2021 Big XII Predictions

 

 

2020 Week 5 Big XII Awards

Game of the week : Oklahoma 53 - Texas 45  4OT :  The Red River Shootout was all that on Saturday.  The first half was tug here and tug there, OU going up by 10, Texas tying the game, and then the 2 entered halftime at 17 a piece.  The 3rd quarter and most of the 4th quarter it looked like OU had a 14 point win locked up and ready to head to Norman.  Then Sam took over and lead the 'Horns to 2 touchdowns in the last 3:28.  Both scored TDs in the first OT and then again in the 2nd OT with the Horns scoring on a great 25 yard scamper by Ehlinger.

Ehlinger AGAIN! @TexasFootball gets the TD to send the Red River Showdown to 3OT pic.twitter.com/MIrJof3rwr

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 10, 2020

In the third quarter both teams missed field goals. Texas had their's blocked by the Sooners and OU shanked it like one of my golf shots.  Then immediately in the 4th OT, the Rattler hit Drake Stoops in the endzone for a score, and added a 2 pt conversion.  

🗣 SPENCER RATTLER PUT THAT ON A DIME@OU_Football bounces back with the TD in 4OT 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Ul9A6gpWPy

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 10, 2020

Their D then sealed the win with a pick of Ehlinger.  Both teams now have 2 conference losses early in the season.  

Team of the Week : Iowa State : Could we be looking at the best team in the confernce even with a loss to Louisiana.  Take away 2 special teams gaffs and the Cyclones might be unbeaten.  The D did whatever it wanted to vs Texas Tech, a team that put up 500+ yards on Texas.  This week though they could only muster up 270 total and 95 through just the first 3 quarters.  Take away another special teams play the Red Raiders would have been held to 8 points.  Brock Purdy looked like Brock Purdy of what we remember.  He threw for 302 yards and 2 scores.  

The All-American @charliekolar_ with his first TD of the season to put the Cyclones up 21.

🌪️🚨🌪️ pic.twitter.com/iRn3jHPfWR

— Cyclone Football (@CycloneFB) October 10, 2020

Breece Hall, the ISU back, may have taken the lead of Big XII Player of the Year too with another solid outing of 135 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Iowa State gets a week off before a matchup with Oklahoma State in which the winner gets way out in front of everyone in a trip to Dallas and the Big XII Title Game.

Player of the Week : Breece Hall - RB - Iowa State : If there has been a model of consistency, its the Cyclones Breece Hall.  The Cyclone back has tallied 4 straight 100 yard games so far, racking up 8 touchdowns in the process far.  Saturday he added 135 and 2 vs the Red Raiders and made the running look effortless.  The way he is running reminds me sort of like another back from the state of Iowa in 2008 (Shonn Greene).  If Hall keeps posting the 100+ and multiple td games, he SHOULD be a finalist for the Doak Walker Award and that will most certainly keep Iowa State near the top of the Big XII all year long.

TD No. 7 for No. 28. #TheBeast

🌪️🚨🌪️ pic.twitter.com/xGOOsWDhJU

— Cyclone Football (@CycloneFB) October 10, 2020

2020 Week 4 Big XII Awards

Team of the Week : Iowa State - This was a close one with TCU, BUT when you get a win over a team for the first time on your home turf since 1960s you get the nod.  The game, played in front of some 15,000 fans, went back and forth after the first quarter.  OU marched down easily their first drive but the Cyclone D held them to a field goal.  Back and forth in the second half, with late in the 4th quarter OU recovered a Purdy fumble and went up 30-23.  Iowa State responded with a long kick return and scored 2 plays later to tie it up.  After a 3 and out from OU, the Cyclones and Breece Hall ran on the Sooners to go up 37-30.  Spencer Rattler then threw a pick sealing the ISU win.   OU is now 0-2 going into the Red River Shootout.  ISU moves to 2-0 in conference play with their only blemish being the loss to Louisiana in the opener. 

