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Fans cheer during Kansas University's game against Missouri on Nov. 24, 2007, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. Kansas and Missouri certainly did their part to close the gap in the Big 12, as the Jayhawks and Tigers played in the most high-profile conference football game of 2007. The No. 3 Tigers' 36-28 victory over No. 2 KU was the most watched game of the year on ABC and further signified that the Big 12 North is gaining ground on the Big 12 South.
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Gaining defense advantage easier away from home
Last season it was simple: bring your opponent to memorial Stadium, and more than likely the Jayhawks would walk away victorious. However, if you were a member of the Kansas defense, Kivisto Field may not have been your preferred place to play.
Journal-World File Photo
Kansas linebacker James Holt sacks Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel on Nov. 24, 2007, at Arrowhead Stadium. The Jayhawks and Tigers finished a combined 24-3 last season.
12-1. 12-2.
In the final 2007 records of the Kansas University and Missouri University football teams, the Big 12 North had the conference's two best overall marks and, at 7-1, the two best league marks, as well.
Evidently, that was nothing compared with what North Division teams expect to see during 2008.
Last week, at the Big 12 Media Days in Kansas City, Mo., players and coaches from both sides of the dividing line talked about how much better the North has become in recent years. Those who suit up closer to Canada made bold predictions for an even better Big 12 North in 2008.
"Every team in the Big 12 North will be better than they were a year ago," Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said without flinching. "I truly believe that."
Considering the Jayhawks and Tigers were a combined 24-3 last season, headlined by Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl victories in January, Pinkel's prognostication sounds a bit far-fetched. But those players and coaches who followed Mizzou's hack-turned-hero last week at Media Days supported the claim - some in more detail than others.
"I can't think of a single team in the North that's going backwards," K-State coach Ron Prince said.
KU junior safety Darrell Stuckey chose to elaborate.
"I think it's possible," Stuckey said when asked if the North could be better across the board. "Seeing how Iowa State had a new coach and a new coaching staff, they're going to grow tremendously in the next few years. It's almost like it was with us when (coach Mark) Mangino first got here. And the same thing with Colorado, they were very young last year. Nebraska's going through a rebuilding phase, and they're going to be phenomenal this year. And then you've got K-State, of course, they're only going to get better from last year. They're going to learn from their mistakes and their losses that they had. And Missouri's going to get better because Chase (Daniel) is continuing to get better, their offense is continuing to get better, their defense is still growing and they have a lot of experience."
So what about the Jayhawks? How can they possibly improve on last year's dream season?
"That's obvious," said Stuckey. "You get better than 12-1 by filling in the margins of error that you had, filling the voids in the games you didn't do as well as you should've, or taking care of the times you didn't play the way you should've. We have a lot of room for us to get better."
Once viewed as nothing more than an "also ran," overshadowed dramatically by conference giants Oklahoma and Texas, the Big 12 North has taken strides to become more competitive within the league and has become a legitimate threat to capture the league's automatic BCS berth year in and year out.
Today, Kansas and Missouri, middle-of-the-pack pests for years, represent the strength of the North, while former frontrunners Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas State - the last Big 12 North team to win a Big 12 crown in 2003, when Kansas native Darren Sproles and the Wildcats shocked the nation by steamrolling third-ranked Oklahoma, 35-7 - push to regain their former glory.
All five teams have their eyes fixed on a Big 12 North championship and a trip to Kansas City, Mo., Dec. 6 to play for the Big 12 title. With MU having 62 players from Kansas and Missouri on its roster, K-State having 54 and KU having 36, few teams seem as driven to get there as the Tigers, Wildcats and Jayhawks.
"That's huge," Shawnee native Mike Rivera said. "That'd be a dream come true, and that's obviously one of my goals this year. I'm looking forward to that point, and hopefully we can get there."
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Comments
scootja32 (anonymous) says...
2 straight games at Arrowhead? sounds good to me.
July 29, 2008 at 3:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
chuckberry32 (anonymous) says...
"Preseason Big 12 defensive player of the year Auston English is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery for an emergency appendectomy last weekend in Norman, Okla."
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/st...
July 29, 2008 at 7:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
chuckberry32 (anonymous) says...
