1 - So it looks like, barring any last-second change-of-mind, Mizzou is pretty much done with recruiting this year. For those of you who pay attention to such a thing, give me a) your star of the class, and b) the less-heralded person you're most excited about. If you don't really follow recruiting, just post a pic of a really cute puppy or something.
(For Doug, go ahead and answer the same question for KU, though I guess the KU class is still up in the air a bit...)
2 - Braggin' Rights two-parter: a) is this the year Mizzou breaks the streak, and b) what were you doing on (roughly) this day ten years ago, the last time Mizzou beat Illinois in basketball?
3 - Any interesting observations from the bowls thus far? There have been some good ones...and even though yesterday's wasn't close, it was entertaining as hell with the wind...
4 - Atch is on his way across the state right now and not included in the roundtable this week ... so everybody say something mean about him behind his back!
Doug: 1 - On paper, and before Mangino's departure, KU's class looks pretty good. Even when Mangino being hired there hasn't been a huge exodus from the class, so hopefully Gill has been in contact with the KU commits and is at reassuring them somewhat. I think the biggest think for Gill is to hold on to Geneo Grissom out of Hutchinson. That kid looks like he could be a special talent and it would really suck to lose him out of state or to K-State. Keeston Terry is another guy Gill would do well to hang on to, but I don't think we'll know enough about this class until the LOIs coming in February.
2 - I think Bruce Webber is a buffoon, so sure, I would think MU is able to break the streak this year. Damn, was I really off for winter break after my first semester in college? Crap that's a long time ago now. I could be wrong about this, but I may have been dreading finding out my final grade in British History.
3 - I haven't watch hardly any of the bowl games. Working at night, there aren't any games I really care enough to come home and turn on and try to follow well into the 3rd or 4th quarter. I'm sure I'll watch some during my time off after today, but there's just a bunch of games on right now I don't give a crap about.
4 - Atch... something something something... Jenna Haze!
5 - By the way, anyone else having weather completely screw with their holiday travel plans? We're supposed to head to Western Kansas tomorrow, but there are winter storm warnings from here to there until Friday.
The Beef: 1 - I figure I exist as the former, so my star of this class has to be Lucas. I think you can cement JJackson as a starter next year at WR, but I honestly believe everything else is up for grabs. I am encouraged to see Rolandis Woodland earning some time after JP went down, and he seems to be keeping it going in Bowl practice. Also encouraged to read TJ Moe is coming along nicely. But I think we need to have 6-8 productive WR’s for our team to really take off next season. Lots of spots to be earned out there, and I think we need at least one of them to be earned by a true frosh. Lucas gives me the most hope.
In terms of the less-heralded person, which is only funny to me this year since almost all of the recruits are pretty damn heralded, give me Lucas Vincent. Has been on board for a LONG time, tore it up this season as a member of an undefeated team, and is a top 20 NATIONAL wrestler. Someone with that size with good hands and feet is exciting to me. I am also excited about seeing what Marcus Murphy can do.
2 - I don’t believe this is the year we break the streak, but I am encouraged by the notion that Illinois’s tempo COULD play into our hands tonight. In the end though, I just do not trust our ability to get the key rebound at this point, and I think that is what ultimately bites us this year. As for ten years ago, I was attending my first game…sitting in endzone/courtside seats (the really bad ones because they have no height or angle to see the other end of the court) watching Grawer, Dooling and Gilbert bomb away on 3’s. Oh…those were the days….or something like that.
3 - All of them have hit the over…which means we should have some exciting games. Good for Wyoming and DC…that was a lot of fun to see. And yes…the backwards punting by Oregon St. in the 2nd quarter made me laugh out loud.
4 - Damn….Doug actually stole my answer as it pertained to Jenna Haze
Doug: Merry Christmas to me!
RPT: 1. I'm far and away most excited about two of the quantities I'm more familiar with: James Franklin and Marcus Murphy. I remain extremely high on Franklin as the future triggerman despite the recruitment of Tyler Gabbert, and I think Murphy is the PERFECT type of back for this offense. And though it isn't a sexy position or a sexy pick, I think Demien is the star of the class here, barring Lucas going off in his freshman year.
2. A) No, B) Preparing our fallout shelter for Y2K?
3. Who was the brilliant one that decided to take all unders in the RMN pick 'em?
4. Um, lawyer joke?
Doug's No. 5: Nope, unless you consider me being able to walk outside barefoot to grill food "screwing with holiday plans." I had planned on it being cold down here in Dallas, and that has yet to happen.
The Beef: I had missed Doug’s number 5…the weather is not messing with my travel plans, since I am travelling roughly 7 miles to my in-laws. It may certainly mess with my parents, who are going to attempt to make it down from MN tomorrow afternoon. Will see how that goes for them…
ghtd36: Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone.
1- I think it goes without saying that Marcus Lucas is the star of the class. He's big. He's fast. He's got great hands. His first and last name share four letters. What's not to like?
For a less-heralded person I'm most excited about, let me strap on my Dallas-Fort Worth bias hat and tell you about WR Bud Sasser. Sasser was the deep threat for one of the most prolific offenses in the state at Denton Ryan, and this kid can play. Sure, he had the state player of the year in Scotty Young (a Texas Tech commit) throwing to him, but Gabbert is better than Young. At worst, he's Brad Ekwerekwu, a consistent target if a little underutilized. At best, dude could rival Justin Gage. He's good.
2- I get to watch the game with my Illini father again, so that's always fun. Remember when Keon Lawrence dribbled off his foot? He does.
