Is the Big 12 what we thought it was?

Ya John, your right. The Pac-10 is the best and the SEC, Big 12 and every other conference is terrible. What a non-biased article to base an opinion on.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/ducks/2009/01/no_disrespect.html

Dux, some of what you think is true, but do you think Utah would make it year in and year out in the Big 12 South, SEC or PAC-10? I don't think they would, but they certainly would have given UF or OU a good game IMO.

"Good job Utah, way to expose the SEC for what it is - overrated..." *** Actually JT, what was exposed was that Utah was underrated. Oh they were given a nice ranking due to the media trying to create a story, but no one in the media really gave them a chance when it came to playing Bama. Utah is a GOOD team. The could be competitive year in and out in most BCS conferences. The difference between Utah or Boise State and an Oklahoma State program that is starting to make some noise in the Big 12, is depth. They have similar talent overall at the ones. But when you start to get down to the twos and threes, the talent level really drops off.

I guess the media is going to promote that dominant Mountain West defense like they do the SEC defenses. Good job Utah, way to expose the SEC for what it is - overrated. Utah 31 Bama 17. So, can we expect an article on SEC not being what we most thought it was? Forgot to mention that the Outback Bowl, Iowa 31 South Carolina 10.

Stephen/Cypress - Don't mind steve/sparks aka goatboy he just can't help himself.

The powerhouse Big XII south is now 0fer 2. The puny little north is Threefer 3. Kind of ironic. I had planned on rooting for Ohio State, but now, I dunno.....
Glad I don't gamble, I'd lose my overstuffed rear.
And, I promised my wife when OU plays Florida, I will not scream and swear at the TV. Right.
LSU buddy called me a while ago, talking trash about how good the SEC is looking in the bowls....of course, that was before Utah took the 3 TD lead over 'bama.....

Steve, I'm not a moronic Floridian. I'm actually an OU fan who happens to live in Texas. I just see OU for what they really are and have been for the past several years. They can't play with the big boys outside of their own conference anymore. In fact, they haven't both before and after their last NC in 2000. I actually hope OU wins. It would put them back at the top again and erase many doubts that most people have had about them for some time now. OU will not drill Florida by 35 points. If anybody gets drilled, it's more likely to be OU, not Florida. But how I wish OU would win by that much.

"And if Saben had not complained about having play Texas, he would have gotten his pussy ass whipped. As it stands Utah will send him home to mama's breast." Yeah, just like he did at LSU when they played in OU in the Sugar Bowl, right Stevie the Goat Boy?

Jacob, Tech showed some signs of life, but yeah for the most part they looked bad. I really don't think it is because the SEC is so superior to the Big 12 any more than I think the PAC10 is superior. The name of the game anymore is parity. There are about three or four schools in each of the power football conferences that consistently field teams that with a little bit of luck can be in the thick of things toward the end of the year. Each of these conferences then each have a handful of teams that have decent enough programs to, on any given year, ruin the chances of one or more of those three teams and then also make a great run themselves every 4 or 5 years. My beef with most SEC fans and some Big 12 fans, is that they completely fail to recognize that there is actually some decent football played west of the Rockies. Most years, the PAC10 has a high OOC winning percentage while playing tougher OOC schedules that most of the traditional powers and still even media darlings USC get jobbed by the BCS. It is time for a playoff.

Stephen in Cypress, What are you? Another moronic Floridan out on a week end pass? OU will drill FU, Probabably by 35 or more points. And if Saben had not complained about having play Texas, he would have gotten his pussy ass whipped. As it stands Utah will send him home to mama's breast.

Dana, nobody I know has ever accused Tech of having a good defense, just an offense that would score enough to make up for it. I don't see how an SEC team allowing 34 points says good defense. Ole Miss beat Florida at Florida so I don't think it's too big a shock that they beat the #7 team in the country after beating the #1 or #2 team depending on which poll you look at. Tech's D did give up 65 to OU so you can guess there are some holes there.

Dux I agree with the Tech comment. In general, it is tough to compare any conference unless we have some sort of playoff. Tech got killed, some because of Ole Miss playing better and maybe some because they didn't really care to be there. But, man that looked bad. Ole Miss played like they did against UF, and Tech played like they did against OU. Bottom line.

If Florida manhandles OU, which most expect (other than people in Oklahoma), the Big 12 is definitely going to look very pathetic compared to the SEC. If OU looks unprepared again, OU fans may be praying for Denver to take Stoops off their hands.

serious what can they brag about, that they held tech to 34 points? IF that happened to OU, or Texas they would be saying their defenses sucked. Old Miss played a great game. They don't normal play that good, but any given Sunday, or in this case Friday. A team can get wrecked.

All you guys (I assume guys) out there make good points even the anti OU types. This was a good chat line during the Texas Tech disaster. Let's hope both Texas and OU win their games to restore the Big 12 pride this year.

Im not sure how happy they can be when Tech done to them what they have done to everyone else, even though they had a bad game. Give Old Miss some credit, they hung 31 on Florida. they wouldn't have scored as much if it wasn't for players falling down, and Mike making some very bad play calls.

Texas Tech, another shining example of Big 12 defense.

Ty, I for one did not say much about the Mississippi defense but did say Harrell was not himself today. What most of us are talking about is the lack of defense Texas Tech played today. No wonder OU scored 65 on them with the offensive team they have. Texas should have also but did not. The OU/Florida game will be something to see. I don't think Florida can get that many stops on OU unless Bradford and company do the same thing Harrell and his mates did today. However, Florida will score on the OU defense unless something drastic happens to get the defense to play lights out on every down. Texas Tech, today, just made a lot of SEC fans happey and say "I told you so" about the Big 12 defenses. Saying that it still takes a pretty good team to score 60 plus points five games in a row.

that's the worst game tech has played all year, give Tech some credit they didn't get stopped, now they couldn't stop them either but neither could Florida. Give Tech there credit, even though they had a bad game they still put over 400 yards of offense on one of the so called best defenses in the land.

or maybe you guys didn't watch the game if you think getting 461 yards of offense put on you is good defense.

Look you people watched the game. Old Miss couldn't stop Tech, Tech stopped Tech. You have to give Old Miss credit though, they won the game. They were better then I give them credit for, but Tech throw all over them, all game. So all of you people talking about how good the sec defenses are they got ripped just like everybody else. But like I said, Old Miss won. we need to have and Big 12 sec challenge, oh that right I beleive the sec declined that challenge. Credit where credit is due, good win for Old Miss.

"Sterling, the blown call on the onside kick at Oregon cost OU the chance to run out the clock..." *** No question, OU got completely jobbed on the call. In all of the mess and the capitulation by the PAC10 afterwords and the idiotic calls from the coach and AD at OU for Oregon to forfeit the game though, just made OU and their fans look silly. The proper call was that the UO player interfered with the opportunity of the OU player to field the ball by making contact with him inside the 10 yard boundary, but that can't be used to overturn anything on replay. The replay was unclear as to whether an Oregon player touched the ball before the OU player. The ball was on the turf and an Oregon DB fell on it. I believe it was Chung. Afterward he said he actually had possession of the ball while he was down, either way, the whistle had blown before the ball squirted out and the OU player grabbed it at the end. Again, since the play had been ruled dead and possession had been awarded, the rules at the time did not allow anything to be overturned by replay. The call was blown and then could not be fixed. As for the pass interference call, if it is the play I am thinking of, holding would have been the proper call whether the ball was tipped or not. If memory serves there was contact with the receiver passed the 5 yard limit before the ball was even in the air. The thing that everyone seems to lose sight of is that despite the completely blown call, Oregon still had to score 2 TD's in 72 seconds. OU failed to stop them. OU failed to convert a field goal to win the gam at the end. OU got jobbed on a crucial call just as any team can. In 2001 failure of the officials to call interference when an Oregon up back signaled a fair catch on a pooch kick. As a result, Stanford recovered a loose ball and went on to take the lead and keep Oregon from an undefeated season. It cost the Ducks a spot on the NC title game. Funny, you didn't see Oregon fans posting all over the boards about his mistake. The reason? Even with instant replay, calls still get blown at crucial times in the game. Sometimes they go your way, sometimes they don't. There was more than 59 other minutes of football that were played that day. Like OU, Oregon failed to respond to the adversity of a bad call and ended up losing the game. But hey, at least Stoops has now an excuse for NEVER scheduling another home and home with a PAC10 team again.

talk about no composure. maybe the O line for tech should run block if they want to take out some aggression.

JP, I agree! The OU win over Tech looks pretty ordinary after watching Ole Miss manhandle Texas Tech today. Spotted them 14 and then whipped up on them 47-14 before Tech's late (and meaningless) TD. With the way the Big-12 has performed in bowls, it's now clear that those annoying SEC fans were right all along. The Big-12 just doesn't play any defense, and that's why OU and Tech and Mizzou and others ran up those big scores. Turns out that Ole Miss is a damn good team and their big win over Florida was not all that much of an upset! They whacked Tech about as bad as the Sooners did. For anyone paying attention, this should give you an indication of what's in store for the Sooners in the NC game. Until these collapses by the Big-12 in bowl games, I was actually thinking OU would win that game, but it's pretty clear now that they are in over their heads.

Well the end of the game is almost here, thank goodness. Number 71 for Tech has a habit of getting personal fouls. Let's see Leach try an onside kick from the 7 1/2 yard line.

talk about no composure. maybe the O line for tech should run block if they want to take out some aggression.

Sterling, you are right. The Boise State game was the worse loss I can remember. I was at the game and was yelling for someone to be at the goal line to prevent exactly what happened with the hook and lateral play. The OU defense was just suckered in and not once but three times. The half back pass for the touchdown in OT by Boise State and the Staute of Liberty play with the outside linebacker being completley out of position. However, the Oregon game still makes me mad with the replay official missing calls twice either on purpose, so he could leave the stadium alive, or due to incompetence. I played for OU a long time ago and get excited about OU football.

where's the personal foul call? refs are pretty nice.

gentlemen, the SEC plays football. what the big 12, the big east and acc play is just basketball on turf. big 12 defenses don't control lines of scrimmage so they have to rely on consistently well executed passing schemes. if they don't work and you can't run (not all that bubble screen and spread option BS) then you won't fair well against football teams with talent. you have to have balance and few big 12 teams do. except baylor. they stink in all phases.

William, Yep, "The 65 points OU scored does not look that impressive anymore." And only 55 on Washington does not look that good either considering the season the Huskies had.