For the lead ⤵️

🌪️🚨🌪️ pic.twitter.com/k5jfKTAGLS

— Cyclone Football (@CycloneFB) October 4, 2020

Game of the Week : TCU 33 - Texas 31 :  The Big XII had really 3 good games this week and it could be easy to say the Iowa State - OU game, but I'll give the nod to TCU vs Texas.  For the second week in a row the Longhorns played from behind.  TCU started the scoring and from the play of Max Duggan and 2 turnovers took a 23-14 lead at Campbell-Williams Field.  Sam Ehlinger did his best to gun sling the Horns back for a second week in a row tossing for 4 scores but in the end was bested by Duggan and his legs.  Duggan threw for 231 yards, and added 79 on the ground with 2 scores.  If the Horns are going to compete for the Big XII they need to shore up the defense and get to where they aren't playing from behind.  Fun fact, the Horned Frogs are 7-2 vs Texas since joining the Big XII.  The state is turning purple from its burnt orange and maroon colors.

2020 Week 3 Big XII Awards

Team of the Week : Kansas State - 2 years in a row the Sooners went into a game vs KState and 2 years in a row they come out with an L.  Rattler didn't look as sharp as he did in Game 1, but the competition was a step up also.  The Wildcates went into the game short handed, and were also DOWN 21 in the second half and still came back to knock off the Sooners.  Chris Kleiman, after joining Kansas State from North Dakota State, is now 2-0 vs Oklahoma.  

Game of the Week : Texas 63 - Texas Tech 56 - This thing was a Wild West Shootout in Lubbock.  The Red Raiders got up by 15 on the Longhorns in the 4th quarter.  Then Ehlinger took out his six shooters and the Horns also got a lucky bounce on a onside kick.  It lasted one OT and Texas applied its grip on Tech to escape with a win.

Player(s)of the Week : Breece Hall - RB - Iowa State : The second year RB opened the scoring with a 75 yard scamper in the 2nd quarter vs TCU.  He helped the Cyclones seal the win with 2 more scores in the 4th quarter.  Hall finished with 155 yards with those 3 scores.  

7️⃣5️⃣ yards to paydirt for @BreeceH

🌪️🚨🌪️ pic.twitter.com/Js8QsRRfZl

— Cyclone Football (@CycloneFB) September 26, 2020

Sam Ehlinger - QB - Texas : Arguably the leader in the clubhouse for the Heisman.  Versus the Red Raiders, Ehlinger tossed 5 tds, ran for another and lead the Horns back from down 15 in the last 3:13 of the game to force Overtime.  Also tossed a two point conversion to tie the game at 56 to send it to OT.  The Longhorns QB rushed for 70 yards and tossed 262 along with those scores.

🤘 @sehlinger3 did it all today for @TexasFootball pic.twitter.com/BE95QmrS7A

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 27, 2020

Iowa State's Jamie Pollard Podcast

Excellent podcast by Chris Williams of CycloneFanatic and KXNO with Iowa State's Jamie Pollard.     

Pollard is one of, in my opinion, the most open and honest Athletics Directors out there.  I put Gene Smith and Barry Alvarez up there in that group too.

Great listen with whats going on at Iowa State and a lot of what's going on in Ames and a lot of campuses across the nation with the state of Covid.  

2020 Week 1 Big XII Picks

If you followed my twitter feed in the past, or way before that my posts on my old blog Wide Right, I am a Big Ten fan.  I follow it the most, I bet on it, and usually have conference only pick'ems for it on Yahoo Fantasy or CBS Fantasy.  With the Big Ten being on the sidelines, as of now, I'll be focusing on the Big XII.  I usually follow them the second after the B1G, and have conference only pick'em for them also.  Here are my picks for this week for Week 1.

Game of the Week

Louisiana vs Iowa State

11 AM - ESPN - Line ISU (-11.5)

Louisiana is a favorite to win the SunBelt conference; Iowa State is a dark horse to make it to the Big XII title game and is a Top 25 team (Top 10 for Tim Brando).  Iowa State has a history of starting slow out of the gates and had trouble with UNI last year in its opener.  They can't take the Cajun's lightly here.  With only family, and cheer squad and band in the stands the atmosphere won't be raucous as it usually is in Jack Trice.  I think you see Louisiana come out swinging here and take a lead maybe up to 10 points but I don't think Brock Purdy lets the Clones lose.  

PICK : Iowa State 34-21

BIG XII Weekly Picks

Like most opening weeks, going straight chalk.  From experience in the past something always happens and there is a slip up.  Enjoy the first week of big time college football COVID-19 style.

