A tame effort today, as folks are out and about...
1 - Roll call! Who's going to be in StL tonight for Braggin' Rights?
2 - I'm a numbers guy, so give me a (completely arbitrary) number: what % chance does Mizzou have of beating Illinois tonight and grabbing Braggin' rights for the first time since December 21, 1999. (The Nineties!)
3 - It's the last Roundtable before the Alamo Bowl, so let's cover that too. Tell me why Missouri will win (or lose).
4 - Big 12 Bowl Picks!
* Alamo: Missouri vs Northwestern
* Holiday: Oklahoma State vs Oregon
* Insight: Kansas vs Minnesota
* Gator: Nebraska vs Clemson
* Cotton: Texas Tech vs Ole Miss
* Fiesta: Texas vs Ohio State
* BCS Championship Game: Oklahoma vs Florida
5 - Quick: name me your favorite Christmas song.
Doug: 1 - I won't be there!
2 - 70%. I know nothing about Illinois (except that Bruce Weber is crazy) and Missouri is playing Mike Anderson's style. The question is, can they do so against talent comparable to their own as opposed to lower-D I talent.
3 - Well, at first glance it certainly seems like Missouri should be able to out-score the Wildcats. And, it's not like the Northwestern defense was able to shut down any major opponents this year. Without delving too deep into it... cause I really don't want to, I'll say that Missouri will win.
4 - Alamo - Missouri by 10
Holiday - Oklahoma State by 7 (but only because they score last)
Insight - Kansas by 14
Gator - Nebraska by 3 (I think I would have picked Clemson... if they didn't have a head coach named Dabo)
Cotton - Texas Tech by a lot
Fiesta - Texas by a lot more (seriously, does Ohio State have some kind of Notre Dame-style exemption into the BCS every year?)
BCS Champ - Oklahoma by 3 (I don't quite know what's possessing me to have the Big 12 go 7 and 0)
Ridiculous Matt: 1. Other side of the state, freezing my nuts off.
2. 70% and that's just because college basketball is 20% toss up. We roll. Big.
3. Again, rolling rolling rolling. We play in the Big 12 and underperformed to our talent. They do not and did not.
4. I'm calling it. Big 12 sweep.
The Beef: Good to know I was not the only one calling for a Big XII sweep
1 - I will be in St. Charles for Braggin’ Rights…that has to be close enough. To be honest, given the high dollar amount I pay for the marginal seats I get, and the fact I have not seen a winner since 1999, the Tailgate Queen and I decided last year while sitting through another loss that we were done with this game until we won it. So….we will be bartending tonight at the Old Millstream Inn on Main St. in St. Charles (mention Rock M Nation for beer and drink specials) and will be watching it on TV.
2 - I believe we have a 49 percent chance of winning the game…usually I would say it is 50/50 (after all, you either win or lose), but since we never win this game, I had to account for that.
3 - Really though, I think they will win because this is an experienced team and they know what is on the line (10 wins, their legacy to some extent, pride, program position) going into this game. I believe we have a lot more to lose and gain by winning or losing than does Northwestern, who while certainly deserving to being there is just at a different time in their program’s maturation and development.
4 -
* Alamo: Missouri vs Northwestern - Mizzou
* Holiday: Oklahoma State vs Oregon – Okie St
* Insight: Kansas vs Minnesota - kansas
* Gator: Nebraska vs Clemson - Nebraska
* Cotton: Texas Tech vs Ole Miss - TTech
* Fiesta: Texas vs Ohio State - Texas
* BCS Championship Game: Oklahoma vs Florida – OU
Yes…I realize I just picked all Big XII teams…but I am pretty sure we are favored in just about all of them. Best chance for an upset I think is with Oregon, but I feel good about the rest.
5 - Nat King Cole – Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire….the song has a relaxing property to it which I cannot explain
The Boy: 1 - Almost every single year, I am traveling to OKC on the night of Braggin' Rights, but the weather uncertainty means I'll be leaving early early early tomorrow morning instead...meaning I'll at least be watching it live instead of on DVR five days later. So...hooray!
2 - I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy. I say 51%.
3 - To an extent, this question comes down to "Do you think Mizzou will show up and play at or near their best?" If they do, they win, possibly easily. If they don't, who the hell knows what happens. They responded well to disappointment last year by dismantling Arkansas--I expect them to respond pretty well against Northwestern too. I do think NW'ern has a lot of dink-and-dunk potential against us, and that's one of the keys to moving the ball on Mizzou, so they should put up some points. But we'll put up more. Right now we'll say Mizzou 41, Northwestern 21. That'll change 13 times before gameday.