Okay William, I can understand OU fans being mad at the call. But c'mon, its not like it was in the national championship game or anything. Being a Seahawks fan, I understand undergoing multiple bad calls in a game (Super Bowl XL) Being an Oregon fan, I understand how it feels being screwed out of a chance to play for the national championship when an overrated Nebraska team jumps over Oregon AND Colorado. But like you said, all that call did was cost OU a CHANCE to run out the clock. There was still 1:12 left, and if I remember correctly, Oregon still had a timeout or 2. Regardless, it was just a regular season game, and despite much whining that it cost you a chance to play in the national title game, your losses to Texas and Boise state pretty much ended that debate. Life moves on.

All of you, and me, that said Rohde didn't know what he was writing about my have to eat crow. Yep, the Big 12 South is now 0-2. At least the OSU game was a game. The game today is a joke.

Jeff, Mississippi is only up 12 points and another touchdown is not running up the score. Texas Tech looks pathetic and their defense is so porous that my high school team could score on them. The 65 points OU scored does not look that impressive anymore. However, Texas should be ashamed they could not beat TTU. Maybe the SEC is that good after all. Oh by the way, Mississippi just scored again.

46-28 This bad performance is over.

my bad, i guess houston nut studied stoops' playbook.

yeah, i'd say so. tech comes from the NTL, the no tackling league. ole miss is just going to keep running out the clock. fortunately they're not coached by bob stoops who'd be running the score up.

Big 12 North 3-0 and it looks like the Big 12 South is about to go 0-2

Big 12 North 3-0 and it looks like the Big 12 South is about to go 0-2

Jeff, I could not type it fast enough before Tech blew it again. While I was typing this Mississippi just returned the kick to the Tech side of the field. This game is history.

Sterling, the blown call on the onside kick at Oregon cost OU the chance to run out the clock. Compound that with a pass interference call on a tipped ball got Oregon close to the goal line. Yes, I agree with you about the AD run up the middle at the end and OU could have passed to get it a little closer for the field goal attempt. BUT Oregon was off side on the attempt that was not called. The refs cost OU the game twice and then took the miracle finish away from them at the end. That is why OU fans are mad and stay mad at the Oregon game.

i know what you were typing william. tech has a chance because of the fumble. did you delete it in time or hit submit?

The Big-12 is looking like the WAC. It has OU and UT and a bunch of patsies to fatten the record on. Didn't Boise State surprise OU a couple years ago in the Fiesta Bowl?

"You can't judge strength of a conference by seeing what they do outside of it." **** Spoken like a true supporter of the current BCS system. How else are you supposed to judge the strength of a conference in relation to the strength of another conference?

william, we're watching the game and don't need your color commentary. tech's not coming back. their only hope was to match TDs since they have no defense but they're behind. I can't wait to hear the excuses for this one. although they won't be nearly as good as the one's when florida wins.

Two big runs by Mississippi put an end to the three and out theory. Mississippi is getting ready to score again. Seems like the OU/Tech game except the Rebels are running the Red Raiders off the field. It looks like it is up to Texas and especially OU to regain the pride of the Big 12.

you're exactly right sterling. when i came to oklahoma in 2000 it was fun watching the team come from nowhere to win the championship. since then, people from oklahoma have decided they're supposed to win every year and come up with all kinds of excuses when they don't. it's become entertaining listening to them. I actually now look forward to the first week in january so i can listen to the sports animal on line (I moved) after they choke on another BCS game. It's pure hilarity. As for OSU, they just got beat up. Robinson got hurt because he got beat up. if OSU's line came to play that might not have happened. it did, they won't be a top ten team next year (nor will tech, mizzou or nebraska) and things will go back to normal again. enjoy this year big 12 fans with your easy non conference schedule, bevy of big 12 north patsies along with a&m and baylor, and absence of defense anywhere in the midwest.

12:14 remaining and Tech has just scored. Now don't get crazy and on side kick, Leach. Kick it downfield and play defense and get a three and out. Score again with about 8-9 minutes left and it is a game. Tech came back against Minnesota but Mississippi is a lot better but anything can happen. At least there is hope again in this game.

Right now you could make an argument that TT is the #2 team in the Big 12 given their victory over UT. Ouch...the #2/3 team in the mighty Big 12 getting beaten by a team that couldn't even beat Wake Forest and finished 4th in their conference...hopefully that isn't an omen for OU. Its a good thing for the Big 12's pride that Texas drew everyones favorite whipping boy Ohio State instead of Alabama LOL.

This is a stupid article. It's not that the big 12 isn't what we thought they were, it's that the other conferences are better than we give credit for! You can't judge strength of a conference by seeing what they do outside of it. Maybe the SEC is better, but the Big 12 is still strong.

JP, you could be right. The Texas Tech team seems completely disorganized. I can see why the SEC thinks they can beat OU pretty easily. The Mississippi defense is containing Harrell and company really well. Tech had better score fast and get some kind of defense of their own in the fourth quarter. I don't usually get this concerned about another Big 12 team, although I root for them in bowl games, but this year everyone is bad mouthing the Big 12 and OU and I had hoped that the Big 12 South teams would show everyone that the division was that good. With OSU losing and now the embarassment of Texas Tech it doesn't look good at all.

Patrick-I don't want respect necessarily. It is just hilarious to see the excuses, whining, and half-truths that Okies are presenting on here. If I had a dime for every time I heard "Biased refs waaah late hits boo-hoo, etc, etc, etc". C'mon Oregon was the better team. It is common knowledgethat it takes a full quarter if not longer for the offense to shake off the rust, kind of like first games of the season. Oregon blew OSU away once their offense shook off the rust. Admittedly it did hurt you all not having Dez, but he doesn't play D, and even with him you could only put up 17 on our D DESPITE HOLDING THE BALL FOR 20 MINUTES IN THE FIRST HALF. Anyways, back to 2006: Oregon was the better team there. OU couldn't stop Oregon's offense after the contraversial call, and Stoopsie blew a chance for a chippie FG by inexplicably running AD up the gut for no gain instead of trying a short pass to get a better shot. Thats life.
of taking a shot to get closer. I'll admit that OU got the bad end of that call, but it wasn't like the refs were cheating, they just didn't have the right angle. Whining must be the state pastime in Oklahoma, for as I recall the athletic director of OU actually filed a petition to have that game erased from the record. LOL its one thing for fans like you and me to whine, but your AD? HAHAHAHAHA.

Could it be that all the national hype about the Big 12 south was just a set up for the SEC biased media to claim SEC dominance once again?

Touchdown Mississippi. A fourth down call by Leach, which is nothing new, just gave the Rebels a 17 point lead. Mississippi was the fourth best team in the SEC and they are beating the number three in the Big 12 and doing it convincingly. Texas Tech had better get its act together quickly but I don't see it the way Harrell is playing.

"Do you really want to play Tech, UT, or OU? Honestly?"... Jacob, I think The Rebels are answering the TT part of the question. Oregon would KILL the Texas Tech team I am watching right now.

Touchdown Mississippi. A fourth down call by Leach, which is nothing new, just gave the Rebels a 17 point lead. Mississippi was the fourth best team in the SEC and they are beating the number three in the Big 12 and doing it convincingly. Texas Tech had better get its act together quickly but I don't see it the way Harrell is playing.

38-21 after a bone-headed QB sneak call by Coach Leach on 4th and five on his own 35 yard line. This guy is no coaching genius. He just demoralized his whole team. Leach won't be getting any other head coaching opportunities after that one.

Ole Miss just returned another one. Texas Tech is in real trouble and looks bad doing it. This really casts doubt on the strength of the Big-12 and OU. Even if OU should win their bowl game it appears USC is the best team in the country due to their strength of schedule.

Sterling-In your paranoia and lust for respect for your Ducks, you seem to be able to find controversy, excuses, and lack of respect in every little statement. I mean, what is it you want? For all us OSU fans to bow to the superiority of the Mighty Ducks? I suppose in your mind, there was no controversy at the end of the Oregon/Oklahoma game two years ago, Oklahoma didn't get screwed, and Oregon was clearly the better team then too, right?

I don't know who keeps saying Big 12 teams are supposed to win by 30 every bowl game, that's ridiculous. A win is a win is a win, just like they talk about the Pac 10 winning their games, Oregon St. 3 Pitt 0, was that dominant? Point spreads are for Vegas, not for gauging conferences. By the point spread theory being supported by some to gauge conferences, let's see if Ole Miss puts up 60 - just for measuring purposes.

What you SHOULD have said is: Okie State was tied for 4th in the conference, which would have been more accurate. Of course, that wouldn't have supported your arguement, would it? :P

Juan-Of course you did. One constant I am seeing on here is the propensity of Oklahomans to color the facts. You, sir, have represented your state proudly.

Interception by Harrell and Mississippi has taken the lead. Texas Tech is in a lot of trouble in this game. By the way the announcers for Fox are pro SEC talking about Tebow and the how good the Gators are. Boy NO ONE in the media is giving OU a chance at all. The way Tech is playing today tells people maybe the OU win over the Red Raiders was not that big a deal. There is still the second half.

Interception by Harrell and Mississippi has taken the lead. Texas Tech is in a lot of trouble in this game. By the way the announcers for Fox are pro SEC talking about Tebow and the how good the Gators are. Boy NO ONE in the media is giving OU a chance at all. The way Tech is playing today tells people maybe the OU win over the Red Raiders was not that big a deal. There is still the second half.

Nebraska and OSU both were 5-3 in conference and 9-4 overall, so I put Nebraska ahead of the Pokes.

Juan: The reason why the Pac-10 is done playing isn't because they haven't been in good bowls. Using your twisted logic, Ball State and Tulsa are better teams than Texas and Ohio State! Or Buffalo and Connecticut are better than Utah and Alabama!! Is the Liberty Bowl a better bowl than the Rose just because it is played later? And is your conference really better because you put roughly 60% of your conference in a bowl instead of 50%? Okie state wasn't overrated-they lost to Texas, who was number 1 at the time IN AUSTIN by 4 points. Their other 2 losses came to teams in the top 3 at the time. They were the 4th best team in the conference-check the standings. Sheesh.

