Rock M Roundtable!

1. Mizzou losing to K-State: proof of a weak schedule, proof of further road woes ... or proof that Bramlage is a pretty tough place to play when you match up horribly with your opponent?

2. We've probably discussed this before (multiple times), but it appears that BCS changes are on the horizon. What changes do you expect, and what changes do you prefer?

3. So a "data input error" led to Missouri reporting about $5 million more in football expenses than actually existed last year. I call shenanigans. WHAT $5 MILLION EXPENSE IS THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT COVERING UP?

4. College football season is over. What will you do with your extra time?

The Beef: 1. Since it was the first road, conference game of the year, I will go with C, especially as buoyed by the fact kSU was right there with #4 BU last night as well. Now, if that question comes up similarly a month from now, my guess is my answer might change.

2. I assume it will be some sort of +1, but I am guessing that it somehow will still piss people off. Would Alabama/Okie State be a good game this year? Possibly…but the system this year was not wrong in not being able to produce it. LSU was always going to be in the champ game.

3. I caught that error story out of the corner of my brain and could not have cared less about it….though I am sure it will internetly embiggen some on other sites to scream and moan. And yes, internetly embiggen is my new phrase.

4. I am headed to MN this weekend to visit the family…after that though, I still have a couple of shows in the DVR to finish off (Boss) as well as my hopes to start working through stuff on HBOGo that I never watched before (The Wire, Sopranos). And before I know it, it will be SOFTBALL SEASON!

Doug: 1 - I think any road game in conference is going to be tough, especially when Missouri is playing any team with size. That said, any team with size that comes into Columbia is going to give Missouri trouble as well.

2 - I thought this was established in the BCS, but I would definitely like to see a rule where if you don't win your conference title, especially if if your conference has a championship game, then you can't play in the national championship game. What I think we will see is another year of the current system, while they try to build an agreeable +1 or even 4-team playoff format.

3 - How cheap do you think "jumbo" glasses of wine are?

4 - Watch the NFL playoffs.

RPT: Well, hello all...

1. They could have played the game in the arena from Space Jam and K-State would still be a horrible matchup for Missouri. I'm not ruling out that road woes could potentially be a problem for this team as conference play continues, but I'll wait until the sample moves beyond N=2 before I make that call.

2. I expect a plus one, with the semifinals rotating amongst the BCS bowls. Which do I prefer? I honestly have no clue. Is there a term for when you love something so much that you're apathetic as to how it changes because you'll love it anyway? As long as they keep feeding me my December and January college football, I'm good. Pick a system, and let's roll with whatever it is.

3. I guess we know how Dorial Green-Beckham chose his jersey number, eh?

4. It's not the end of college football season that has left me scrambling to fill time. I'm thinking about reactiviating Netflix to hit all of the TV shows I've somehow missed: Justified, Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, etc.

Which leads me to my next question: Which shows of the last five years should be mandatory?

Michael Atchison: Over the last five years, I’ve watched a lot of iCarly and Good Luck, Charlie. Start with those.

Michael Atchison: 1. Bramlage is cursed. Mizzou went there in 1998 and lost by 55. Then beat K-State by 30 at home. Also, if the Tigers play a big and physical team and don’t hit their jump shots, they’re doomed.

2. What I would do: An eight-team playoff, conference champions only (a committee selects the eight best champs). People will say "but that would have kept Alabama out of the playoff this year," and I reply "I don’t care." There is so little meaningful interconference play that it’s hard to gauge how good leagues really are (remember 2006, when Ohio State and Michigan were 1 and 2 entering the final game? OSU won by three and there was some talk about a BCS rematch. Glad that didn’t happen; both teams got smoked in the postseason). Also, if you really want to be true to the notion that the regular season matters, this is the way to do it. What’s the most meaningful regular season basketball game ever? The 1974 ACC championship game between NC State and Maryland, number one and four in the country. NC State won 103-100 in OT, and went on to win the national title. Maryland was left home. So what I’m advocating is a system like the NCAA basketball tournament before the 1975 expansion that went from 25 to 32 teams and allowed for more than one team per league. The other benefit to this is that it gives meaningful Division I standing to non-BCS leagues. Right now, those teams are eliminated from championship consideration before the season even begins. If they’re going to be D-I, there needs to be a way that they can actually compete for a title.

