Big 12 Roundtable - Week 9

9 comments so far October 24, 2007 by Jason Siffring

We're playing host to the Big 12 Blogger Roundtable this week. So come on in and make yourselves at home. Have a cookie. They're fresh out of the oven. Now tell us...

Will firing Steve Pederson help Nebraska's program long term or will they be as bad or worse off without him?

Darren Carlson: The key phrase here is long term. Pederson became such a polarizing figure among staff, fans, and big money boosters that he had to go. If his dismissal and replacement unifies things again, NU is much better off over the long term. Of course I won't know how NU will be *exactly* until we know who replaces him, after Osborne's interim AD stint.

And whomever gets that job on a full-time basis receives the benefit of the top-notch facilities that Pederson got built. So, he's got that going for him, which is nice.

Steve Hanway: What I wouldn't give to know that answer. My sense is it will hurt in the short term but help in the long run. The more we hear about Pederson the more it sounds like the right move.

Can Kansas keep winning conference games, not just this year but on into the future?

Steve:This year absolutely. Future years are questionable. Colorado is improving. Kansas State is improving. Missouri might be the class of the North. Nebraska now has nowhere to go but up. The South teams aren't going away. Outside of ISU and Baylor there are no gimmes and you don't see the major long-term signs that say this isn't just a good year for KU.

Darren: Yes. It is pretty clear by now that Mangino can coach Kansas in to a place where they have not been before. They are past their transitional period, and have both players and systems installed now. And, its not like the Big 12 is so full of juggernauts that he faces an impossible task week in and week out. I say - why not Kansas? They were one of the teams that bloggers and sportswriters called a "sleeper" to watch as the season began, anyway.

Is Sam Bradford at OU good enough to lead the Sooners to victories in all of their remaining games or will he meltdown again like he did late against CU?

Darren: The CU game just exhibits the lumps you sometimes take when you have a young QB. But, Bradford is good enough to deliver OU a Big 12 title, providing he has a defense and running game with him. But isn't at that the case with any quarterback? Seriously, Bradford has been one of the biggest/best stories in 2007. He has 20 TDs against 5 INTs. Yeah...he's good enough. If he played at UT, Brent Musburger would want to spoon him.

Steve: He's clearly vulnerable to first-year mistakes but the team around him may render that irrelevant. It may not be until they play a bowl game that it really hurts the Sooners again.

Do the routs of ISU and Baylor mean Texas is firing on all cylinders or will this be another disappointing season in Austin?

Steve: They may not be a BCS team, but they seemed to have fixed the major issues that would keep them from winning nine games.

Darren: No. Crushing ISU and Baylor means very little. Frankly, even if (when) UT blasts the Huskers, it won't mean much. The Horn's coaches and players will have to look for signs of progress in other ways...like the overall health of their team, quality practices, and wins over more competitive squads.

The run up to the end of the season includes teams that get incrementally better, ending with the battle at College Station. 10-2 is not out of the question by any stretch. Oh, and the UT folks will have to help me define "disappointing" for me. Is going 10-2 and a trip to the Holiday bowl disappointing? Is it BCS or bust down there? No, I'm seriously asking...

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