Texas Tech is playing now. Their defense really is not that good as Mississippi is running and passing on them at will. The only way Tech can win is if their offense keeps trading td for td with the Rebels. Saying that Crabtree is not 100% and Harrell seems off today but it is only the middle of the 2nd qtr. The Big 12 is currently 3-1 and Tech was supposed to win easily but that apparently is not going to happen. Texas and OU are the next to play and neither game should be all that easy either. However, on paper Texas should beat Ohio State. All the media and a lot on this site are saying OU doesn't stand a chance. I beg to differ. I think the OU defense will make enough stops (at least I hope so) that the offense will score enough to beat Florida. It won't be easy but the Sooners can do it. The Big 12 could end up 6-1 or 5-2 but I think of the three teams left two will win (hopefully OU, and either UT or TTU maybe both). The Big 12 will represent itself well this bowl season.

Patrick: I can see where you carefully phrased it so as to be able to get in an excuse while you could say "I'm not making excuses!" Get real, man. If Okie State would have won, would you have brought that up, even if Hunter had the exact same stats. It's just another way of saying that Oregon didn't beat Okie State at full strength, which is what allof you Cowboy fans are saying. Sorry, I didn't notice that you gave the UO D some credit. My bad.

Dana, you're kidding yourself. There's a reason the Pac-10 is done playing in their bowl games already and the Big 12 has three games left. The Pac-10 was 1-6 this year against the frickin' Mountain West! More importantly, the Pac 10 is so terrible only half of the conference is bowl eligible. In this day and age where 68 teams go to bowl games, they had as many bowl teams as the MAC! And don't even start about conference parity when the two Pac-10 teams from your home state went a combined 1-23 against Div 1A, and that one win came from a game between those two teams. And don't judge the Big 12 on an overrated OSU team that is the fifth best team in the conference and played the Pac-10 No. 2 team. That would be like Texas playing Arizona, and I don't think anyone doubts what would happen there.

Dana, you're kidding yourself. There's a reason the Pac-10 is done playing in their bowl games already and the Big 12 has three games left. The Pac-10 was 1-6 this year against the frickin' Mountain West! More importantly, the Pac 10 is so terrible only half of the conference is bowl eligible. In this day and age where 68 teams go to bowl games, they had as many bowl teams as the MAC! And don't even start about conference parity when the two Pac-10 teams from your home state went a combined 1-23 against Div 1A, and that one win came from a game between those two teams. And don't judge the Big 12 on an overrated OSU team that is the fifth best team in the conference and played the Pac-10 No. 2 team. That would be like Texas playing Arizona, and I don't think anyone doubts what would happen there.

"Also, I don't call a 42-31 win a "manhandling" of OSU. Besides the fact that our best 3 players all were hurt, OSU was still in the game with less then 5 minutes remaining. Don't act like you beat OSU bad or something."... Jacob, are you serious? Did you see the disparity in the quality of play or not? The OSU line was dominated on both sides of the ball. OSU tacklers were flattened by a freaking QB. While your QB was running for his life and getting his %^*& knocked into his watch-pocket, Masoli was out throwing downfield blocks, delivering blows and knocking DB's on their butts. All of this crap speculation about how the game would have been different if Bryant and Robinson hadn't been dinged up is just that... CRAP. How is this for speculation? If Oregon hadn't come out flat, and had actually played to half their potential in the first half the drubbing on the scoreboard would have been FAR worse. Say what you will about the final score, but the simple fact is Oregon physically manhandled the Cowboys. I am sick of reading about injuries. Masoli was a 5th string QB, Jeremiah Johnson was playing hurt with a bad hamstring and the stomach flu. If your local press had written about the game instead of assuming an OSU victory and OSU finishing the season in the top 10 (which Oregon will), you would have known these things.

Sterling-No, I did NOT make an excuse. That was for the benefit of OSU fans that might not read the actual paper. What do you mean "Just face it. Oregon actually has a decent run defense"? Did you not see where I gave the Oregon run defense credit? Did you read ANYWHERE in my post where I said that was why OSU lost? No, you didn't. If you want to debate the game, fine. But, don't try make an argument where there is not one.

Not to be making any excuses, but for those of you that may only read the DOK on-line, there is a small article on the front of the hard-copy sports page about Kendall Hunter. According to the article, Hunter had arthroscopic knee surgery the week after the Bedlam game, apparently due to the injury he suffered at Colorado. I'll give Oregon their due, they played good run defense. But, the knee surgery explains a lot. Toston played more than usual and Hunter had his worst game of the year, maybe ever. The good news is the article says Spud should be ready for spring practice.

We can thank the no-huddle offense for a sharp and precise attitude on the OU offensive side of the ball. It has to be that way, or it doesn't work. As long as Bradford's passing is accurate, the offense will be on the mark. The defense has had time to gain experience. The team, as a whole, will be ready to play.

Patrick...you are making an excuse. Really. Jeremiah Johnson had a hamstring injury and didn't practice in the days that led up to the bowl game, and look at how that turned out. Just face it. Oregon actually has a decent run defense; opponents just passed on them more because the "D-Boyz" weren't as good as billed.

Jacob, it wasn't just this article. Read the OK press in the days leading up to the game. There was a little lip service to the upcoming game and a WHOLE lot of speculation about OSU being a pre-season top 10 team next year.

Not to be making any excuses, but for those of you that may only read the DOK on-line, there is a small article on the front of the hard-copy sports page about Kendall Hunter. According to the article, Hunter had arthroscopic knee surgery the week after the Bedlam game, apparently due to the injury he suffered at Colorado. I'll give Oregon their due, they played good run defense. But, the knee surgery explains a lot. Toston played more than usual and Hunter had his worst game of the year, maybe ever. The good news is the article says Spud should be ready for spring practice.

Jacob, you are sissy and a loser MOO U has been over rated all year. They have one suspect win and loses aganist the the REAL Elite in the big 12. Back under goat until golf season.

Not to be making any excuses, but for those of you that may only read the DOK on-line, there is a small article on the front of the hard-copy sports page about Kendall Hunter. According to the article, Hunter had arthroscopic knee surgery the week after the Bedlam game, apparently due to the injury he suffered at Colorado. I'll give Oregon their due, they played good run defense. But, the knee surgery explains a lot. Toston played more than usual and Hunter had his worst game of the year, maybe ever. The good news is the article says Spud should be ready for spring practice.

Jacob, you are sissy and a loser MOO U has been over rated all year. They have one suspect win and loses aganist the the REAL Elite in the big 12. Back under goat until golf season.

Also, I don't call a 42-31 win a "manhandling" of OSU. Besides the fact that our best 3 players all were hurt, OSU was still in the game with less then 5 minutes remaining. Don't act like you beat OSU bad or something.

Dux, your first flaw in your argument was citing John Rhode as a source. End of that discussion. He also said Mizzou lost their bowl game in this article, is that true as well?

Not to be making any excuses, but for those of you that may only read the DOK on-line, there is a small article on the front of the hard-copy sports page about Kendall Hunter. According to the article, Hunter had arthroscopic knee surgery the week after the Bedlam game, apparently due to the injury he suffered at Colorado. I'll give Oregon their due, they played good run defense. But, the knee surgery explains a lot. Toston played more than usual and Hunter had his worst game of the year, maybe ever. The good news is the article says Spud should be ready for spring practice.

Josh-perhaps you are right. I just am harboring a grudge against Oklahomans in general. I'm a native Oregonian living in Topeka KS, and in 06 when we beat OU on that contraversial call, let me tell you. I dared to wear my neon yellow gear out (which made me stick out like a sore thumb lol) and I was cursed at, spit on, etc by OU fans here. So no offense really to anyone, just a prejudice on my part I guess.

Ahhh, of course...starting out any comment with an insult is sure to really make people understand the wisdom in it.

Okay all you slowklahomans, listen up. I'm sick of reading that that the Pac-10 hasn't beaten anyone in the bowls except for U$C beating Penn State...for the record, 4 out of the 5 teams we played were in the top 20 rankings. To which I'm sure you'll say "oh the rankings don't mean anything, blah blah waah waah late hits Pac-10 refs". Whatever. The rankings do mean something obviously, your retarded conference proves that with their inexplicable tie-breaker for the Big 12 south. So far, who has the Big 12 played? Clemson, the definition of underachievers? Minnesota, who lost their last 5, including a 55-0 drubbing in their last pre-bowl game? Northwestern, who is decent, but still the 4th or 5th best team in arguably one of the weakest conferences in the nation. Even Ole Miss is only the 4th best team in the SEC. Wow, I'm floored. Now don't get me wrong, the Big 12 is a good conference. But seriously, aside from this year or maybe last year, the big 12 is a 2 or 3 team conference (OU, UT, and Neb.) You have an 07 Kansas or an 08 Texas Tech once every 5-10 years. Let's give credit where it is due. The Pac-10 had a down year IN OOC PLAY, and that is due in part to not scheduling patsies for the most part, i.e. SEC and many Big 12 teams.(Case in point: Texas Tech)The Pac was good last year, is showing that they are good when it counts, and will be better next year. Just sayin'.

Didn't say Oregon "relied" on injuries jeff, all I said was it was unfortunate that Bryant and Robinson were injured. Also, yes Zac was injured from being hit, but Bryant's injuries was really just a freak thing, they weren't even near him most of the night up to that point to hit him. Look, I'm not an OSU fan in the slightest, all I'm saying is that OSU, the 4th best team in the Big 12, lost to Oregon, the 2nd best team in the Pac 10, and was without its best playmaker in the second half and was playing with an injured quarterback. It's not an excuse, I never said Oregon "relied" on these injuries, all I said was that OSU shouldn't be ashamed and did not embarrass the Big 12. Then again, apparently you are an SEC homer, so what do you care about rational arguments? I can see quite a bit, based on your comments about "thugs" and "coats."

"Good point Dux, thanks for pointing out a game that happened 8 years ago. I am sure Oregon would beat UT based on your logic this year..." *** The point was that the argument that the Ducks can not hang with the best of the Big 12 has been made before and proven wrong more than once. I would have loved to have seen Oregon play the Big 12 champions in a BCS bowl this year, but the Ducks lost to USC and did not take care of business against Boise State and Cal. This was not expected to be a huge year for Oregon, but considering all the adversity they have faced, including the death of a teammate and having to start their 5th string QB most of the year, they have done pretty well. I believe at level at which they played to finish the season, they could make a respectable showing against most if not all of the teams in the BCS bowls this year.

"I didn't hear anyone say that OSU should be ranked in the top 10 around here, but maybe I missed those articles." Jacob, maybe you should actually read the article on which you are posting. The second sentence reads "We thought we knew potentially four of the nation’s top 10 teams resided in the Big 12 South."