BIG XII Scoreboard

Iowa State 2020 Uniforms

The Cyclones are adding a new patch to their uniforms this year to honor Jack Trice. Really cool thing to add to the jesrey.

New Jack Trice Patches for 2020! 🌪🏈 pic.twitter.com/BoFcTxYX9r

— Cyclone Equipment (@CycloneEQUIP) September 1, 2020

The Big Game 6er!

1. Iowa struggled to get by NIU this past weekend, Iowa State rumbled past Tulsa to set up a 1-0 matchup in Iowa City for the ‘new’ CyHawk trophy.  Iowa hasn’t lost to ISU in Kinnick since 2002, and some feel that Iowa State maybe the more talented team going into the game Saturday.  What happens?  Who wins?

Matt – I really don’t have a feel, ISU played better the first game of the year.  ISU I think is the most talented team and I like their LBs as the best unit on the field.  I think though that this mirrors last year’s game.  Iowa had the more impressive first game last year, ISU struggled.  ISU pulled off the win at home.  I could see that happening this year, flip-flopped.  I’m thinking somewhere Iowa pulls a play out and eecks out a win in the 4^th and the defense this year stops Steele Jantz and the Hawks can run out the clock with a W.   Hawks 24-Clones 23

Wendt – Iowa-27 Iowa State-13

Painter – Iowa has way more talent but is transitioning.  I think Iowa's passing game will greatly improve (Vandenberg is a million times better at Kinnick.  The game will either end with ISU winning by a few points or Iowa winning by double-digits.

Blake – I've gone back and forth.  On the surface, it seems like ISU should win.  However Iowa is so successful at home, and in home openers, and I think it took a while to realize how good NIU played, that now I'm favoring Iowa a little.  Still wouldn't bet on this game either way

BSox – I don’t think I’m going too far out there to say I think Iowa will win, but I do believe that it will be a close game. I think if Iowa would have had better luck in the red zone this weekend, there would be a different feeling going into the game. So away we go again. We’ll see what happens this year.

Majors – With every fiber of my being I am willing the Hawks to a win. I am just not sure, though. We seemed to be in neutral all game, and NIU's front 7 just manhandled us it seemed. Go Hawkeyes!!!

Zach – Iowa did struggle last week to Northern Illinois, and I can't wait for tomorrow to come around so the talk can stop for at least three hours. Anyway, Iowa State looked too impressive to lay an egg on Saturday. Jantz shouldn't have many problems, but Iowa hangs around in this game. ISU 28, Iowa 24

2. Week 1 of the college season is in the books…Penn State got beat by Ohio, Alabama rolled Michigan, Boise State couldn’t pull off the upset in East Lansing and UNI almost pulled a shocker in Madison.  What are your week 1 impressions?

Matt – Alabama has as good of a defense as some NFL teams.  I think if they can get any offensive production, mark them down for the title game.  No other SEC team impressed me.  USC looked good and I liked Michigan State and Va Tech.  Baylor also trying to not miss a step without RG3.

Wendt – Alabama was very impressive and Denard Robinson is still a glass quarterback and will never amount to anything in the NFL (he better not be a Heisman finalist either) Nebraska looked good apparently (I didn't watch but just heard) Ohio is actually a better team than most people were giving them credit. USC is legit

Painter – Same as every year, there was a lot of sloppiness all over, especially on the teams that have new coaches/coordinators.  It's also very difficult to replace players at the college level.  The good teams were making their presence felt

Blake – Alabama and USC are really good.  Everything is is still open for discussion

BSox – I think its too early to really get into real deep impressions. We know the SEC is tough, big ten is down, big 12 barely plays D, and Oregon will have great uniforms all season. That’s what we know.  By the way, I do like oregon’s uniforms. I don’t care if it is a huge money makers just for nike, I think they are sweet. Love the helmets.

Majors – Helloooo Alabama! They looked ready to go, which is typical Saban when he has time to prepare. I think it will still be a great season, and there are more twists & turns ahead.

Zach – Penn State's marketing department better get to work on how to market their basketball season right now, Ohio might be the "Boise" of the nation this season, Mike Leach now realizes what kind of buzzsaw he's run into, and oh yeah, the SEC is still going to be the best conference by December.

