Weekend Ramblings

Just a quick reaction to the weekend for you today, somewhat mimicking Bill Simmons' ramblings…

First off, thanks for everything, Chancellor Hemenway.

Secondly, congrats to OU & Florida for earning the right to play in the MNC, the latter much moreso than the former. Speaking of the former, what was with all of the oranges? You do know the MNC and the Orange Bowl are two separate entities, correct? I suppose I'm expecting too much out of Okies.

Keeping with Florida, Tim Tebow is quite the douche. Which probably explains the similarities in the media's love affair with him and Psycho T. Racism is no laughing matter, but this is getting out of hand. I'd love to address Gary Danielson's feelings for him, but I don't think i have a sensitive enough vernacular.

As for the other "participant" in the Big XII CCG this weekend, it's probably time to quit considering yourselves a football school. In your two best years in the last quarter century, your tops wins are: 1) 12-1 Kansas 2007, 2) 9-4 Illinois 2007, 3) 9-4 Texas Tech 2007, 4) 8-5 & coachless Arkansas 2007, & 5) 8-4 Nebraska long before they were decent. Meanwhile, in your four games against OU & Texas your margin of defeat has gone: 10, 21, 25, 41 and none were that close.

To keep beating a dead tiger here, your pizza guy might want to hold onto the ball every once in a while. In his last 8 games, of which only four had two real teams competing, he had 14 interceptions. And two fumbles come immediately to mind as well. Maybe he should have declared early after all…

Texas, you got screwed. I know it, you know it, everyone with any discernable amount of common sense knows it. But now you need to prove it by obliterating the hapless Buckeyes in Tempe. It won't be enough for a split national title, but it will at least get people talking (and possibly even thinking), give you plenty of momentum heading into next year and reflect very well on our conference and very poorly on the Big 11. All of these outcomes are desirable for both you and I.

Good piece in the NY Times. I, like most, want a playoff. And while it rarely feels like any amount of injustice will get us there, if there's one thing that can do it, it's money.

To the Big XII bowl teams: win. Take a look at these match-ups below. There is a very realistic possibility of going 7-0. And honestly, I'll be disappointed if it doesn't happen.

Kansas v. Minnesota (Insight) – Absolutely no excuses here.

Missouri v. Northwestern (Alamo) – Ditto, though I'd be fine if the conference went 6-1 with a loss in San Antonio – would just be one more reason for me to love that city.

Nebraska v. Clemson (Gator) – They're coached by an adult going by the name, Dabo. I won't put this one in the bag, but it's plenty winnable.

OSU v. Oregon (Holiday) – They're from the PAC-10 and they're not USC. Need I say more?

Texas Tech v. Ole Miss (Cotton) – I don't care that they beat Florida. They also lost to Wake Forest, Vandy & South Carolina, while barely beating Arkansas. They struggled against the pass in the SEC. Anything less than 500 yards and 50 points will be a disappointment.

Texas v. Ohio State (Fiesta) – Addressed above. If you were good enough to win the MNC, this game is well under control by the end of the 3rd quarter.

Oklahoma v. Florida (MNC) – Obviously there's no shame in losing to Florida. But let's just say that you haven't exactly done is proud in the BCS lately. This would be a good time to make up for those embarrassments.

So my Meadow Soprano infatuation has returned. Thank you, Lonely Island Boys.
Amazingly, knowing that she's riding Turtle doesn't make it go away, either - quite an accomplishment on her part.

And to close, a couple quickies on Kansas basketball…

You guys will make it a lot easier on yourselves if you can find a way to make a layup or two.

Tyshawn Taylor: you are so much fun to watch and so much better than I ever could have hoped for, but please, please learn how and when to throw an entry pass.

Morris twins: we never want to see Matt Kleinmann start again, so please start trying every day in practice and every single play during games. Trust me, it's for the better.

Sherron: You're as good a guard as there is in the country and I'll forever love you for obvious reasons. You're also the unquestioned leader of this team and should lead them in shot attempts nightly, but shot selection is still something you may want to consider. Also, this team moves the ball very well – they'll get you shots too, you don't always need to get them on your own.

And lastly, just keep getting better. You guys are unbelievably tough to watch at times – mostly because of how spoiled we've been – but you're also well beyond where I thought you'd be and seem to genuinely enjoy playing with one another. Keep working at it and you'll be a tough out in March and that's all I can ask for.

Feel free to add your thoughts, regardless of whether or not they pertain to anything in this post.