"Oregon would probably fall in the 5 through 8 range, 4 on a good year..." *** Wow, this crap is getting old. Did you watch Oregon beat Texas in the Holiday Bowl in 2000-2001??? Did you see the Oregon DESTROY the Big 12 champions in the Fiesta Bowl 2001-2002? Did you completely miss Oregon manhandling "the fourth best" team in the Big 12 in the Holiday Bowl? Yeah, Oregon would REALLY struggle in the Big 12. On what exactly are you basing your argument? How is it that you KNOW Oregon would be "5 through 8" in the Big 12 and 4th on a "good year"? Since 2000, Oregon has beaten down a Big 12 champion, manhandled a "top 10 deserving" 4th place Big 12 team and notched wins over the Big 12's big 2, Texas and Oklahoma. Oh and that USC team you referred to as being the "only team" in the PAC10 to stand a chance at a Big 12 championship, the last ten years Oregon leads the series 5-4 over them. Do you have any more bold statements to make that you can't back up? Your devotion to the Big 12 is admirable, but the results on the field don't back you up.

Good point Dux, thanks for pointing out a game that happened 8 years ago. I am sure Oregon would beat UT based on your logic this year. I didn't hear anyone say that OSU should be ranked in the top 10 around here, but maybe I missed those articles. The fact does remain, you pulled away late against the 4th best team in the Big 12 South with an injured QB and WR and won. Do you really want to play Tech, UT, or OU? Honestly?

"That's what trickles out of the corners of some posters mouths....." *** Gary, that was the point, but drivel works too. Thanks for the vocab lesson. Nice five period ellipsis, by the way. Do you REALLY want to break out the red pen on a football board? Ad hominem is a term with which you should be familiar, since surely Speech 101 was part of your superior education. If you have been keeping up, you have seen that a vast majority of the trashing has come from Big 12 fans. Trashing, ad hominem personal attacks and excuses seem to be the extent of the football knowledge for the fan base in the the State of Oklahoma. I posted on this board to correct obvious errors and out right lies being posted here and have supported my arguments with facts. My main arguments have been simple: The referee crew was from the Big 10, not the PAC10. There were missed calls including a leg-whip and one judgment call late hit that could have been called on Nick Reed, but wasn't a flagrant penalty, nor was Robinson repeatedly hit late. In addition to those missed calls there were NUMEROUS holding penalties not called on OSU in the first half and a VERY questionable pass interference call that took away an Oregon interception. The big hit that Ward delivered to Robinson on the option play was clean. There was contact with his helmet, but it was with Ward's shoulder pad. It was a big hit, but a legal one and I defy anyone to point out a rule that would make the hit illegal in any way. The field conditions were poor, but as I pointed out, BOTH TEAMS PLAYED ON THE SAME CRAPPY FIELD. It was a shame that Bryant got hurt, he was clearly the best receiver Oregon had faced all year. Robinson was not bad either, and showed a ton of heart. But, where was the fearsome offense we heard about? One receiver is the offense? Oregon started their fifth string QB, so whining about a couple players being dinged up is just silly. Those were the arguments I consistently made. So far, NO ONE has stepped up to refute them. Rather, I have been called names and been told that the Big 12 is still great because Oregon only defeated the 4th best team in the south division.

3-1 going into today, will be 4-1 after today. Maybe a retraction or correction to the article coming next week, stay tuned.

3-1 going into today, will be 4-1 after today. Maybe a retraction or correction to the article coming next week, stay tuned.

Really, Roady...REALLY? Missouri had absolutely nothing to play for, and STILL won. OSU didn't play defense at all the last half of the season, so we knew this was going to be a shootout. OSU is only the fourth best team in the Big 12 South, and they lost a close game to the second best team in the Pac 10, which has won all five of its bowl games and probably deserves credit as being a better league than we all thought. Kansas and Nebraska took care of business. And even if the Big 12 finds a way to lose their final 3 bowl games, we still won't even come close to looking as bad as the Big 10 has this bowl season. If we win 2 of our last 3, I think the Big 12 is what we thought it was.

zach and dez were injured from being hit, not from falling in the shower. robinson can thank his O line for most of that. in other words, their inability to block (which is part of playing football) directly contributed to OSU losing. that's football. to say Oregon had to rely on injuries is assenine. they relied on reaquainting zach robinson with the ground enough times he gave up. nice try though.

Ole Miss is going to run through tech like butter. TT won't see the ball enough times for their basketball style offense to work. that's the problem with the Big 2, they don't play football. texas maybe, and they beat OU. of course we know it's was because OUs linebacker got hurt. this is going to be another beat down for OU, both on the field and in the police blotters. no way the thugs they bring to sunny florida will be able to stay out of trouble. i hear the pimps and drug dealers are jacking up their prices in anticipation. luckily, coats are hard to come by in florida so there will be less temptation.

Let me make this clear, I am an OU fan through and through. OSU did not embarrass the conference in any way. They played hard, and while their defense looked like they were scared to make contact with anyone in the 2nd half, the problem was the injuries to Dez Bryant and Zac Robinson. If those players had not been injured during the game, then OSU would almost certainly have won. I was pulling for OSU and was disappointed to see them lose, but it happens. All in all, the 2nd best team in the Pac 10 ("Oregon") beat the 4th best team in the Big 12 ("OSU"), and required a second half surge and a couple of injuries to OSU's biggest playmakers to win the game. OSU has nothing to be ashamed of.

Oklahoma State embarrassed the conference. Missouri was awful, but pulled through. The big three should be alright.

This is the trouble with bowl games. The offenses are always a bit sluggish at the outset, just like in the beginning of the season. OU's offense didn't struggle at all this year, as a whole; niether did Tech's. In the Texas game we can probably look for a whole lot of Colt McCoy scrambling for a quarter until the rest of the unit gets back on track.

I look for Oklahoma State to be the only blemish on the Big XII slate at the end of bowl season.

The word is "drivel", not "dribble". That's what trickles out of the corners of some posters mouths.....those who mistake support for one team to require constant trashing of a rival team. Some of you need to actually attend one of the schools you support, or trash, but then you might have to go back and finish high school first.

Hey john roach, you use the word "we" in your article like you have an army supporting your back. Wake up, dude! You're gaining support from the readers as fast as you're losing weight. Your so called articles are gaining downhill momentum.

Yes this article is totally senseless. With the exception of OSU and OU it's looking like the entire Big XII bowl eligible will come out a winner!

Had the lOSUrs not doen the Chokey Pokie then the Big XII would have looked a lot better to this point. But when you lose to a team playing their 5th string QB that makes every other win by the conference lose value. Way to go Aggots! You are an embarrasment to the Big XII.

You could take teams 3-10 in the pac10 and put them in the Big 12 and they would be bottom dwellers. Oregon would probably fall in the 5 through 8 range, 4 on a good year. The only team that would stand a chance at winning the Big 12 would be USC. Now take teams 3 through 10 in the Big 12 and teams 3 through 8 would be battling for the number 2 spot every year and the number one spot on a good year. The reason the Big 12 is a constant power on the national stage is not just because they have a good majority of the top players, but because they have the best coaches. You can take a run of the mill coach like Les Miles put him in the sec and he becomes an instant power in the conference. Take a defensive coordinator Bo, and he shuts down the sec offenses; but turn around an take the top defensive coaches out of the sec and bring them to the Big 12, and they get smoke checked. Look at the numbers I tell no lie. Florida may be really good and they may not. If Tech destroys old miss like they should, I’m leaning toward the latter, but we’ll have to wait till Jan 8th to find out. But if Teevo played in the Big 12 where do you think he would rank among Big 12 quarterbacks? Anyone?

You could take teams 3-10 in the pac10 and put them in the Big 12 and they would be bottom dwellers. Oregon would probably fall in the 5 through 8 range, 4 on a good year. The only team that would stand a chance at winning the Big 12 would be USC. Now take teams 3 through 10 in the Big 12 and teams 3 through 8 would be battling for the number 2 spot every year and the number one spot on a good year. The reason the Big 12 is a constant power on the national stage is not just because they have a good majority of the top players, but because they have the best coaches. You can take a run of the mill coach like Les Miles put him in the sec and he becomes an instant power in the conference. Take a defensive coordinator Bo, and he shuts down the sec offenses; but turn around an take the top defensive coaches out of the sec and bring them to the Big 12, and they get smoke checked. Look at the numbers I tell no lie. Florida may be really good and they may not. If Tech destroys old miss like they should, I’m leaning toward the latter, but we’ll have to wait till Jan 8th to find out. But if Teevo played in the Big 12 where do you think he would rank among Big 12 quarterbacks? Anyone?

Funny how people keep doubting the Big 12 defenses yet they are 3-1 in the bowl season. It's easy to calm top defenses (SEC) when the offenses suck, and it's easy to claim that your conference is good during the bowl season when they have played only one decent team (OSU) with the exception of USC, and that one decent team still put up over 400 yards of offense on the second best team in the pac10; but that is what OSU has done all year. That is what the team in the north has done most of the year. Even Mizzou with Chase playing the worst game I think he's played in two years still won the game, and I don't believe Nebraska allowed more then 5 third down conversions the whole game. no body wants to see the pac10 play because your teams suck with the exception of two, where as the Big 12's best teams have yet to play and there is a reason the most of America has picked them to when nearly every game, but it the best conference ( which is debatable) but true. You pac10 people know it that's why you are on our board...you won't catch us on your board because your conference sucks. You know it, I know it, and the media knows it. But I don't expect to see you after Jan 8. And for those of you doubting the Sooners, especially you so called Sooner fans, put your money where your mouth is.

As a Sooner fan I hate to say it but, yeah, the Big-XII is overrated yet again. The only remaining game that I'm confident in our chances of winning is the Fiesta. I don't know what these staffs are missing in their recruiting and coaching but the fundamental truth of football remains: defense wins championships. You can compete in the Big-XII but you cannot compete on the national level. Without a dominant defense you will not win a national championship...period. I'm afraid the NC game will prove this once again.

As a Sooner fan I hate to say it but, yeah, the Big-XII is overrated yet again. The only remaining game that I'm confident in our chances of winning is the Fiesta. I don't know what these staffs are missing in their recruiting and coaching but the fundamental truth of football remains: defense wins championships. You can compete in the Big-XII but you cannot compete on the national level. Without a dominant defense you will not win a national championship...period. I'm afraid the NC game will prove this once again.

