FanHouse Cody Hawkins

There is nothing new about Bob Stoops matching coaching wits with old mentor and boss Bill Snyder. They've done plenty of that over the years in Big 12 cross-divisional play.

But that doesn't mean Stoops isn't a little surprised to see Snyder, 70, back on the Wildcats sideline. The longtime Kansas State coach retired four years ago to pursue opportunities outside coaching, but was lured out of retirement last winter.

Stoops, whose 22nd-ranked Sooners host the Wildcats on Saturday, admits it's a little unexpected to be going up against his old boss again, but he was stunned when Snyder was no longer there, too.

Conventional wisdom says Tyler Hansen should have been wary.

You don't commit to a program where the quarterback you will be competing with for time is the head coach's son. Period.

But that is exactly what the lightly-recruited Hansen did two years ago when he committed to Dan Hawkins and the Colorado Buffaloes, with Cody Hawkins already entrenched as the team's signal caller. Ever since, it had been a rollercoaster ride for Hanson.

So much for the Big 12 North being taken seriously this season.

On a day when division leaders Kansas and Nebraska had a chance to make a statement, both teams were upset, and stunningly so.

No.15 Nebraska was exposed offensively in a 31-10 loss to unranked Texas Tech in Lincoln, Neb. And the 17th-ranked Jayhawks, which hadn't played a quality opponent until Saturday, was stunned, 34-30, by a one-win Colorado team for their first loss of the season.

Both defeats have left the door open for supremacy in the North with darkhorses Colorado and Kansas State perhaps having a shot at the division title. The Wildcats exploded on Texas A&M Saturday for after struggling offensively most of the season.

We all knew the Kansas Jayhawks offense had a chance to be lethal this season with quarterback Todd Reesing and wide receivers Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier setting the pace.

Well, the trio took it to a ridiculous level Saturday as the receivers bested each other during the Jayhawks' 41-31 win over Iowa State. First Briscoe set the school record for career receptions, then Meier jumped ahead of him. Meier, a converted quarterback, has 167 career catches while Briscoe sits at 165 after making 12 catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns Saturday.

Every college football season there seems to be at least one major conference that's projected to be among the best , only to find out it's all just hype.

Could this season be the Big 12's turn?

Projected to be one of the top two conferences in the country, along with the SEC, there is now a small mountain of evidence indicating the Big 12 isn't the conference we thought it would be. The league has already suffered more than it share of stunning upsets in non-conference play, starting at the top.

Few things in life are as heartwarming as a lifelong bond between father and son. Playing catch in the backyard. Going fishing. Hell, getting a little homework help. But then young men eventually grow up and gain independence and make decisions that take them away from their fathers.

Nowhere is that more public than in the recruiting game. Many times a player will stick with his father (see Luke Bellotti playing at Oregon for his father Mike Bellotti or quarterback Cody Hawkins heading to Colorado to play for his old man). But while blood may be thicker than water, sometimes blood doesn't have the pull it should.

Last year, Georgia coach Mark Richt's son Jon Richt pledged to play quarterback for Clemson over his fathers' Dawgs. No doubt a tough decision for a closeknit family like that. The separation continues this year as it is rumored UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker's son Kevan, a receiver prospect, will not stick with dear old dad at UCLA but instead play for the Oregon State Beavers.

The upshot to all of this is that while recruiting is a competitive, sometimes nasty business, coaches recruiting a fellow coaches' son must tone down his pitch which can only help but improve relations between coaches.

That didn't take long.

Two minutes into his collegiate debut, Cody Hawkins has engineered an 83-yard touchdown drive for Colorado. The capper was a beautiful 20+ yard touchdown pass to put the Buffaloes up 7-0 over rival Colorado State.

Hawkins is coach Dan Hawkins' son whose game is reminiscent of Chris Leak. Colorado is about a three point favorite in this hotly contested rivalry game.

I'm all for having a realistic outlook on life, and I understand the importance of doing one's best. That being said Nick Nelson, a junior college transfer at Colorado, might be taking things a bit too seriously. This is what he had to say about his battle with Cody Hawkins for the Buffaloes starting quarterback job:

"I think it's real crucial because this is my last chance," Nelson said. "If Cody starts, I'm pretty much done. I'm going to be a backup for the rest of my career. So that puts a little extra pressure on me, but that's OK. I can handle it. I like pressure."