Ok, NFL time, the season starts on Wednesday with the Giants and Cowboys.  Who you got?

3.  Who wins the NFC?  Any darkhorse contenders?

Matt – I’m going with the Packers here.  I think the Bears could cause some trouble (if healthy) and the Giants and Niners are still there.

Wendt – Green Bay (keep an eye on Seattle)

Painter – Green Bay will be really strong again (hopefully the defense improves) and Detroit should push them in the division.  Carolina and Atlanta will be strong too but the Packers will be looking to get back to the Super Bowl.

Blake – I think the 49ers have a real chance, along with the Bears and Packers

BSox – Safe bet is the packers. But its weird to think Chicago or detriot could be up there too. Dang that division is loaded. Dark house would proly be the giants…I mean come one they have to be right?

Majors – I think the Packers win the NFC. Watch the Seahwaks though, I like Russell Wilson, and that D could be nasty.

Zach – Rematch of last year and for my sake, it better not be the same outcome. Don't sleep on the Seahawks as long as T.O. stays low with his mouth

4.  Who wins the AFC?  Any darkhorse contenders?

Matt – Going with defense.  The Ravens.  I like Houston to be a dark horse.

Wendt – New England (keep an eye on Houston)

Painter – You can never bet against New England but Baltimore may be in line to take over.

Blake – Patriots again, but I could see the Ravens or Broncos getting there too

BSox – If its true and the pats are a good bet, steelers are usually there, and the ravens….the ravens need to get it done soon, or they will be too old. Dark horse here isn’t really a dark horse, but Denver will be fun to watch, they were already a playoff team, and I cant see how they’d take a step back with an upgrade at QB

Majors – I want to say the Texans, but losing Demeco Ryans & Mario Williams hurts. I still think they are a tough out, though. Darkhorse? Well, if Run DMC can stay on the field & Carson can throw to the correct team, the Raiders could pull some surprises. They do have a TON of 1 ET games, which is a death sentence for West Coast teams.

Zach – Houston vs. New England. Yes, Houston. They have to have SOMETHING to cheer for. Winner: Those damn Pats. In terms of darkhorses, look out for Kansas City

5.  Who wins the the Super Bowl and MVP?

Matt – Ravens win.  Ray Rice MVP…Ed Reed and Ray Lewis retire as champs

Wendt – New England with Tom Brady as MVP

Painter – I really want Green Bay to win it but I don't know if they'll be able to get past Baltimore in the Super Bowl.

Blake – I'll take the Patriots.  They've been so close the last few years, and I can't see Brady and Belichek going out without one more

BSox – Really?

Majors – I am going with the Packers, but watch the Ravens, they could have 1 final run in them.  MVP is Rodgers.

Zach – Pats beat the 49ers. Sigh

6. Michael Clark Duncan passed away this past weekend, what’s your favorite MCD movie?

Matt – He’ll be remembered most for the Green Mile but he was a pretty good Kingpin in Daredevil

Wendt – The Green Mile with honorable mention to Daredevil

Painter – I thought he was great in Armageddon and Green Mile

Blake – Green Mile.  Not even close. 

BSox – I’m gonna go with Armageddon, simply because I always laugh at him on the motorcycle, and yelling “COME GET PAPA BEAR!”

Majors – Any of them, he was awesome. I liked watching him & the Rock together, real life best friends that carried over to the screen. Will be surely missed.

Zach – The dude appeared in everything it seemed like, so if I may, I'll claim three. His role in "Married With Children" as a bouncer, his voiceovers in "Family Guy" and his role in "The Whole Nine Yards" were the funniest for me, but playing John Coffey was definitely his signature role

Big Ten Picks – Week 2

The Big Ten had a nice win last week with Michigan State knocking off Boise State, then had a thud with Michigan getting rolled by the Crimson Tide in Dallas.  Penn State also had a dose of reality with Ohio knocking them off.  The conference went 10-2 for the opening week.  Week 2 offers a couple rivalries, a couple Big Ten teams heading out west to face off vs the Pac-12 and a few other interesting games. 