Hey guys! you only got to hit the "submit" button once! John from Austin, you must be Joe's twin brother. Dana from tacoma, Get over it. the SONICS are gone. Bowl season is not a way to judge whose conference is better. Think about it...when do you ever put so many teams with winning records against other winning teams? only during the bowl season. Some teams play the best they have played all year. They get up for the games. Some teams are cocky and dont prepare as hard. I understand what Rhode is saying, but that doesnet mean the big 12 isnt tallented. People play the game because they want to win. plain and simple. If OU beats FLA, does that mean the SEC sucks? No, it means OU wanted it more and prepared better.

So, I guess since the PAC10 is now the "PAC-1" or "USC and the 9 dwarves", the Big12 is what? The Big2????

"Your right Dux, OSU lost to a better team a couple of days ago, no doubt. Now, let's put the Big 12's second best team, UT against Oregon instead of the 4th best from the Big 12 South and see how much talking you do after that game. You do realize that just because OSU lost to Oregon, that doesn't mean the Pac-10 is better then the Big 12 right? Or maybe your too biased...blah, blah, dribble, dribble"**** Jacob, before the game all I read from the OK press and Big12 fans was how 4 team in the Big12 South deserved to be ranked in the top 10, now all of the sudden OSU is "just the 4th place Big12 south team". As far as Texas goes, hmmm does 35-30 mean anything to you? That was the score last time Oregon played Texas in the 2000-2001 Holiday Bowl. Oh, and Oregon won. The next year Oregon played Big12 champion CU in the Fiesta Bowl and destroyed them...

Never have been impressed with Mizzou. It was too much of a "ME" team -- everyone out for his own publicity. I like Mike Gundy, but OSU lost to the a more experienced coach. Example: why leave in an injured QB, WR, and RB? Boy Scouts push "Be Prepared". OSU was not prepared. KU had no problems with Minnesota - as expected. Yes, the pressure is on Tech, UT, and OU. I believe Tech will run away from Ole Miss. UT will need to play their game and be ready for a Buckeye team that should not have lost to Penn State. And OU can physically keep up with Florida, but the mental game is the game they need to win. Go Big 12.

I wonder if the DOK writers will learn a thing or two about journalism during the off-season. Being unbiased is an important aspect of journalism. Will they continue in their present mode, will they change, or will they realize they know nothing at all:)

Your right Dux, OSU lost to a better team a couple of days ago, no doubt. Now, let's put the Big 12's second best team, UT against Oregon instead of the 4th best from the Big 12 South and see how much talking you do after that game. You do realize that just because OSU lost to Oregon, that doesn't mean the Pac-10 is better then the Big 12 right? Or maybe your too biased to think about that. I never said OSU got screwed. I wish Zac, Dez and Kendell were not hurt, but hey it happens in football. Oregon won fair and square. As to your comment that I don't answer your questions. What did you ask? Here is the facts. Oregon beat the 4th best team from the Big 12 South fair and square, but with injuries and obvious issues. Congrats on your win and good luck next year, maybe if you are the second best team in the Pac-10 again, you will get to play the second best team in the Big 12. Are those facts good enough for you? Or do I need to give you more?

Quack, quack, quack ...

Rhode needs to lose the picture and the a few pounds. He looks like he has never meet a doughnut that he didn't like.

3-1 so far with three games to go.

After these statements by Rhode, I question whether he even watched games this season? The Big 12 Conference produced 5 teams that were ranked in the top 10 for most of the season! The Conference also produced 4 highly ranked quarterbacks of which 3 were Heisman candidates and one of them winning the Heisman.

Rohde is an idiot, let him dribble on....

Wait till Bowl Season is over to write this Rohde.

john in victoria: nice vieled excuses ("injuries, field conditions, late hits"). are you wearing your mom's underwear too?

wow, even the sportswriters in OK are getting worried. probably a good thing to do though. when was the last time OU won a meaningful game against a good opponent? the only football team they have played this year was against texas and they lost. now, once again, they squeak into a BCS game they have no business being in, with a heisman winner who was handed the trophy by SW regional writers, and everyone thinks they're the best thing since sliced bread. or in the case of you from oklahoma, watered down beer or strip joints with fat strippers. i can't wait to listen to the sports animal again (like i do every year now) after the game and listen to all of you complain. I can only imagine what reasons you'll give this year. maybe, stoops was preoccupied with the nfl, too many players were arrested, or the middle line backer got injured. oh, my bad, you used that one for texas. try this one on this year and see how it fits. OVER RATED.

It cracks me up to see people dog one team or the other. OSU had a great season. We got beat, period. It does not matter why, we lost. I for one will own up to the loss and not whine about it. You could argue about the injuries, field conditions, late hits. They don't matter, only the scoreboard. No, I am not an OU fan but I will not dog them on this forum, nor will I go to the OU forums. Common guys, lighten up a little and get of the eggnog!

wow, even the sportswriters in OK are getting worried. probably a good thing to do though. when was the last time OU won a meaningful game against a good opponent? the only football team they have played this year was against texas and they lost. now, once again, they squeak into a BCS game they have no business being in, with a heisman winner who was handed the trophy by SW regional writers, and everyone thinks they're the best thing since sliced bread. or in the case of you from oklahoma, watered down beer or strip joints with fat strippers. i can't wait to listen to the sports animal again (like i do every year now) after the game and listen to all of you complain. I can only imagine what reasons you'll give this year. maybe, stoops was preoccupied with the nfl, too many players were arrested, or the middle line backer got injured. oh, my bad, you used that one for texas. try this one on this year and see how it fits. OVER RATED.

wow, even the sportswriters in OK are getting worried. probably a good thing to do though. when was the last time OU won a meaningful game against a good opponent? the only football team they have played this year was against texas and they lost. now, once again, they squeak into a BCS game they have no business being in, with a heisman winner who was handed the trophy by SW regional writers, and everyone thinks they're the best thing since sliced bread. or in the case of you from oklahoma, watered down beer or strip joints with fat strippers. i can't wait to listen to the sports animal again (like i do every year now) after the game and listen to all of you complain. I can only imagine what reasons you'll give this year. maybe, stoops was preoccupied with the nfl, too many players were arrested, or the middle line backer got injured. oh, my bad, you used that one for texas. try this one on this year and see how it fits. OVER RATED.

wow, even the sportswriters in OK are getting worried. probably a good thing to do though. when was the last time OU won a meaningful game against a good opponent? the only football team they have played this year was against texas and they lost. now, once again, they squeak into a BCS game they have no business being in, with a heisman winner who was handed the trophy by SW regional writers, and everyone thinks they're the best thing since sliced bread. or in the case of you from oklahoma, watered down beer or strip joints with fat strippers. i can't wait to listen to the sports animal again (like i do every year now) after the game and listen to all of you complain. I can only imagine what reasons you'll give this year. maybe, stoops was preoccupied with the nfl, too many players were arrested, or the middle line backer got injured. oh, my bad, you used that one for texas. try this one on this year and see how it fits. OVER RATED.

wow, even the sportswriters in OK are getting worried. probably a good thing to do though. when was the last time OU won a meaningful game against a good opponent? the only football team they have played this year was against texas and they lost. now, once again, they squeak into a BCS game they have no business being in, with a heisman winner who was handed the trophy by SW regional writers, and everyone thinks they're the best thing since sliced bread. or in the case of you from oklahoma, watered down beer or strip joints with fat strippers. i can't wait to listen to the sports animal again (like i do every year now) after the game and listen to all of you complain. I can only imagine what reasons you'll give this year. maybe, stoops was preoccupied with the nfl, too many players were arrested, or the middle line backer got injured. oh, my bad, you used that one for texas. try this one on this year and see how it fits. OVER RATED.

Hey Rhode & Tramel, take a look at how it's supposed to be done.

Pac-10 not as good as its bowl showing Posted: Wednesday, December 31, 2008 6:49 PM

Poised to improve to a perfect 5-0 in bowl games -- if USC runs past Penn State, as expected -- the leadership of the Pac-10 Conference has the champagne on ice and the spin ready to go.

After a frustrating 2008 regular season that included a steady stream of Pac-10 bashing, the league can’t wait to stick out its chest and say that it’s as tough as it ever was.

Arizona kicked the good times off by winning its first bowl game in 10 years, beating BYU, 31-21, in the Las Vegas Bowl. California followed up with a 24-17 victory over Miami (Fla.) in the Emerald Bowl. Then, it was Oregon outscoring Oklahoma State, 42-31, in the Holiday Bowl and Oregon State pitching a 3-0 shutout at Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl.

Impressive, huh? Well ... not really.

The current 4-0 record looks good, but what has the Pac-10 really proven?

Perhaps the biggest accomplishment was Arizona’s victory over BYU. That exacted a bit of revenge on the Mountain West Conference, which embarrassed the big brother Pac-10 on several occasions while building its impressive 9-5 record against “BCS teams.” Most will remember the infamous 59-0 victory the Cougars posted versus UCLA on Sept. 13, but that day also included a 36-28 New Mexico victory over Arizona and a stunning overtime win by UNLV over an Arizona State team that was ranked at No. 15 at the time.

That weekend -- which also featured a Cal loss at Maryland, Washington State getting blasted by Baylor, Washington absorbing a whipping from Oklahoma and Stanford losing to TCU -- set the tone for what would continue to be a down season in the Pac-10. Working within that unimpressive environment, USC found it impossible to get any respect and was kept on the perimeter of the national championship conversation ever since its loss to Oregon State a dozen days later.

Winning a handful of those non-conference games in September, would have been far more beneficial to the league than notching them in December. The winning ways this past week only go so far.

Cal’s victory over Miami would have been much more impressive if it didn’t come just across the bay in a baseball stadium.

Oregon passed the league’s toughest bowl test, riding Jeremiah Masoli’s outstanding performance to an impressive win over Oklahoma State. Beating a team from the Big 12 is something to write home about, but the Ducks didn’t face any of the teams that truly made it a special year for the Big 12. Of course, that’s not Oregon’s fault. The Pac-10’s incredibly weak bowl alliances are to blame for the league’s second-place team getting paired with the Big 12 South’s fourth-place squad. (With a new commissioner on the way, the Pac-10 really needs to work on its bowl partnerships. How about giving the people what they want and lining up something with the SEC one of these days?)

We don’t want to take anything away from the Oregon State defense, but the Pittsburgh offense looked as if it were far more concerned about getting out of El Paso on New Year’s Eve than getting remotely close to the end zone.