Pretty much done? A little extra pressure? I'm pretty sure this is what psychologists call "catastrophisizing". I understand that you're facing an uphill battle in trying to beat out the coaches son, but relax Nick, you've only been campus since January. It should come as no surprise then that, while Cody and his dad were off spring breaking with Urban Meyer, Nelson was busy criticizing his own play.

"I've got to pick it up a little bit. I can't be making some of the mistakes I've been making."

Nick Nelson – he's so emo.

Spring break is traditionally a time for college kids to head to Florida. Its not surprising then that Colorado quarterback Cody Hawkins did just that a few weeks ago. What is surprising, however, is that Hawkins took his father, Colorado head coach Dan Hawkins with him, and the two spent some time with Urban Meyer and the Florida Gators.

"I think it's really good to get out and just compare notes and see how other people do things," [Dan] Hawkins said. "It makes you think not so much what they do but what you do and why you do it. "It was nice. Went to a lot of meetings and just soaked it up."

No mention of beer bongs and wet t-shirt contests, and I'm shocked that MTV didn't bother to cover their exploits. But the trip sounds about right for a team coming off a 2-10 record in 2006. Sometimes its just good to get away and experience something new. You know, like a winning attitude.

"From those guys, I think probably the biggest thing you can learn is just the swagger and dedication to it," Cody Hawkins said. "...I was just noticing how dedicated the players were to everything. I mean, they were Gator football players and they really took pride in playing football for the University of Florida."

Last Year: 2-10, Unranked

Fans Are: Stoned, and/or skiing

Expectations: Fewer embarrassing losses. Win six games and head to a lower-tier bowl.

Questions:

1. Is Montana State on the 2007 schedule?

Thankfully they are not. Colorado loses the I-AA giant killer, but will still have to contend with in-state rival Colorado State, Arizona State, Florida State and Miami (OH) on their non-conference slate. The Buffaloes face their toughest big 12 opponents – Oklahoma, Missouri and Nebraska – at home, but must travel to Baylor, Kansas State, Texas Tech and Iowa State. Even the most optimistic CU fan would be hard-pressed to find six "automatic" wins from that list to get the Buffs bowl eligible come December.

2. Can incumbent QB Bernard Jackson hold off challenges from Cody Hawkins and Nick Nelson?

Probably not. While Jackson has a season of experience under his belt, his performance was underwhelming at best. He completed fewer than 50% of his passes and had as many interceptions (7) as touchdowns. While Jackson is a threat to run – gaining 80 or more yards rushing in 4 games – he will never be mistaken for Michael Vick.

Hawkins is a redshirt freshman and the coach's son, which gives him an advantage as he attempts to grasp the offense. He fancies Chris Leak and carries an impressive resume as a high school All-American and the Gatorade Player of the Year for Idaho in 2005. He lacks size (5-11, 190 pounds), but should be fine as long as he inherited his father's famed intensity. Nelson is a JUCO transfer who enrolled in January. He played against solid competition in the California JUCO system and threw for over 2000 yards and 18 TDs in 2006. If he manages to pick up the offense in the spring he will add depth and could wind up as the starter come August.

More than likely Hawkins or Nelson wins the starting job in the fall and Jackson is used as a QB in certain packages or moves back to RB or WR where he saw time in 2005.

3. Can Patrick Williams finally become the Buffaloes' go-to-guy at wide receiver?

Maybe. Williams arrived in Boulder as one of their most-heralded WR recruits in years but has yet to live up to his billing. Thus, for the third year in a row coaches and fans find themselves projecting a "break out" year from the 6-2, 200 pound junior. Some of his lack of progress can be attributed to CU's woeful QB play, but Williams caught just 20 balls for 303 yards and one TD in 2006. The Buffaloes have lacked a true deep threat since guys like D.J. Hackett, Jeremy Bloom and Derek McCoy departed. Although Williams is part of an experienced group of receivers that returns in 2007, that unit accounted for just three touchdowns in 2006. If Colorado can iron out their quarterback situation and find a playmaker at wide receiver, their offensive production – which ranked 102^nd nationally in 2006 – should improve.