4 Weeks left in the regular season y'all.. please, please don't let some longhorn chick pwn us.

Week 10 Games

1. Texas A&M @ (6) Oklahoma
2. Nebraska @ (8) Kansas
3. (9) Mizzou @ Colorado
4. (15.. wtf!?) Texas @ Oklahoma State
5. (21) Wisconsin @ (1) Ohio State
6. FSU @ (2) Boston College
7. (4) Arizona St. @ (5) Oregon
8. (3) LSU @ (17) Bama
9. Rutgers @ (13) UConn
10. (24) Wake Forest @ (23) Virginia

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I'm all kinds of behind on everything that is not school. No picks this week..but I have finally updated the excel sheet with 3 weeks worth of picks..

Current Standings

1st - TxHny, Imarealist (43)

3rd - 3825968, vick116(37)

5th - PB, rptgwb (33)

7th - TepBlog, Swisha (29)

9th - UMichAg (28)

10th - TB (27)

11th - ihavethemelody, Brad, Radiocan2 (25)

14th - OffTackleTom (24)

15th - Dewbe07 (20)

16th - Aggie07, Foxer510 (14)

18th - Hujo (13)

Picks will resume next week

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Week 8 Games

1. Texas A&M @ Nebraska
2. Kansas @ Colorado
3. Oklahoma @ Iowa State
4. Texas @ Baylor
5. Texas Tech @ Missouri
6. Kansas State @ Oklahoma State
7. Auburn @ LSU
8. Tennessee @ Alabama
9. Cal @ UCLA
10. Michigan @ Illinois
11. Florida @ Kentucky
12. Michigan State @ Ohio State

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Cause:

Effect:

I'll let the pictures do most of the talking, but I've never seen a coaching staff bomb so horribly. Fran's utter refusal to play with any kind of guts got the Ags in a hole. Instead of relying on our running game to re-establish control, Fran decided we would dig ourselves out through the air. The more we threw and the less we completed, and the deeper the hole got.

The Aggie players played their hearts out and I have little negative to say about them, but the bumbling idiot with the clipboard failed to put them in a position to win the game.

In the 3rd time under Fran's tenure, the Aggies were held scoreless for 3 straight quarters (OU '03, Tenn '04)

I am officially on the F*** Fran bandwagon.

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Week 7 Games

1. Texas @ Iowa State
2. Oklahoma State @ Nebraska
3. Baylor @ Kansas
4. Texas A&M @ Texas Tech
5. Missouri @ Oklahoma
6. Colorado @ Kansas State
7. LSU @ Kentucky
8. Wisconsin @ Penn State
9. Louisville @ Cincinnati
10. Auburn @ Arkansas
11. Purdue @ Michigan
12. Georgia Tech @ Miami

Leader Board

(still tabulating scores, will post asap)

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BTHO OSU!

Game 6: Texas A&M vs Oklahoma State

Texas A&M Aggies 4-1 (1-0) vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys 3-2 (1-0)

October 6, 2007 | 6:30 p.m. CT

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Kyle Field (82,600) | College Station, TX

(Joel Meyers, Dave Lapham, and Jim Knox)

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Maroon Coaches Polo? check

1080i? check

Cheap whiskey? check

laptop for live thread? check

Join me in the comments

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3-2 (1-0)

Mike Gundy's Cowboys have faced a lot of adversity in the first half of the 2007 season. A tough road loss at Georgia, an embarrassing blow out loss at Troy on national tv, and a quarterback controversy has seriously tested the resolve of this team.

Since the benching of Bobby Reid and the embarrassing loss to Troy, the Cowboys have pulled together for two very convincing wins.

