DaONE: BIG 12 CONFERENCE

Welcome to the Big 12

Big XII Teams Off to Strong Start
By XtraPott, SPORTS WRITER

Darren Sproles has helped Kansas State average 48 points in its first three games.

Early in the DaONE season, the Big XII conference is living up to all the hype it received.

Predicted by most to the best conference in football, the Big XII is surely that, posting a 21-3 record through the first three weeks. One of those losses came before Baylor hired new head coach Gee Pee and Oklahoma State lost to conference foe Nebraska.

At the top of the list no doubt should be preseason No. 1 Oklahoma, which brings in a 3-0 record. Kansas State is not far behind, averaging 48 points per game through three games. Upstart Iowa State has not been scored on all year.

There’s more. Who would forget the three big teams from the state of Texas? Texas A&M, Texas Tech and the Longhorns are all undefeated with plenty of overall talent.

Missouri could be 5-0 before meeting conference rival Nebraska in Week 8. With Brad Smith running the show, I wouldn't bet against Missouri having a great year. All in all, if the Big XII keeps performing, many of these teams could go deep into the DaONE playoffs.

Oklahoma Favored to Win Big XII in Real Life and in DaONE
By Roadhouse, SPORTS WRITER
It’s party time for the Big XII Conference.

Many preseason polls have five teams from the Dirty Dozen ranked in the top 25 nationally. The No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners, No. 4 Texas Longhorns and No. 10 Kansas State Wildcats look to be the jewels of America’s toughest football conference. Depth comes from the No. 22 Texas A&M Aggies and the No. 25 Oklahoma State Cowboys. Let’s take a closer look at college football’s elite conference.

North Division
Kansas State looks to be the favorite. MaximasRex's squad will be missing defensive studs Terence Newman and Terry Pierce, so whoever fills their shoes should expect to be picked on. But the ’Cats do have an explosive backfield led by quarterback Eli Roberson. If the offensive line holds up, then a whole lot of points are going to be put on the board.

The one team that may shock everyone is Iowa State. Coach Virix warns everyone to expect big things from his Cyclones. “I mean BIG,” he said. “You want a prediction? Here it is. I’m going 10-1 and winning the Big XII. Print that.”

Not far off that pace will be the Colorado Buffaloes. Bruce 80 says he’s going to a ball-control offense and plans on working his bruising halfback to death. But it’ll be the defensive front seven that carry this team. In fact Bruce80 is predicting a 7-4 or 8-3 season. It’s possible, but with UCLA and Florida State as nonconference games, that could be tough to get.

Now if there’s one QB that can dominate a game in the Big XII, it may be Nebraska’s Jamal Lord. He was the team’s leading passer and rusher, and Mgamcbro says he’ll be running a smash-mouth offense to utilize those big hogs upfront.

Missouri is the “Show Me State” and the Tigers will have to show a lot of people they can stop the pass. They lost four games last year when scoring at least 24 points. But Juve has other plans. Look for his Coach Ozog to utilize quarterback Brad Smith’s skills by running the option and spreading the ball around.

RevDeBo will have his hands full with the Kansas Jayhawks. Quarterback Bill Whittemore looks to rebound from a season-ending injury to lead Kansas out of the North’s cellar. Look for big contributions from the nine red-shirt transfers on the defensive side.

South Division
Goodness, there’s a lot of talent up in here. Coach Slip is coming off of his DaMob championship to head the top-ranked school in the country. Oklahoma looks to be just plain nasty, with almost all of its defensive starters returning. Factor in an improved offensive line and Slip may just run the table this year. But he knows his whole season will be judged on one game, and that’s with Texas.

And them ’Horns will be fired up! The ’Street wants to stop the running game to control the clock this year, so his timing-based offense can hit on all cylinders. He’s also embroiled in a quarterback controversy in Austin. Chance Mock looks to be the starter, but ’Street says that he may start the young Vince Young because of his extra mobility. Texas is looking to avenge an earlier loss against Wake Forest. Candyman was getting much respect, so keep this match-up in mind.

The wild card could come from College Station, though. Jay007 and his Texas A&M Aggies will have an up-tempo running attack with Derek Farmer. There could be a breakout season in store for sophomore quarterback Reggie McNeal. He’s healing from a hernia operation and will have some big-play receivers in his arsenal when he begins taking snaps.

Rounding out the top 25 is Oklahoma State. The Cowboys have upset Oklahoma the last two years and look to lay claim to some Big XII authority. Can GumbyMan keep OSU under control? They haven’t had back-to-back winning seasons since 1988. With quarterback Josh Field, running back Tatum Bell and wide receiver Rashaun Woods returning, the offense will need to be in high gear right out of the gate. Why? They open the season at Nebraska.

