Dogus Balbay May Be Lost For Season

Well, damn. The one thing that Rick Barnes and the Texas basketball team cannot afford this year is injuries. Without the likes of all-everything Kevin Durant around the 40 acres anymore, Texas is going to have to be a young, deep team. Dogus Balbay, out of Turkey, was supposed to provide D.J. Augustin with some much needed rest at the point guard position. But for now, it looks as though Texas will have to come up with a Plan B as Balbay is out indefinitely and is requiring knee surgery. With the status of top-recruit, Gary Johnson, still way up in the air Texas is already at a disadvantage before the ball is even tipped on the season. It looks like A.J. Abrams and J.D. Lewis are going to have to step in to spell Augustine for the foreseeable future.


Does anyone else think it's weird that our point guards are named D.J, A.J. and J.D.? Just thought I would ask.

Big XII Power Rankings

Kansas remained unbeaten as Texas narrowly avoided the upset bid by Nebraska. Texas Tech was not so fortunate as Colorado scored the road win. Baylor and Iowa State, well, they're Baylor and Iowa State. Now for this week's Big XII Power Rankings...

Top Tier
#5 Oklahoma (7-1) (3-1) Idle last week
- The Sooners had an extra week to show up to work at the dealership and pick up their paycheck, and to prepare for Texas A&M at home this week. That probably took all of Monday for them, so they probably spent the rest of the time preparing for Baylor, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State. Who are we kidding they spent a day on Tech and the rest of the time on Oklahoma State.

#9 Missouri (7-1) (3-1) W - 42-28 - vs. Iowa State
- The Tigers didn't exactly make quick work out of Iowa State, but got the win. Missouri has a tough remaining stretch, and it will start this week with a trip to Boulder, Colorado. Colorado can't be taken lightly, just ask the Sooners and Red Raiders.

#8 Kansas (8-0) (4-0) W - 19-11 - at Texas A&M
- The Jayhawks went on the road in a hostile environment and got a win over a mediocre Texas A&M team. I don't know if you can call it a statement win, but it was something. This week shouldn't be too bad as Tom Osborne comes to town. Unfortunately there won't be an actual football team coming with him. The Jayhawks should be 9-0 in a week. The season-finale versus Missouri is looming.

#14 Texas (7-2) (3-2) W - 28-25 - vs. Nebraska
- Almost a disaterous loss at home to Nebraska. But Texas was able to come from behind thanks to 290 yards via Jamaal Charles. It will be interesting to see how Texas fares on the road against a rejuvinated Oklahoma State team with three years worth of redemption on their mind and a bye week to prepare. It's hard to tell which Texas team is going to show up.

Middle Tier
Oklahoma State (5-3) (3-1) Idle last week
- Oklahoma State has a history of jumping out to big leads against Texas and blowing it. It has left a bitter taste in the Cowboys mouth and they have had a bye week to get ready for the Longhorns coming to town. Zac Robinson has rescued this team and they have played well after their nightmare start to the season.

Kansas State (5-3) (3-2) W - 51-13 vs. Baylor
- The Wildcats rebounded nicely from their loss at Oklahoma State by pasting the Baylor Bears. While it is Baylor, it was a nice win to recover and get everything in order, as Kansas State tries to prepare themselves for a run at a solid Bowl Bid. Having Iowa State and Nebraska as your next two on the schedule certainly help that.

Texas Tech (6-3) (2-3) L - 31-26 vs. Colorado
- Texas Tech loses their second in a row, falling at home to that pesky Colorado team. What looked like a chance at a ten win season for Texas Tech is quickly falling apart. More surprisingly Graham Harrell has struggled throwing four interceptions in each of the last two games. They will have a chance to figure it all out as they travel to the land of opportunity, Waco, Texas, to take on the hopeless Baylor Bears. Texas Tech needs to figure it out quickly because after Baylor they end with Texas and Oklahoma.