Keys to the Game

• Get to Zac Robinson
  The A&M secondary can't hang with the likes of WR's Adarius Bowman or Dez Bryant. If the Wrecking Crew has any hopes of neutralizing the OSU air-attack, they need to get pressure on Robinson. Robinson has averaged 2 INTS/game when on the road. Hopefully the combination of an aggressive pass rush and the 12th Man will keep most of the Cowboy playbook limited to the run.
• Turnover Margin
  In any shootout, the critical moments in the game involve turnovers, and whether or not a team converts those turnovers into points. The Ags currently lead the conference in turnover margin with a +1.2 average and the cowboys are at the bottom of the conference with an average of -1. The Aggies haven't had any problem with preventing and creating turnovers, the difficulty has been in converting them to points. If the Aggies are to win tonight, they can't afford to waste scoring opportunities like fumbles or INTs.
• Time of Possession
  Both the Cowboys and the Aggies are among the Top 10 rushing teams in the nation. With neither team posting much more than 200yds passing a game, this game will come down to who can run on who, and the more the Ags control the ball, the less time OSU will have to drive down the field.
• Matt Szymanski
  Texas A&M can NOT afford to leave the red zone empty handed in this game. This game could easly come down to a missed FG or extra point.
• Make them respect the Pass
  If the Ags take one or two deep shots per quarter, it will open up the Aggie running game to the 2nd & 3rd level. When Jorvorskie Lane consistently makes it to the 2nd Level..the Ags don't lose.

Prediction

Ags - 34 Oklahoma State - 28

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Week 6 Games

The last 2 weeks have been pretty brutal, so for the sake of our my self-esteem I'm including all Big XII games.

1. Kansas @ Kansas St.
2. Oklahoma vs. Texas
3. Oklahoma St. @ Texas A&M
4. Nebraska @ Missouri
5. Iowa St @ Texas Tech
6. Colorado @ Baylor
7. Cincinnati @ Rutgers
8. Ohio St. @ Purdue
9. Florida @ LSU
10. Georgia @ Tennessee
11. EDIT Clemson @ Va. Tech Va. Tech @ Clemson
12. Wisconsin @ Illinois

(My mistake guys, feel free to make changes to your picks for that game)

Leader Board

Gentlemen, please note that a lady Longhorn is having her way with us, and no, that is not a good thing.

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This week's Big XII Round Table is being hosted by the excellent Iowa State blog: Clone Chronicles

1. Were Saturday's games a sign that the Big 12 North may be on its way back?

I'm not jumping on the bandwagon yet. Although I expected Colorado and K-State to be much improved this season,I certainly didn't see either team beating those two teams this early in the season. I had these young North teams pegged to peak in the later part of the season.

The North will be back when the victor of the title game is no longer a foregone conclusion.

2. How seriously do we take the hot starts at Mizzou and Kansas?

In week 3, I would've definitely said no. Now? It's a tough call. You always know Mizzou is gonna find a way to throw the season, and it's still weird to think of Kansas as a football school. This weekend's game in KC will show us what these two teams are actually made of. ..not sure why I thought KU was playing Mizzou this weekend, they're playing K-State. That should be a GREAT game.

3. Pick one team from the opposite division that you truly hate, and say why; follow this up by picking another team from the opposite division that you don't mind pulling for, and say why.

I don't really hate any North team. I tend to seriously dislike Mizzou, it started with their QB hailing from Southlake, TX, then it progressed with their absolute self-destruction last season, that just so happened to coincide with personal financial loss in the sports betting arena.

Growing up with a Wildcat mother and a Jayhawk father, I tend to root for both teams. Until KU hired Mangino, my Affiliations between the two were divided by sport. I was a KSU fan during football season, (my first A&M game was actually because my mom and her sisters and parents came down for the K-State vs. A&M game) and a Roy Williams loving KU basketball fan in the winter and spring.

4. The NCAA has enacted a rule allowing you to bring back one senior that graduated last year to play for your team for the rest of the season. Would you do it? And if so, who?

No question about it: Chad Schroeder.

One of the greatest and clutchest receivers to have worn the Maroon & White on Kyle Field. With our current inconsistencies in the passing game, a sure handed, experienced WR would do wonders for our offense.

5. Rank the conference teams

1. Oklahoma
2. Kansas State
3. Nebraska
4. Texas A&M
5. Colorado
6. Kansas
7. Oklahoma State
8. Texas
9. Missouri
10. Texas Tech
11. Iowa State
12. Baylor

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Texas A&M - 34 Baylor - 10

One week after being curb-stomped on national tv by Miami, the Aggies took off the bandages and took a good look in the mirror. What did they see? Signs of growth and improvement coupled with the continuation of some worrisome trends.

