Big Red to go out in style in 2010! by VC!

There's Nooooo Place Like.....

Sorry Dorothy, when it comes to breaking down the Big XII North football race in 2010, I wished I could end that with your famous "There's no place like home" line. While Kansas and Kansas State may have a say in the 2010 North race, the Yellow Brick Road ends a few miles from here.

There's NooOhhh Place Like Nebraska! I hate that fight song, but today I can't help but hum a few bars even with my purple glasses on.

Bo Pelini's Cornhuskers nearly pulled off the upset of all upsets last December before the Texas Longhorns won the Big XII championship game at Jerry Jones Stadium or the Taj Mahal or whatever that cash cow is called down in Big D.

While they were close in 2009, I think they re-claim the North in 2010 and go out Big XII country in style as they begin to pursue their Big Ten + Two Brothers in 2011. Yep, Big Red is back to improve on their 10-4 record from a year ago when they won the North by two games over Missouri and K-State (technically three games by virtue of their head-to-head wins over those two).

With home games against Kansas, Missouri, Texas and Colorado the schedule could favor a four-game sweep by the Huskers - at worst 3-1. Ya think emotions will be flying high in the Texas game? Oh my! Press credentials will even be a tough ticket for that one, baby! Throw in a favorable road slate that includes Iowa State, K-State, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State, I'm seeing no worse than a 6-2 log. I don't see any other North teams coming up with six wins.

Nebraska is also the overwhelming choice by the Big 12 media to take the North, picking up all 26 first-place votes and a whopping 156 points. The media's selections found Missouri to finish second followed by K-State, KU, Colorado and Iowa State.

Patterson doesn't understand why I have this love-fest for Nebraska. We discussed Big XII football last month during our version of "A Tradition unlike any other...The Masters" at Hidden Valley near Springfield, Mo. I'm not sure if Patterson thinks the Jayhawks are ready to win their first division title or if he thinks Missouri will win it or even my boys in Manhattan.

Nebraska, until Missouri or K-State or KU proves to me otherwise, is the class of this division. Trust me, I'm swallowing a lot of purple pride here picking Nebraska, folks!

The Huskers proved their worthiness by taking UT to the final gun before falling 13-12 on a last-second field goal in the conference title game. Then in the Holiday Bowl, Nebraska did something that never happens in that run-and-gun bowl game, pitch a 33-0 shutout of Arizona.

"I feel we're in the position in our program that we can compete with anybody out there," Pelini said during spring practice. "Even though we hadn't won a championship, I felt good about the point where our program was at the end of the year."

No more Ndamukong Suh to disrupt opposing offenses. Just ask K-State. The Wildcats jumped to a 3-0 lead last November in Lincoln in the first eight minutes of the game. The final 52 minutes belonged to the homestanding Huskers, who prevailed 14-3 and went on to win the North.

To nobody's surprise, it's the offense that has everyone wandering. Nebraska was 75th nationally in scoring, 99th in total yardage and 101st in passing led by the arm of Zac Lee. Don't worry Big Red fans, pitch the ball to I-back Roy Helu, Jr. and occasionally to Rex Burkhead and you'll be fine.

One dude who should get a lot of touches is K-State tailback Daniel Thomas, who ended 2009 with 1,265 yards rushing, the fourth-best single-season total in school history. The Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year led the league with an average of 105 yards per game.

K-State returns 15 starters and 40 lettermen from last year's 6-6 squad. Like Nebraska, QB will be a concern as the Wildcats prepare for their Labor Day weekend tilt against UCLA in Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

Carson Coffman has the inside track, but Collin Klein or Sammuel Lamur could be called upon. And don't forget Chris Harper, an Oregon transfer who came back to his native state when Snyder returned to coach.

Harper played QB, tailback and receiver at Oregon in 2008, and Snyder will hopefully get Harper involved in this offensive attack. Let's hope so, this team only had seven TD passes for the whole year.

Look for the Cats to continue to get better on defense, where they allowed 23 points per game after giving up nearly 36 points per outing in 08.

My prediction for the Cats? 7-5 and a bowl game, which would be a first since 2006. Only Baylor (1994) has gone longer without appearing in a bowl game in this conference. Heck, they just might be the Big 12 representative in the inaugural New York Yankees Bowl! Just how cold does it get in The Big Apple in December? The Little Apple just might find out.

Missouri doesn't have to think twice who its QB will be. Blaine Gabbert finished third in the Big 12 in passing yards per game (276), second in passing efficiency (140.5) and fourth in total offense (292). His numbers nearly matched those amassed by Chase Daniel during his first season in 2006.

The O-line has all back but one and senior tailback Derrick Washington rediscovered his quickness in the spring game. Uh-oh, a running game to go with that passing attack? Eeh-gads!

Missouri starts 5-0 before it embarks on Murderer's Row (at A&M, Oklahoma, at Nebraska, at Texas Tech) before finishing with K-State, at Iowa State and KU in Arrowhead.

My prediction for the Tigers? 9-3 and a runnerup finish in the North. Might even earn Miz-zou a Cotton Bowl bid.

KU fans may want to take notice...getting the fourth slot in the preseason poll might not be a bad thing! The last time the Jayhawks were slotted No. 4 came in 2007 when Mark Mangino's boys went 12-1 and won the Orange Bowl.

KU said good-bye to Mangino after losing its final seven games in 2009. The Jayhawks brought in Turner Gill from Buffalo and he's got his work cut out for him. Todd Reesing, Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe are gone. Reesing finished his career tops on nine all-time KU lists while Meier and Briscoe were 1-2 on the KU career receiving yards list with 3,240 and 2,309 yards, respectively.

The Jayhawks return seven defensive starters and eight on offense. They return all five offensive linemen, including Tanner Hawkinson, who earned Freshman All-America honors from several publications in 2009. Toben Opurum returns as KU's leading rusher and is the first freshman to lead KU in rushing since 2002.

Speedy redshirt soph Kale Pick turned in a nifty spring game performance. The southpaw from Dodge City is battling redshirt frosh Jordan Webb at the position that Reesing mastered the last three years.

KU's fortunes will be decided by the time K-State comes calling in October. KU hosts 11-game winner Georgia Tech then plays at Southern Miss and Baylor. If KU is 4-1 entering the Cat game, KU has something to look forward to. A 3-2 log, which I predict, and Gill's honeymoon will be ending quickly.

My prediction for the Jayhawks? 7-5 and a third-place tie with K-State.

Colorado and Iowa State, there's a reason the media picked you 5-6. I'm saying Iowa State and Colorado, respectively. CU is thinking about its days in the Pac-10 beginning in 2012. Iowa State is up-and-coming under Paul Rhoads and a Sept. 11 tussle at Iowa will be the most important game to ISU fans.

There ya have it: Nebraska, Missouri, KU, KSU, ISU, CU. What do you think?

Next up, we look at the Big 12 South where they may be singing that song that Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote in 1955. Ya know, the one where the wind comes sweeping down the plains!

My shout this week goes to the Kansas Shrine Bowl participants, including those picked for the 200-member Kansas Masonic All-State High School Marching Band, who will be enduring the Kansas heat and humidity in preparation for the July 31 Shrine Bowl at Pittsburg State University. Congratulations to these Kansas high schoolers!