Proven Playmakers: QB Blaine Gabbert, RB Derrick Washington, WR Jerrell Jackson, DE Aldon Smith
Not Nebraska? No. Missouri had a very uneven first year rebuilding after losing a team that put Missouri back in the national spotlight. The injury to Blaine Gabbert during the Nebraska probably cost MU that game, and really derailed their season. Their bowl game performance was definitely a step backwards, but of all the teams in the North MU returns the best collection of skill players at RB/WR, potentially the best QB, and best returning OL talent. DE Aldon Smith figures to the defensive star after a great first year in 11.5 sacks. Will Ebner at LB will be expected to raise his game with the loss of Sean Witherspoon. Add in that Missouri adds the best recruited skill position talent in the division (Marcus Lucas could be an impact WR). Still Missouri being number one is more about what the other teams have lost and (total lack of faith in the skill/talent level NU has at QB)
With the reported dance between UT and Big Ten being publicized and CU a potential player in any Pac 10 expansion (rumblings of Missouri and Nebraska to the Big Ten as well), it would seem that the Big 12 is vulnerable to the various conference expansion goals of the Big Ten or Pac Ten.
Why is the Big 12 vulnerable? The outright incompetence of the conference office in negotiating the conference's TV package for starters. Not being aggressive in looking for expansion opportunities ahead of time. Seriously, an offer to Utah or BYU and TCU should have been made yesterday. You could easily add those two teams for a 14 team conference with some realignment. The obvious move is to split up OU and UT. They are the powers of the conference, and show zero signs of losing that status. Play 6 games in your division, 1 permanent game from the other division and then rotate the rest of the teams. Big 12 conference would be strengthened by the addition of the new teams.
Now, there's a lot of doubt that any change will occur. However, just like the start of WW1 basically occurred due to a fringe regional issue in the Balkans, one domino falls, the next domino falls and all of a sudden you have folks looking for seats on a lifeboat and others looking to make sure they don't get lost in the shuffle and miss out on a payday. If the recent acquisition of teams by the ACC several seasons ago has taught us anything it's that it is better to be in acquisition mode than in reacting mode.
So let's presume a massive conference swap meet is about to occur. How could it shake out.
1. Big Ten/Eleven goes to the Big 16 - for Football and Basketball
3. The SEC becomes a 16 team conference adding OU, ATM, FSU, Clemson. OU and ATM added to the West, FSU and Clemson added to the East.
4. The ACC/Big East merge for football with the following 16 (6 teams needed due to defection of Clemson/FSU); Add WVU, Cincinnati, Rutgers to the Coastal, add Pittsburgh, Connecticut, USF to the Atlantic.
5. The remaining teams from the Big 12, Big East, probably would find themselves added to a much improved 16 team Conference USA strengthened by the addition of Louisville, OSU, Baylor, Texas Tech, and ISU
The 4 new 16 team super-conferences legitimately would be in a position to divide up the BCS Bowls and create a plus one system. Conference champions meet in the Semis, Championship two weeks later in a massive TV event. You'd be hard pressed to suggest that out of those 64 teams you don't have the real elite of college football, the winner of one of those conferences who is then able to beat 2 additional conferences champions was not the best team in college football.
Once again, OU has a very good OOC schedule with a super competitive home game, a good home game and a very competitive road game. In a college football world where most of the teams plays a collection of the worst Div 1 teams that they can find to accept the money for the honor of being slaughtered, OU along with a few other teams plays a competitive, representative schedule. However, like last year, such a schedule when you have a very young team (massively amplified by injuries) does not give your team time to develop or survive the errors that can occur in month one. OU is going to have to hit the ground running or lose their current home game winning streak (FSU), and give a new coach a signature win for a program proving it can stay on top (Cincinnati). At least this year, OU opens at home in Norman against the worst team on their schedule rather than a packaged TV neutral site game against a top 25 team. So usual first game jitters should not be so lethal. Things get significantly harder after that.
UT Junior Day 1 is over. While they could be some activity tomorrow as kids go home for the most part the event is over. Their next Junior day is being played for after OU's event on the 20th.
