This Week:

Thanks for another great year of No Option Tailgating. Please feel free to enter your prediction for the Big 12 Championship Game and participate in the polls.
GBR!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Score Predictions - Oklahoma

Enter your Score Predictions for this week's game in the comments section.

Previous Winners

Week 1: Denise - Off by 1 Point! - (Guess 50-10, Actual 49-10)
Week 2: Luke - Off by 1 Point! - (Guess 38-16, Actual 38-17)
Week 3: Denise - Off by 11 Points - (Guess 45-21, Actual 56-21)
Week 4: Kristin - Off by 31 Points - (Guess 41-10, Actual 17-3)
Week 5: Kovar - Off by 5 Points - (Guess 52-12, Actual 48-13)
Week 6: Kovar - Off by 9 Points - (Guess 22-20, Actual 13-20)
Week 7: Kovar - Off by 14 Points - (Guess 52-28, Actual 51-41)
Week 8: Kovar - Off by 3 Points - (Guess 33-18, Actual 31-17)
Week 9: Hepp - Off by 16 Points - (Guess 28-17, Actual 31-30)
Week 10: Dean - Off by 24 Points - (Guess 38-9, Actual 20-3)
Week 11: Dean - Off by 15 Points - (Guess 17-13, Actual 6-9)
Week 12: Aaron - Off by 11 Points - (Guess 34-17, Actual 45-17)

T-Magic Rumors

I am sure everyone has seen this email flying around but I figured I'd post it.
This supposedly tells the whole story of the Pelini/Martinez fued and "suspension"


Two or three different sources all report a general version of events as this:

1. Bo's meltdown against Taylor on Saturday night. All agree it was over a cell phone. When Taylor was injured, he was taken to the A&M locker room because that is where the X-Ray facility was. After being X-rayed and cleared, rather than hurry and return to the team, Taylor left the medical staff to walk all the way over to NU's locker room, retrieve his cell phone, and have a conversation with his father. All told, Taylor and his dad waste 10-20 minutes. Bo is pissed on two different levels. One, he needs the kid back in the game and he's wasting time. Two, Bo has a very explicit rule about cell phones in the locker room and on the field. Evidently, Taylor has been busted for this kind of thing in the past.

Taylor comes back out on the field and the medical staff informs Bo of Taylor's activities. You saw the conversation that ensued on national TV. Not pleasant. There are several 'lip-reader' interpretations out there. All have to do with a phone call.

2. Upon returning to Lincoln, the next day finds Taylor's dad having shown up on campus. He's pissed. This has happened with Taylor's dad in the past and Bo pretty much hates dealing with it. They have a meeting with Taylor, Taylor's dad, and Pelini. Pelini explains that Taylor has violated team rules and will be suspended for a game. Evidently, Taylor's dad completely loses it, stating that it is their intention to transfer from NU to somewhere else and that calling it a 'suspension' will keep teams from wanting his son. Bo says, "Fine, call it whatever you want, but your son isn't playing on Friday." The meeting doesn't end well. Rumors swirl like crazy Sunday night that Taylor has quit the team. Technically, he hasn't, but there is enough truth in there to know that something has happened.

3. The next day, Taylor shows up with a walking boot on his foot to practice. Him and his dad want him to wear the boot so that people will believe that he is not playing this week because of his ankle, not because he's 'suspended'. As a 'screw you' to Pelini, however, Taylor wears the boot on the wrong foot, causing all sorts of confusion and strange questions from the press. Taylor, in his odd way, thinks this is all some kind of funny joke.

As this little stunt makes its way through the team, former players such as Phillip Dillard start piping up via Twitter and Facebook, describing their thoughts on Taylor and his established history of stunts like this, neglect for team rules, his over-obsessive daddy, etc. Phil calls on the Unity Council to dismiss Martinez from the team. Speculation is that current players are the source of Dillard's anger.

What the 'inside' people are reporting is this: Taylor Martinez is gone after this season. All agree this is the case. He may not play another game for Nebraska. Taylor wants to be gone, Taylor's dad wants him gone, and Bo and the rest of the team want him gone. Everyone within the program, from the coaches to the players, are tired of his prima donna attitude, helicopter dad, and general lack of respect for all things Nebraska. The 'suspension' will never be publicized as such - but that's what it is according to others.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Vince's OU Prediction Show

If you listen to "Unsportsmanlike Conduct" you've heard these guys before but if not, then you should check them out. Probably the most knowledgeable football guys out there.



If you have some spare time, check out a few more of their videos...These guys are hilarious.

"Just Win Baby"

No Love For Alex Henery

During the NU/CU Broadcast last week, Ed Cunningham called Alex Henery the best College Football Kicker of All-Time...he might not be wrong.

