor match up against each other in every sport.

Now, that rivalry will now become an annual game.

But it's not just about Baylor and that rivalry. TCU is developing into a premier footbal team, and they will challenge the traditional Big 12 powers of OU, Texas and now OSU year in and year out.

This doesn't mean that TCU will beat them year in and year out, but it will add another speed bump to their schedules and hopefully bring a balance of powers system to the conference in football.

But as most people can't fathom, this isn't all about football. TCU is a very good and balanced program. They've been a powerhouse in baseball recently, have a great location for basketball recruiting (which will explode once this move is official), and boasts one of the most diverse small-sport programs I've ever seen (They have a RIFLE team).

Not only will this move help the football Big 12, but it will help it overall. TCU is a great overall athletic program with an exploding fan base, and for the sake of the Big 12, let's hope that continues. It'd be nice to see something other than Crimson or Burnt Orange hoisting the Big 12 trophy.

OSU Schedule Breakdown - Volume 2

Oklahoma State is through their first four games of the year, and came out smelling like a rose at 4-0.

A gorgeous work of art that included two beat downs in Stillwater, a midnight road premiere in Tulsa (My sleep schedule still isn't recovered) and a brilliant final chapter in the book of second half comebacks against A&M, something that is sure to send the Ags to the SEC with their tails between their legs.

But the first phase of the season is over, and the second is about to begin this weekend against Kansas.

To see the prior installment of this series, check out my blog post from the first four games here.

Game 5: Kansas. OSU 47 KU 14 Uniform Predition: Black Helmet, Orange Jersey, Black Pants
Coming off of their bye week, the Cowboys should be well prepared for this game. Although they have yet to show the recovery process from losing CB Devin Hedgepeth (achilles) and OG Jonathan Rush (knee) for the season, I think they will be okay. For Hedgepeth's spot, Brodrick Brown just shut down Biletnikoff hopeful Jeff Fuller in College Station, and Justin Gilbert on the opposite side is probably the best athlete in the Big 12, if not the country (Yeah, I said it.) For Rush, his buddy Nick Martinez will most likely step into his guard spot. Overall, this game will be another blowout. Kansas had a good first half against Texas Tech last week, but OSU is completely different and a whole different level of "Explosiveness." The Pokes ride on, 5-0.

Game 6: @ Texas. OSU 38 UT 24 Uniform Prediction: White helmet, jersey and pants.
OSU hasn't lost to a team in Texas in two years now, and I don't see them losing in the Lone Star State this year either. The longhorns have incredible home field advantage and incredible athletes, but lack what makes every good football team great -- a quarterback. With no quarterback comes no leadership, and with no leadership comes a wandering ship. The Cowboy defense showed their true colors against A&M in the second half. Now we know what they're capable of, let's just hope that becomes the minimum they give. The score will be a lot closer than the game is, I think Texas will score some garbage points at the end.

Game 7: @ Mizzou. OSU 48 MU 38 Uniform Prediction: White Helmet, White Jersey, Orange Pants
This is the second "Game of the Year" in my mind (With A&M being the first.) Missouri has a way of making things complicated, especially when the game is played in Columbia. OU was beaten there last year, and the Tigers defend their home turf extremely well. This will be another thriller, but I think OSU once again escapes by the skin of their teeth simply because they have better, veteran athletes that have been in a game like that before.

Game 8: HOMECOMING vs. Baylor. OSU 52 BU 14 Uniform Prediction: White Helmet, Orange Jersey, White Pants
Everything about this game is exciting. Last year, the Bears rolled in with all the confidence in the world, only to be down 35 points about 5 plays into the game. This year, the stage will be set similarly. Kansas State just knocked off Baylor in Manhattan this past weekend (October 1), but Baylor knows how to win a ballgame. However, at this point the Pokes will have been away from home for a long time with one game in Stillwater since September 8th against Arizona. They'll come charging out of the tunnel and not look back, especially with last year's homecoming loss to Nebraska in the back of their minds. They aren't letting that happen again, you can take that to the bank.

Season Phase 1 MVP's:
Safety Daytawion Lowe- The Cowboys lost Johnny Thomas, their starting safety alongside Markelle Martin, at the beginning of the season because of eligibility issues. Fans were questioning if Lowe was capable of filling his shoes. If he didn't answer those questions in the first three games of the season, his big hit and forced fumble early in the second half of the A&M game should have.