BIG TEN

Game of the Week

IOWA STATE vs IOWA

The Hawks and Clones both pulled off wins over sub-BCS FBS teams in Northern Illinois and Tulsa.  Two teams that should be conference champions or at the very least contending late in the year.  Iowa had a struggle in Chicago and won on a touchdown in the final minutes in Chicago and ISU pulled off a defensive stop and tacked on more points to put the Hurricane away.  Iowa State hasn’t won in Iowa City since 2002, but pulled off the upset last year in OT behind Steele Jantz.  Can they repeat that magic?

The Games, The Picks

Game	Matt	Chad	Kyle
Purdue at Notre Dame	Notre Dame	Notre Dame	Notre Dame
Michigan State at Central Michigan	Michigan State	Michigan State	Michigan State
New Hampshire at Minnesota	Minnesota	Minnesota	Minnesota
Nebraska at UCLA	Nebraska	Nebraska	Nebraska
Vanderbilt at Northwestern	Vanderbilt	Vanderbilt	Vanderbilt
Illinois at Arizona State	Arizona State	Arizona State	Arizona State
Indiana at Massachusetts	Indiana	Indiana	Indiana
Wisconsin at Oregon State	Wisconsin	Wisconsin	Wisconsin
Iowa State at Iowa	Iowa	Iowa	Iowa
Central Florida at Ohio State	Ohio State	Ohio State	Ohio State
Air Force at Michigan	Michigan	Michigan	Michigan
Penn State at Virginia	Virginia	Virginia	Virginia

Jimmy John’s Big Ten Challenge Standings

Chad: 11-1

Matt: 11-1

Kyle: 10-2

Kickoff Weekend Friday 6 Pack

Iowa and Iowa State open this week.  Iowa goes to Chicago to take on Northern Illinois and Iowa State hosts Tulsa.  Both could and should make noise for conference titles in the MAC and Conf USA.  Will either team knock off their BCS opponents?

1. Iowa vs NIU prediction

Matt – NIU has been hit with some injuries and graduated a few players from their 10 win team last year but should still be good.  Iowa’s DL is a question and who’s going to run the ball?  I think this game is close like the last time in Chicago and but Iowa seperates in the 4^th quarter.  23-10 Hawks

Painter – It's going to be a sloppy game but Iowa should, and had better, win this game.  I don't know if I can tolerate a repeat of the last time Iowa played NIU at Soldier....

Wendt – Iowa-24 Northern Illinois-15

Blake – 27-17 Iowa

BSox – Pretty sure iowa will win, but I wouldn’t be surprised if its closer than what people think. Considering it’s the first game, the lack of running backs, and the new coaches…might be closer than what people think. Should be interesting though

Silker – Iowa starts slow but pulls off a win. 30-27

2. ISU vs Tulsa prediction

Matt – I think this game is similar to the Iowa-NIU game.  I think this game will be tight in the 4^th quarter.  With that I’m going to give the ISU LB’s a nod and they’ll make a big play when needed to stop the Golden Hurricane.  ISU makes it 1-0 to the Iowa game.  Cyclones 31-26

Painter – ISU's offensive line will look like Swiss cheese and they will barely pull this one off, but of course they aren't looking toward Iowa just yet...

Wendt – Iowa State-27 Tulsa-21

Blake – 32-17

BSox – Another game that could be closer than you’d think. I know it’s a close spread with Tulsa being favored, but I’m really curious to see how jantz plays. Last season, he was amazing when he was on, but when he was off, it got bad real quick. So I’m interested to see how he reacts and what he looks like now as compared to last year

Silker – ISU demolishes and wins big. 24-3  -- Because the only two games mattering this weekend are:UNI 10 Wisconsin 52; Notre Dame 31 Navy 24

3. Big name players are hitting the chopping block in the NFL, TO by the Seahawks, Vince Young by the Bills.  Also 5 rookies will start week 1 in the NFL at QB.  What is the move your shocked by the most and what is the biggest story of the preseason?

Matt – ESPN is choking everyone with Tebow & the Jets creating stories.  Diva wide recievers in TO & Ochocinco being cut.  Those stories are getting most pub, but how about Russell Wilson in Seattle and the other 4 rookie starters?  Is this 1983 (Year of the QB in the draft) all over again?  I think that is more interesting.  And MJD, when will he play and where? 

