FanHouse Gary Pinkel

It's just three weeks into the full-swing of Big 12 play but the North Division is looking like any of the six teams could win the race.

That doesn't necessarily bode well at all for the weaker half of the two-division league.

Nebraska and Kansas came into the season as the presumed favorites to represent the North, but after two weeks of inconsistent play neither seems as powerful. The same can be said for two-time North champion Missouri, which started the season a surprising 4-0, but has dropped its first two games of the Big 12 season.

It's not like Texas and Oklahoma ever needed a reason to make their annual Red River Rivalry game in Dallas any more intense.

The tradition of the two programs, the bordering states and the fight for superiority in fertile recruiting ground of Texas use to be enough. Who knew this early season game would take on so much more meaning when both teams joined the Big 12 in 1996?

This game has become about so much more than school pride and bragging rights, as one of these two teams has won the South each of the last 10 years, and it has sometimes set the stage for the national championship picture.

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- In terms of rivalries, Missouri-Nebraska still doesn't quite measure up to Ohio State-Michigan, Texas-Oklahoma or USC-Notre Dame.

That isn't to suggest this rivalry hasn't had its moments during the 102 previous meetings that date back to 1892.

But in recent years, especially since the Gary Pinkel-era began at Missouri nine years ago, this Big 12 North matchup has produced quite a few fireworks. There was last year's 52-17 spanking the Cornhuskers took from Missouri in their own Memorial Stadium, marking the first time since 1978 that Mizzou had won in Lincoln. In 1997, an unranked Missouri team came within a miracle catch of upsetting the No.1 Cornhuskers in a co-national championship year.

Maybe it's premature to start trumpeting the return of the Big 12 North, but if the non-conference success of the big-three North teams is any indication this could be an interesting season.

Nebraska and Kansas were expected to dominate the weaker of the league's two divisions, but it appears they will have company. Missouri, which is supposed to be in a rebuilding mode after back-to-back North titles, is off to a surprising 4-0 start that catapulted the program into the Top 25 this week at No. 24.

Most college football coaches seem to prefer easing into the non-conference portion of the schedule before the fun really starts during league play.

But for three Big 12 schools, the start of the season will be anything but a breaking-in period this upcoming weekend.

Missouri and Illinois meet in St. Louis, third-ranked Oklahoma takes on No. 20 BYU in Arlington, Texas, and the marquee matchup features No.13 Georgia at No. 9 Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon.

Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops was mentioned as one of the Sooners coaches guilty of committing several minor NCAA violations in connection with apparent inadvertent phone calls and text messages, according to a report obtained by the Associated Press on Friday.

Documents from Oklahoma's self-report show that Stoops and assistant football coach Jackie Shipp, along with assistant women's basketball coach Stacy Hansmeyer, made impermissible phone calls to a recruit. Head women's basketball coach Sherri Coale also mistakenly sent a text message to a perspective student-athlete.

During the past three seasons, Missouri football has risen to unprecedented heights.

Some would even say the Tigers' recent exploits at one point were unimaginable. Preseason and in-season national Top 10 rankings. Back-to-back Big 12 North Division titles. Four straight bowl appearances.

That certainly wasn't your father's Missouri Tigers football program. Thanks to head coach Gary Pinkel and his model of consistency, the Tigers blossomed into a team about which their alumni and fanbase could get excited.

But with a large number of departing starters, including record-breaking quarterback Chase Daniel, the first changes in Pinkel's coaching staff in his nine seasons in Columbia and the resurgence of the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the North, just like that the magic seems to be gone.

Dude! We're awesome! Jeremy Freaking Maclin! Psst ... did last year really happen? And psst! Are we really ranked No. 6 in the preseason AP poll? Why yes, we are. Also: why didn't this happen a few years ago under Brad Smith?

Welcome to the manic world of Missouri football where, yes Virginia, it really did happen last year. But uh, let's try and beat Oklahoma this time boys?

Why They'll Win

Momentum. After years of frustration, of big tease 6-0 type starts before collapses, Missouri turned the corner last year. The psychological value of that is immeasurable.

A total of 14 starters return including Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback Chase Daniel and All America quality defenders William Moore and Sean Weatherspoon. Missouri showed a lot of poise in beating Illinois and Mississippi early, then hanging close to Oklahoma to open at 5-1. They never lost again until the Big 12 Championship Game.

The schedule actually lightens up a bit this year, as Oklahoma is replaced with Texas and the non-conference slate includes Southeast Missouri, Nevada and Buffalo.

First Gary Pinkel was scheduled to throw out the first pitch for the Cardinals on Opening Day. Then Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin had to take his place. Now another of the Big 12's coaching brethren has gotten his shot on the mound for a ceremonial first pitch. Kansas coach Mark Mangino got the call on Tuesday at the Kansas City Royals home opener at Kauffman Stadium. In addition, Gary Pinkel was actually involved in this ceremony as well, albeit only by way of the stadium's video board (that guy really needs to relax his off-season schedule).

"I'm honored that the Royals would even consider me for Opening Day," Mangino said. "When I was a kid I waited for Opening Day like you waited for Christmas."

Challenged by Missouri coach Gary Pinkel, who in a video presentation expressed his confidence that "coach Mangino will start the season successfully with a strike down the middle," Mangino met the challenge with a pitch down the pipe.

"It might have been a high strike to Frank Thomas," Mangino said. "Gary wanted one down the middle, but he's got to understand: A pitcher has to work the corners."

It sounds like Mangino's attempt fared better than that of Chase Daniel, who bounced his effort to the backstop. It's also good to see Mangino has a little baseball knowledge, although the Frank Thomas reference might have been a tad dated.

Update: Now with video-goodness. Thanks YouTube!

via The Wizard of Odds

Without a scholarship and without notoriety, hundreds of walk-ons are doing their best to carve out a spot on Division IA rosters. Spring practices, which take place without graduating seniors, and before the bulk of incoming freshman arrive, promise plenty of reps. If local media outlets are to be believed it seems a host of walk-ons are serving notice this spring in the Big 12.

At Oklahoma, tight end Trent Ratterree is living out his boyhood dream as he tries to earn the #3 spot on the TE depth chart.

"I'd been an OU fan all my life," Ratterree said. "I dreamed of it my whole life."

He came to Norman at 215 pounds and was thrown into Jerry Schmidt's boot camp.

"It's tough physically," Ratterree said. "Nothing can get you ready for Schmidtty."

But Ratterree got through it and was rewarded; he suited up for home games last season.

"I never felt, like you see in 'Rudy,' where they were pushing him around," Ratterree said. "They never made me feel like a low-down walkon. You're treated really good here."

"Rudy" was also mentioned at Missouri, where 5-foot-7, Titus Wonsey is trying to find a home in a crowded Tiger backfield. His efforts have not gone unnoticed by head coach Gary Pinkel (pictured at right).