So ... if closing the gap with the MWC and proving that you’re better than the teams that finished fourth in the ACC Coastal and the Big 12 South are worth shouting about, then have at it.

The fact of the matter is that a 5-0 postseason record will only bring the Pac-10 to .500 (17-17) versus non-conference Football Bowl Subdivision teams. That’s what happens when your winning percentage in all non-conference games during the regular season ranks ahead of only the MAC, C-USA and Sun Belt.

Even though it ended with a flourish, 2008 was far from a vintage year in the Pac-10.

http://extrapoints.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/12/31/1729178.aspx

wow, even the sportswriters in OK are getting worried. probably a good thing to do though. when was the last time OU won a meaningful game against a good opponent? the only football team they have played this year was against texas and they lost. now, once again, they squeak into a BCS game they have no business being in, with a heisman winner who was handed the trophy by SW regional writers, and everyone thinks they're the best thing since sliced bread. or in the case of you from oklahoma, watered down beer or strip joints with fat strippers. i can't wait to listen to the sports animal again (like i do every year now) after the game and listen to all of you complain. I can only imagine what reasons you'll give this year. maybe, stoops was preoccupied with the nfl, too many players were arrested, or the middle line backer got injured. oh, my bad, you used that one for texas. try this one on this year and see how it fits. OVER RATED.

Well, it's obvious at this point in the bowl season that Rhode and Tramel aren't the sports writer's that we thought they were. Clearly, they are being dominated by writer's at other regional newspaper powerhouse's. We thought we knew Rhode & Tramel in 2008. Unless they step up big-time, we might discover we were right all along. We are now in 2009. Last year brought new hope for Rhode & Tramel, but the first week of a new year brings serious new doubt.

"Dux, you are a moron. Period. Just like Rhode, who noted in this article that Missouri and OSU lost. Last time I checked, Mizzou won their game, regardless of the team they played. You two should get a room together and talk about how Oregon beat OU fair and square a 3 years back, and about how OSU's injuries had nothing to do with the loss. Keep it up, Dux."****** Nice Jacob, again all you have here is personal attacks, can't argue any of the points I made other than to say "you are a moron".... exactly the point I wrote about. No substance, just hot air and WHINY hot air at that. Uhhhh, did I not say OU got JOBBED on the call???? Oh yeah I guess you forgot that part. But, for you and the rest of the whiners that was the WHOLE game apparently. Not one of you asks yourselves, "why didn't my team stop that first drive that put the Ducks within one score??? Why didn't my team stop the second drive after the blown call??? Why couldn't my team execute a simple field goal to win the game???". Instead you conveniently have ONE blown call to blame and use as an excuse for a LOSING effort, and you completely throw out the other 59 minutes and 51 seconds of football that were played that day. Then OSU gets completely dominated in the trenches and the only thing the entire state population of OK can write about is how bad the field was and how OSU got beat up physically by that "dirty" team from the "softest" conference in the country. But yeah, I am the moron alright... a moron for thinking anyone here would have something other than sorry excuses and personal attacks to post. Do you have anything that has to do with football to argue about, or is grade school name-calling the extent of your football knowledge??? PAC10 5-0 in the bowls against 4 "top 20" teams...

Dux, you are a moron. Period. Just like Rhode, who noted in this article that Missouri and OSU lost. Last time I checked, Mizzou won their game, regardless of the team they played. You two should get a room together and talk about how Oregon beat OU fair and square a 3 years back, and about how OSU's injuries had nothing to do with the loss. Keep it up, Dux.

Mizzou won, Kansas won, and Nebraska won. Is it not ok just to win bowl games now? This isn't high school, it's major college football. Any other reporter from another conference would be celebrating the wins, but these people want to find fault with winning bowl games - amazing.

Sorry abut all the repeats. I did not think my enter key was working.

John Rohde, is starting to sound like Berry Trammel. This crap is getting old real quick. Write something good about the teams for getting to where they are for a change. I am even proud of OSU for the season that they had. I hope next year they go 12-1, with the only loss coming to OU. That would be sweet if that were to happen.

John Rohde, is starting to sound like Berry Trammel. This crap is getting old real quick. Write something good about the teams for getting to where they are for a change. I am even proud of OSU for the season that they had. I hope next year they go 12-1, with the only loss coming to OU. That would be sweet if that were to happen.

John Rohde, is starting to sound like Berry Trammel. This crap is getting old real quick. Write something good about the teams for getting to where they are for a change. I am even proud of OSU for the season that they had. I hope next year they go 12-1, with the only loss coming to OU. That would be sweet if that were to happen.

John Rohde, is starting to sound like Berry Trammel. This crap is getting old real quick. Write something good about the teams for getting to where they are for a change. I am even proud of OSU for the season that they had. I hope next year they go 12-1, with the only loss coming to OU. That would be sweet if that were to happen.

John Rohde, is starting to sound like Berry Trammel. This crap is getting old real quick. Write something good about the teams for getting to where they are for a change. I am even proud of OSU for the season that they had. I hope next year they go 12-1, with the only loss coming to OU. That would be sweet if that were to happen.

John Rohde, is starting to sound like Berry Trammel. This crap is getting old real quick. Write something good about the teams for getting to where they are for a change. I am even proud of OSU for the season that they had. I hope next year they go 12-1, with the only loss coming to OU. That would be sweet if that were to happen.

It was an exciting Nebraska game - I went to their fan board and offered my congratulations for their defeat of Clemson. Nebraska may be back on the rise, and at least Sooner fans can respect their team and fans - something that can't be said for two other teams and their fan bases who just happen to sport Orange colors. Speaking of which, OSU's loss to the Ducks had a karmic element to it, if you believe in that sort of thing: remember a couple years back when Cowboy's fans were sporting Oregon Ducks caps after that horrible call that cost the Sooners that game? Class is as class does - or doesn't.

Well, so far the Big 12 has lost to the Pac 10 and beaten the ACC and the Big 10 twice.

I'd say the Big 12 is doing alright for itself.

Back to this article. Nebraska just beat Clemson. The Big 12 record is now 3-1. All Big 12 North teams have won (Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska) with only Oklahoma State losing. Nebraka's defense looked pretty good against Clemson. Kansas's defense looked good against Minnesota and Missouri's was just okay against Northwestern. Not bad for the conference so far. It is up to the Big 3 from the Big 12 South (OU, Texas and Texas Tech) to have the conference be respected. UT and TTU should win easily with OU having a fight with Florida.

I never cease to be amazed with the level of ignorance demonstrated by the Oklahoman's sports staff...complete idiots.

My mistake Dana, the posts are for John in Austin. But Dana, by the other posts on the story about ESPN ticker line on Oklahoma Bowl losses, you don't sound like a TRUE SOONER FAN to me. About USC, they wish they could be playing OU in the championship, but they fell short, just like the Queers and Steers in Austin, Texas. That's for you John.

This article is crap. OSU didn't dominate anyone in the Big XII South. They weren't the best. They didn't play like they were in Stillwater, against OU. So, they got beat. MU was over-rated all season long. OSU lost because they weren't playing good enough. They lost by 11 not fifty. What's the big deal?

"Both the Tigers and Cowboys were expected to win, but didn’t."

The Tigers won, didn't they?

Dana, I have YHWH on my side. Who's on the side of Edom? DUMUZI

"anyone who watched the game should be able to see that OSU had the better team" Don in Erick... Yeah, everyone but the SCOREBOARD... Dana, Actually Masoli was 5th string at the start of fall camp. He is a true sophomore, but actually like a true freshman with no Spring camp in the Oregon system.

John, you are wrong.... OU, Texas and T Tech will win because they are good teams....osu lost becasue it just thought it was a good team....obviously they suck....who did they beat this year, MU!?!? They suck too...if they were in the south division they would not even be in a bowl game....they started the season looking so good and barley managed to stay in the top 25 at the end of the season and barely beat northwestern (who barely finished above .500 in their conference)...who did they beat? Washington St (2-11)., Missourt State (4-7), Texas A&M (4-8), Baylor (4-8), Colorado (5-7), Iowa State (2-10), oh yea, there were the two marquis wins over Houston and Troy which neither of them were ranked and the both finished a whopping 8-5...thats your two big time wins??? wtf??? pokes suck with gundy as coach...les miles would have only lost a game or two at the most!!!!

The OSU offense was crippled, wah, wah, wah. Any one of you whiners ever stop to think that Oregon's starting quarterback was hurt earlier in the year? Masoli was a second stringer forced into service. You people are pathetic. Just a week ago, the Pac 10 was crap, but now OSU's loss can be chalked up to having to play those bully Ducks who were ranked higher in their conference.

"Dux in Albany. You obviously see your butt from where you head is most of the time.. . in the dark, pal.
Joe, Kingston - Jan 1, 2009 at 2:37 pm"

Great personal attack Joe, you really proved me wrong... care to actually use some relevant fact about football for your next argument? Just a suggestion...

"Dux in Albany. You obviously see your butt from where you head is most of the time.. . in the dark, pal.
Joe, Kingston - Jan 1, 2009 at 2:37 pm"

Great personal attack Joe, you really proved me wrong... care to actually use some relevant fact about football for your next argument? Just a suggestion...

Gundy will not use injuries as an excuse, but anyone who watched the game should be able to see that OSU had the better team even with a sub-par KH until Zac & Dez got hurt. The time of possession before and after the injuries clearly shows that. Oregon has the more physical team- big deal! Nearly any team would suffer after losing their 2 top offensive weapons. The defense would not have been on the field nearly as long had the offense not been crippled.

My bad, the OU Oregon game didn't go into OT, the game was decided in regulation after the BLOCKED OU fieldgoal.

John, you are wrong.... OU, Texas and T Tech will win because they are good teams....osu lost becasue it just thought it was a good team....obviously they suck....who did they beat this year, MU!?!? They suck too...if they were in the south division they would not even be in a bowl game....they started the season looking so good and barley managed to stay in the top 25 at the end of the season and barely beat northwestern (who barely finished above .500 in their conference)...who did they beat? Washington St (2-11)., Missourt State (4-7), Texas A&M (4-8), Baylor (4-8), Colorado (5-7), Iowa State (2-10), oh yea, there were the two marquis wins over Houston and Troy which neither of them were ranked and the both finished a whopping 8-5...thats your two big time wins??? wtf??? pokes suck with gundy as coach...les miles would have only lost a game or two at the most!!!!