Painter – The most shocking move was that Seattle signed TO in the first place and the biggest story of the preseason is my own retirement from fantasy football

Wendt – Billy Cundiff being cut by Baltimore was surprising but nothing has really shocked me this preseason

Blake – Just how fast successful veterans fall out of this league.  You mentioned two, Randy Moss sat out last year.  I still think back to how fast Shaun Alexander dropped a few years ago

BSox – Russell Wilson is pretty interesting considering they thought Flynn might be their guy. I thought they’d leave him on the bench for a bit to learn the system, and make the move later. Otherwise, TO wasn’t a total surprise, that was 50/50 to me. otherwise, the biggest story is probably the refs, and how bad the stand in refs are. No one gets too upset in a preseason game, will be interesting to see reactions on these horrible calls in a game that matters

Silker – Biggest move is that we are still talkin about Seattle. Pete Carroll always likes is talkin about him as much as Rex Ryan. That is why TO was brought in. Seattle wins 7 games this year and Carroll is on the hot seat next year. Biggest preseason story is the lack of offense for the Jets. Can you hear the Tebow chants already!

4. The Dodgers and RedSox pulled off a HUGE trade with Beckett, Gonzalez and Crawford leaving Beantown and joining the Dodgers.  Does this move make the Dodgers the favorites in the NL?

Matt – I thought the Dodgers where NL Champs before the season, and this I think will just help them get past the Giants and rest of the NL.  Don’t shy away from the Cardinals too, how do they always do this?

Painter – Nope

Wendt – I'm not gonna lie, I completely missed this deal but I still think the Reds are the favorite in the NL 

Blake – If the Nats shut Strasburg down, you have to think so.  LA has more experience than the Nats anyway, so they still might come out of the NL.

BSox – Depends on how the gel. The dodgers seem like that team that could just fall apart at any point just because of their recent history. We’ll see

Silker – Yes. Boston dumped everyone they could and will rebuild for the next ten years. The dodgers are now penent favorites and will be a force to recon with. McCourt is kicking himself for going backrupt.

5. Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth got into it a bit at this weekends race with Tony chucking his helmet at Kenseth’s car. Dumber way to retaliate, chucking a helmet at a car, hitting a guy wearing a football helmet with your fist, or charging the mound where a pitcher is waiting for you along with his infield teammates?

Matt – Hitting a dude in a football helmet is stupid.  That’s broken fingers or hand written all over it.  Tony made a great toss of his helmet though, but I do wonder if that could have gone off in the stands and hurt someone?  I’m sure there is a fine coming.

Painter – If you throw a helmet you had better hope it doesn't get hit toward anyone else.  At least with the other two you are risking your own safety more than others.  That being said Tony had pinpoint accuracy on his toss and it was much needed for NASCAR

Wendt – Hitting a football player with their helmet on is by far the dumbest move ever 

Blake – Car's are big, so I wouldn't do that.  Hitting a helmet is just stupid, so of course I'd rather charge the mound.

BSox – I thought the tony/matt thing was great, and I loved the helmet toss. I’d say dumbest is proly punching a guy with a face mask, that’s just a no win scenario

Silker – Classic will always be charging the mound. It shows that you don't care and are about to take it

6. The Summer Movie season is pretty much over.  What was your movie of the Summer and what is the flop?

Matt – The Colorado shooting seems to have put a black cloud on the movies this summer.  It took the steam out of Batman and I think everything since then.  Avengers is the movie of the summer.  Bust (of what I’ve seen) is going to be Total Recall.  It didn’t separate itself from the original enough but Jessica and Kate…mmmm.

Painter – Avengers carried the banner for the 2012 summer movie season.  The flop was the movie theater in Perry for not having a fully-functional sound system in one of its 3 theaters, and of course it was the one that the movie I took the kids too was showing in.

Wendt – I can honestly say that I don't think I watched any of the "summer blockbusters" and will probably see them when they hit DVD/Netflix

Blake – I have a near two year old...I don't watch new movies.  

BSox – I’d say avengers, ted, or dark knight…and out of that I enjoyed avengers the most. Otherwise, I didn’t see too many other movies, and couldn’t tell you which I saw that was the biggest flop sorry

Silker – I didn't see many but Batman was pretty good

NFL and IOWA/ISU predictions next week