Defensive End Cooper Bassett- Not to promo my own stories, but the O'Collegian is running my feature on Bassett friday, so be on the lookout for that. Bassett has been playing out of his mind. Long story short, he was recruited as a tight end and changed to defensive end last year. This year, he's been in on several key and game-changing plays. Bassett will be a force down the stretch, and the rest of his days at State.

WR Johnny Cooper- Brandon Weeden always says "I don't know why Cooper doesn't get any publicity." Well here you go, Brandon. He's getting a special shoutout on the most-read blog on the internet... Ha. But seriously, Cooper has been an incredible compliment to Justin Blackmon so far this season, serving as both an outlet for Weeden, as well as sneaking under the radar against defenses. Coop is dynamite in a bottle.

O-Lineman Nick Martinez- Give the big man some love! Once again, did a feature on him a week or so ago... But not the point. Martinez came into the year not having a position, and played two or three every game up through A&M to keep everyone fresh. He's the main reason why Joseph Randle has been able to run the ball so well, he comes in fresh while another guy recovers on the sideline, then does it for the next guy, and so on. With Rush going down with his knee injury, Martinez will most likely get cemented into taking his spot, and with that the rotation will most likely die. Unless Coach Wickline hasn't something else under his sleeve. I wouldn't be surprised if he does.

That's all I've got, "Phase 3" breakdown will come after the Baylor game.

Go Pokes, Go Rangers!

On To The Next One

Just in case anyone missed in my post titled Here We Go Again, I predicted the Rangers in 4 for the ALDS.

But that's over. Peace out Tampa, hello.....?

Could be the Yankees again, or could be the surprisingly good Tigers. Detroit leads New York 2-1 in their series with Game 4 going on right now, so keep your eye on that.

As far as who I would PREFER to play? Call me crazy, but I'll take New York.

The Tigers are playing great baseball right now, and are similar to 2010's Rangers squad in a lot of ways. They have an MVP candidate in the field putting up monster offensive numbers in Miguel Cabrera (like Josh Hamilton), a dominating ace in Justin Verlander who has blown seemingly every batter away all season (like Cliff Lee) and a lights out closer in Jose Valverde, something the Rangers have had here and there with Neftali Feliz.

Not only that, but they're playing inspired, emotion-fueled baseball.

Any Rangers fan knows what an inspired, emotional club can do in the postseason. We saw it last year.

I see the Tigers beating the Yanks tonight and facing off with the Rangers in the ALCS, a much appreciated change of scenery for the players and fans.

It's not that Yankee stadium isn't nice to play in, it's just that we've already been there. I personally would rather not deal with douchebags robbing home runs from Nelson Cruz in right field again, but that may just be me.

Either way, I see it being Detroit. Definitely a series I worry about.

My Prediction:
Rangers win in 6 vs. Detroit
Rangers win in 5 vs. New York

Detroit presents challenges with Verlander and Valverde. I'm not worried about their offense, as Texas possesses the best in the league. Verlander is usually good for a win though, and if they go into the 8th-9th with the lead, Valverde closes it down (He's 50-50 on save chances this year).

If it's New York, I'm worried about the exact opposite. Their pitching staff is the last thing on my mind. We hit CC Sabathia well last year in Game 1, and bombed the rest of the staff for the rest of the series. However, I AM worried about their lineup. There's always Jeter and A-Rod, givens when you talk about power. Then there's Teixeira, who has had a terrible outing in the ALDS, but can awaken at any time. Also, Brett Gardner who terrorizes opponents regularly on the basepaths.

Oh, don't forget about Curtis Granderson, who would probably get my vote for MVP if he wasn't on the Yankees.

So I guess in a way I'm hoping Detroit pulls it off. I'd much rather face good pitching than good hitting. That's what we faced against Tampa in the first round, and that turned out pretty well.

But truthfully, there's no good way to predict what will happen. It's October, the greatest month of the year.

All you can do is sit back, make sure all of your superstitions are in line (My Josh Hamilton shirt hasn't been washed in 3 weeks), and enjoy.

Go Rangers.

First Set of College Football Predictions

I don't like predictions.

They only go one of two ways -- You looking good, or you looking bad.

That being said, I've had some success in the prediction department.

I called Mavs in 6, Rangers to the World Series (Although my series prediction didn't prove true), and even last week in College Station. As the clock hit 0:00 for halftime, Audrey Ryon, my "date", turned to me and said "Is that worry I see on your face?"

I smirked, and answered "Nope, just wait until the second half."

Due to a pact with Ms. Ryon, that is the last I will be speaking of the OSU vs. A&M game, but to clear things up, I will simply say we won. Go Pokes.