Reason for cautious optimism:

• Running Game
  with Goodson injured and questionable to play, and jorvorskie coming off of a 0-touch game, establishing the run was a major concern for Aggie fans. The offensive line stepped up their game, Stephen made good reads, and the offense racked up 352 yds on the ground, 3 TDs. The J-Train came back strong, 24 carries for 123 yds.
• Passing Game
  Again, the O-Line looked much improved, not allowing any sacks and few QB hurries. With proper time, McGee was able to sit back and put up a respectable 200 yds through the air, including an effortlessly beautiful 48-yd TD to Kerry Franks.
• 563-yds Total Offense
  One would expect these kind of x-box numbers against SMU or Montana State, not a Big XII opponent.
• O-Line Steps Up
  After having the Miami d-line crap down their throats the previous week and losing Yemi Babalola to injury, improvement at the offensive line looked like it would be slow coming. Backup Travis Schneider and the rest of the O-Line thought differently. Driving the defense off the line of scrimmage and keeping them away from McGee helped the team put up over 500 yds offense.
• Time of Possession
  The Ags had the ball for a total of 43:18. That's almost 3 entire quarters! I'm not sure if it's a record for A&M or not, but gaaaawd that's a long time to have the ball.
• The Wrecking Crew
  The defense forced 3 turnovers on the day, 2 INTs (both to Marquis Carpenter) and a fumble. If there's one thing that this defense excels at, it's creating turnovers. The Ags now lead the BigXII in turnover margin.
• Misi Tupe
  "The Missle" is quickly becoming my favorite player on the defense. The guy is as hardnosed as they come and, if given some XXXXL shoulder pads, would probably achieve flight with the way he speeds to the ball. While he and Dodge still look a little uncomfortable dropping back into zone pass coverage, there's only room for improvement.
• PT for Back-ups
  The combination of minor injuries and a comfortable domination allowed a lot of young players to see some playing time. Keondra Smith and Cornell Tarrant showed us there's a lot of unseen talent waiting in the wings of our backfield. Billy Chavis, Matt Featherston, Anthony Lewis, and Von Miller continue to give us hope for dominant defense down the road.

Reason for skepticism:

• Fool's Gold
  For about 3 Qtrs, Baylor was kept to under 100 yds passing. Alas, this astounding feat against a pass crazy offense had little to do with an exponentially improved Aggie secondary and more to do with the Baylor WRs' refusal to catch balls. Of 35 balls thrown, 24 were either INT'd, dropped, or poorly thrown. Being unable to find a statistical source for drops and after doing some arithmetic, I estimate the number of Baylor WR drops to be in the 10-18 range. Most of these drops occurred when the receiver was wide open, at least 10-yds down field, and hit in the hands by Szymanski. If Baylor had only dropped, say, 9 balls, this game could've been a lot closer. In the end, the Bears still ended up with 194-yds through the air...on only 12 completions. you do the math.
• Redzone Troubles
  The offense had little trouble driving between the 20's and racking up the 1st downs. Yet, once in the sub-20's things imploded and the usually efficient Aggie redzone offense stalled out multiple times. There was absolutely no reason the score should've been so close heading into half time. Because of the redzone impotence, the team failed to convert the 3 turnovers into TDs. Failure to convert turnovers into TDs may fly against a terrible Baylor team, but it won't against the rest of the conference.
• Szymanski's Consistency
  In a conservative system like Fran's, when the team settles for a FG, it's because it's supposed to be a guaranteed 3-pts. So far this season, it's been a coin flip when Szymanski takes the field. It could be from 20yds or 50 yds, he's got a 50/50 chance. At this point, Fran needs to make a decision, find a way to fix Szymanski or grow some balls and start going for it on 4th down in the red zone.
• Martellus Bennett
  We're still heinously under utilizing this guy. Sure we manage to throw him some jump balls in the endzone or try to hit him on some drag routes, but for some reason McGee freaks out and air-balls all of them. I'm sure everyone is frustrated with the situation, but $ Bennett is just way too talented to relegate to blocking for an entire game.

Overall verdict:
Although boring at times to watch, the game was the quiet confidence booster this team needed after that horrible night in Miami. With the exception of the red zone troubles, the Aggies played textbook Franchione Football. They controlled the clock, they created turnovers, and they kept the defense fresh.

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