Mizzou-Illinois Links!

• Mutigers.com: OFFICIAL RELEASE!!!!!!!1!

  If the future belongs to youth, then things should be looking up for Tiger Football for a long while, because the 2009 Mizzou team takes the field as an extremely young squad.
  
  
  While Head Coach Gary Pinkel would never offer up youth as an excuse for anything, the fact remains that this team is very young, with only 14 seniors on the roster. Of those, only seven are scheduled to start on offense/defense, with only eight total who are on the two-deep entering the season opener against Illinois. That’s a stark contrast to 2008, when the Tigers began the season with 12 senior starters (5 on offense and 7 on defense).

• FightingIllini.com: OFFICIAL RELEASE!!!!!!!1!

  Illinois' 2009 schedule has been rated as the toughest in the Big Ten and the 10th-toughest in the nation by The Sporting News. In the preseason rankings, eight Illinois opponents are either ranked or receiving votes.

  The 2009 Illinois football schedule includes eight teams that played in bowl games a year ago -- Missouri, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Fresno State and Cincinnati -- including three that played in BCS games.

  Illinois' first four FBS opponents in 2009 were a combined 40-13 last season.

• IlliniHQ.com: Illinois depth chart released
• The Missourian: Illinois players disappointed about end of Arch Rivalry game
• The Missourian: Illinois freshman proves to be a dual threat

  In his news conference Tuesday, Illinois coach Ron Zook said Terry Hawthorne has a chance to get into Saturday’s game. But Hawthorne likely won’t line up at wide receiver, the position he has earned so many accolades for playing. Hawthorne is more likely to get on the field as a defensive back.

  Because of an injury to cornerback Miami Thomas, Hawthorne has been working on defense in practice.

• Post-Dispatch: Fighting Illini's Terry Hawthorne could play in opener
• Post-Dispatch: Pinkel enjoys series with Fighting Illini
• KC Star: Pulp fiction? No, Mizzou's Weatherspoon said it
• Post-Dispatch: Fighting Illini hope receivers can live up to the hype
• PowerMizzou: Illinois Insider - Offensive Preview
• Campus Corner (KC Star): Zook Heaps Praise on Missouri

Other Mizzou Football Links!

• Dave Matter: Tuesdays with...Steckel
• The Trib: Up close or on high?
• PowerMizzou: Tuesday's Top Tigers
• Campus Corner (KC Star): Mad Mike Returns with the first vlog of the season
• Post-Dispatch: Missouri Tigers think they can still put up a lot of points (another huge vote of confidence from the P-D)
• Post-Dispatch: Missouri football 2009: schedule analysis
• Post-Dispatch: MU football recruit Nick Demien has knee surgery
• The Missourian: Jayhawks fan endorses Chase Daniel...reluctantly
• Doc Saturday: Profiles in Obscurity: Wyoming lassos a little offense (very little)

Okay, that last link isn't really Mizzou-related, but with DC in Laramie, I'm basically watching them like they're our Triple-A squad this year, so there you go.

Big 12 Links!

• Daily Oklahoman: OSU Linebacker Orie Lemon out for season
• Bulldogs Blog: More Legal Problems for Okie State

  So, let's see... tons of preseason hype, highest ranking in school history, off-field legal problems, talented offense but questionable defense, SI cover jinx... it's almost scary how similar Okie State is to last year's Georgia team.

• WhatIfSports.com: 2009 College Football Bowl Projections
• Topeka Capital-Journal: Snyder tabs Coffman as starting QB
• Austin American-Statesman: Will the Big 12 North ever rise again?

If you were offered a Gator Bowl bid vs UNC today, would you accept it?  And of COURSE Bill Snyder named Carson Coffman starter...he's a Coffman!

Other Mizzou Links!

• SimmonsField.com: Mizzou Baseball 2010 Schedule update
  

Other!

• And the Valley Shook: LSU is at the risk of being knee-deep in shit.  Literally.
• Statistically Speaking: Similarity Scores: Stephen Garcia and Robert Griffin

  On the other end of the freshman spectrum is Robert Griffin. Griffin started almost immediately as a true freshman and enjoyed a stellar season. His quarterback rating of 142.0 ranked 27th in the nation, and his three interceptions tied him for the second fewest among qualifying quarterbacks. He also added 13 scores and rushed for over 800 yards on the ground. The 5 most similar freshman quarterbacks to Robert Griffin since 2004 are:
  
  1. Matt Grothe, South Florida, 2006, 80.4
  2. Colin Kaepernick, Nevada, 2007, 73.6
  3. Shaun Carney, Air Force, 2004, 73.0
  4. Case Keenum, Houston, 2007, 69.6
  5. Pat White, West Virginia, 2005, 67.9