But back to business, this will be my first set of College Football predictions for the season. It will include a few big games left on the schedules, conference championships, and the national championship.

Big Games
Alabama over LSU.
I think Alabama is "The team" this year. LSU has played incredible on the road early this season, but Tuscaloosa is a completely different story. Last year, Auburn went in and dug out of a big hole to come out on top, and I don't see the Tide letting that happen again. The problem with LSU is that the quarterback situation. They're questioning Jarrett Lee, who won three tough road games for them, and with the return of Jordan Jefferson, I can see Les Miles trying to make that situation work and having it blow up in his face in the end. Especially in Tuscaloosa.

Wisconsin over Michigan State & Ohio State 10/22 & 10/29
Wisconsin has to go to the horseshoe, but I don't see much resistance this year. The media will hype this game up just because it's "THE Ohio State", but Wisconsin's true test will be the week before against Michigan State. This will be a tradition game, but I see Wisconsin finishing off the MSU/OSU two step wonderfully, especially due to neither of the opponents

Oregon over Stanford 11/12
Stanford doesn't have the firepower Oregon does. It'll be a track meet that Oregon wins easily, especially after having so many "tune up" games before.

Oklahoma State over Oklahoma 12/3
Call me a homer, I don't care. I genuinely think this is the year. OSU is loaded on offense, and the defense shows up when it needs to. Look at the second half of the A&M game, the Cowboys defense completely took Cyrus Gray and Christian Michael out of the game. They also forced Tannehill, widely regarded as a conservative passer, into a handful of turnovers. That amount of defense will be enough for OU, who looks good when they line up against Ball State and beat them by 80 points, but struggled against true opponents such as Florida State and Missouri. And don't forget, Florida State was in Tallahassee... Don't forget where Bedlam is. I'll give you a hint, it rhymes with Stillwater.

Conference Champions
Big 10- Wisconsin
Big East- Pittsburgh
ACC- Clemson or Florida State
Big 12- Oklahoma State
SEC- Alabama
Pac 12- Oregon
Who cares- Boise State

National Championship
Alabama over Wisconsin
This is a tough one. I think these are the two best teams in America because they've built their football team the right way. I was just talking with Harrison, and I said that a football team is only as good as their offensive and defensive lines, and that is the case here. Alabama has some of the most athletic lineman in the nation, and Wisconsin's offensive line may be as good as their Green Bay Packer neighbors. I've gotta give the edge to Bama though, their defense will get it done, as well as the diversity they face all year in the SEC.

My Top 10 Teams in the Nation (Not taking into account the time of their losses, one of the biggest flaws of the BCS and the main reason OK State wasn't in a BCS bowl last year)
1- Alabama
2- LSU
3- Wisconsin
4- Oklahoma State
5- Oklahoma
6- Clemson (I'm a believer!)
7- Oregon
8- Texas A&M (Losses are due to coaching, not to talent level)
9- Stanford
10- Georgia Tech (They're the truth this year)

That's all I've got. I'll revisit this in a few weeks when all of my top 10 teams have lost and the college football landscape is completely different.

But then again, isn't that why we love this sport?

Go Pokes and Go Rangers, that's all folks.

Here We Go Again

Ladies and gentleman, your Texas Rangers are doing it again.

It seemed like yesterday when our Rangers faced off against Tampa Bay in the ALDS. Even more recent the image of James Shields throwing the "Antlers" sign after a Game 3 Tampa win in Arlington.

And just like that, here we go again.

These Rangers are coming in hot (9-1 in their last 10 games), and their bats are blazing. It's hard to figure out how to approach the Texas lineup in a crucial situation... Walk Hamilton, pitch to Beltre? Or walk both, pitch to Cruz? Or even worse right now, pitch to Napoli who's crushing the ball?

It doesn't seem like it's possible for the good 'ol boys from Texas to lose.

But I warn the trusty fans from Arlington, be weary. Last year, we rode into the world series on our trusty steeds that consisted of Cliff Lee's shoulder, yardstick home run memories and highlight reel diving catches, only to have them dashed in a few games.

It was a good run while it lasted, but this year is different. This year, the Texas Rangers know the length of the road ahead. They know how to successfully maneuver the hazard filled waters of the MLB October schedule.

This year, they're ready.

It all starts in the ALDS against a nasty pitching rotation and a brilliant manager in Joe Madden. Madden would win a ring every year if he was given the quality players and payroll that Boston or New York has, and the fact that he LOSES franchise players every year and still competes with the two still is absolutely amazing to me.