Kim, why are you telling me this? You must have me confused with one of your hallucinations last time you went off your meds. Why don't you go offer yourself up as a human shield in Gaza if you feel so strongly about it. There was this chick years ago, from Evergreen State down in Olympia, stood in front of an Israeli bulldozer that was demolishing some homes in Gaza, got herself ran over and died. The next year, I swear, in her honor they had a pancake breakfast, I swear! Anyway, Kim, maybe you might think about it. http://www.soundpolitics.com/archives/005852.html

Dux in Albany. You obviously see your butt from where you head is most of the time.. . in the dark, pal.

Parents, if your son is an above average quarterback with a future in sports don't send him to OKLAHOMA STATE right. Gundy is taking them out one way or another--look at the record of handling his quarterbacks---Woods, Reid, Robinson.

John, you are wrong.... OU, Texas and T Tech will win because they are good teams....osu lost becasue it just thought it was a good team....obviously they suck....who did they beat this year, MU!?!? They suck too...if they were in the south division they would not even be in a bowl game....they started the season looking so good and barley managed to stay in the top 25 at the end of the season and barely beat northwestern (who barely finished above .500 in their conference)...who did they beat? Washington St (2-11)., Missourt State (4-7), Texas A&M (4-8), Baylor (4-8), Colorado (5-7), Iowa State (2-10), oh yea, there were the two marquis wins over Houston and Troy which neither of them were ranked and the both finished a whopping 8-5...thats your two big time wins??? wtf??? pokes suck with gundy as coach...les miles would have only lost a game or two at the most!!!!

Is Oklahoma the WHINER state? What a serious bunch of babies. Sooners, you got jobbed on ONE CALL in a close game YEARS AGO. Your team still failed to respond to the adversity. they failed to stop Oregon from driving the ball down the field to tie the game, failed to convert a game winning field goal and then failed to perform in OT. Get over it. Hopefully your team won't get completely embarrassed against Florida. Cowboys, buck up.... seriously. The officiating crew was from the Big 10. if the TV graphic identified otherwise, it was WRONG. Instead of making excuses, go look at the complete box score for the game, it should list the officials and their conference. On the first big hit to Robinson, Reed took his last step as the ball was released. Looking at the play in extra slow motion, it looks as though a flag could have been thrown, it wasn't, but it was a judgment call, not a CLEAR penalty. The leg whip downfield by Unger was a clear penalty and should have been called. As should have been HOLDING on just about EVERY OSU pass play. The second big hit on Robinson was clearly a clean hit. Ward was not trying to hit him in the head. Robinson was being twisted down as ward came at him full speed in a classic tackling form. There was no "elbow" to his head. Robinson's head struck Ward's shoulder pad. It was a vicious hit in a FOOTBALL game. About the field, BOTH TEAMS PLAYED ON THE SAME CRAPPY GRASS, get it??? As for the poor #4 Big12 team having to play the #2 PAC10 team, all I read about in your press and boards before the game was how 4 Big12 South teams deserved to be in the top 10. People were already chalking up the win and talking about how OSU would be a top 10 team to start the year next season. Remember? You were set to play a lowly "PAC1" school. You know, one of those "soft" west coast teams. Your team got their butts kicked up and down the field. Your team was MANHANDLED. As far as the injury excuse, it is part of the game. Which of Bryant or Robinson was actually going to tackle Masoli or Blount as they were running all over your hapless defense? And I do mean running OVER. Look, Bryant is the real deal, best receiver in the country already. Robinson is a true competitor and showed a TON of heart even being able to stand up after that hit, let alone keep playing. You have a lot of things to look forward to, but Oregon was CLEARLY the BETTER, MORE PHYSICAL team on the field in San Diego. Quit making excuses, accept your loss and look forward to an improved team and favorable schedule next year... SHEEESH!!!

OSU should have stepped on their necks early when they had the momentum. A bigger lead would have taken the Ducks out and given them too much hill to climb. It would have made a huge difference in keeping the heat off Zac. He took way too many hits because the Ducks were gaining confidence and playing with more agression. I will say the refs missed several deliberate roughing calls. The Leg whip, hitting Zac late and numerous holding calls should have been called against the Ducks. All of which made a big difference in the way each team played as the game wore on. BTW I'm an OU grad so I feel I am being fairly objective.

P.S. I've been wating to meet up with any racist Jew in California. Unlike many blacks in the South, HEBREWS in Northern California fear no Jewish pigs. Sacramento is my stomping grounds and I'll be here all year until I visit my beloved Oklahoma Sooners next season.

Dana I forgot to mention, I am also a TRUE HEBREW MALE. I am not feigning any religion like you false Jews like to hide under. Just like a Jew to cry about something being done to them, then turn around and do the same thing to another people. STOP THE BOMBING IN PALESTINE AND FREE THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE FROM JEWISH OPPRESSION.

John, you are wrong.... OU, Texas and T Tech will win because they are good teams....osu lost becasue it just thought it was a good team....obviously they suck....who did they beat this year, MU!?!? They suck too...if they were in the south division they would not even be in a bowl game....they started the season looking so good and barley managed to stay in the top 25 at the end of the season and barely beat northwestern (who barely finished above .500 in their conference)...who did they beat? Washington St (2-11)., Missourt State (4-7), Texas A&M (4-8), Baylor (4-8), Colorado (5-7), Iowa State (2-10), oh yea, there were the two marquis wins over Houston and Troy which neither of them were ranked and the both finished a whopping 8-5...thats your two big time wins??? wtf??? pokes suck with gundy as coach...les miles would have only lost a game or two at the most!!!!

Jess, This statement was in newsok.coms article titled "OSU Notebook: Report: OSU's Zac Robinson suffered separated shoulder MIDWESTERN OFFICIATING CREW Contrary to what was said on the telecast, the Holiday Bowl officiating crew was comprised of all Big Ten officials."
Here is the link - http://newsok.com/osu-notebook-report-osus-zac-robinson-suffered-separated-shoulder/article/3334321?custom_click=headlines_widget

Yeah, the officials were responsible for OSU missing tackles, dropping balls, and lack of physical play. What a bunch of losers.

Kim, you racist swine! I hope you meet one of my Jewish friends in a very dark alley some night in the near future. Then you really will be sooner dead, you worthless piece of human trash.

Yes it was a Pac-10 officiating crew.

I have been a faithful OU Sooner fan since 1976. Sooner True through the tough probation years and even when Howard Jewberger set us back two years. True Sooner fans need to realize the rest of the Big 12 teams hate OU, just as much as the rest of the nation. I know because I'm in California and have to battle these USC/CAL/UCLA f**** all the time. The only team that matters to this Sooner Fan is THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS. Who cares about the rest of the Big 12. Myself, I was thrilled to see OSU get beat and I hope that OHIO STATE routs Texas. SOONER BORN AND SOONER BRED AND WHEN I DIE I'LL BE SOONER DEAD. P.S. BRUCE PARDO IS AN AMERICAN MAN HERO.

I am an OU fan but was rooting for OSU. I thought the refs let Oregon get away with murder with the number of late hits on Zac Robinson. Was it a Pac 10 officiating crew? I hope not but if it was it would not surprise me with the way they let Oregon just mug the Cowboy players. However, that is no excuse for the poor play by the OSU defense in the second half. The Cowboys were the better team but did not show it by letting the Ducks just go down the field time after time.

Wasn't Oregon the No. 2 Pac-10 team playing the No. 4 Big 12 team? Can't really use straight up conference comparisons without considering where the teams stand within their conference. And, after all, these are bowl games where the extra practice time is used to develop younger players for next year's team and party like there's no tomorrow.

This article was dead wrong written by someone who did not watch the game.
I guess with that kind slippery field the duck should have a longer spikes or stubs under their shoes. Hurting the QB with late body hit and a elbow on QB head while he is going down is sure a very effective play by those ducks. The officials on the field sure do a nice jobs like the colon guy. Oops, I spelled and write wrong again....should have lay off those drinks while writing.

"'big 12 not any good' article all cued up for jan 9." Well, someone's going to have to write it.

another rohde piece of s***. i'm sure he's got his 'big 12 not any good' article all cued up for jan 9.

Good Gawd. Get your statistics straight before you write an article. Oklahoma State was a 1.5 point favorite. Nebraska is a 3 point under dog. But I guess they arent in the big 12 for your bashing purposes. "Both the Tigers and Cowboys were expected to win, but didn’t." I was also unaware that an OVERTIME VICTORY counted as a loss? This article is trash.

Jerry, we can all talk about shouda, woulda, coulda. Fact is, Oregon took Oklahoma State out behind the woodshed.

This article is dead on. The BCS should re-evaluate, and dump minor conferences like the Big 12 and the Big East, and replace them with the WAC and MWC.

Jeffrey, the OU fan from Tampa is right. OSU should have had a 31-7 lead at halftime, but didn't. Without the injury, the Dez Bryant show would have continued and this would have been a blowout. Oregon did a fine job against the run, but never had an answer for Bryant without the injury. He still caught four balls for significant yards with one leg against this bunch. OSU would have kept scoring and this was on the way to being a laugher. The injury led to a momentum change and Oregon took over the game. The officiating was poor, but refs don't win or lose games. If OSU would have hit someone late, if at all, there may not have been flags on us either. The type of officiating was a definite disadvantage with the allowance of the injury to Robinson, which basically eliminated any chance of an OSU comeback. The Bryant injury, leading to a change in OSU's firepower and switch in momentum changed this from a probable OSU blowout to a disappointing ending.

I think the questions Rhode poses are legit. I was pulling hard for the Pokes, but they gave up. Oregon whipped them in the second half much like WV did to OU. Big 12 teams need to play harder in the post-season. OSU is a good team but lost it's heart and got beat up because of it. OU has suffered from that same problem since the LSU loss in the Sugar Bowl. Hopefully that doesn't happen come January 8th. May the toughness like the kind Rocky Calmus, Torrance Marshall, Rick Bryan, Josh Heupel, Corey Callens, Cory Klein, Quentin Griffin, Seth Litrell, the entire 2000 O-line..heck.....the entire team played with that year....be the same kind of quality we see in this bunch of Sooners. BOOMER SOONER!!!

