Yeah...It's Like That

Well, well, well. The mighty Jayhawks continue their climb towards the Nation's elite (cough). I have a little secret that the college football World is about to realize...soon. KU is a fraud! Eventually, you have to start actually beating teams in your Conference by a significant margin, or they'll start beating you. Here's some knowledge for you, the Jayhawks' average margin of victory over teams with a winning record is 6. Now, I'm the last person to give credit to the Fightin' Manginos for anything, but I will say this...they have done a good job winning games in the 4th Quarter. A product of their easy, easy schedule? Absolutely, but to their credit they have beaten teams that they should have, which has been their bugaboo in the past.

Let me tell you something about the ungrateful bastard that is Mark Mangino. Back in the early 90s, Bill Snyder was looking for another assistant to fill a position on his Kansas State offensive staff. "Hey!" says one of Snyder's assistants, "I know this 'Bear' guy working for the turnpike in Pennsylvania." Yeah, I know, imagine that jackass in a toll booth. You know, I'll be damned if Snyder didn't give the guy a shot. A guy who wasn't even in coaching. A guy who didn't play college football. On a whim, a tip from a friend, Snyder hired Mark Mangino. The man they called 'Bear.' Didn't know Mangino coached at Kansas State? Don't ask Mangino, he doesn't remember. Rarely acknowledges the man who gave him a chance, changed his life.



I digress. Four games left and the pressure is mounting. Mangino has taken KU to only two bowl games, and now they're talking about not only winning the Big XII but playing in the National Championship game. Hmm. It's basketball season now, isn't it? Scurry off to the Phog, Hawk fans. You don't belong in this football business. Four games left and the pressure is mounting. Starts with Nebraska...anemic yet superior in talent to Kansas. Talented teams are always dangerous, no matter the mentality, because something good might accidentally happen to the Huskers and they might remember that they are supposed to play football in Lincoln.



Three games left and the pressure is mounting. The national media is starting to follow the Jayhawks. Aqib Talib is calling out Jayhawk fans and media for already starting to talk about basketball. It is, afterall, Lawrence, KS. Then comes the trip to Stillwater. Over the past two seasons, the Cowboys have lost two games in Stillwater by a grand total of 7 points. One of those losses was to Oklahoma. It's primetime on national TV. Could this be the one?



Two games left and the pressure is mounting. KU could still be undefeated and heading back home, riding high on their horses. Or they could be reeling from a loss, or even consecutive losses, and finally back to reality. Iowa State, remember, put scares into both Oklahoma and Missouri (two teams superior to Kansas). They are always difficult, and much improved over the team that got blown out by Texas just two weeks ago. This game is one that KU should obviously win, but it's too far into the future to tell what the mentality of KU may be at this point.

One game left and the pressure...is...mounting. Uh Oh! It's the big one! KU-MU in Arrowhead Stadium. Sold out. Almost certain to be on national television. The Tigers are back for more after shattering the Jayhawks' chances at a bowl game at the end of last season. KU could still be undefeated at this point. Could. MU could be only a game back of the Jayhawks and looking for a big win to capture a Big XII North title. Could. Or they could both lose a couple games between now and then and this game may be a battle of teams barely ranked in the Top 25. Could.

Last game's over. The season has reached it's climax. The Jayhawks have had to fight many battles down the stretch. They have taken on everybody's best effort. The Midget has finally completed an entire season of Big XII football...one that always takes a toll mentally and physically on young quarterbacks. Remember what Chase Daniel looked like towards the end of last season (his first as a full time starter)? The season has ended. Will KU be sitting at home the first weekend of December watching somebody else in San Antonio...the nosepicking, booger eating, two dozen taco eatings frauds that they are? Or will they do the unthinkable? Will they be taking on the Sooners in San Antonio looking for one more win and maybe a shot at the National Championship? We see teams like this every year...and history tells us it's going to be the latter.