NOTE: THAT WILL BE THE LAST COMPLIMENT I PAY IN FAVOR OF MADDEN UNTIL AFTER THE SEASON.

He's not good enough though. The September run was epic, but it's going to take a miracle for the Rangers not to get past the ALDS series again this year.

In fact, it will be a miracle to get the Rangers to 5 games in the ALDS, but you can believe what you want.

MY PREDICTION: Rangers in 4. They win the first, win the second with Derek Holland throwing a gem, lose third, win fourth in front of that incredible Tampa fan base.


How do the Rangers pull this off? It's easy... Leadership. It starts at the top, just as any great group does. Nolan Ryan and Jon Daniels have set a winning tradition in Texas, and it doesn't look to be ending any time soon.

Break out the blue and red, HERE WE GO AGAIN!

Watching Football Through A Window

There I stood, a few hundred feet above the screaming fans, the cheerleaders, and the 'Orange Nation.'

"LET'S GET BOONE PICKENS STADIUM ROCKIN', IT'S TIME FOR BIG 12 FOOTBALL!"

I looked around, and suddenly had an epiphany -- I might be the luckiest person alive.

"ORANGE..... POWER..... ORANGE..... POWER...."

I was on the roof of Boone Picken's stadium as the crowd anxiously awaited the blacked-out Cowboys to rush the field and take on the Arizona Wildcats, and I was awestruck at how amazing the view was.

"YOU TELL 'EM I'M COMING, AND HELL'S COMING WITH ME!"

The gate flew open, the fog poured out and the Cowboy football team charged through the entrance to the blacked out tunnel. A chill rushed through me almost as fast as the players ran, and adrenaline started pumping through my veins.

But there was only one problem. Instead of wearing a black and orange uniform, a helmet and the coolest pair of cleats I could find, I was wearing a blue polo, slacks and a pair of black dress shoes my dad gave me during my freshman year of high school.

It hit me for the first time in almost two years... My glory days are over.

Maybe I should have realized it late Tuesday night when I played in my first intramural football game, a one sided contest that we were on the losing end of.

Maybe I should have realized it when i woke up on Wednesday and could barely move because I was so sore. I'm getting old.

Or maybe I should have realized it the second I walked off the field in December of 2009 after getting my tail handed to me by Waco Reicher for the second consecutive year in the State Semifinals.

I had plenty of opportunities between then and now to have that epiphany, but I just ignored it. I still workout four to six times a week, doing the exact same lifts and drills I used to do back in my playing days. I still eat the same, still act the same. I'm the same person, just missing the outlet of football.

Not a day goes by when I think about trying to walk on or play at a smaller school, but Thursday night was almost like a rehab center for fallen stars. A rehab for the confident two-time All-District player who never developed a work ethic, and never got where he wanted -- On the playing field below.

As the players took the field, I took what has now become my own field. A leather chair in the corner of the stadium.

My new field has ice-cold air conditioning that pumps through the press box, free food before the game and at half time, and free soft drinks and water whenever I want them.

Last night I realized that I'd probably never play real football again. But it was a slow process.

I watched the whole game from my chair, almost awestruck at what I was realizing. It wasn't too close of a game, and I wasn't too worried about it coming in. I was a spectator for most of it.

About halfway through the fourth quarter, I moved down to field level, and stood on the walk way between Gallagher-Iba (the basketball arena) and the field. I got to see the Orange Nation in all their glory as they let Arizona's eardrums have it during the last few minutes of the game.

As soon as the final buzzer sounded, I walked down through the tunnel with the rest of the media, and walked across the field.

It felt weird. I was walking across the field that had just been on national television for three and a half hours, and that Heisman candidates like Justin Blackmon, Brandon Weeden, and Nick Foles had all just played on. I didn't feel like I belonged.

Then I got to experience what I always loved in high school... The fans.

As the football team put their arms around each other and faced the 20,000 screaming students in their section to sing the Alma Mater, I walked behind them towards the tunnel they had screamed out of hours before as I watched from the roof.

I looked up into the stands and saw a bunch of my friends and they all waved and screamed. I smiled and waved back, like I had done something to be down there. I was just a kid who had lucked out and been hired by a newspaper, no better than them.

We went under the stadium and set up for post-game press conferences.

After, we walked back across the field. This time, there were no screaming fans. There was no band playing, and even though I wish there had been, not even a cheerleader.

