Here are some "hot stock tips" for the Big 12:
Oklahoma: The schooner runs out of win(d) at the end ... or ... the surrey with the flop on top.
The Sooners are seemingly riding high. However, not everything is so well. Bob Stoops' program has had four straight losses in the BCS. People are beginning to wonder: CAN the Sooners win the big one? Stock tip: Sell, Oklahoma crude ... buy, Missouri mud.
Texas University: Your day will come -- soon!
No doubt the Texas A&M Aggies are looking for a quick-fix guy to bring back their football fortunes.
The long suffering Aggies thought they had their quick-fix guy in Dennis Franchione. It never materialized. Now Mike Sherman has come on board. Will he be the quick-fix guy?
The Texas A&M University president recently asked Aggies to be patient and give Sherman time to re-build the program. While university presidents, faculty, and friends in the sleepy little college town are sipping mint juleps, Aggies have been getting a daily beat down at the water cooler at work. No!
Bringing back the Wrecking Crew at Texas A&M!
Will the Wrecking Crew ever come back? In the 1980's and 1990's Texas A&M University football developed a reputation for its hard hitting defense. Those teams were dubbed the Wrecking Crew.
The Wrecking Crew sacked quarterbacks, stopped big time running backs for no gain, staged goal line stands and regularly topped or were near the top of the conference and national statistical charts.
I witnessed the death of the Wrecking Crew. For me, it came in 2003 in a game with the Pitt Panthers. Pitt ran all over the Texas A&M's defense and killed a tradition.
Every year under failed coach Dennis Franchione, Aggies expected the Wrecking Crew to return. In 2005, the defense finished 119th in the nation in passing defense. The running defense was nearer the bottom of the list than the top. Who needed to run on the Aggies? The pass defense was so porous!
Will the Wrecking Crew ever return? Will some hot defense mastermind like Joe Kines step in and put all the pieces together? Not likely.
Lot of changes has taken place in college football since the 1980's. For one, offenses are just better. Rules favor the offense. No longer can a defensive back stand on the line of scrimmage and bump a receiver all the way down the field. Offense linemen can grab a defender and practically literally rip his jersey off. Everywhere rule changes have favored the offense.
Television wants more offense. High scoring games are simply more "tele-visual". TV drives NCAA football, and the TV executives want O-F-F-E-N-S-E.
Successful college teams are taking the approach that Texas Tech's Mike Leach developed. Leach, as offensive coordinator, took an Oklahoma team to a national championship. Then he is on the verge of taking a once derelict Texas Tech team to the BCS.
Texas U rode the coattails of a awesome offense and a superb quarterback to the BCS championship. The West Coast offense means one thing: Passing!
These offenses rely on quarterbacks in a deep drop who dump the pass in less than 10 seconds. They spread the linemen wide and send every eligible receiver out on pass routes. Defenses for the most part have given up on blitzes and even started dropping defensive linemen back in pass coverage. A good offensive team and put up 600 yards of offense. If a defense holds an offense under 400 yards of offense, it is good day.
The old Wrecking Crew is dead! Do not look for it to come back.
Will high gasoline prices hurt the gate sales at Kyle Field?
I know no one wants to talk about this. With gasoline prices inching up to $5 a gallon and the threat of 55 mile an hour speed limits, how will Aggies afford to drive to College Station?
Is there enough time in a weekend to get down there and back?
Let's assume that a hypothetical Aggie drives a pickup truck which averages 15 miles a gallon on the highway. It's almost 400 miles from "Mr. Hypothetical" Aggie's home in Plano, TX, to Kyle Field. That's 26 gallons of the precious elixir to get down there. Let's say the price is $4. The price for a game now becomes $104 one way! Now, Mr. Hypothetical wishes he had purchased Honda Hyrid instead of that macho Ford F250 with the "power choke" V8.
The Texas A&M Aggies have a new coach, a new coaching staff, a new spirit, a new attitude, and only 11 returning starters.
Some services say they have 12 starters. However, that was before junior place kicker Symanski decided to transfer.
First of all, the Aggies have what is the makings of a quarterback controversy brewing. There is a possiblity of a fullback-tailback controversy, too.
QB Steven McGee has started for two years. He is close to setting the rushing record -- for a quarterback! However, first-year head coach Mike Sherman runs the west coast offense. Not much chance to run in Sherman's offense -- unless it's for one's life!
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