So here's the recap.
13 Verbals:
9 with no real impact on OU at all
1 verbal OU really wanted, and OU might have trouble finding a comparable talent in Texas or in state- DT Desmond Jackson. Right now it does not appear to be a great year for DTs.
3 verbals that probably had OU offers or OU would have invited for their Texas focused Junior day. I think that OU can find equal or better talent in Texas, in state, or in region.
QB David Ash 6-3, 215, 4.6 OU Neutral (as much fun as Army of Darkness riffs would be for Sooner fans, OU was not interested in Ash at all)
WR Jaxon Shipley 6-1, 180, 4.5 OU Neutral (Jaxon joining Case McCoy as the next pair of "roommates QB/WR with a special connection")
WR Miles Onyegbule 6-4, 200, 4.5 OU Offer (Generally considered to be the 2nd best WR in Texas behind Trey Metoyer who is not at UT's Junior Recruiting Weekend, a win for OU. And OU already has WR Kameel Jackson verbaled who OU clearly thinks is a Top 3 type WR talent in Texas.)
FB Joe Bergeron OU Neutral
OL Josh Cochran 6-6, 270, OU Neutral
OL Taylor Doyle 6-5, 270 OU Neutral
LB Chet Moss 6-2, 225 OU Neutral (Anything that pushes Steve Edmond away from UT is a positive)
DT Desmond Jackson 6-2, 270 OU Offer (This is the first real hit. Best DT in Texas and it's a down year for DTs in Texas)
CB Leroy Scott 5-10, 180, OU Offer (Good CB prospect, but OU has Josh Turner to target in state. Very similar players)
ATH Mykkele Thompson 6-0, 168 OU Neutral (Rivals is calling him a WR. That's 3 at that position. I'd guess UT is full)
TE MJ McFarland 6-5, 235, 4.7 OU Neutral (An actual real TE for UT. OU seems focused on Chris Barnett 6-6, 240, 4. 7 from Dallas more)
OU has updated their first depth of 2010, and usually depth chart interpretation is pointless. However, sometimes you can find position moves and the odd demotion for motivational reasons. And with a month to go until spring football, a new depth chart will have to pass for football news.
Center: Gabe Ikard is listed as the backup center. Now I suggested in my position previews that moving Ikard to OL made a lot of sense. So seeing Ikard at center is a positive move, but where's Brian Lepak? Now Lepak was hurt before the Sun Bowl, but Ben Habern is listed on the depth chart and he's out for spring.<;/p>
LG: Bronson Irwin is the backup guard behind Stephen Good. The only true Freshman enrollee on the 2 deep.
TE: Eric Mensik (despite in every interview out there James Patton basically begging to keep Mensik at tackle) is the starter. James Ratterree is the backup, no sign of James Hanna (motivational candidate number one)
LT: Donald Stephenson 1st team. Stephenson rehab from academic liability to starting LT is temporarily complete
RG: Tyler Evans ahead of Tavaris Jefferies
Defense:
DE: Justin Chaisson ahead of RJ Washington at backup DE (motivational candidate number two)
SAM: Ronnell Lewis ahead of Austin Box. No Joseph Ibiloye?
MIKE: Tom Wort ahead of Daniel Franklin. I really thought that Ronnell would be given a shot at MLB.
WILL: Travis Lewis the starter is no surprise, but Jayden Bird as his backup is surprising. I thought Bird would be at MIKE LB
Boundary CB: As expected Jonathan Nelson is the starter
SS: Sam Proctor is first team, Joseph Ibiloye is second team. I'm very surprised that Ibiloye is not being listed at SAM LB. And no sign of Kevin Brent or Tony Jefferson
It just seems like signing day was last week (and it was), but already we are hitting two important weekends for OU's 2011 recruiting class.
Let's recap first. OU has two verbals for a class that looks to be in the 17 to 19 range depending upon NFL defections (Travis Lewis, Ryan Broyles) and other attrition. Recruiting priorities are DT, OL, WR, CB
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