I'm not super confident in Mizzou's chances, only because I think Weber is a good enough coach to get it through his kids' skulls that, "HEY! If you play at their pace, you'll lose! Chill!" That said, if Vroom Vroom Party Starter can get going, Kimmeh can get hot and Mr. Coffee can play an all-around game, Mizzou is sitting pretty. But that's a lot of ifs.
Ten years ago, I was 13 and had precisely no interest in Missouri (the school, the state or the concept). But damn, was I good at Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.
3- I have watched exactly zero college football plays since the Army-Navy game. With work, Mavericks, Stars and NFL, I've been swamped.
4- Atch's book is really good...FOR ME TO POOP ON!
ZouDave: Merry christmas, happy hannukah and krazy kwanzaa to all. I am writing to you live from thousand oaks, ca!
1 - this one kind of feels like a no-brainer to me. The star is marcus lucas. He has a chance to be next i line from maclin to danario to lucas. Size, speed, hands, moves, he just seems to have it all.
As far as the less-heralded player goes, its the rb from desoto, tx whose name is escaping me at the moment. Murphy, i think. Anyway. He comes from a team with 9 other players likely going d1 and 2 of those are going to texas and 1 to lsu. He may be the best of the bunch, but not the highest rated. Hes just a little waterbug out there on the field, he averaged something like 8.1 ypc his senior year and he also caught quite a few passes. Multi-purpose and talented, and we snuck him out of texas like we did with kendial lawrence.
2 - im going to say no because this is just what illinois does: they beat mizzou in basketball. I wont pick us in this game until after the streak is over.
10 years ago i was living in a shitty apartment in parkville, mo, with a friend. I was working as the store training coordinator at compusa so at least id gotten out of the retail side of things. I dont recall at all what i was doinf the night of the game though. Theres always potential for this game to be played on my moms birthday so i may have had to miss the game for that. I will probably miss at least the first half tonight while im out here with family.
3 - interesting? No. Ihavent been able to watch a full game yet. I liked what i saw out of wyoming though. Go christensen!
4 - atch molests collies.
The Beef: So...what's your sister wearing right now?
ghtd36: GHTD36 DEMANDS THIS ANSWER ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE RMN COMMUNITY.
Bill C.: Waiting for the Atomic Finger in 3...2...1...
1 - Honestly, I've got to say that the person I'm most excited about is Tristan Holt, the CB/KR/PR out of Gilmer, TX. I'd say he's my favorite of the less-heralded set, but...well, as of last week's he's four stars. So he's both of my answers. I love that he's an elite athlete who plays a position in which we're desperate for elite athletes (between Holt, E.J. Gaines and Xavier Smith, I bet we see at least one freshman CB crack the rotation), and it seemed like he was returning at least one kick for touchdown per game this year...so he could threaten to be the #1 KR or PR as soon as he touches down in Como.
2 - Never bet against a streak. Can they win? Absolutely. Illinois is young and potentially vulnerable in the backcourt. Will they? I can't say yes until they actually do it.
3 - This really has been a fun bowl season so far. Wyoming's comeback win was awesome (especially since I picked them in the pool), and Dwight Dasher from Middle Tennessee was doing a pretty damn good Brad Smith impersonation on Sunday, only with the added degree of difficulty of, on two separate occasions, looking like he had blown his knee out in 17 different places. And last night was fun simply because I'll never tire of watching 6-yard punts go 17 yards out of bounds.
4 - I'll just say this: because Atch isn't at his computer right now, he can't spend 30 minutes reading this ehhhhhhhhhhpic(ally long) Joe Poz post on Negro Leagues and Strat-O-Matic Baseball. His loss.
(You'll never believe this, but I LOVED Strat-O-Matic...sniff...I just couldn't find anybody to play it with me...sob...)
Doug's 5 - My parents are coming to Como for the holiday, and apparently they're now leaving this afternoon instead of tomorrow morning because of the potential armageddon hitting Oklahoma and Kansas. So yes, even though I don't plan on leaving the house all weekend, apparently the weather has managed to impact my travel plans.
ghtd36: Oh, and to answer Doug's question:
Weather hasn't affected me yet because I'm not going anywhere for Christmas. But hopefully everything will clear up for Dec. 27 (fly to STL to see the ghtd36gf), Dec. 29 (fly to NYC), Jan. 2 (fly back to STL) and Jan. 3 (fly back to Large D).
ZouDave: Dammit, i cant get to the atomic finger picture from my phone right now. Foiled again!
So i will counter with im getting ready to jump in the shower. I will be wearing nothing. Take THAT!
The Beef: Oooh...well played sir...
ghtd36: AHHH MY FREAKIN' EARS!
[/Rod Flanders]
Bill C.: Wow...for that, I say...
The Beef: Hey…as long as the finger makes the roundtable in one way, shape or form, life is good.
Do we need to pick it up in an effort for the basketball game tonight?
(an hour later...)
Bill C.: And apparently the answer was no.
So here's my analogy for tonight, using the most recent funny pet video to hit the Internets by storm...
We are: cat on Roomba
They are: dog in emasculating sweater
We can't lose.
(three hours later...)
ZouDave: Just got back from the reagan presidential library. Took a tour of his actual air force one. Good stuff. Dad and i took a picture going into the plane doing a richard nixon pose. Everyone in line looked at us like we were a bunch of hoosiers. They werent wrong, but have a sense of humor!
The Beef: The Admiral: Pissing off California since 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time
ghtd36: Ronald Reagan: He Was, You Know, In Movies And Stuff!
ZouDave: We saw george gipp's actual notre dame sweater that was given to reagan by the 1989 notre dame team.
Football tie-in ftw!