4 - I am NOT picking a Big 12 sweep.
* Mizzou 41, NW'ern 21
* Oregon 49, Oklahoma State 38 (I think they're built perfectly to move the ball on the Pokes)
* Kansas 34, Minnesota 20 (bowl breaks kill good and bad momentum, so I don't think Minnesota will lay a big egg here...but I just think KU is better)
* Nebraska 27, Clemson 24 (just because it would piss me off)
* Texas Tech 34, Ole Miss 30
* Texas 31, Ohio State 17
* Oklahoma 41, Florida 35
5 - The one that ends the quickest.
Rptgwb: 1. Nope. I'll be flat on the seat of my pants in front of the TV, laptop in hand with some Live Thread love ready to go.
2. 65 percent. I think Mizzou's the better team, but we can't really account for intangibles for this team yet. The newcomers haven't seen this kind of environment. Their biggest wins - USC and Cal - came in a sterile environment and a home environment, respectively.
3. Simply, I think Missouri wins because it is the better team. There's a reason this game has the largest point spread of any bowl game. If Missouri comes out with the kind of focus and controlled aggression we saw in the Cotton Bowl last year, it could get ugly quick. But if NU is allowed to hang around, this team's collective lack of mental toughness in game's they don't have in hand may come into play. I really think it could be a rout if Mizzou is on its game, though. Remember what happened after Mizzou lost two straight earlier in the year? Colorado got the business end of a beating with the ugly stick. That's the kind of ruthlessness Missouri needs in San Antonio.
4. Pick:
Missouri over Northwestern by 21
Oklahoma State over Oregon by 7
Kansas over Minnesota by 13
Nebraska over Clemson by 3
Texas Tech over Ole Miss by 24
Texas over Ohio State by 14
Oklahoma over Florida by 6 (I have absolutely NO clue about this game, which is why I'm so thrilled to watch it)
And, yes, I just predicted a Big 12 sweep.
5. Umm, Christmas in Hollis by Run DMC?
Michael Atchison: 1 - I'm in St. Louis now, and I shall remain here until we beat Illinois. If that means I sit in my in-laws' kitchen for the next ten years, so be it. I'll be at the game. Somehow, I managed to get tickets about five rows off the floor, so I'll do my best to make myself a spectacle for television.
2 - I give the Tigers a 57.4% chance not to go zero-for-the-Bush-Administration. Mizzou by nine. To show that I'm not a complete homer, Ken Pomeroy, who has no dog in this fight, gives Mizzou a 63% chance of victory (we're up to number seven in his rankings, baby!)
4 - * Alamo: Missouri vs Northwestern - Mizzou by 13.
* Holiday: Oklahoma State vs Oregon - Pokes by 16.
* Insight: Kansas vs Minnesota - Kansas by 4.
* Gator: Nebraska vs Clemson - Nebraska by 6.
* Cotton: Texas Tech vs Ole Miss - Tech by 17.
* Fiesta: Texas vs Ohio State - Texas by 28.
* BCS Championship Game: Oklahoma vs Florida - Sooners by a nose.
5 - "Christmastime is Here" by the Vince Guaraldi Trio.
And in the interest of full disclosure…I have actually been listening to Christmas Carols since about Mid-October. Once of the stations out here in STL which is switching formats basically went off the air in October, and is going to all-sports….in January. So in between…nothing but Christmas Carols baby.
Anywho...here's my answers (typed on my cell phone) and this will likely be my only contribution today.
1 - I doubt dad and I will even be able to watch the game. We will be smack in the middle of family time and theres no way we get reprieve to go watch a basketball game. I will try to keep up with it on my phone but if any of you want to text me periodically to let me know how its going I would appreciate that.
2 - 50%. This is probably the best chance weve had in years, but they've owned this trophy for like 2800 straight days. That's insane. Its going to take an A effort, and I think anderson can get that from these guys, I just hope the shots are also falling.
3 - missouri will win, quite simply, because we are better than them in basically every facet of the game. Not only that, but 21 is a high scoring effort for the wildcats vs it being a disaster for us. They can't keep up and are simply overmatched. I don't think they could beat any of the big 12 bowl teams.
4 - I will save the typing and pick all the big 12 teams except ou. Im picking florida, because its basically a home game for them and ou wont be pushing them around.
5 - O Holy Night, and it isn't even close.
Merry christmas and happy hannuka to everyone! Safe travels to those still needing to drive and fly!