Texas A&M (6-3) (3-2) L - 19-11 vs. #12 Kansas
- If Kansas was the real deal this would be nothing to be disappointed with, but I don't think Kansas is the #8 or #12 team in the country. Texas A&M was out of the game before they could establish their running game, and anytime you force Stephen McGee to throw 40 times, you're going to win the game. This is the part of the story where the Aggies start losing a lot. They have Oklahoma, then Missouri, then Texas to end the season.

Colorado (5-4) (3-2) W - 31-26 at Texas Tech
- This has been one of the more remarkable turn around stories in the Big XII. They are still two years away from having the talent they need to win. But they're winning now. They stayed in the mix in the Big XII North, and leave themselves a chance to go bowling this winter. Absolutely remarkable job by Dan Hawkins. I'm scared to see what he can do with actual talent. Can they pull off another miracle upset? Missouri is coming to town.

Bottom Tier
Nebraska (4-5) (1-4) L - 28-25 at #17 Texas
- Another tough loss to swollow for the Cornhuskers, as they let Texas run their way back from a 17-3 deficit. They have to head to #8 Kansas next weekend, followed by Kansas State and Colorado. At this point, I'm not sure if they can win any of them. All of those teams play great defense, and Nebraska will probably give up points to anyone. Is a (4-8) (1-7) season really possible for the Huskers? If it does happen they can't really keep Calhoun can they? Will Osborne make them run the option again? Okay, that last one was a little rediculous.

Baylor (3-6) (0-5) L - 51-13 at Kansas State
- Another pasting by a Big XII opponent. Things don't look to be turning around for the Bears, with Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State left on the schedule. (3-9) (0-8) would look all to familiar to the Bears, which would probably lead them to another familiar activity, looking for a new coach.

Iowa State (1-7) (0-5) L - 42-28 at #13 Missouri
- They played tough against Oklahoma and Missouri. I think that is about all you can ask for from a team this bad. It's just a shame that we can't give the fans what they really want. An end of season showdown against Baylor.

View From The Cheap Seats: Nebraska

The Good

Jamaal Charles in the 4th Quarter- You can't argue with a quarter that saw Charles come within 6 yards of the most productive quarter in NCAA runningback history. Charles ripped off TD runs of 25, 86 and 40 on his way to a 216 yard quarter. This was the running that everyone has wanted to see and expected from Charles and the Texas offense. Granted, all this happened against Nebraska (who happens to have the worst rushing defense in the nation), but Texas got the yards when they desperately needed them. Also, Charles eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark for the season. With as much bad publicity as the running game has received this year, its nice to see Texas with another 1,000 yard rusher only 9 games into the year.

Second-half Defense- After a first half full of wide open receivers in the middle of the field and a lack of 3rd down defense, the Longhorns stepped up and forced Nebraska to six straight 3-and-outs in the 2nd half. Perhaps the biggest stop of the day was when Colt was intercepted in Texas territory and the defense gave up no points and forced a Cornhusker punt. Sergio Kindle had his best day as a Longhorn with 8 tackles, a sack and pass break up.

The Bad

First-half Play Calling- It was almost too late when Greg Davis remembered that Nebraska had one of the worst rushing defenses in the nation. I do not exaggerate when i say that Nebraska blitzed Colt EVER SINGLE PLAY. Colt was hit hard and even knocked out for a play (which is becoming too routine). But inexplicably, Davis held strong to his "pass first" philosophy until the 4th quarter when he finally just started giving Charles the ball. If Davis had been on his game in the 1st half, Jamaal may have had 400 yards on the day and Texas could have sailed in to a nice easy victory. But seemingly on cue, Davis made it a close game with his stubborn play calling.

The Secondary- I think somewhere Nate Swift is still running wide open in the middle of the field. On his 2 TD grabs, there was no defender within 20 yards of Swift. Part of that blame lies with the inexperience of freshman safety Ishie Oduegwu and linebackers Jared Norton and Sergio Kindle, but wow, Swift sure was wide open for some big plays. The secondary allowed Sam Keller to throw for almost 300 yards and 2 TDs on the day and almost cost the Horns the game with their play in the first half.

