The dog days of summer have arrived and the season draws near. That old feeling of needing to be on the field returns and it is welcomed as an old friend. It's funny how the game with the funny shaped ball can get into your soul. Out of that feeling comes another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Big XII
Five Big Ones- Non Conference
8/31 LSU v. TCU at Cowboys Stadium: There's not much neutral about this neutral site game that is just 20 miles from the TCU campus. The Horned Frog faithful will come out in droves for a shot at skinning the Bayou Bengals. The Horned Frogs have beaten nine of the last 13 ranked teams they've faced, so LSU could easily have their hands full in this one. LSU holds a 5-2-1 record lifetime v. TCU, but this game will be the first meeting between the two schools since 1968.
8/31 Oklahoma State v. Mississippi State at Reliant Stadium: Thanks to T. Boone Pickens' checkbook, Okie State has been a force in the Big XII lately. However, the Cowboys will have a tough time with the Bulldogs. MSU is not as talented as the last couple of seasons, but they will give Okie State fits before the Cowboys pull away late.
9/7 Texas at BYU: This game may not be on a lot of people's radar, but this game is huge for the Longhorns. With 19 returning starters, The Longhorns, and especially Mack Brown, will not be forgiven by burnt orange fans for a failure in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains. Remember, it took a late fourth quarter interception to kill BYU's upset bid back in 2011. Texas escaped that one, 17-16. Oh yeah, and the game was played in Austin.
9/21: West Virginia v. Maryland at M&T Bank Stadium: This game is an eastern showcase for the only Big XII team that resides east of the Mississippi River. However this showcase game in Baltimore may backfire on the Mountaineers. Geno Smith and a ton of offense is gone and the Terps are looking for a big breakout season as it is HC Randy Edsall's third year in College Park. Look for this one to be closer than expected.
9/28: Oklahoma at Notre Dame: Some teams just own other teams and ND owns the Sooners. The Irish hold a 9-1 stranglehold in the series and slapped the Sooners around last year at OU. OU has a better shot at beating the Irish now that ND QB Everett Golson is getting his "academic issues" resolved. However, don't underestimate the Bob Stoops choke factor in big games.
Five Big Ones- Conference
9/21 Kansas State at Texas: This is the conference opener for both squads. For K-State it means a chance to pick up where they left off after whipping the Longhorns, 42-24, last season. For Texas, a win catapults the 'Horns into being thought of as a legitimate contender for the Big XII title. A win would also turn the fire down on Mack Brown's hot seat as well.
10/5 West Virginia at Baylor: Last year, the Moutaineers escaped with a 70-63 win in a game that featured 19 TDs, over 1,500 yards of offense and 180 offensive plays. If this year's game is half as exciting, it'll be great.
10/12 Oklahoma v. Texas at the Cotton Bowl: Hey, you just gotta love a game that's listed as one of the official events of the Texas State Fair. This game also is huge for both squads for conference supremacy. The winner has an inside track to the league title while the loser goes into scramble mode for the rest of the season.
10/5 TCU at Oklahoma: How much of a letdown will the Sooners suffer after facing Notre Dame a week earlier? TCU is hoping it's a big letdown. For OU, the Horned Fogs are not the team they want to face after taking a trip to South Bend. Upset Alert! Upset Alert! Upset Alert!
11/30 Baylor at TCU: These two will face each other in a conference game for the first time since the they were both in the old Southwest Conference. If TCU has a great season, Baylor is their last obstacle on their way to the league title. The Frogs also have a week to prepare for this one. For the Bears, a win over TCU may set up a showdown with Texas for the Big XII crown.
Big XII Bonus: One Worth Glancing at the Box Score
9/7 South Dakota at Kansas: The Jayhawks stumbled through a 1-11 campaign last year with their only win coming at the expense of FCS also ran South Dakota State. Now, KU gets its' shot at South Dakota to complete their goal of Black Hills domination.
Big XII Schedule Quick Hits
113 years is a long time; When Kansas tees it up v. South Dakota this season will mark the second time they will meet on the field. The other time was in 1900. Yes, 1900. Kansas won that one, 42-0. Considering that TDs were only worth four points then and the forward pass wasn't legal yet, that was a pretty big rout.
Bye-Bye- Bye; With the Big XII not playing a conference title game, three teams have made use of that extra week by doing nothing. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Baylor have three bye weeks this season.
Tough Triple: In three straight weeks starting on 9/28, OU goes to Notre Dame, comes home for a date with TCU, then heads to Dallas to take on Texas at the Cotton Bowl.
Bears do like pastry; Baylor is filling up on creampuffs this season with a non-conference slate that consists of home games with Wofford, Buffalo, and Louisiana-Monroe.
The Gods must be angry; This brutal six game march through the Big XII has to be the football gods punishment to KU for inventing basketball. From 10/12 through 11/16, KU plays at TCU, comes home for Oklahoma and Baylor, then visits Texas and Okie State before coming home to host West Virginia. Insert schematic advantage joke here.
10 the hard way; With everyone in the Big XII having at least two byes, Iowa State HC Paul Rhoads has to be wondering why his team finishes the season by playing 10 straight weeks.
Deep Purple; 1,001 uses for purple will be on display when TCU and LSU clash on 8/31. Wait, they won't clash it's all purple.
A not so big eight; Eight of the Big XII's 10 teams will play an FCS opponent. Texas and Oklahoma are the two squads playing a full FBS slate.
A big eight for Kansas State; The Wildcats will play eight home games this season.