NCAA Record for Career Field Goal Percentage - 87.8%
Henery - 66 of 74 89.2%

NCAA Record for FG% Outside 40 Yards - 72.1%
Henery - 24 of 31 - 77.4%

NCAA Record for FG% Inside 40 Yards - 97%
Henery - 42 of 43 - 97.7%

This year he is 16 of 17 with one "miss" being a blocked 51 yard attempt

Over 50-Yards:
Season: 1-of-2
Career: 4-of-10
40-to-49 Yards:
Season: 7-of-7
Career: 20-of-21
Less Than 40-Yards:
Season: 8-of-8
Career: 42-of-43

Oh Yea, he's also a great punter (He's ranked in top 5 for all time Punting avg at NU) and will end his Career as the All Time Scoring Leader in NU History.

Despite these Stats, Henery was only named Second Team All Big 12 and is not a finalist for the Lou Groza Award (Best Kicker) or the Ray Guy Award (Best Punter).

Two of the Kickers nominated for the Groza (Ok State kicker and Souther Miss kicker) have kicked 26 and 24 field goals respectively but they have a lot more attempts and are each about 86%. The 3rd is the Notre Dame Kicker who is 15 for 15 this year and 10 are from inside 40 yards. (Keep in mind Henery is 16 for 17 with a blocked 51 yard attempt)

If awards voters can't see his value, at least we know the NFL will as Henery will likely be one of maybe 2 or 3 kickers drafted in June. In case you are wondering the average Salary for an NFL kicker is $1.4 Million and Rookie Kickers usually make around $500,000

Bowl Possibilities for Big12 Championship Loser

Saturday's game obviously has a big impact on both team's bowl selection but the loser could drop farther than expected.

The winner will play in the Fiesta Bowl against either Stanford (if the Orange Bowl Selects Big East Winner to play against ACC Winner) or against Big East Winner (if Orange Bowl Selects Stanford)

The loser however doesn't necessarily get selected as the next highest Big 12 team.

Here is a list of the Big 12 Bowl Tie-Ins by selection Order....

1) BCS - Fiesta Bowl
2) Cotton Bowl (vs SEC Western Team)
3) Valero Alamo Bowl (vs Pac 10 #2)
4) Insight Bowl (vs Big 10 #4/5)
5) Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl (vs Pac 10 #3)
6) Texas Bowl (vs Big 10 #6)
7) New Era Pinstripe Bowl (vs Big East #4)
8) Ticket City Bowl (vs Big 10 #7)

Texas A&M has already accepted an invite to play in the Cotton Bowl so that leaves the following teams for Big 12 Bowls
Oklahoma State 10-2
Missouri 10-2
NU/OU Loser 10-3

So Next Pick is the Alamo Bowl vs Pac 10 Team...
Oregon and Stanford will get BCS Bids and USC is on Bowl Probation so that leaves Arizona (and Washington with a win Saturday over WSU) as the only other Bowl Eligible teams from the Pac 10.
If NU wins Saturday, would they really match up Stoops (OU) vs Stoops (ARZ)?
If NU loses;
Arizona (the likely pick) played NU last year in a bowl so a rematch is unlikely
Washington played Nebraska this year which means NU likely wouldn't go to the Alamo Bowl

The next Pick is the Insight Bowl
If NU loses and doesn't get picked by Alamo Bowl as mentioned above, the Insight Bowl would have to pick from NU and OSU/Mizz (whichever doesn't go to Alamo). Michigan is the likely pick here from the Big 10 and they almost have to take NU because the next pick is the Holiday bowl which like the Alamo is a matchup against a Pac 10 team.

In case you were wondering,
Fiesta Bowl - Saturday January 1st @ 7:30 PM
Alamo Bowl - Wednesday December 29th @ 8:15 PM
Insight Bowl - Tuesday December 28th @ 9 PM
Holiday Bowl - Thursday December 30th @ 9 PM

Let's just hope we win so we can get a good game time/date

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

All Big 12 Teams / Awards

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Coach of the Year Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State (6th year)
Offensive Lineman of the Year Nate Solder, Colorado, OT, Sr., Buena Vista, Colo.
Defensive Lineman of the Year Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma, DE, Sr., Carrollton, Texas
Offensive Freshman of the Year Taylor Martinez, Nebraska, QB, Fr., Corona, Calif.
Co-Defensive Freshman of the Year Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma, DB, Fr., Chula Vista, Calif.
Shaun Lewis, Oklahoma State, LB, Fr., Missouri City, Texas
Special Teams Player of the Year Dan Bailey, Oklahoma State, P/K, Sr., Mustang, Okla.
Newcomer of the Year Lavonte David, Nebraska, LB, Jr, Miami, Fla.
Defensive Player of the Year Prince Amukamara, Nebraska, CB, Sr., Glendale, Ariz.
Offensive Player of the Year Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State, WR, So., Ardmore, Okla.