The Ugly

Colt's Pass Protection- Like it was mentioned before, Nebraska literally blitzed every single down on defense, but Colt is just taking too much of a pounding this year. Though Colt was only sacked 1 time on the day, he was on his back most of the afternoon and had to take a play off after getting his head slammed into the turf. At a certain point it is nice to have such a tough QB, but I am actually getting worried about his long term health. He has the distinct possibility of become college football's version of Trent Green. I would not bee too shocked if Colt's grade are dropping with each time he gets planted into the ground.

Unit Comparison: Texas v. Nebraska

Once upon a time, this used to be a huge matchup with national championship & Big 12 implications. Now it is a big contest in name value only (granted thats almost all Nebraska's fault). None the less, Texas has not performed all that well for a four quarter stretch yet this year. Texas is the heavy favorite, but we have all seen what thats done for them so far this season.

Quarterback- Colt McCoy has struggled this year, but nothing like the abysmal year Sam Keller has put up. The disgruntled Arizona State transfer has only been able to prove the Sun Devil coaches were correct in benching him in favor of Rudy Carpenter (Zona St 7-0, Neb 4-4). Under Keller's lead, Nebraska is 9th in the Big 12 in scoring at 26 ppg. ADVANTAGE: TEXAS

Running back- Two of the traditional power rushing teams have both struggled a bit this season to get the ground game started. You just don't expect to find each of them in the middle of the Big 12 in rushing stats. Jamaal Charles has fumbled and lacked the big play ability that made him a freshman star. Similarly, Marlon Lucky just hasn't had a the super star impact he was expected to. Charles and Lucky have actually had similar years and they both cancel each other out. However, Texas has deeper talent with Vondrell McGee and Chris Ogbonnaya ready to step into service. ADVANTAGE: TEXAS.

Wide Receiver- Texas may have lost Limas Sweed, but that has not slowed down Colt McCoy and his talented receiving corps. Quan Cosby has proven to be a sure handed, yet vastly underrated threat. Sweed's absence has also given Jordan Shipley the chance to emerge the budding big-time talent that has been expected of him. You know its never a good sign when your top 2 receivers are running backs. This is the case for the Cornhuskers. ADVANTAGE: TEXAS

Offensive Line- This has been a big concern for two teams that have usually relied on a big powerful line to bulldoze the way for their high-powered offense. We have already discussed the troubles on the ground, but both Colt and Keller have been sacked over 11 times this year. Both lines need to improve fast, but it doesn't look look likt it is going to be this year. ADVANTAGE: PUSH

Defensive Line- For Nebraska, the "Black Shirt" defense is a thing of the past. The huge D lines that used to control the line of scrimmage no longer exist. Texas' D Line is as strong as ever and getting to be healthy for the first time of the year. Okam, Aaron Lewis, Orkapo and the whole crew are all available and ready to continue to hold UT opponents to few yards on the ground. ADVANTAGE: TEXAS

Linebackers- In what has been a down year for Texas linebackers, at least we can say they are not as bad as Nebraska's. The Huskers have the worst rushing defense in the Big 12 and are giving up the most yards per game in the conference. Where is Bo Pelini when you need him? At least the young 'backers for Texas are getting some playing time and are playing well. ADVANTAGE: TEXAS

Defensive Backs- Again, Texas isn't great, but Nebraska's worse. The Texas defense, overall, has been playing betting since Kansas State. Ishie Ogedwu got a lot of time against Baylor, while much maligned DB Erick Jackson saw more of the bench. Ishie looks to continue to get a majority of the snaps as the Texas secondary become better and more experienced. ADVANTAGE: TEXAS

FRAMPAGE!!!!

Aggie fans have finally had it. Here is a classic example of the life and grieving process of your typical A&M fan....



Actually this is from the same Aggie that brought you "Leave Coach Fran Alone!"