What will happen is a plus-one system. Whatever they do, though, I hope they make the schedule more compact. College football really loses its momentum when games keep trickling on after New Year’s Day. I’d have the big bowls on January 1, the national semis on January 2 (either as stand-alone playoff games, or through a rotating set of bowl games), and the championship game on January 9.

3. The program paid five extra-large for Bill’s detailed statistical analysis. Unfortunately, they got hoops data, which led to much confusion about how to improve their BCI.

4. Settle in for all new episodes of Community.

Doug: I hate to break it you, Atch. But, you may want to stockpile supplies if you're waiting on new Community episodes.

Michael Atchison: I know. It was a joke. Too subtle?

Doug: Before 8 AM my time? Yes, far too subtle.

The Beef: You could just pull a Tepper and just not pay attention to these until much later in the morning…

/wondersifTepperisoutthere

ghtd36: Right here. Just settling in and popping some meds (dental surgery yesterday). Give me a moment for the Humor Pills to kick in.

Doug: True. But, knowing my luck, I'll get tied up in something at the station and the Round Table will be denied my witty, insightful answers. I can't let the people down like that.

ZouDave: 1 – proof that Bramlage is a pretty tough place to play when you match up horribly with your opponent…and when you’re not known as a stellar road team. I have serious doubts we’re going to only win 1 road game this year like last year’s conference slate, but I do think we will have a really hard time upsetting either Baylor or kansas on the road. The important piece will be not losing to aTm, Tech, OSU or OU on the road.

2 – I definitely see a +1 game coming, and it will just move people’s attention to the 5th team instead of the 3rd team as the team most-deserving-of-a-shot-but-is-getting-screwed-by-the-polls. I don’t know what I prefer, though. I just kinda go with whatever is out there.

3 -

4 – Focus myself on basketball, starting tomorrow with my annual trip to Springfield, MO, to watch the Bass Pro TOC. I get to see DGB for the 2nd time in 3 years, which will be cool.

Oh, and happy birthday to RPT!

ZouDave: Also…was going to save this for when the roundtable hit a wall but I’m getting ready to step into a meeting and will be gone until probably 10:30 or so, so I’ll just put it out there now.

This? This is real. This actually happened.

The Beef: Wow…that is pretty wow. I almost feel bad for Tebow. Never before have I seen such a polarizing figure who is just a good person and appears to want nothing to do with the polarization he is causing beyond sports. It is all just too strange…

SleepyFloyd7: Holler.

1 - Yes to all. Frank Martin had his big boys so fired up they were levitating 4 inches above the floor, AND they are a physical mismatch, AND that cave of an arena has bad juju, AND the Tigers played their worst game of the year. Right the ship tonight, please.

2 - It will be a +1 format, which will lead to a 6-team playoff (where 1 & 2 get byes), which will lead to an 8-team playoff.

3 - Real Gold helmets?

4 - OK, it's so arrogant for the new dad to suggest that there is something called "Free Time." WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, MR MOM? I will sit down tonight at 9:07pm and try to sync up the live thread on RMN with the recorded game, while I fold laundry. You people who think you have all the time in the world for leisure activities make me sick. May you all be cursed with multiple children who keep getting out of bed to play with a damn musical caterpillar whose batteries WILL NEVER RUN OUT EVER.

Oh, and Breaking Bad. Daddy needs some crystal.

SleepyFloyd7: I also have Associate AD for Operations at Mizzou Tim Hickman on the show today. We will be talking about the facilities plans (including the East side upgrade at Memorial stadium).

What items would you put on the wish-list for facilities at Mizzou?
(There are no crazy answers here)

I would put in tubes like they have at the bank to help people get to and from their cars for basketball games.

ghtd36: Chocolate microscopes?

ghtd36: On to the questions.

1. I think what Kansas State did to Baylor last night proves it is the latter. That said, let's not totally rule out road woes; it's possible. Once is a fluke, twice is a trend, and if Mizzou goes into Ames tonight and lays an egg, then we might have a situation on our hands. For now, though, I tip my hat to the Octagon and move on.

2. The rumored plus-one solution -- and I can't believe I'm about to say this -- actually satisfies me. I think it's the best of both worlds, maintaining the all-important bowl system to an extend while also ensuring that there are far fewer beefs about "I didn't get a shot to play!". The difference between No. 1 and No. 3 can be pretty miniscule; I feel as if the difference between No. 1 and No. 5 is a lot more pronounced. And while there's no perfect solution, this one actually makes me feel OK.