2010 All-Big 12 Football First Team
OFFENSE
Pos. Player School Class Hometown/Previous School(s)
QB Brandon Weeden Oklahoma State Jr. Edmond, Okla./Santa Fe
RB Kendall Hunter** Oklahoma State Sr. Tyler, Texas/John Tyler
RB DeMarco Murray Oklahoma Sr. Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman
FB Bryant Ward # Oklahoma State Sr. Stillwater, Okla./Stillwater
WR Ryan Broyles** Oklahoma Jr. Norman, Okla./Norman
WR Justin Blackmon** Oklahoma State So. Ardmore, Okla./Plainview
WR Jeff Fuller Texas A&M Jr. McKinney, Texas/Boyd
TE Michael Egnew Missouri Jr. Plainview, Texas/Plainview
OL Nate Solder # Colorado Sr. Buena Vista, Colo./Buena Vista
OL Tim Barnes Missouri Sr. Longwood, Mo./Pettis County Northwest
OL Levy Adcock Oklahoma State Jr. Claremore, Okla./NEO A&M JC
OL Ricky Henry Nebraska Sr. Omaha, Neb./Burke/North Dakota State College of Science
OL Eric Mensik Oklahoma Sr. Rosenburg, Texas/Terry
PK Dan Bailey Oklahoma State Sr. Mustang, Okla./Southwest Covenant
KR/PR William Powell Kansas State Sr. Duncanville, Texas/Navarro College

DEFENSE
DL Jeremy Beal Oklahoma Sr. Carrollton, Texas/Creekview
DL Sam Acho Texas Sr. Dallas, Texas/St. Mark’s
DL Pierre Allen Nebraska Sr. Denver, Colo./Thomas Jefferson
DL Aldon Smith Missouri So. Raytown, Mo./Raytown
DL Jared Crick # Nebraska Jr. Cozad, Neb./Cozad
LB Von Miller # Texas A&M Sr. DeSoto, Texas/DeSoto
LB Lavonte David Nebraska Jr. Miami, Fla./Northwestern/Fort Scott CC
LB Orie Lemon Oklahoma State Sr. Houston, Texas/Yates
DB Quinton Carter Oklahoma Sr. Las Vegas, Nev./Cheyenne
DB Jimmy Smith Colorado Sr. Colton, Calif./Colton
DB Eric Hagg Nebraska Sr. Peoria, Ariz./Ironwood
DB Prince Amukamara # Nebraska Sr. Glendale, Ariz./Apollo
DB Andrew McGee Oklahoma State Sr. Magee, Miss./Magee/Copiah-Lincoln CC
P Quinn Sharp Oklahoma State So. Mansfield, Texas/Summit
# - Repeat first team selection from last season.
**Unanimous Selection

2010 All-Big 12 Football Second Team
OFFENSE
Pos. Player School Class Hometown/Previous School(s)
QB Robert Griffin III Baylor So. Copperas Cove, Texas/Copperas Cove
RB Roy Helu Jr. ^ Nebraska Sr. Danville, Calif./San Ramon Valley
RB Daniel Thomas Kansas State Sr. Hilliard, Fla./NW Mississippi CC
FB Trey Millard Oklahoma Fr. Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge
WR Kendall Wright Baylor Jr. Pittsburg, Texas/Pittsburg
WR Niles Paul Nebraska Sr. Omaha, Neb./North
WR T.J. Moe Missouri So. O’Fallon, Mo./Fort Zumwalt West
TE Collin Franklin Iowa State Sr. Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley/College of the Canyons CC
OL Zach Kendall Kansas State Sr. Peculiar, Mo./Harrisonville
OL Danny Watkins Baylor Sr. Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada/Butte (Calif.) College
OL Matt Allen Texas A&M Sr. Spring, Texas/LSU
OL Lonnie Edwards Texas Tech Jr. Brownsboro, Texas/Brownsboro
OL Ben Lamaak Iowa State Sr. Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Kennedy
PK Alex Henery ^ Nebraska Sr. Omaha, Neb./Burke
KR/PR Niles Paul Nebraska Sr. Omaha, Neb./North

