MU-CU Links

• KC Star: Mizzou faces must-win at Colorado
• The Trib (Dave Matter): Writer's Block

  BTS: What was your take on Hawkins' press conference the other day, the long opening statement and reading the letters of support? Did he come off desperate or was it a genuine sign of good faith some supporters have in his leadership?

  Ringo: It was one of the more fascinating moments in a long list of them over the past six years I've been covering CU sports. I came away thinking and feeling like he was trying to make his case and save his job. I think he recognizes that this team is going to have a tough time finishing the season strong and he's trying to get out in front of the snowball coming down the hill behind him. I think it's too little too late.

  The unfortunate part of that press conference is that Dan Hawkins was back to being the storyteller and the engaging and honest guy he was during his first two years here. He got away from that in the past year becoming terse and stone-faced and not real fun to be around at times, at least in terms of his dealings with the media. That change came at the same time the sports information department began recording everyone one of his postgame and post practice interviews and putting them on CUBuffs.com. Fans and donors were able to see the change they were reading about for themselves.

• The Missourian: Missouri linebacker Will Ebner gets back outside after meniscus surgery
• The Missourian: 10 Things you didn't know about Colorado
• Post-Dispatch: Run game shows flash of dash
• PowerMizzou: Buffs Insider: Five questions for Saturday
• PowerMizzou: History against Tigers
• Boulder Daily Camera: CU Buff offense still woeful
• Boulder Daily Camera (Buffzone Blog): "We're young" excuse no good this week
• Boulder Daily Camera (Buffzone Blog): Why some players don't get on the field
• The Trib: Behind the Stripes Webcast: Episode 12, Pt. 2

Other Mizzou Football Links

• The Trib: Dearth of depth at QB hurts Missouri
• KC Star (Campus Corner): Aldon Smith: Mizzou Calls Him Aldini
• The Missourian: Dan Hoch uses math skills to his advantage
• PowerMizzou: MAILBAG!!

  Mizzou-Eddie asks: Thinking back to when MU adopted the spread style offense (I believe it was Brad Smith's JR year), we initially ran it much like Urban Meyer ran it at Utah (he eventually incorporated a fullback when he realized it wouldn't be as effective in the SEC). We used a lot of wide receiver motion and incorporated the slot receiver in the option game. We also used the shovel pass quite often and the QB was a weapon in the running game. It was essentially a run first offense. From what I remember we really only stuck with this for one season before adopting the pass happy, side to side running attack we use now. We also seemed to reduce the number of designed QB runs, even when Brad Smith was still here. Now to my question... Why? Being close to the program, do you have any idea why the staff decided to scrap that style of spread so quickly.
  
  In 2005, which was Daniel's freshman year and Brad's senior year, the quarterback run was a HUGE part of the offense. Brad threw the ball 376 times and ran it 208. The top two tailbacks combined for 157 carries (Woods 93, Temple 64). So your recollection that the Tigers went away from the quarterback run in Brad's senior year is off.
  
  ...
  
  This season, Blaine Gabbert is on pace to throw 401 passes. Washington is on pace to carry the ball 187 times (these numbers are based on 12 games, not 14 as the Tigers have played the last two seasons). De'Vion Moore and Kendial Lawrence are also getting more carries than the second- and third-string backs in recent seasons. So, bottom line, the thought the Tigers aren't running the ball more simply aren't true. They are running it A LOT more. Gabbert is on pace to attempt slightly more passes than Daniel did as a sophomore, but the Tigers are also on pace to run it just about the same number of times. So, bottom line, this year's offense is almost identical to the one that was run in 2006 when Daniel was a first-year starter, with the exception that Gabbert is running less than Chase did, a fact that can be almost completely attributed to the ankle injury. You want to know the difference? Gabbert is completing 57.3% of his passes and is on pace for nine interceptions. Daniel completed 64.2% of his throws and threw eight picks. It may not seem like a big difference, but in an offense that is predicated on playing pitch-and-catch, seven percent is fairly significant.

• PowerMizzou: Texas WR Bud Sasser trims list to two

Big 12 Links

• Omaha World-Herald: How to fix a flat: Why has NU's offense sprung a leak?
  Waco Tribune: Baylor football wants to be faster out of the gate vs. Nebraska
  Waco Tribune: Defense is easy for Nebraska's man named Suh
• Dr. Saturday: Let Dez Bryant be an example for you
  Dallas Morning News: Go-to-guy gone, but OSU receiver Hubert Anyiam coming on
  Burnt Orange Nation: Texas at Oklahoma State: OSU Offense Preview
• KC Star: K-State out for respect against Oklahoma
• Topeka Capital-Journal: Plight of the living dead

Other Mizzou Links

• MU Basketball
  The Trib: Kansas tops preseason coaches' poll
  Mizzourah: Mizzou Basketball Is Kinda Ranked
  The Trib: Anderson a proud uncle/coach at Demarre Carroll's debut
• MU Volleyball
  Our Very Own Uribe Auction: Favorite Halloween costumes of the Missouri Tigers
• MU Soccer
  MUtigers.com: Soccer Ends Regular Season at Kansas
• MU Wrestling
  The Maneater: Two Missouri wrestlers look to gain by losing pounds

Other

• Dr. Saturday: With November to go, gentlemen, please respect the chaos

  To sum up, then, all four of the panelists agree that at least four and as many as six (the maximum possible number, with Florida and Alabama either going head-to-head or losing along the way) of the seven current unbeatens will finish the regular season without a blemish, though at least one ranked opponent remains in front of all seven.
  
  ...
  
  Aside from the sublime insanity of 2004 -- the year that will ultimately have as much to do with the BCS' eventual downfall or evolution as any other -- the emphatic lesson of the last decade has been "Don't count your undefeated chickens before they hatch."
  
  ...
  
  Skin-of-the-teeth escapes the last two weeks by Florida, Alabama and Iowa should be a sign of just how indifferent the stretch run is going to be to the current status quo. My guess is three teams make it out unscathed, max, and that's the liberal estimate.

• Smart Football: True spread, apexing
• Tulsa World: BCS cheats some deserving teams

  Using the BCS system, the SEC gets what amounts to an automatic bid for the national championship game. The other spot is to be filled by the richest conference winner with the weakest schedule, which is to say, this season, Texas.
  
  Florida versus Texas, set in October stone, and won't that be some 11-10 final-score fun.
  
  ...
  
  The only interesting poll is of victims.
  
  BCS 2009 MOST CHEATED POLL
  
  1. TCU.
  2. Iowa.
  3. Cincinnati.
  4. USC.
  5. Boise State.
  
  As TCU goes through a tough enough schedule, this question arises: Could TCU stay with Florida or Texas?
  
  Yes — as easily as Boise stayed with OU, and much the same way Utah stayed with Alabama.

I just had to point out the "who's getting screwed" BCS column above for one major reason: for both of the top two "screwed" teams, the reason they're screwed is because of the human polls, not the computers.  We always blame the computers for everything, but Iowa's #1 according to the computers (and for the record, I tremendously disagree with that), and TCU's #4.

Also: I'm sorry, but USC's not getting screwed at all.  They're AHEAD of three undefeated teams right despite a loss to Washington.  Anyway...

And of course...