3. Stubble maintenance, to which I say, "Only $5 million?"

4. College football season is over. What will you do with your extra time?

I'm not real sure. The Fiancee wants me to help plan the wedding, but that sounds SO lame. I'll probably just count down the days until pitchers and catchers report, like I always do.

(Also, pro tip: I know this won't sound overly manly, but if you haven't given the show "Happy Endings" on ABC a try, do so. I enjoy it.)

D-Sing: Greetings from sunny Las Vegas.

1. Proof that when you play like crap, you lose. Simple as that. I don't think it is road woes (yet). And I don't think that the schedule has been that weak. Sometimes you lose; I had this game marked as a loss when the schedule came out.

2. What I expect: a four team playoff, which has been talked about using the lovely euphemism of "plus one."

What do I prefer: a more robust playoff of 8 to 12 teams...or go back to the system right before the BCS, where everyone went to a bowl based on a contract with a league and then just let everyone vote on it.

3. Additional money to be paid in the development of our alternate stealth unis from Nike.

4. Basketball will consume the void that football leaves, as it always does.

The Beef: Spencer:

I don’t know if Tim will know (or share) this far out, but I would love to know what the long-term plan for the Hearnes Center is. WAAAAAAAAY back in the day, like mid 90’s, I believe Kroenke was going to pony up some fat scratch and the AD needed to figure out of if they wanted to build a new arena (ala Mizzou Arena) or refurbish Hearnes. Part of the refurbishing plans (beyond the Hearnes basketball portion itself) called for a smaller arena to be built beyond the Field House portion of the building. I always like the idea of a smaller Hearnes (since we were not filling it at the time) to make it into a REALLY tough place to play, then to have a 3-4K seat venue that could hold gymnastics/wrestling/etc. I actually still believe that this might not be the best idea for Hearnes in general. Close off D and renovate that space into more office and meeting rooms and what-not for the AD and just refurbish the Arena portion from C on down to A. The mini-arena would be a nice-to-have for the sports that COULD use it (volleyball, wrestling, gymnastics I suppose), but you certainly are not required to have it. That could also obviously be a phase 2 or 3 thing on down the road (especially if we in fact realize a somewhat significant revenue increase from this move)

Just a thought.

I believe Alden also referenced in some interview somewhere the Nike piece and how they are moving to align ALL unis across ALL sports, but also the field and basketball court as well. Might be interesting to see if he has some info to offer up on that.

D-Sing: Spencer;

Since I've only been inside two facilities in the last decade (Faurot and Mizzou Arena), I guess I'd want to know more about the East Side upgrade, or if he could explain what, if any, possibilities/hurdles there are with regards to upgrading the South End Zone (the water table issue, etc.).

SleepyFloyd7: I was planning on asking about long-term plans for Hearnes the South End Zone issues. I have heard a story about a bulldozer being buried under Faurot Field. Apparently, there were heavy rains the year they were building the stadium, and a bulldozer got stuck in the mud out there. They were unable to pull it out, so they buried it. I'd love to know if he knows the real story.

The Beef: I guess I’d also love to know the long-term plan for the South end zone. Would it be as simply as "completing" the bowl and adding the few thousand seats that move might afford? Or, will it be something where it ties the current suites on the west side to the new suites (pending) on the east side and you rebuild the south stands from the ground up. Redo locker room facilities and press rooms down there and such. Build the south end zone stands and connect the two suites together (I understand this would necessitate additional work on the west side which might be VERY tough because of the steep grade drop-off on that side). Hell they don’t NEED to connect I guess (though it would be stupid if they didn’t). Does the addition of the gymnastic/Golden Girl facility potentially provide any issues because of its proximity to the football stadium?

SleepyFloyd7: You guys ready for Royce White tonight?

Michael Atchison: Be sure to ask Tim about the year that he and I were co-chairs of MSA's College Music Committee. It's a tangled web.

SleepyFloyd7: I picture the two of you attempting to book Molly Hatchet, but talks broke down when you couldn't agree on a hash allowance.

Michael Atchison: My claim to fame (I think Tim had graduated by then, but I could be wrong) was booking Living Colour for a free show in Jesse Auditorium. Blew the dome off of that joint. Tim might wistfully reminisce about the pleasure of working security for a Fishbone show.

The Beef: I never worked for the CmC, but I enjoyed doing security for a number of shows because Mizzou Spirit had the same advisor as CmC. Very much enjoyed doing security for Widespread Panic in Jesse and Run DMC at the Blue Note.