Even the Collective Loathing of a Nation Cannot Stop Boston

Hasn't this gone far enough? At some point is has to stop, doesn't it? I mean someone has to step in and make it end, right? I don't know if any city has ever gone on a run like this. And if it is possible it seems like we're closer to the beginning than the end of it.

Seriously, the way Boston sports teams are winning is just nauseating. It probably wouldn't be so bad, except for the other things that come with it. Like the fact that you can't do anything sports related without having the city of Boston stuffed down your throat.

It starts with the Boston Red Sox. Sure great, you ended all those years of suffering with a likable team and a story book ending. You captured the heart of the nation. Only you did it with a payroll the size of the Yankees. Your best players came from the Twins, Indians, Marlins, and Diamondbacks (Phillies). You now have so many people that have jumped off the bandwagon, I have at least ten friends that once the playoffs roll around they start singing their allegiances to the Sox, and in between try and figure out who the new players are. I mean last night, they showed Troy Aikman in the stands, completely decked out with Red Sox gear. I mean I always suspected Troy Aikman was a soulless loser, but yeah, that pretty much confirmed it. I'm sure he's been a life long Red Sox fan, you know, growing up in California and Oklahoma, and spending his entire career in Dallas. Yeah, I'm sure that whole love affair didn't start exactly 7 minutes after the Red Sox won game 7 of the 2004 ALCS against the Yankees. The only question is, what did he do with all his Yankees gear? The whole love affair with the Red Sox has taken the exact same course as the Yankees from their Championship Shopping Spree in the 90s. That was a team featuring a bloated payroll and some homegrown talent sprinkled in (Jeter, O'Neill, Williams, Posada). And it has caused the formation of the bandwagon fans that loved the Yankees and the rest of the country that hated them. (Fans and team) And the same thing has happened with the Red Sox. I think I hate them more than I hate the Yankees.

But while all this has gone on, the Patriots have some how formed a dynasty in an era in football where you're not supposed to have dynasties. Early on, they seemed like a good bunch of guys, succeeding with solid talent, a team oriented attitude, and some luck. But as time passed and the wins kept piling up, the Coach Belicheck led Patriots seemed less and less like that likable good bunch of guys, then a bunch of unemotional players led by a coach who comes off more like an arrogant, self-loving, dictator. Throw in a quarterback that becomes less and less likable every time you see him with a supermodel that he will most likely impregnate by week's end. Brady is a great quarterback on a great team, you can't deny that. But when the #1 topic of a Colts broadcast isn't the unbeaten defending super bowl champions, but how the Patriots are the best team in football, you just get to the point where you've had enough. You would think Belicheck is related to every football analyst and Brady has impregnated their daughters the way every football person talks about the Patriots at all times.

Then last night, a new hatred of Boston takes center stage. #2 Boston College, fresh off of playing absolutely no one this season, faced their first true test of the season at #8 Virginia Tech. However, we were told Boston College wouldn't have any problems because of Heisman front runner, and Doug Flutie's love child, Matt Ryan. In a telecast that almost become unwatchable because of Flutie, Matt Ryan played terrible the entire game as the announcers searched for every opportunity to make an excuse. Then in the final three minutes, with Virginia Tech electing to go without a pass rush, Ryan was able to run around for 20 seconds on each play before finding open receiver after open receiver. Virginia Tech's defensive line looked so bad during that stretch it was no wonder that LSU was able to shred them 41-7 earlier this year. The win pretty much secured Ryan the Heisman and left Boston College without very many capable teams of beating them this season. Boston College is not very good, but now we're going to have to listen to Doug Flutie and company sing Matt Ryan's praises this season. The only way BC doesn't get absolutely killed in the National Championship game is if someone in the ACC can knock them off, or Ohio State makes it to the title game so BC can play another horribly overrated opponent. Either way, great, more Boston.

