FanHouse DanMcCarney

The Big 12 North remains a ways from returning to the prominence it enjoyed when the conference first formed in the late 1990s, but if Saturday's matchup between Kansas State and Nebraska for the division title is any indication then better days are certainly on the horizon.

After years of struggles by the Kansas State Wildcats and the Nebraska Cornhuskers, which have coincided with a dip in the North's strength, the two meet Saturday in Lincoln for a winner-take-all showdown. Neither team has had quite the season it anticipated but each has won enough for the right to play for the Big 12 championship, likely against No. 2 Texas, Dec. 5.

"Certainly we've been in this position before, probably in different ways," said veteran Wildcats coach Bill Snyder, who broke out of a three-year retirement to return to the sidelines this season. "By the same token, I can't remember other than the very early years that playing against the Nebraska teams was not a great challenge and certainly key ball games were after those initial years after they beat us so soundly."

The daughter of former Iowa football player and Iowa State football coach Dan McCarney was arrested for allegedly trying to punch and kick a police officer during a weekend incident in which she reportedly asked police, "Do you know who my dad is?" and informed them that she knew her family's fame and wealth would lead to charges being dropped.

Jillian McCarney now faces up to a year in prison for assault on a police officer.

Last Year: (8-5, 4-4) Unranked.

Fans Are: Losing patience, if that's possible after a solid 8-5 season. Not much was expected of Missouri last year, but then the Tigers went out and won their first six games and very nearly a seventh behind a productive offense and stingy defense. Things fell apart soon thereafter as the Tigers went just 2-5 their last seven games including a last-second bowl loss to Oregon State. Coach Gary Pinkel's name has cooled a bit, but for several years he was a flight risk to more prime destinations.

Expectations: Don't repeat last year's heartbreak. Things were going good on both sides of the ball but both the offense and defense were never quite the same after a very winnable midseason 25-19 loss to Texas A&M. Junior quarterback Chase Daniel is one of the nation's best, so a quality offense is expected. The defense must rebuild but the hope is fresh faces can be more consistent than last year's sometimes dominant, sometimes porous unit.

Questions:

1. Can the offense carry this team?

Sure looks like it. A very good quarterback returns. He'll have both of his productive tight ends back. Tony Temple returns to help the running game. The starting line is loaded with juniors and seniors. This is about as good as it gets for an offensive coach and the Tigers back up their experience with a productive offensive scheme.

The goal for this spring should be to get everyone back on the same page and then start to look for next year's starters as these veterans have already proven themselves over the course of the last two seasons.

2. Can this season be a runaway success?

Absolutely. The schedule is difficult, but not daunting. The only elite opponents this year are Oklahoma and Nebraska and maybe Texas A&M. Every other game is categorically "winnable". Those games tend to come down to coaching and veteran poise. Last year Missouri won its winnable games in the first half of the season then lost them in the second half. If last year's players learned anything from those losses this season could be fairly special, in the range of 9-10 wins and a shot at the Big 12 Championship game if division rivals are taken care of.

3. Any closing thoughts?

Chase Daniel is awesome. He's a system quarterback, but he also has moxie and the ability to make plays with his feet. To date he's a better player than the more ballyhooed Brad Smith and should go down as one of the all time Missouri quarterbacks. Coach Pinkel is a quality coach but this season is fairly critical for him in that he must stay loose and avoid collapses like the one that happened last year. He is now the dean of Big 12 coaches and the last man to be named "dean" was soon pushed out the door (Iowa State's Dan McCarney).