A quick turnaround from a stadium that was full not 45 minutes prior, but I suddenly felt like it was right. I felt like the stadium was finally ready for me to walk across the field, like it was saying "Here's your fan base now, don't go deaf with all their screaming."

The screaming was more like an echo that bounced off of the empy bleachers as I talked to Tony, my editor.

I wrote my game recap for the paper, packed up my things, and walked back across campus to my dorm.

As I walked, I tried to cope with the truth I had just discovered; My football playing days were over, but my football days were just beginning.

I played and enjoyed, and as I walked, someof my most vivid memories from senior night flashed through my head. The night when it seemed like the whole world stopped for me. The night when me and my brothers I had played with for so long became celebrities for a few hours. The night when I had "Family First" written on my eye black as a reminder to everyone around me who I was playing for.

My incredible Mom who has raised myself and my awesome brother and sister. My Dad, who has always been my best friend and has always been there to pick me up when I've fallen down. My Grandparents who have always looked after me when I needed it, and have always shown me the fun side of life even if they were struggling. My friends, who are the best a guy could ever have and always keep me in line.

Even though that stadium was empty, I could feel all of those people looking at me, cheering me on as if it were Senior Night all over again. As if I had full pads on and was throwing my body around like a human wrecking ball.

But I was in a blue polo, slacks, and old dress shoes, and I was on my new field. My leather chair.

Life changes in many ways, but certain parts of it don't. Just because I'm not playing anymore doesn't mean I'm not playing, it just took me awhile to realize my new role on the team.

Goodbye A&M, Hello.....?

Where do we go from here?

That's the question being asked across the Big 12 nation right now. Many different answers, and many different problems with every answer.

This is coming after Texas A&M has announced that they will be leaving the Big 12 by July 1st, 2012.

Whatever. I still don't get why they're leaving, but good riddance. Their arguments are flawed. You don't agree with the Longhorn Network? You agreed to it last summer when the conference was sinking.

You want to escape the shadow that Texas casts on everyone? How about NOT writing your fight song about them for starters.

But I'm not here to rant about Texas A&M leaving, as stupid as I think the move is. I'm here to give possible solutions to the current problem: Who to replace them with.

These are in list form, with #1 being who I'd like to see most.

#1: Brigham Young
They went independent this past year, and always field a good football team. This move would put them in the North division, and add power there that would try and make up for the balance that went out of the door with Nebraska. They also compete in all of the other sports, but as people have made well known in the Big 12, we care about football... at least until Basketball season starts. Go Jayhawks!?

#2: Boise State
A bit of a stretch, but I'd like to see it. If you don't know about their football team, then you have bigger problems than the Big 12 issues, starting with getting of the house more often. This move would also add power to the north and balance out the conference. The only problem is that Boise is a 24 hour drive from Stillwater through mountains and snowstorms during basketball and early baseball season, and all of those teams travel by bus. Probably not the best and safest move. Plus, as Thad said in the news room: "I'm pretty sure the only rematch OU wants with Boise State is in a National Championship game." I agree.

#3: Louisiana Lafayete/Louisiana Monroe/UTEP
I REALLY like this move. I would love to see the Big 12 pick up one of the teams above, as well as two of these three teams. We pick up two of these teams and it opens up, geographically speaking, horizontal recruiting (meaning side to side, instead of the strip of land we currently have from Texas to Iowa). This also is a bit like the recruiting process in the way that we pick up two of these teams, give them a year or two to get their feet, and hope for them to turn into a K-State/Kansas/Iowa State team that contends for a Division Title every few years. Who knows what could happen.

#4: Tulsa
An improbably move, but it'd be good. I can't see Tulsa wanting to come to the Big 12, but they'd fit very well. They're a program on the rise and scheduled both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in non-conference. The only bad part would be that it would open up the Tulsa recruiting to the entire Big 12, an area that's currently run by Oklahoma State who picks up Union and Jenks players like it's their job. I like the Tulsa move though, I just can't see them doing it.

#5: Houston/SMU
I would prefer Houston over SMU, but either way is kind of a crap move with a few positive. To start, both of their stadiums hold just over 30,000, and both are located in major cities. Major cities mean major OU/UT fan bases, which turns those games into a high school type, where half of the stadium is crimson or orange, and half is SMU/Houston. SMU would be worse because of the red river rivalry being in Dallas every year. The OU/UT fan bases there are crazy, and they'd dominate. I like Houston a little bit more because it would open up recruiting down there, but is it really worth it? They wouldn't help out in football, and once again, that's what it's all about... I think. Also, with a move here, the Big 12 would turn into the Big Texas. Do we really want that?