Take It To The Bank

Well the "Take It To The Bank" is back after a couple weeks off. Just in case you forgot the format, it'll be 5 games, including the Cats and one other Big XII matchup. Some of these will be a bit of a stretch, but it's all in good fun. Here we go:

Back To Reality

California is reeling after losing consecutive games to Oregon State and UCLA. If you missed those games a large problem for the Bears was the quarterback position, with redshirt freshman Kevin Riley filling in for the injured Nate Longshore. Well, Longshore is back and he's tired of his senior season being ruined by some rookie.

Statistically this game looks like it should be dominated by Arizona State. Remember, however, that they have played absolutely nobody of substance. Cal has too much firepower to be contained for three consecutive games, and the fall of Arizona State begins this weekend before playing Oregon, UCLA, and USC over the next three weeks. Get out your Red Bull to watch this kickoff at 10pm CST, but it will be fun to watch as Ariona State becomes the second team to fall from the ranks of the unbeatens on a day of upsets. California: 38, Arizona State: 31

World's Larget Outdoor Jackass Festival

Florida halted a two game losing streak last weekend with a victory over Kentucky. This year's showdown with Georgia holdes less significance than years past, but it would still appear to be a fairly even matchup. How Florida remains in the Top 10 with two losses is beyond me, but they do have playmakers across the board. Quarterback Tim Tebow can make plays running or throwing, but can be easily confused if Georgia chooses to mix up packages.

Perhaps no quarterback in the country is more overrated than Georgia's Matthew Stafford. Hyped as the second coming of Fran Tarkenton, Stafford has failed to impress anyone with a double-digit IQ. Georgia is young, and Florida is still Florida. I don't expect this game to be close as Florida takes the game 35-20.

Hooked

Is there a more pathetic display of a football program than the University of Nebraska? Seriously, I'm fairly certain that they couldn't beat UNO and I'm thinking a good high school team could hang at least 30 on the vaunted "Blackshirts." To make things worse, they begin a stretch of consecutive road games this weekend in Austin. I don't think it would be a stretch to say that the 'Skers will not be favored in another game this year. The line on this game is Texas -21, but the UNL players appear to have quit on Coach Bill Slashahan and his staff...not to mention Nebraska's defense ranks dead last in the Big XII. Austin, TX isn't exactly the ideal spot to try and iron out your wrinkles, either.

Focusing on football, expect Jamaal Charles to have a huge game on the ground against a team that is giving up on average almost 230 yards per game. Remember, heading into the Conference slate Charles was the Conference's leading rusher. Texas quarterback Colt McCoy shouldn't need to utilize his arm for much more than handing off, and Texas has more than enough talent on defense to be able to stop Sam "Soul Patch" Keller and Nebraska's awful, awful offensive attack. Nebraska may jump up and bite someone the remainder of the year, but it sure isn't going to be Texas. Texas: 45, UNL: 17

Back To Reality (Part II)

Well, well, well. Looks like the Mighty Fightin' Manginos think they're for real. Talks are coming from Lawrence of running the table, Big XII Championships, and (cough) even National Championships. That's all well and good, but what they forget is that they still have at least 5 games remaining, in at least 3 of which they will be favored by probably less than 5 points. Hmmm...remember the 2006 version of the Missouri Tigers?

Anyway, back to this game. UK has been relatively impressive to date, and I must say that they have far surpassed my expectations for anything the Fat Man could do. Statistically, they have been dominating, although many of the statistics are skewed by their weak non-conference schedule. The difficulty for UK lies in stopping the running game...more specifically the 300 pound monster known as Jorvorskie Lane (pictured). Lane is perhaps the most gifted running back in the league when you factor in size and his diversity, and he is the leader of the Aggie running attack which is best in the Big XII and 5th best in the nation. UK will face the single most diverse running attack that they will see all season, and it keys off of Lane, quarterback Stephen McGee, and big play man Michael Goodson.