The meringue music blared through the loud speakers as the rested and ready Rastamon opened camp for Texas Tech. He was on a “recruiting trip” to Key West, but was unsuccessful. “For what they were selling, I buy a lot more home-grown talent,” he said. Look for Mr. Meltdown to be talking a lot of smack this year. “With the train wreck team I’ve got left, I’ll be happy with wins over Baylor and Texas. I also hope to keep A&M in check and beat them, and OU, too.” Apparently that home-grown talent must be real good.

Last stop is DaBasement: Mark-downs, irregulars and the Baylor Bears. Coach Roadhouse was very cryptic about his game plan and star players. “You see me and Earl, he’s my assistant Earl. We were thinking if we got the ball to one of them fast guys and he can run behind them other fellows, then we might score. ’Course we may try to let the lanky dude throw the ball, because he can throw farther than anyone I know, even my Aunt Betty.” Running back Rashad Armstrong and quarterback Aaron Karas look to spearhead the mighty offense and have circled the Week 10 game with Texas Tech as “the one we might invite the family to come watch.” Yikes, this will be a long season in Waco.

What's All That Noise?
By Roadhouse, SPORTS WRITER
Would you look at all that's going on!! A brand new game for a brand new year and it's all happening right here. Mad Scientist and his football syndicate have built a new home for the ultimate in league, DaONE online NCAA experience.

DaONE will be home to a 117-team, 12-conference league that will culminate in a 64-team playoff that will crown the national collegiate football champion. And within this house, each major conference will have a room to familarize themsleves with the others players.

But if you go through the living room, past the dining room, around the first bathroom and out through the other side of the kitchen you get to that one door in the dark corner of the back hallway. Move away the stack of newspapers, milk crates and shoe boxes and you can see the crack of light under the door. Now you know where the rumbling is coming from, but you got to ask yourself, what's the ruckus?

Welcome to my Basement. I'm Roadhouse and I'll be low-riding with the mighty Baylor Bears of the Big XII. You may think all that bumping and banging going on is the furnace about to blow or the overloaded washing machine, but it'll be me banging away on my keyboard as I try to bring you the big scoops from The Dirty Dozen and other parts unknown.

How did I get the plush accommodations? Considering I've got one of the weaker schools in the country (66 OVR) that's playing in the toughest conference, there's no doubt that I'll be doing a whole lot of looking up for the next few years.

So when you see a new thread about an upcoming Big XII game or you read about Rastamon's Red Raiders being upset in Waco, or hear trash-talking from Jay007 who wants to wear the JR Ewing Ten-Gallon Hat this year, you know what it is and where it came from.

That's DaNoise from DaBasement.

Lone Star Teams to Ball for 10-gallon Lid
By Roadhouse, SPORTS WRITER
By Roadhouse
DaONE sports writer

As the release of NCAA 2004 draws ever closer, the battle lines are being drawn deep in the heart of Texas. There is a Civil War about to erupt, 2004 style. Campuses have been buzzing from Austin to Waco in anticipation of the new season, new game and better yet, the brand new prize.

Is there a better way to make instant rivals than to offer a great prize? For the Texas teams in the Big XII, there is going to be a J.R. Ewing Trophy that will represent the King of Texas. Four teams and a year’s worth of trash talking, but only one can wear the 10-gallon hat. And that hat weighs heavy on the head of its current owner, Rastamon420 of Texas Tech.

Rasta was the inspiration behind the idea of this kind of party, so he gets to be the hunted right now. But even he feels he's primed for an upset. Without Kliff Kingsbury taking the snaps, TT will be a younger and weaker team, but always well-prepared. And, don't forget, they'll be high on life!

So who will be the hunters? First, he'll have the mighty Green and Gold of the Baylor Bears to contend with for the title. Roadhouse will be trying make some Noise from DaBasement by surprising his in-state rivals. Jay007 is bringing an exciting Texas A&M team to the field this year. He's a wide-open coach that may have a few tricks up his Aggie sleeve.

The favorite is going to The 'Street and his powerhouse from the University of Texas. He's a hardcore baller of the highest degree. I must have been misinformed about that team's moniker because Rasta keep calling them the Shorthorns. And as you catch that whiff of smack powder in the air, you realize the opening salvos have been fired and the war is on.

As of press time, there are only four team involved. But with six other Texas teams, there could a big tourney somewhere down the line. Is there a shocker lying in the weeds? Maybe Giggas2 can get that Green Machine of North Texas fired up to challenge. Xtrapott and his Rice Owls can be counted on to pull out all the stops to contend. Maybe it's MM_Rock and the Miners of UTEP, Special K at TCU or NFLman with the Houston Cougars, or I-95 South's SMU Mustangs.

So will you be DaONE who wears the DaHat? Stay tuned.

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Colorado

Iowa

Iowa State

Kansas State

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Missouri

Nebraska

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma

Texas A&M

Texas Tech

Texas