In my ideal situation, I pick up BYU, Louisiana Monroe and Louisiana Lafayette. The farther east the conference can go, the better. Memphis would also be a decent team to pick up instead of BYU, but I think that's too much of a stretch to put on this list.

Worst case scenario, we can tell Baylor and Texas Tech "Catch ya later" and head to the west coast? If everyone is fine with traveling 12+ hours to the away games and midnight kickoff times, then I am too.

Kickoff is Saturday at 6, and I'll be on the first row with the Paddle People for the first time. My next post will be a recap of that game from my perspective, as well as what it was like participating with one of the coolest traditions there is.

Top 5 Moments Of Oklahoma State's 2010 Season

I am so ready for college football to start that I simply cannot take it anymore. I've just about worn out my NCAA 12 disc on Xbox, and have been on YouTube constantly looking up last year's highlight videos.

That being said, I've compiled a little bit of a reflection post. These are the Top 5 moments of last season in my eyes.

Number 5: Justin Blackmon's reverse against Baylor
This is the only video I could find. Fast forward to the 2:42 mark to see the play I'm talking about. This was the first play out of halftime, and basically took all of the wind out of Baylor's lung's from there on out.


Number 4: Brandon Weeden to Justin Blackmon against Arizona
Fast forward to :46. I love this play. Not only because it's a perfectly thrown fade, but the fact that Blackmon runs across the goal line before crossing it. This really didn't have any importance in the game other than the Cowboys simplly flexing their muscles.



Number 3: Josh Cooper's punt return against Troy
Fast forward to the 4:55 mark to see the play. This was awesome, Troy rolled out to the right to see if a passing lane was open, then launched a rugby style punt. Cooper did his best Reggie Bush impression, and ran about 150 yards to complete a 55 yard punt return for a TD.


Number 2: Dan Bailey's Game Winning Field Goal against Texas A&M
This was the second most fun game to watch besides Bedlam last year. Thursday night on ESPN against a team that would eventually win a share of the division with us and the Sooners. A nervous Jerrod Johnson looked on after having MAJOR turnover trouble (I felt bad for him, I've personally met and worked out with Jerrod and he's a great guy, just had a pretty rough ride last year) as Dan Bailey booted the game winning field goal. I still have video of this on my phone from watching in the stands, and now I regret not rushing the field.


Number 1: Bedlam
I was tired, I was sick, and I was cold. Tired because I had been up since the day before because of an ESPN Gameday all nighter, sick because we had waited outside on library lawn all night in the sub-freezing cold to secure a prime spot for the show, and cold because Stillwater's weather likes to add in wind to make it that much worse. I can't narrow this game down to one play. Obviously if I had to, it'd be what is now become known as "The Interception", that somehow didn't make the highlight cut on the top video, so I included it in the bottom. It could be our kick return at the end of the game. Perhaps the simple fact that Justin Blackmon still had 100 yards receiving and a touchdown with a bum ankle. You can't narrow this game down, just simply hit play, turn up the volume and enjoy. Next year when I do this, hopefully I'll have a winning higlight to show. Fingers crossed.



Personal Twitter: @brendon_morris
O'Colly Twitter for OSU Football and Men's Basketball: @brendon_ocolly

Go Pokes!

My List: Top 5 NFL Quarterbacks

Eli Manning spoke on ESPN Radio in New York yesterday, and said that he was an elite level quarterback... Um, no.

Eli Manning has a Super Bowl ring, sure. However, the ring goes to the best TEAM, not the best quarterback.

Let me break this down for you. Last year, Tony Romo went down with a season ending injury, and Jon Kitna replaced him. Kitna finished the season with an 88.9 quarterback rating- Almost 4 points higher than Manning. Not only that, but Manning threw a league-worst 25 interceptions.

So after all this talk, it has gotten me thinking, who do I think are the best quarterbacks in the league?

Shout out to Audrey Ryon, who starts this debate with me almost once a week... And always gets proven wrong.

Number 1: Peyton Manning
This is why Audrey and I debate, because of who tops my list. Peyton Manning is THE BEST quarterback in the league, and at least top 5 in the history. No player has ever managed a game like Manning does, and if he had half of the tools that Tom Brady has year in and year out, he would have a whole hand of rings by now. The simple fact is that he doesn't, but he turns a team that is mediocre at best without him, into a playoff team with him.