Back-loaded is an understatement; Baylor will run the Big XII gauntlet in their last five weeks of the season. From 11/7 through 12/7, the Bears will host Oklahoma, face Texas Tech at Jerryworld, travel to Okie State and TCU, then finish at home with Texas. Whew!
Big Ten
Five Big Ones- Non Conference
9/7 Notre Dame at Michigan: Year three has become the litmus test for modern coaches. 2013 is year three for Brady Hoke at Michigan. The Wolverines will see just how far they've come under Hoke in this test against the Fighting Irish. With a win here, the Maize and Blue could be 7-0 by the time they travel to Michigan State in early November.
9/14 Ohio State at California: Considering that the Buckeyes could take a bus on all their other road trips this season, this qualifies as their only real road trip of the season. Thee OSU hasn't visited Berkeley since 1972, when they scored 32 points in the second half to walk away with a 35-18 win. A big win for the Buckeyes means they'll be 4-0 by the time they take on Wisconsin on 9/28.
9/14 UCLA at Nebraska: The last time many of us saw the Cornhuskers, they were either being destroyed by Michigan State in the Big Ten title game or they were being whipped by Georgia in the Capitol One Bowl. Beating UCLA would bring the Big Red back into the realm of respectability. Also, Nebraska is 4-0 lifetime v. UCLA, in Lincoln.
9/14 Wisconsin at Arizona State: The Badgers could take away some of the hype that Thee OSU is getting and ruin ASU's season with a win at Tempe. The Badgers hope that this trip goes better than the last time they went to Tempe. Back in 1968, Wisconsin was torched, 55-7 by the Sun Devils.
9/14 Washington v. Illinois at Soldier Field: This doesn't really seem like a big game, but on a day where three Big Ten teams take on Pac 12 foes, it helps establish a conference pecking order for the season.
Five Big Ones- Conference
9/28 Wisconsin at Ohio State: Yes, this game comes early in the season, but this game will decide who wins the Leaders Division of the Big Ten. The team that wins this game will have a very easy road to the Big Ten title game. It's that simple.
11/2 Minnesota at Indiana: Why the heck would I choose this as a big game? Why not? Seriously, the loser of this game will find itself at the bottom of the league and minus their head coach at season's end. The winner will feel relief. Wait, on second thought, this was a bad pick. Never mind.
11/9 Nebraska at Michigan: Nebraska's road to the Big Ten title game runs through Ann Arbor. Last year, the Huskers throttled the Maize and Blue, in Lincoln. Can the Big Red get their first win at the Big House or will Michigan set up back-to-back games with the Ohio State by claiming the division crown?
11/30 Ohio State at Michigan: The UCLA-Stanford nightmare scenario of 2012 has a great chance of playing out here. If both teams are already crowned division champs by 11/30, then this game is just a prelude for the Big Ten title game one week later. However, if one or both of these squads needs one more win just to get to the title tilt, then it could be one of the best games of the year. I hope the latter scenario applies.
11/30: Penn State at Wisconsin: This game could mean all or nothing for both schools. For Wisconsin, a win coupled with an Ohio Stumble at Michigan could give the Badgers a back-door ticket to the Big Ten title game. Meanwhile, Penn State would relish a shot to knock Wisconsin out of everything. However, if this game is meaningless, it just serves as a tuneup for the Badgers on their way to the Capitol One bowl.
Big Ten Schedule Quick Hits
Not the Kings of the Road; Ohio State has only five road games this season and makes only two road trips in the first nine weeks of the season.
They don't play anybody; Outside of playing at Ohio State on 9/28, Wisconsin won't play another top team in the league. That's right folks, they won't face Nebraska, Michigan, or Michigan State.
Back home in Indiana; The Hoosiers have 8 home games this season. Oh, and the round trip total for mileage for their four road games is just 2,742 miles. To put that number in perspective, Arizona State will travel 2,450 round trip when they play at Washington State this season.
Lay the points; Illinois has lost 10 of their last 11 road openers. While Soldier Field is a neutral field for their game with Washington, I think Illinois falls to the Dawgs.
The third horse in a one-horse town; The Golden Gophers may only be the third most popular college team in their own state. That's because down on the D-II level, Minnesota State and Minnesota-Duluth are ranked 1st and 7th nationally. Following their exploits will be big in the land of 10,000 lakes this fall.
An idea; Because of how Nebraska and Iowa are linked to corn, their should be a trophy for the winner of each year's game made out of corn cobs.
Lay the points, a reprise; Nebraska has won 27 straight home openers. Somehow, I think the Big Red will whip Wyoming on 8/31.
Not really a traveling trophy; Minnesota has only had possession of the Little Brown Jug three times in the last 45 years.
Take two they're small; All Big Ten teams have two bye weeks this season.
Shades of '49; When toe meets leather at Berkeley's Memorial Stadium on 8/31, it will mark the first meeting between Northwestern and California since the 1949 Rose Bowl. The 7-2 Wildcats upset the undefeated Golden Bears that day, 20-14 in a game that was marked with controversy. Northwestern fullback Art Murakowski was awarded a TD by the refs as he fumbled the ball while crossing the goal line. Photographs later showed that Murakowski had fumbled the ball. I guess this was the Rose Bowl's original phantom touchdown. Here's the best photo I could find of the play.
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Until next time folks, remember that when you think that you've seen something new being done for the first time, it's just new to you. Somebody has already done that thing somewhere else.
-The Commissioner
