The Showdown is Coming

Today the SEC and Big XII announced that they are going to have an annual showdown of conference champions in a bowl game for the next five years. The site of the game has yet to be determined but many believe it will end up at either Cowboys Stadium or the Sugar Bowl. This is huge because these two conferences have acquired 10 of the 14 BCS Championships and 7 in a row. Now while the SEC has won 8 of the 14, the Big XII is the only two have won more than one.

These two conferences are steeped in football tradition with some of the biggest names in the game and the most passionate fan bases in the nation. The fallout from this announcement will make the other conferences jealous. True the Big Ten and Pac 12 get to play in the granddaddy of them all the Rose Bowl, but that game is losing its prestige. The SEC football brand is the most successful in the BCS era and has won the last three years in television ratings.

In my opinion, this is going to help make these two conferences the premiere conferences for the next 5 years. The Pac 12 is putting all their chips on a USC and Oregon rivalry to carry their banner and the Big Ten has had two horrible January performances in back-to-back years. The ACC and Big East are both jokes. The ACC hasn't had a BCS Championship Game appearance since FSU in 2000 and the Big East hasn't been since Miami in 2002.

The fact that the biggest hotbeds of recruiting are in these two conferences will help guarantee their continued dominance in recruiting. A game that features young talent will give coaches more tools to recruit to these two conferences. I am putting good money on the match up occurring in the Jerry Dome because it has become the preeminent football stadium in America. The Rose Bowl is a great place historically, but so is Legion Field. Both were great in their prime but they have both seen better days. The Jerry Dome is shiny new and put on a great show for Super Bowl XLV. The Cowboys Stadium Classic was a great showcase of what they can do for a major college football game. I heard nothing but praise from LSU fans about how great a time they had in Dallas. I know a lot of SEC Traditionalists will be upset that the SEC would move away from their Sugar Bowl tie for the SEC Champion, but times change.

All in all, this deal will make whatever venue they play in the second hardest postseason ticket behind the BCS Championship Game.

#19 Kansas State

The biggest surprise of the 2011 College Football Season was the Kansas State Wildcats. The Wildcats finished second in the Big XII and ended the season in the Cotton Bowl with a 10-3 record. Head Coach Bill Snyder and the Wildcats will be on a lot of teams' radars this year. The Wildcats got off to a 7-0 start before suffering back to back losses to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Oklahoma thoroughly dominated the Wildcats but the Oklahoma State game was an amazing high scoring contest that went down to the final play. Many of the Wildcat victories were nail biters making many experts wonder if they can build on last year's success. The offense will return 8 starters and a stingy defense will return 6 starters.

The Wildcats finished 101st in Total Offense last year in the NCAA. The offense was a problem at points last year if quarterback Collin Kline was having an off game. Kline took quite a beating and will need to develop as a passer this year if he wants to avoid some of the wear and tear on his body. Kline and running back John Hubert were both one thousand yard rushers for the 29th ranked Rushing Offense. Kline tied the NCAA record for quarterback rushing touchdowns last year with 27. The offensive line will have three starters returning and several backups with playing experience will try to round out an experienced unit. The wide receivers were very good when they caught the ball but Klein only threw it for 1,918 yards last year for a measly 147.5 yards a game. The biggest emphasis for the offense this year will be to develop a balanced attack.

The Kansas State defense made a huge improvement last year after an abysmal performance in 2010. When you talk about the Kansas State defense, most of the talk will be about Senior Nigel Malone. Nigel Malone was a shut down corner who was tied for 4th in the nation with 7 interceptions. He helped the defense finish 72nd in the Total Defense category. Without Malone, the passing defense would have finished much lower than 76th. The rushing defense was quite dominating finishing 37th last year. Miami transfer Arthur Brown became a force at Mike Linebacker. He led the team with 101 tackles and secured the middle of the field.. Defensive End Meshak Williams led the team in tackles for loss and sacks. Williams could become a first round draft pick if he puts up numbers like that again.

The law of averages says that all things balance out and after so many close victories last year, you have to wonder if they can do it again. The Wildcats non-conference schedule isn't very challenging with three home games against Missouri State, Miami (FL), and North Texas. We won't really know the merit of this team until they visit Oklahoma on September 22nd. An eight win season is right about the average for Bill Snyder during his tenure at K-State. I think this K-State team will go 8-4 this year with losses to Oklahoma, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, and TCU. But if the offense develops a passing game and the defense continues to improve, the Wildcats could have another shocking season on their hands.

Back from the DL!

Sadly I have had to take a break from blogging for a while to let my left hand heal up. I started physical therapy today and started typing in a fairly comfortable manner again. Check out the pics of my hand. Seven screws and a plate now hold my third metacarpal together. Sorry I have been gone for two weeks but I'm back and will try to catch up the Preseason Top 25 Countdown and my other thoughts on sports.