DEFENSE
DL Colby Whitlock Texas Tech Sr. Noble, Okla./Noble
DL Phil Taylor Baylor Sr. Clinton, Md./Gwynn Park/Penn State
DL Ugo Chinasa Oklahoma State Sr. Richardson, Texas/Berkner
DL Jacquies Smith Missouri Jr. Dallas, Texas/South Oak Cliff
DL Cameron Meredith Nebraska So. Huntington Beach, Calif./Mater Dei
LB Travis Lewis Oklahoma Jr. San Antonio, Texas/Robert E. Lee
LB Jake Knott Iowa State So. Waukee, Iowa/Waukee
LB Emmanuel Acho Texas Jr. Dallas, Texas/St. Mark’s
DB Alfonzo Dennard Nebraska Jr. Rochelle, Ga./Wilcox County
DB Aaron Williams Texas Jr. Round Rock, Texas/McNeil
DB Leonard Johnson Iowa State Jr. Clearwater, Fla./Largo
DB Coryell Judie Texas A&M Jr. Marlin, Texas/Fort Scott CC
DB Ty Zimmerman Kansas State Fr. Junction City, Kan./Junction City
DB Curtis Brown Texas Sr. Gilmer, Texas/Gilmer
P Alex Henery Nebraska Sr. Omaha, Neb./Burke
HONORABLE MENTION:
Nebraska: Rex Burkhead, RB; Mike Caputo, OL & Off. Lmn. of the Yr.; Jared Crick, Def. Lmn. of the Yr.; DeJon Gomes, DB; Alex Henery, Sp. Tms. Ply. of the Yr.; Ricky Henry, Off. Lmn. of the Yr.; Taylor Martinez, QB; Baker Steinkuhler, DL; Keith Williams, OL.

Scenes From The Colorado Tailgate

Monday, November 29, 2010

Martinez "Day-to-Day"

Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini continued Monday to call the status of quarterback Taylor Martinez “a day-to-day thing” for Saturday Big 12 Championship game in Dallas.

Martinez is recovering from two injuries: A sprained right ankle and a bruised toe – suffered in a 9-6 loss to Texas A&M – that left Martinez in a walking boot last week.

Cody Green started in Martinez's absence and played well in a 45-17 win over Colorado. Pelini declined to name a starter – or a timetable for determining one – during Monday's Big 12 Championship teleconference.

“We'll play the guy that we feel is going to give us the best chance to win the game,” Pelini said. “And it might be a combination of the two.”

Dan Beebe Fears for his Life

By BLAIR KERKHOFF
The Kansas City Star

After a week of receiving threatening messages, including death threats, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe didn’t want a member of his staff attending the game.

“The decision was to be safe,” Beebe said. “It probably wasn’t a good idea to be there.”

Beebe said he has received more than 2,000 “vulgar and nasty” e-mails and voice-mail messages from Nebraska fans who have been upset at what they’ve perceived as unfair decisions by the conference office with a suspension and officiating decisions against the Cornhuskers.

Some of the messages have included threats to Beebe, his family and Big 12 staff members.

“I’m a big boy, I can take this, but our staff doesn’t deserve the vulgarity and the nastiness aimed at them,” Beebe said.

Beebe said he received a message from a person impersonating a police officer who said “they had my daughter, who is in college, and she was unresponsive.”

There also was a death threat.

“We had a threat talking about you’re going to die and your family is going to die in your house,” Beebe said. “You have to start taking it seriously. All it takes is one crackpot.”

Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne said he had communicated with Beebe earlier in the week and knew there wouldn’t be a conference representative at the game.

“They said they didn’t think it was safe to send somebody up,” Osborne said Friday.

Beebe said the angry messages started after the league imposed a one-game suspension on linebacker Eric Martin for targeting a player with the crown of his helmet during a kickoff return Oct. 23 against Oklahoma State. No penalty was called on the play.

Beebe said he made the decision after consulting with a security official who works as an independent contractor for the NFL.

“We were told it’s not worth the risk until there was more time to sort it out,” Beebe said. “There hasn’t been enough time to chase down the people who left some of the most threatening messages.”

At some point a trophy will be presented to Nebraska, and if the Cornhuskers win the Big 12 title game Dec. 4 in Arlington, Texas, a ceremony will take place on the field with a Big 12 official.

Beebe presented the division championship trophy to Nebraska in 2006 and 2009.

Beebe's View On Cotton Play

Nebraska tight end Ben Cotton said Tony Jerod-Eddie was “just trying to find his way to the football.”

The comment drew laughter from a group of reporters.

Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe felt Cotton was serious.

Beebe, in a telephone conversation with the Journal Star, said he didn’t characterize a Nov. 20 play involving Cotton and Jerod-Eddie of Texas A&M the same way that many people are.

What many Nebraska fans and others across the nation saw was Jerod-Eddie jabbing Ben Cotton between his legs while Cotton, at the bottom of a pile of players, was recovering a fumble.

“Well, if you think it was that, we’ll just have to disagree,” Beebe said. “I don’t think it was in that manner. And didn’t the Nebraska player say he was just trying to get to the ball?”

Yes.

“Yeah,” Beebe said.

When asked why Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman then felt the need to say Jerod-Eddie was “remorseful,” Beebe responded by saying how the Big 12 reviews many plays in football games and will privately handle some matters with athletic directors or coaches, telling them they need to pay attention to particular play or actions by some players.

Beebe wouldn’t confirm or deny if that was the case with Jerod-Eddie, who’s not been punished publicly.