Of course what makes it even better is that the NBA is about to start. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, except for the fact the Celtics just got Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Coupled with Paul Pierce, Boston is an instant contender in the still pretty pathetic Eastern Conference. I think what makes this worse is that I like Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Even Paul Pierce is a pretty likable guy. But I'm positive that by the end of the season, we will be sick of hearing about the three of them and how it is like the Boston of old, while the sporting world sings the praises of the newest "genius" Danny Ainge. It hasn't started yet, but I'm sure it's not far off.

All of this wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the over saturation of the sporting market, and the domination of ESPN, head quartered in Boston, excuse me, Bristol, Massachusetts, excuse me Connecticut. Led by Bill Simmons, ESPN has dove in head first with round the clock Boston coverage. If it hadn't been for the Indians choking away the series, I'm sure the top three stories on Sportscenter would be Manny Ramirez driving a cab to the airport to fly home to the Dominican (Oh, that Manny), an inside look at Patriots camp, that despite popular belief Bill Belicheck actually does put his pants on one leg at a time, followed by a moving story about how Paul Pierce got stabbed 10 years ago, and Kevin Garnett gives him hugs and is dedicating his season to him.

The worst though has to be Bill Simmons. I read him avidly for the longest time because he is a very talented writer with a unique style. But he's gotten so big now that he pretty much as free reign from ESPN to write about the Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics 24/7. Even with the NBA season (his specialty sport) a few days away, he can get away with posting his napkin notes on the 2008 NBA season as a preview. Instead continuing to smugly continue to write about the Patriots and the Red Sox. I could be wrong, but I can't say that I can stomach reading him anymore since his "Sorry I have to write my one article about Boston sports" has turned into "Sorry, I have to write my one article not about Boston sports".

I just want to be able to turn on a sporting event without having to hear about the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, or Boston College. Too bad it's hard to enjoy sports without watching ESPN, ABC, or the NFL. It's getting to the point that I wish the British had won the Revolution or at least destroyed Boston in the losing effort. If only the NHL hadn't ceased being a sport 4 years ago, because don't the Bruins suck?

*Note, all pictures taken from the front page of ESPN today.

Week 9 Spotlight

Pure and simple, the Staples need a big, big week to get back in this race. Week 8 was painful and may have cost Weis and squad the year's title. I think we need a Lou Holtz pep talk. In this case, it is from "Zombie" Lou Holtz...

"Raarrr! Me need fantasy points!"

QB- Tim Tebow- Tebow may be the Heisman front runner at this point and he may be closing in on Vince Young's record of 3000 passing yards and 1000 rushing yards in a year. He already has over 1700 passing yards and 500 on the ground. Lets face it, Georgia is not going to stop him.

QB- Pat White- The Mountaineers are, for some reason, flying a little below the radar this year, but White is still leading a top 10 team. White is another dual threat QB. He has 500 rushing yards to go along with 1000 through the air. Rutgers has a decent D, but not today.

RB- Justin Forsett- Cal's back is a bit overshadowed by Nate Longshore and DeSean Jackson. But this back leads the Pac 10 in rushing TDs. Arizona St has a weak defense and Cal will look to pound them on the ground to keep it away from Rudy Carpenter.

RB- Javorski Lane- Lane leads the NCAA in rushing TDs and has really taken over as featured back from Michael Goodson. A&M may not win, but you know the big guy is going to punch in 2 touches.

WR- Percy Harvin- This is Tebow & Florida's go-to weapon. Harvin runs, catches and scores TDs. The chances that Harvin doesn't touch the ball at least 20 times are very low. He will dice up the Georgia defense.

WR- DeSean Jackson- Jackson is the big play maker on a big play team. Cal looks to dice up the Arizona State defense through the ground and air. Jackson is a favorite target of Longshore and will take advantage of the Sun Devil secondary.

O- California- Cal will need to score 40 points to beat Arizona State. Luckily, they will put up 45 (and a lot of yards). This is going to be a shootout game, and the Bears will out-gun the Devils..

D- Clemson- The Tigers are playing Maryland. Maryland has always been a middle of the road team with a middle of the road offense. That is not going to change. Clemson will clamp down and shut down the Terrapins like every other defense that faces Maryland in a big game.