Big 12 North
A lot of people make fun of the Big 12 North. They view it as the little brother of the more powerful South division in that conference. There is good reason to look at it that way. The South had three teams last season that had a legitimate claim to not only the conference championship, but the national championship as well. The winner of the North division was little more than a speed bump for Oklahoma as the Sooners powered their way into the national title game. Though Missouri has won the division two years in a row, they have lost badly against the Sooners in each of the last two big 12 championships games.
That is not to say there isn’t some good football in this division. Kansas is just a year separated from winning the Orange Bowl. Nebraska will always be a power in college football. Even Colorado appears to be regaining some steam after a couple of years at the bottom of college football. This is a division full of teams that are getting better, so don’t be surprised if the balance of power begins to shift in this conference that has long been dominated by the South.
A few years ago Colorado was embarrassed by getting shut out at home by Division 1-AA Montana State. Not to take anything away from those Bobcats, but it was one of the worst losses by a major college football team ever. The Buffaloes are slowly coming along after that devastating defeat, and responded last season with a respectable 5-7 record. That record included a win over a ranked West Virginia squad and a win over in-state rival Colorado State. Any time that the Buffaloes can get a win over the Rams all kinds of shirts are going to appear in the Colorado Buffalo store.
As mentioned above, Kansas has made quite a turnaround in recent years. 2007-08 was a good athletic year in Jayhawk country. The football team surprised many with a 12-1 season that featured a win in the Orange Bowl. The basketball team followed it up by winning the National Championship a few months later. While things weren’t as good last season, the Jayhawks still won the Insight Bowl over Minnesota. Any season that ends in a bowl win is a good one in college football, and consecutive bowl wins in Lawrence are rare. There is still plenty of Orange Bowl stuff available in the Kansas Jayhawk store.
Under Bill Snyder, Kansas State was a team that was always good, but not great. Many people remember their 1998 season where they had climbed from the basement of the Big 12 to being within one play of the national championship game. Things have dropped off a bit in Manhattan from that lofty perch, but the Wildcats did have a decent year last season behind first round draft pick Josh Freeman. Freeman will be long remembered in Manhattan, and his jersey will always be available in the Kansas State Wildcat store.
Missouri just sent the very decorated Chase Daniel to the NFL after he led them to consecutive Big 12 North division titles. Daniel was the consummate college quarterback, and he brought success to a program that has struggled mightily for sometime. The real question for the Tigers going in to 2009 will be if they can sustain that success. Missouri is a program that many people have said could be a juggernaut with the right mix of coaching and talent. Daniel’s success has upgraded the talent, so expect more Big 12 championship merchandise to be available in the future at the Missouri Tiger store.
You cannot have a discussion about the Big 12 North without talking about Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are one of the most storied programs in college football history. They haven’t done much since playing in the 2001 national title game. One has to be encouraged for 2009 as three of the Cornhuskers’ four losses last season came to teams ranked in the top 10. This is a team that is on the rise and could very easily return to its roots with the Blackshirt defense. A sleeping giant could be awakened this season, returning some championship products to the Nebraska Cornhusker store.
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