Number 2: Tom Brady
I'd like to start this off by saying I am NOT a Tom Brady fan. I have never liked celebrity quarterbacks, but I simply can't justify putting anyone above him. Brady is an incredible athlete, I'll give him that. He's blessed with a great coach and a great general manager, but it takes some major talent to accomplish all that he's accomplished. Justin Southwell tweeted something I really liked today. He said: "@JustinSouthwell: Brady threw 4 interceptions last year. And I think that was only because he wanted to make sure he was still human." Couldn't have said it better.

Number 3: Drew Brees
Drew Brees has been one of my favorite players for a long time. For someone to get shafted like he did in San Diego a few years ago after putting up incredible numbers (I bet some of you forgot he even played there), to going to a losing team in a city that would be completely demolished shortly after, Brees has responded well. He's at the top of every statistical category every year, but the knock on him is interceptions. He threw 22 last year, second most in the league.

Number 4: Michael Vick
I LOVE watching Vick play. He's a wild card, and you simply cannot gameplan for him. If you drop back in coverage, he runs. If you blitz, he flicks his wrist and throws a 40 yard bomb right over your head. How do you contain that? You can't. The only bad thing about his style is that he gets hit A LOT, which leads to injuries. It's a good thing Philadelphia invested in a good backup, because he's guaranteed at least two games a year.

Number 5: Phillip Rivers
Rivers has silently rose to the top of the NFL quarterback world. He was second in the league in quarterback rating last year (101.8, second to Tom Brady who had 111.0), and has taken the Chargers to the playoffs many times with no one around him. He lost his runningback, but has Vincent Jackson, Antonio Gates, and Norv Turner calling the plays. I like my chances with Rivers, who has always been a smart, and efficient quarterback.

I took to twitter and asked "What makes a quarterback a GREAT quarterback?"

@Andrew_sturgis: leadership!

@kkcopenhagen: 5 Words: Do It Like Tim Tebow < I'm guessing leadership qualities.

That's all I've got! Thanks for reading, and be sure to follow my twitter (@brendon_morris), as well as my Daily O'Collegian twitter (@brendon_ocolly) for all breaking news on Oklahoma State Football and Men's Basketball.

What You Need To Know About The A&M/SEC Situation

A&M is unhappy. Everyone knows that, but why?

It's simple- They're tired of being bullied by Texas (And OU to a lesser extent).

To put it in a way that's easy to understand, Texas basically said "Do what I say or I'm taking my toys and going home" when everyone was trying to get the Big 12 to stay together last year.

They did what Texas said, and now Texas fans have a $300 million dollar "Longhorn Network" to watch.

You can understand why Texas A&M would be a little upset, correct? Wrong.

Texas and Texas A&M are both public institutions, which means their profit and revenues and all things financial are regulated by the state.

In common terms: If they make a lot of money with the Longhorn Network, the state government can cut a piece of their government income pie out and relocate it to the Texas A&M bank account.

So why is A&M so mad, if this is purely a money issue then it's fine?

They've argued that it is an unfair recruiting tool, but it was recently announced that Texas could not show high school games.

There's nothing left after that. Texas A&M has basically gone rogue status.

What the Aggies are trying to do is break away from their big brother in Austin and form their own path, and the only way they see that happening is by leaving Texas' conference and going to their own.

Seems like a good idea on paper, but the Aggies are forgetting one fact- You've gotten your butt handed to you just about every year since 1996 (The creation of the Big 12).

"Well, it's hard to win the conference with Texas and OU in your division." You won the conference in 1998, and that's it. Yes, it's tough to play both of those schools, but it isn't impossible. Why can Mizzou always seem to pull off the OU upset? Why did you not take advantage of Texas' down year last year and win the division?

And if they say "Well, if we got out we'd do better." Wrong again. Look at your bowl record since 1996. There is a great win over TCU in 2001, but other than that? NINE losses.

Four of those nine losses are at the hands of SEC teams (Mississippi State, Tennessee, Georgia, and LSU), and the latter three were complete routs. Even in the regular season, A&M hasn't defeated an SEC team since 1995, the year before the Big 12 was created.

The other five losses came at the hands of known power house teams such as UCLA, Penn State (2), Ohio State, and Cal. Those teams are just as good as the teams in the SEC today, and you want to go up against that every year? The total score from all five of those games are 189-64.

All in all, I've changed my way of thinking on this situation. A&M will fall into the great abyss of College Football if they leave the Big 12. It doesn't matter what they do in the next two years if they end up joining, because those years will be losing. I love Texas A&M, but it's gonna be hard to watch.