Mike from Eugene,
As a Big XII fan, I agree with you. I am not one to buy into all the, "my conf is better than your conf" bs. I think each conference has their powederpuffs and each conference has their great teams. The PAC 10 did lose a lot of credit when they went 0-4 against the MAC. I cant believe they are 4-0 in bowl games. The oregon win over OSU is the only win thus far that is worth anything in my opinion. Thanks for not being an idiot like Dana!

Jeffrey / Tampa - You have access to a computer use it. The network made an error, it was a Big 10 officiating crew, not Pac 10.

Press Here : " John Rhode has no clue "

Jeff,
When you have the attitude that #4 lost to #2 it sounds like you are admitting conference parity, which is really what many of us Pac-10 fans have been thinking. It's not like I've been saying our conference is better than the Big 12 or SEC, but we don't think we're a notch down either. If you make the arguement that your #4 lost to our #2 makes sense than I think we're really on the same page. I think OU vs USC would be a great game (Big 12 #1 vs. Pac 10 #1). Oregon would be an underdog vs. Texas (Big 12 #2 vs. Pac 10 #2) but I think they would have a fighting chance. Oregon States offense looked terrible yesterday but I would still not count them out against Texas Tech. I think BCS conferences are closer than some think.

Isn't this article about a week premature? Big XII is 2-1 with 4 games remaining - including the top 3 teams in the league. Incredibly idiotic journalism. Where's the Ignore John Rohde button?

All the ducks fans around me were shocked that they came back and won. Everyone knew Dez was hurt, but nobody knew why Zac was throwing so poorly and nobody knew that KH had had his knee scoped 4 weeks ago. OSU at the beginning of November whips Oregon, but that's 3 of the 4 offensive stars that were messed up by the 2nd quarter (when we had a 17-7 lead).

Mizzou sleep walked through the Alamo Bowl and still won. OSU was the #4 Big 12 seed playing the #2 Pac 10 seed, and had 'em on the ropes until the 4th quarter. Kansas won easy. Things are going just about as expected if you ask me. The Big 12's best teams still have to play, so let's make judgements then.

Rohde: I guess you were not at the game. If Robinson's shoulder had not been separated and he couldn't make throws to wide open receivers who could not have caught the passes unless they had a ten foot ladder or a trenching tool to dig the ground around the passes thrown into the dirt. The only thing I wonder is why Coach Gundy did not replace Robinson when he got hurt. Surely, OSU should have a adequate backup by now. OSU could have won this game as the receivers were wide open in the second half, but Robinson could not get the ball to them. Nothing wrong with the Big 12. I.e. MO won, KS won, and I expect TT & Neb to either win or be competitive. My only worry is OU which seems to fold up during bowl games and Texas which meets a fast improving OHIO ST team. If all the rest win, that would give the Big 12 a 6-1 Bowl Record. Not bad

I guess Rhode didn't watch the same game I did. As an OU fan, I will say the better team lost. OSU had a Pac-10 crew who ignored late hit after late hit on Robinson. No wonder the kid had a seperated shoulder. There is no mention of something I thought was obvious. For the first time all year it seemed as if Coach Gundy didn't believe in his offense. He went away from their stregnth in the second quarter. That game should have been at least 31-7 at half. Losing Dez was a huge blow. You can talk about depth, but you can't replace an All-American with another one. He was the best this year. I think O-State played within the parameters they were given, and those parameters hog tied them. I also think that for the first time the Pokes should be ticked about a 9 win season. They should have won their bowl and they should have beaten Texas. 9-4 was good, but this was an 11-2 team.

"OU is a 3-point underdog to the Gators and is the only Big 12 team not favored to win its bowl game."

Let's not forget that Nebraska is an underdog to Clemson.

row

Just to put the OSU game in perspective, Oregon was #2 in the Pac 10 and OSU was #5. How do you think Arizona would fair against Texas?

We'll have to wait to see if the Big 12 is what we thought it was, but we KNOW you clowns with the OKLAHOMAN could not write two good articles in a roll to save your miserable lives. For every one worthy article, we have to read through how many like this one?

I noticed this article skipped over the beating Kansas gave Minnesota at the Insight Bowl. I'm guessing that John Rhodes submitted this article before the game and instead wrote with his usual disdain for any team from the Big 12 North. I'm no Kansas fan, but that was a very convincing win. The Jayhawks man handled the Golden Gophers all night long.

Brad, I stopped being thin skinned about my name about the second day in kindergarten. That was in 1965. Nice try, though.

Gary, the whole point is parity. The PAC-10 has parity, the Big 12 does not. Oregon may have technically been the #2 team, but any one of those teams (outside of UofW who fired their coach after a crap year) can beat any other on any given Saturday. How many of you, honestly, knew anything about Oregon before the bowl season? And if OSU hadn't been the ones to play them, you still wouldn't. Yet they convincingly crushed one of the top Big 12 teams. Anyway, you made my case for me. A team from the other half of the conference plays in the championship game, and you tell me how lousy they are. What does that say for at least half of the Big 12?

Oh, my bad Dana - that's a chick name - perhaps when you were born the doctor looked down there and said, "It's a Girl!"

I believe we have someone from the gay community commenting on football.

Right Dana, second in the Big 12 by default because if it was the best two teams in the conference, it would have been OU-UT. OU, UT, Texas Tech all have better records than Mizzou. If you take out the loss in the Big 12 Championship, Mizzou has the same record as OSU as well. Therefore, Mizzou is the fourth if not fifth ranked team in the conference. So your the Big 10 fourth ranked team LOST (key word there) to our fourth or fifth ranked team. Also, OSU (fourth or fifth in our conference) lost to the second best team in the PAC 10 by 11. Not too bad.

Brad, I'm not female, so let go and pull you pants back up.

That was good! A beating with a Pabst bottle - that's hilarious. I retract my earlier request of wanting you off the board and now want you here. You are one funny gal.

That was good! A beating with a Pabst bottle - that's hilarious. I retract my earlier request of wanting you off the board and now want you here. You are one funny gal.

That was good! A beating with a Pabst bottle - that's hilarious. I retract my earlier request of wanting you off the board and now want you here. You are one funny gal.

Dana - please post a personal on craigslist.tacoma with a pic - I'm dying to see what you look like

Ben, whenever your step-dad grabs you by the mullet and beats you with an empty Pabst bottle, you should refrain from typing on the typee thing or clicking the clicky thing for several minutes. You're thinking is quite clouded, and you come across as a retard.

Keith, regarding the Tigers, the whole point is that here's a team that came in second in the Big 12, and barely pulled it out against the joke of the Big 10.

Cry me a river Dana. Im contributing nothing huh!!! Take a long look in the mirror. No wait...dont do that, I am sure that will just make you even more bitter! Why dont you go shave your 3rd chin. Pig!

Ben, you're contributing nothing. This article concerns the Big 12's courtesy rankings each year and their inability to deliver in the end. This is something that, here in the west, we're forced to deal with each year. You folks in the east are drooled on by the sports media, while here in the west, very good teams get zero recognition because of the parity of the conference. Anyway, being a tard, you're no longer allowed to post here.

No kidding - Dana get off our board, nobody wants you here. You ooze negativity.

This is getting out of hand way too early in the game. Three Big 12 teams have played thus far, and have been victorious in two. Ok St would've won if Bryant had not got injured in the first half. It's not like the conference is 0-3, if that was the case, then I could see some doubt.

"Both the Tigers and Cowboys were expected to win, but didn't." Come on John! Check the scores a little closer. You will find that the Tigers did win.

John must have been in an alcohol induced depression when he wrote this article. Kept repeating the same thing over and over; "We thought we knew Big 12 football". Not much content in this article.

Dana, I am glad that you wake up on New Year's Day and enjoy trying to ridicule people. Get a life you moron! Try getting a boyfriend, and maybe you wont have all this time to think about all the things you are bitter about!

Missouri won, Kansas won and OSU got beat by a very good team in a close game. It's a little too early to start saying that the Big XII is overrated. When you play in the higher tier bowl games, the competition is better and it's tougher to win. The ACC should be embarassed. An average LSU team with a Freshman QB pounded one of their top teams in Georgia Tech.

Ben, you're not making any sense. When you woke up behind the 7-11 this morning next to a burrito wrapper, that should have been your first clue to just stagger home and leave your mom's computer alone. Oregon just stomped a mudhole in Oklahoma State. The writer of the above article is now questioning the talent level of the Big 12 as a whole, and justifiably so. Of the BCS conferences, there are a couple that overwhelmingly are thought of as "less than" the others, and the Big 12 is one of them.

Do I root for the BIG XII to do well in its bowl games....yes! At the end of the day does it matter what Texas, Tech, OSU, and every other team in the BIG XII do. NO! The debate of the best conference is one that NO ONE WILL ever agree on. Who cares! As long as we bring that crystal ball back to Norman thats all that matters. The PAC-10 may be 4-0 in bowl games, but they are still 0-4 against the MAC.

PAC-10, 4-0 this bowl season. All four against higher ranked opponents. So put your bongs down and sober up. Every conference has a marquee team or two, as did the Big 8. Good conferences have parity, as in the SEC, Big 10, PAC-10. It's a lot easier to run up 60 point games in the Big 12, because a couple of good teams play the rest of the conference. You can beat up on me for saying that, but I'm not the one that pointed it out by writing the above article. Oklahoma's own post season record is pretty dismal over the last few years, after being touted as an awesome power, they lose to the likes of Big East and WAC opponents. Case closed. There's no debating this, I'm right, you're wrong.

Dana, you must not be old enough to remember the Big 8. The Big 8 didn't need the old South West conference, and still don't.....

Dana, are you just trolling for a Sonics basketball story to comment on, or are you just trying to make an ass of yourself on this forum?

Dana - We'd be happy to compare Big 8 or Big 12 conference records/performance with ANY OTHER. Do a little research.

Gosh, Dana! How many conferences would like to have the likes of OU and Nebraska as the foundation? Throw in a Colorado that was pretty stout back in the Big 8 days - we did not need Texas and A&M to give this conference credibility! Count the nation championships between OU & Neb - how many? How many reside on the west coast? Hum?

Dana,how did the Washington Huskies do this year? How did they do against Oklahoma?

The Big 12 (ex Big 8) used to be a WAC or Mountain West. Then, when the SWC split up and sent several teams there, notably Texas and Texas A&M, (at that time) they gained more respectability. However, it's no secret around the country that a few teams in the Big 12 will always have good records by virtue of having to play other Big 12 teams. Fork off into another SWC and bring a few outstanding programs with you, and the rest of the country wouldn't think of you as the Big East of the south.