This story has been nice so far if you're a Jayhawk fan, but Saturday starts the demise of the 2007 UK football season, and marks the official beginning of basketball season in Lawrence. UK loses this one as they are unable to stop the three-pronged running attack of the Aggies in a game that starts a Mizzou-like landslide for the Manginos. Texas A&M: 31 UK: 24

Happy Homecoming

A tough loss on the road last week in Stillwater leaves the Wildcats with plenty of questions, especially surrounding their run defense. Well, coming to town with all the answers is none other than Guy Morriss and his anemic Baylor Bears. Baylor boasts the 5th worst running attack in all of college football, averaging a little over 70 yard per game. To make things worse for Baylor, the previous leader of their passing attack has been replaced by a second time starter in Michael Machen. Machen made some fatal mistakes downfield in last weekend's loss to Texas, and that should leave the big play Wildcat secondary salivating.

Josh Freeman and the K-State offense have finally appeared to have turned the corner. A very impressive passing attack last weekend gave Josh his new career high with over 400 yard passing, 3 touchdowns, and perhaps mostly importantly zero interceptions. Add to it that Baylor has the 3rd worst total defense in the entire Big XII and the Wildcat offense should have another banner day tomorrow.

Another area for the Wildcats that needs improvement is kick coverage. Aside from fumbles last weekend, kick coverage was the key factor in the loss to Oklahoma State as the Wildcats gave up a touchdown on a kick return and allowed the Cowboys' final return up to near midfield to set up their game winning drive. But, back to save the day again are the Bears, who come into this game 111th nationally in kick return yardage with only 18 yards per return.

The last time the Bears traveled to Manhattan was 2003, for another Homecoming game, and they left with a 38-10 defeat. Don't expect this game to be much closer. The Wildcats should be able to move the ball at will, and the defensive matchup sets up very well for the Wildcats. K-State lays a Texas-sized ass kicking on the Bears, 48-13

And You Can Take THAT To The Bank...

Well Shoot! I Don't Know Where To Start

It's Homecoming week in Manhattan this week, folks. That means lots of food, lots of fun, lots of booze, and of course a giant beatdown by our football team over a helpless opponent. Right?

Well, not exactly. You see the Wildcats have only won 3 of their last 5 Homecoming contests...a much low percentage than you would like to see. That should all change this weekend, however, as the Guy Morriss and the Baylor Bears come to town. The Bears are 3-5, winless in Conference play, and only a shadow of the team that beat the Wildcats last year in Baylor. Oh yeah, and they will be giving Michael Machen his first career start. The thing about the Bears is they can't run...or actually they can't really do anything. They are 11th in the Conference in total offense and equally inept on defense where they rank 10th in the Conference.

Don't expect the Cats to overlook them after what happened last season, however. Josh Freeman has really come into his own over the past 3 weeks and this game should give the defense and chance to gain some confidence after being gashed by KU and Oklahoma State two of the last three weeks. Remember, a crucial stretch of games is upcoming for the Cats and they should be able to get rolling with an easy win this weekend. My prediction for the game will come tomorrow, when I unveil the "Buhl's Blog" version of "Take It To The Bank."

I mean what the hell. I'm bored and rarely have anything else to do but post on GoPowercat.com and do very minimal amounts of work (which is mostly on my computer anyway). So, I'm throwing around some ideas for weekly features and all sorts of things like that, but if you've got some advice or suggestions I would love to hear from you. Don't worry, this entry is pretty weak, and hopefully we will get much better as the days, weeks, and months go along.

Back to the game, remember that it isn't televised, so if you've got nothing better to do (which you don't) then there's no reason not to be in Manhattan yelling like hell and supporting the team. They need us, and I'm sure there will be plenty of recruits in town too. Kickoff is set for 2:35, with plenty of festivities before and after the game. I believe the tailgating starts in about an hour. And if you see that gal in the picture, ask her to show you her...umm...Wildcat pride. And tell her you'll show her yours in return!

Work In Progress

Well gang, this is my first attempt at something like this. It may be a bit rocky to begin with, but stick with me and hopefully we can do some really cool things with this site. I'm sure it will be no "Husker H8ters view of the World" but I'm sure it will be fun.