And for all of you who are saying "Why doesn't Texas just join the SEC too, if they're the best then they should play in the best conference!"

Nonsense. Why would Texas leave? They're a school that can stand on their own. They have the whole Big 12 Conference in the palm of their hand. If the Big 12 falls apart, they're one of very few teams in the nation that could go independent and STILL compile one of the hardest schedules in the nation, simply by their prestige alone.

Yes, Texas is very good at football, and all sports for that matter, but they don't need to leave. They're the premiere team in their conference, and consistently go to top bowls just about every year.

Which reminds me what my grandpa always says: "Don't fix it if it ain't broken."

5 Reasons To Watch The Cowboys Game

Preseason football kicks off at the Death Star (Cowboys Stadium) in Arlington tonight, marking my favorite part of the year.

Football Season is here.

Now if most of you are like I am, you usually set your TiVo to record about the first half of the game, watch it in fast forward, and you're done with it. It's preseason for crying out loud.

But tonight, I will most likely be watching the game in it's entirety. Not only because I did not think I'd be in this situation a few months ago while the Lockout was still around, but also because there will be former Oklahoma State players everywhere.

That, among other reasons, is why I will be in front of my couch for most, if not all, of the game tonight. Here are my top 5 reasons:

Number 5: What will the defense look like under Rob Ryan?
Coach Ryan has done a lot of talking this off-season, which is why I like him. Not only does he keep the spotlight around, but he gives the players motivation to have his back on what he's talking about. The Ryan brothers are evil geniuses (His twin brother is Rex Ryan, Head Coach of the NY Jets), and I'm very excited to see what Rob does with the Dallas D.

Number 4: Dan Bailey's Position Battle
I've always loved Dan. The first thing I noticed about him during my first Oklahoma State game was his bright orange shoes he wore. I love that. Could we see some bright blue shoes tonight from him? Eh, probably not. But we will see an intense position battle between him and last year's kicker David Buehler. Buehler has the edge on kickoff's, but struggled on place kicking last year, area that Bailey is known for excelling it (He won the 2010 Groza Award). Coach Garrett said he'd be "Systematically" rotating them in to give each a fair shot. That doesn't mean they'll switch off every kick, but that they'll both have seen equal time when the final horn sounds.

Number 3: The Imminent Confusion That Is Bound To Take Place
The players had all summer off. The rookie's didn't have coaches running their practices, they had peers. The veterans weren't taught the new plays, formations, and schemes until two weeks ago. Even though these are the best athletes in the world, humans can only attain so much knowledge in such a little amount of time. That, combined with the fact that they spent all summer doing drills, and have only been playing true football for about two weeks, will show not only some mental confusion, but also some missed tackles and blown coverages. That could mean fireworks.

Number 2: The Kyle Orton/Tim Tebow Saga Comes To Town
Before I say anything else, I want to get out there that I'm a Tebow lover. I understand why people don't like him (He's too perfect, The media loves him, etc.), and that's fine, but he remains in the #4 spot on my "Top 5 Favorite Athletes" list. Yes, I have one of those. Anyway, this position battle is one for the ages. The Bronco's kind of been lost at QB since John Elway retired. Yes, they've had Jake Plummer, Cutler, etc, but no one has solidified themselves as a "Without A Doubt" starter. Tebow is the future, Kyle Orton the present, and I'm very interested in seeing what Denver does in this position. Team Tebow!

Number 1: The Return Of Dez Bryant
For those of you who were wondering about the rest of my "Top 5 Favorite Athletes List", 5: Brandon Weeden/Mark Ingram 4: Tebow 3: Von Miller 2: Dirk 1: Dez Bryant. He's coming back from his season-ending leg injury last year, and I'm hoping he'll pick up right where he left off. What I like about Dez is that, in terms of a football players, he's me. Not only does he work hard to be the best player on the field, but he also plays with a ton of emotion. My background on my computer will forever be the picture of him on the entrance gate at Boone Pickens, pointing to the sky with a quote from President Theodore Roosevelt. I love how pumped up he can get, and I firmly believe that if he straightens out whatever issues he has off the field, if there truly even are any, then he could not only be one of the best receivers to play in the NFL, but one of the best players to ever play in the NFL. Period.

That's all I've got! The Oklahoma State season breakdown will continue soon, as well as what I thought about the Cowboys game tonight.

Be sure to watch my twitter account (@bmorris_ocolly) for questions and discussions!