Big 12 game rankings (hype?) KU with 2 of the top 5!
http://newsok.com/article/3275480?top...
July 29, 2008 at 8:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Puggy (anonymous) says...
"I can't think of a single team in the North that's going backwards," K-State coach Ron Prince said.
Except, that is, for KSUck, who figures to actually be worse this year, possibly worse than Iowa St.
July 29, 2008 at 8:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
okjhok (anonymous) says...
Well, I don't know if they'll be worse this year. That depends on how well all the JUCO kids conform to the system. I do know that they'll take a huge step back in the next couple of years when their quick fix expires.
July 29, 2008 at 8:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KGphoto (anonymous) says...
Did he say "closer to Canada"? Who is this guy? Tait or Taint?
I'm not too sure Matt's got his finger on the pulse of the Big 12 just yet. His head is in the right place, but he's kind of all over the place. That quote from Stuckey is about a third of the entire article. And honestly anything Ron Prince says can go straight to the back page.
Keegs, you can keep your job a little longer.
July 29, 2008 at 9:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
McT (Matt Tait) says...
Thought the closer to Canada line was clever. Better than saying "North" for the 250th time in the same article.
I liked Stuckey's quotes, too. Especially the second one about how they can get better.
Kind of funny, though, that a KU junior goes into more detail about the Big 12 North, team-by-team, than the K-State coach... I love it!!!!
ROCK CHALK!!!!!!
July 29, 2008 at 10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
TtownHawk (anonymous) says...
"Today, Kansas and Missouri, middle-of-the-pack pests for years, represent the strength of the North."
I'm sorry but shouldn't that say something like former bottom feeders Kansas and Missouri. Let's not kid ourselves, we weren't really "middle-of-the-pack"
July 29, 2008 at 10:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rolo2383 (anonymous) says...
Ron Prince has a system? Every time I watch the Mildcats play it looks like chaos to me. They have 11 guys on the field running all over the place. It doesn't look like anyone is playing their assignment.
July 29, 2008 at 10:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sevenyearhawk (anonymous) says...
Ttown ...
Both Kansas and Missouri have improved dramatically under Coaches Mangino and Pinkel.
Terry Allen: zero bowls
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Al...
Larry Smith: two bowls
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Sm...
July 29, 2008 at 11:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
txrockchalk (anonymous) says...
Seven - I think you are making Ttown's point. I agree with Ttown. Perhaps a case could be made for Missouri being middle-of-the-pack for a while, but we were perennial bottom feeders from the mid-80's until Mangino arrived (save a couple of good seasons with Mason).
July 29, 2008 at 11:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
TtownHawk (anonymous) says...
sevenyearhawk:
i couldnt' agree with you more, Magino and Pinkel have done great with both programs.
my comment was about the coaches before them who didn't do much of anything at either program. hell, Mangino was left with so little his first few seasons were with players who most likely belonged in D-2 football.
July 29, 2008 at 11:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KGphoto (anonymous) says...
In any case, I think it's safe to say neither team has ever been considered "middle-of-the-pack pests". We've been punch lines to Husker and Sooner jokes for my entire life. Save one season, our only bowl game was the yearly toilet bowl with the Mildcats.
July 29, 2008 at 1:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
njjayhawk (anonymous) says...
KSU MIGHT make the Toilet Bowl this year, playing the University of Southern North Dakota at Hoopal in this classic bowl game sponored by Tidibowl. I predict Ron Prince will be on Dancing with the Stars this year, demonstrating the "Prince Stomp" (ref Texas game last year), with his dancing partner Marie Osmond. Bottom line, the KittyCats will be basement dwellers in 2008, and Terry Allen, Roy Williams' pal, will return to the State of Kansas...as head coach at KSU.
Rock Chalk!
July 29, 2008 at 8:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
davidsmom (anonymous) says...
I think you shouldn't speak disrespectfully of K-State before the season even starts, because if they surprise you and end up doing well, then you look like an idiot. It's like political ads... you should promote your own guy but don't disparage the opponent, especially since he is rarely quite as bad as you make him out to be.
August 2, 2008 at 10:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )