No preamble. Let’s just head to the disco.

Mystery Ingredients: Namely, the weather, and a little flu bug that may hamper some members of Nebraska’s offense.

The forecast calls for heavy rain – truly looking forward to driving in it – chilly temperatures and a north breeze, if not a wind. The conditions aren’t what you’d call “throwing weather” and it puts Nebraska in the position of having to test the Faurot FieldTurf on the fly, essentially, especially if there’s a tarp on it before the game.

That rainy weather will also make for a long day of cabin fever cooped up in a hotel. It’ll get boring. Maybe Bo Pelini can dial up some baseball buddies, learn some new card games.
The flu is a different, slightly more manageable distraction. A full day in a hotel bed might actually be good for some of the players, including running back Roy Helu, who was held out of the last two practices. Plus, the flu can, but does not necessarily, keep a player from being effective.

Zac Lee On the Road - Again: Nebraska’s quarterback doesn’t have beat to Missouri so much as make the throws allowed by Mizzou’s relatively conservative Cover 2. We’ve seen Zac Lee throw the deep ball, and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson will certainly dial up some shots – regardless of the coverage. What Lee has to do is hit the short stuff on rhythm – slants and bubble screens and shotgun playaction passes – that keeps NU in third-and-manageable. Then, he’ll have to convert some of those key third down plays.

We’ve got a hunch that, at some point, the Tigers will get aggressive, try to pressure Lee, and force throws against one-on-one coverage. And Lee has to answer that bell. In 2007, Sam Keller left 10-14 points on the field by failing to make quick reads under pressure. As bad as Nebraska’s defense played in that game, Keller played worse, and didn’t recover from it for weeks.

The First Impression: Nebraska’s defense may give up a field goal on Missouri’s opening drive. It may even give up a touchdown. But NU has to send the Tigers a message that 2009 won’t be a repeat of 2008 and 2007. If Mizzou busts another easy score to open the game, it’ll be precisely the emotional juice the Tigers need.

Bo Pelini tends to put his defense out on the field first in games by deferring when he wins the coin toss, which almost automatically means the opponent will choose offense. Let’s see if he changes it up, and gives his offense a crack at drawing first blood.

Stick or Quit: If Missouri’s running game gets shut down early, offensive coordinator David Yost will have a choice to make: Keep plugging away, or put the game on Blaine Gabbert’s shoulders. We think Gabbert’s good enough to do it on his own, but the Mizzou braintrust remains pretty adamant about getting Derrick Washington his carries, especially in the red zone. While the Tigers don’t want to be Texas Tech, can they afford to keep running the ball if it doesn’t work?

Pinkel vs. Pelini: Games like this, blowouts or not, often come down individual plays…and individual decisions made by the head coaches. Pinkel often uses a more tactical, clinical approach. Pelini is aggressive and impulsive. They are pretty apt representatives of the offensive superego vs. the defensive id. Analysis vs. feel.

Pelini is a tactician, don’t get us wrong. Sometimes he overschemes the opponent, in fact. But his basic defensive mindset remains “attack” and he often brings unpredictable blitzes based on a preternatural hunch of what the offense is going to do.

Pinkel’s offense dissects. When a defense bull rushes an offense that prefers to go as much horizontal as it does vertical, the defense loses. That was the main culprit for 52-17 last year.

So Pelini’s plan needs to smarter, but also simpler. Pinkel, meanwhile, may be forced to trust elements of his team - the offensive line, the secondary – that haven’t earned it yet. Can he and his assistants push the aggressive button at the right moment? Or do they bend so much they break?

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During his press conference Sunday, Missouri coach Gary Pinkel frequently put his hands on the lectern about a foot apart, as if describing a small rock bass he caught in the Lake of the Ozarks or demonstrating how the umpires in Australian Rules Football signal a goal.

But he’s really talking about the mental and emotional “zone” he likes his quarterbacks to reside in, whether they throw four touchdowns or four interceptions.

Pinkel said his latest prodigy, sophomore Blaine Gabbert, is skilled at staying inside that zone. Whether it was his astonishingly good first start in the “Braggin Rights” game vs. Illinois, or a crucial second half comeback at home vs. Bowling Green, the 6-foot-5, 240-pounder is a tough kid to rattle.

"I'm impressed with his poise,” Pinkel said. “He's kind of trying to find where he fits himself in a game, mentally, where he keeps focused…one important thing for quarterbacks is to stay in a place where you can function, where you don't get caught up in the hype or the negative of what's going on and you kind of stay in the zone. Whether you get sacked, or throw a touchdown or an interception, you come right back in this zone. I've been impressed with him.”

The numbers make those intangibles look like a shabby coat. Gabbert’s thrown for 1,161 yards and 11 touchdowns in four games. Nary a pick. Thus far, he’s been at his best in the second half, where he leads the nation in passing efficiency – 33-of-43, 547 yards and six touchdowns.

Pinkel shrugs off those numbers a little bit.

“He's only played four football games,” he said. Against Nevada, Furman, Illinois and Bowling Green at that.

But Gabbert had the advantage of one year behind former starter Chase Daniel, whom Pinkel referred to frequently during Sunday’s press conference, labeling him “a battlefield commander.” Getting to watch Daniel run and operate the offense, Pinkel said, helped Gabbert to hit the ground running in 2009. Another Mizzou standout, Brad Smith, didn’t get that chance. He and Pinkel were learning the life of the spread offense together, on the fly.

Several years later, the Tigers’ passing game seemingly works to a metronome. Receivers know their spots, taking the short, choppy steps on bubble and tunnel screens necessary to set up blocking before accelerating, 0 to 60, with impressive speed. Gabbert, positioned in a deep shotgun, gets the snap and is ready to fire to them immediately.

"When we get going and when our tempo is up, everything is pretty much clicking,” Gabbert said. “That's when our offense really rolls.”

He’s taller than Daniel, and can see receivers Daniel could not. Graced with a bigger arm, Gabbert is able to manufacture long passing plays – he threw several howitzers at Nevada – outside of the offense’s framework. He’s burly, too, which allows him to throw the ball under duress with more velocity and accuracy. For all their talents, Daniel and Kansas’ Todd Reesing are forced to skitter about, inviting a risk-reward proposition that tilts toward the lesser choice against better defenses.

Count Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini as impressed. He complimented Gabbert more than once during his Monday press conference. They weren’t expansive compliments – Pelini prefers the “good football player” line – but he went out of his way to suggest that no matter Gabbert’s performance Thursday – if it were, say, ugly – it wouldn’t change that Gabbert can play.

Pelini never bothered to say that about Daniel.

Indeed, the one element Nebraska and Missouri fans can agree on before this game is that Gabbert’s a keeper. NU players are friends with him. He’s impressed the pants off of the Kansas City and St. Louis media, for good reason, without giving off Daniel’s almost aggressive charm.

“We all know what Chase was like, he was wired all the time,” Pinkel said. “…He was just electric out there all the time. Blaine doesn't have to be like that, he doesn't have to be like Brad Smith.”

He might be better than either one of them.

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Nebraska tight end Mike McNeill isn’t getting Facebook messages anymore telling him how much better Missouri’s Chase Coffman is. So there’s that.

Of course, Coffman graduated, having finished 3-1 in his career vs. NU.

And McNeill? The junior from Kirkwood, Mo., is still looking for victory No. 1 against the Tigers. He’d sure love one, especially in Columbia, in front 70,000 gold-clad crazies who cursed out his parents in 2007.

“It’d be big, obviously,” McNeill said. “I can’t lie and say it wouldn’t. The last two years, they’ve really stuck it to us. So that’s been really tough, going home the last two years, having to hear about that. It’d be nice.”

Maybe then the have-you-talked-with-Jeremy Maclin questions can die down. Or the Blaine Gabbert queries. Yes, McNeill is buddies with MU’s starting quarterback, too. Hosted him on his recruiting trip to Nebraska, in fact. Went to a baseball game with him this summer.

This week, the Missouri connection is a big story, and McNeill, always a smiling, reliable quote, is right in the center of it. He trudged over reporters Monday in the press box, wearing a smirk that said “here we go.”

“Well, it’s the Missouri game now,” one reporter said.

“I guess,” McNeill said, not exactly enjoying his role as “official Missouri correspondent.”

Said senior receiver Chris Brooks, who’s from St. Louis: “We just want to win. Whether it’s by one point or 30 points, a win is a win. Playing Missouri – most people, when it comes around, look at me and say ‘You’ve got a chip on your shoulder.’ But I try to approach the game like that each and every day.”

McNeill and Brooks are two of four players from Missouri who could start in Thursday’s 8:15 p.m. game. Junior left guard Keith Williams is from Florissant in the St. Louis metro. Redshirt freshman Will Compton lives about an hour away, in Bonne Terre.

“I’d like to play in Columbia every year,” Compton said. “I’d like to play in front of everybody I know.”

Every one of them, not surprisingly, has some connection to the Missouri roster.

Brooks is friends with Mizzou defenders Jaron Baston and Hardy Ricks, and expects to “chop it up” before the game with some good-natured trash talk.

Compton is another of Gabbert’s friends; they committed around the same time in 2007 to NU, in fact, and were in competition to see who could help lure more players to Nebraska.

“We’d hang out, spend time with each other’s families, and, at the time, talk about Husker football,” Compton said.

Gabbert pulled his commitment when it became clear that Bill Callahan was going to be fired. But Compton stuck with Nebraska.

“He knew I’d make the right decision and do what I wanted to do,” Compton said. “I needed to have that patience. I committed here. Nebraska deserved patience like that. I just needed to wait to see who came in here and give them the chance.”

Days before Bo Pelini was hired, Compton said, athletic director Tom Osborne told the kid he would like who Nebraska was about to select. Roughly two months after that conversation, Compton stuck with his original decision despite a full-court press from Missouri and Illinois.

But it didn’t mean he severed ties with Gabbert, who didn’t pressure Compton to change his mind. After Mizzou hammered Illinois in its season-opener, Compton texted him. Good game. Gabbert texted back the same.

One might think Gabbert’s decommitment from NU would be a sore point with the Huskers. But emotions seem defused now that he’s Missouri’s quarterback, and not Chase Daniel, who relished needling the Huskers with his arm and his mouth.

For his part, Brooks isn’t too worried about any ill feelings –or lack thereof.

“At the end of the day, who really cares?” Brooks said. “Chase Daniel, Blaine Gabbert, whoever’s under center – it really doesn’t matter. We’ve still got to come out and make plays. Whether someone’s talking or not talking, I don’t think that makes a difference because they have to get between those white lines and back it up.”

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Ten poor blokes – players and coaches alike – feeling the heat in the Big 12 as the 2009 season approaches. (The order’s alphabetical, Mizzou fans).

Blaine Gabbert, Missouri QB: Gary Pinkel’s already set the bar at Chase Daniel, ca. 2006. So Gabbert’s gotta play at least that well. Thing is, he could be much better than that.

Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State Coach: He’s got the hair, the new football facility, the TV sound byte, the skill players and a billionaire watching over his program. For now. If OSU lays an egg vs. Georgia that opening weekend, let the sirens in Stillwater wail.

Cody Hawkins, Colorado QB: Is this kid going to start again? Is the Big Mac special sauce really just diluted thousand island dressing? So, on Hawkins’ shoulders goes the follow: A brand new offense, a punchless receiving corps and, frankly, dad’s head coaching job. As Cody goes, so do the Buffaloes. The question now is: Is the kid Jacob or Esau?

Dan Hawkins, Colorado coach: Ten wins. No excuses. Read his lips.

Zac Lee, Nebraska QB: Lee has more physical talent than any Nebraska quarterback since Eric Crouch. Time to strap in, harness it into good decision and, for the love of Herbie, stay healthy.

Colt McCoy, Texas QB: Another season of gunslingin’ in Austin without half of Sam Bradford’s prodigious weapons. McCoy basically has to be the gingerbread man for the third straight year. If you don’t root for this kid, you’re swallowing yard cuttings. And considering head coach Mack Brown sent McCoy to every news outlet in the free world this summer, there is pressure, albeit of a different kind, to live up to all of those appearances, plus his 2008 season.

Taylor Potts, Texas Tech QB: Has to be on the list, although Mike Leach’s track record shows he can plug any old dude in there. But Potts doesn’t want to be the first to falter.

Ryan Reynolds, Oklahoma LB: Since Sooner fans basically chalked up the Texas loss to Reynolds’ injury, his return is supposed to solidify a leaky pass defense, end the war for conflict diamonds, reverse the Santa Ana winds…you get the picture.

Mike Sherman, Texas A&M coach: How many guys take the Callahan method and apply to a tradition-rich program, thereby sending said program to an inexplicably bad season. This guy does.


Daniel Thomas, Kansas State RB/Wildcat QB: The guy’s about as big as Hagrid with Johnny B. Goode’s arm. On top of that, the kid was under the “will he qualify” thunderstorm watch for much of the summer. Much is expected, quickly, of Thomas, an unusual talent who rises out of a Mississippi JUCO like…OK, enough similes.

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Husker Locker will be counting down and breaking down each of the teams in the conference. We hope you view this series as more interesting, comprehensive and definitive than what you may find elsewhere. Where we can make strong takes – we will.

We rank the teams 12 to 1 in overall strength. Then we’ll provide for you the North/South breakdown – and the preseason All Big 12 team, as well.

Enjoy!

Today: No.5 Missouri

Coach: Gary Pinkel
2008 Record: 10-4

What’s Changed Since 2008: Mizzou lost its best quarterback (Chase Daniel) and receiver (Jeremy Maclin) and second-best tight end (Chase Coffman) in history. The Tigers also lost their two coordinators, neither of whom we consider huge losses, especially defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, whose defensive schemes were too cute with a talented unit last year. The Tigers also have a greater sense of purpose in 2009 after being summarily dissed by most major publications in terms of the Big 12 North race.

2009 Non-Conference Schedule:Challenging enough, with the neutral site St. Louis tilt vs. Illinois, which some think is a top 20 team, and a game at defensively-challenged-yet-offensively-exciting Nevada. Bowling Green and Furman should be easy wins, but this non-conference schedule looks tougher than what Mizzou has planned in later years.

2009 Conference Schedule: Favorable. Toughest road game is at Oklahoma State, which is winnable. Mizzou hosts Texas, Nebraska and Baylor, plays Kansas in Kansas City and travels to Kansas State and Colorado.

Offense: Spread/Passing

Coordinator: David Yost – The quarterbacks coach at Mizzou for eight years, Yost knows the offense as well as anyone and helped install the no-huddle, wide-open attack upon Chase Daniel’s arrival (with some help from Daniel’s high school coach). At any rate, Yost is a unique guy – Missouri’s version of Mike Leach. If Andy Warhol had decided to be a football coach, he’d probably look like Yost. His demeanor will help the Tigers, who really seized up in key situations over the last two years.

Strength: We expect some drop-off from Missouri’s 2007 and 2008 production, but not much. That’s because MU sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert is as talented as Daniel was, only taller. It’ll take Gabbert time to settle in, but we expect him to be a top-flight guy by the end of the season, and certainly by 2010. Missouri’s offensive line is a little young, but it has size, depth, and good experience. Finally – Missouri’s offensive design is proven to work. Nebraska’s figured it out once in the last four years. Colorado’s been hapless against it. Kansas State, Iowa State and Kansas haven’t had much success, either. Only Texas and Oklahoma – and only one of those teams in on the regular season schedule.

Weakness: Derrick Washington is a big, plodding, overrated back who, yes, was hurt for some of 2008, but isn’t as good as his production (1,036 yards and 5.9 yards per carry) suggests. And there is no suitable replacement for Coffman, who was money on third down, and around the goal line.



Defense: 4-3/Attacking

Coordinator: Dave Steckel. Another new guy, replacing Eberflus. Last year, the Tigers had a ton of talent, but still gave up 412 yards and 27 points per game. Eberflus will now try to work some 3-4 magic at the Cleveland Browns. Steckel, meanwhile, is all ex-Marine in his approach, a bit of a throwback to the old Big Ten days of Bo and Woody, if you will. He’d fit in on a Bo Pelini coaching staff.

Strength: Solid linebacking corps led by the league’s best, Sean Weatherspoon, who turned down the NFL to return for his senior season. He’s a classic linebacker – everywhere, all the time – as his 155 tackles, five sacks and three interceptions suggest. Mizzou already seems to have found Weatherspoon's replacement, too, in true freshman Donavan Bonner.

Weakness: The defensive line lost Stryker Sulak and Ziggy Hood, two of the better linemen in the league last year. Their absence should hurt what was a fair run defense in 2008. The secondary should be OK, but safety William Moore (not as good in 2008 as his second round NFL draft status would suggest) has to be replaced.

Special Teams Mizzou takes a pretty good shot here. Maclin was invaluable as a kickoff and punt returner, accounting for 1280 return yards and two touchdowns. Then you had kicker Jeff Wolfert, arguably college football’s best in 2008 (we’ll take Nebraska’s Alex Henery, thanks) who needs to be replaced, too. Missouri has a ton of ground to cover here, and there’s just no way to do it in one year.

Intangibles: One week after a 52-17 win over Nebraska, Missouri hit a curious wall, of sorts, and fell backward, losing 4 of the last 9. So, in a sense, it was time to flush the system a little bit, and start over. And the Tigers do it with a chip on their shoulder, aiming to prove that the last three years weren’t a fluke. And Gabbert is as good of a guy to try it with as any.

Finally – Missouri really wants to beat Nebraska. No, it’s not the Border War. But it is personal, and borne out of a number of on-field incidents and off-the-field comments during the last six seasons. These two teams don’t like each other.

Best-Case Scenario: A third-straight Big 12 North title.

Worst-Case Scenario: Phil Steele’s prediction of 5-7.

Our Take: Phil’s often right, but here he’s wrong. Missouri finishes 8-4 or 9-3, depending on the non-conference schedule and the Nebraska game, which we predict will be, in essence, for the Big 12 North title.

See other Big 12 Breakdowns: No. 12 ISU, No. 11 A&M, No. 10 CU, No. 9 BU, No. 8 KU, No. 7 KSU, No. 6 Texas Tech
Agree? Disagree? Tell us about it.

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Grim and a little frustrated, Missouri Coach Gary Pinkel hustled up to the podium Tuesday at the Big 12 Media Days and immediately apologized for a delay at the Dallas airport that left him tardy for his appointed engagement.

Not long after Pinkel settled in, he was quickly peppered with queries about the immense talent – especially on offense – that he lost in the offseason to the NFL. Chase Daniel. Chase Coffman. Jeremy Maclin.

First, replacing Daniel, that love him/hate him quarterback that put Mizzou in the national spotlight and won two straight Big 12 North titles.

Pinkel shot straight: Former prep phenom (and Nebraska commit) Blaine Gabbert is the guy.

“Any time you have a transition quarterback,” Pinkel said, “everybody sits back and goes, ‘Wow, what's going to happen?’ When you lose a high level guy like that, hopefully, we can replace him with a high-level guy.”

Pinkel said he’ll bring along Gabbert, a sophomore, much as he did Daniel in his corresponding season. Daniel was inconsistent in 2006, alternating between excellent and average. He made “the leap” in 2007. Pinkel’s hoping the same for Gabbert.

He’s not so sure Maclin, the receiving and return whiz, can be replaced. But, he added, this version of the Tigers was his fastest.

On replacing two coordinators, Pinkel referenced the “Bill Belichick approach” of training and promoting from within. Pinkel the admitted he hasn’t lost two coaches, much less coordinators, in nine years at Mizzou.

***

Baylor’s Art Briles delighted the media with clever lines and quick answers. Briles kept referring to “turning hope into happen” throughout his interviews, because, at this point, that the Bears’ next step.

Briles talked a lot of about his quarterback, Robert Griffin, the fast, gifted sophomore quarterback. Griffin has helped with TV exposure, with recruiting, with fan recognition, with everything.

But Griffin, and his Bear teammates, won’t be sneaking up on anyone in 2008. Teams that narrowly escaped with wins – like Missouri, Nebraska and Texas Tech – learned their lesson.

“People are going to approach us differently on the other side, in other staff rooms and on other practice fields because they're going to come into Baylor with a different mindset than they did a year ago,” Briles said. “We understand that. We understand we're going to have to rise up and be better in all facets
of the game, not only physically, to deal with the charges that are going to come our way.”


Briles drew laughs for his stories about accompanying Jason Smith to the NFL Draft, and his comments on the wardrobe of some of his questioners. Briles is going to make an interesting push in the Big 12 South. He’s the first with the raw charm to recruit head-to-head with Mack Brown. His program doesn’t have the facilities, it doesn’t have the tradition, and it doesn’t have any recent success. But Baylor does have Briles.


***


There’s a curious, gentlemanly quality to the way Kansas Coach Mark Mangino handles himself in front of media. You tend to see a lot of different sides of the guy. You see the pride, the attention to detail, the self-made aspect. Just about every coach brings that to the table. But with Mangino it’s something a little more – a vulnerability, perhaps? A love for the little guy?


The coach talked with great care about recruiting quarterback Todd Reesing to KU several years ago, about how Reesing, tiny as he was, just had a confidence, a style, a belief that belied his looks. You could see why that might impress a guy like Mangino, who gets more comments about his appearance than he did his coaching.


Yes, Reesing runs around a little too much – and sometimes gets himself in trouble for doing it.


“But that's what makes him unique, you know, the idea that he believes in himself and that
he can make plays when there's not one,” Mangino said. “Kind of really reflects his personality; that he always thinks he can overcome. He always wants to prove the opposition wrong. Those traits have served him well.”


Good coaches tend to know – what’s best for each player is to fulfill their potential…through their own personality.


Also appreciated that Mangino admitted he likes to recruit “tough” players – read, guys a little rough around the edges – and that “sometimes we fail in that area, but we like kids that love to play this
game.”


***


Mr. Heisman and Big Game Bob was last to appear Tuesday, as Oklahoma took the podium.


The big questions for OU, of course, revolved around its offensive line. Everything else about the Sooners – QB Sam Bradford, the running backs, the extraordinary defense – is in place. But the line, which must replace three starters, remains a weakness.


“Mistakes they were making on day one, day two, they weren’t making on day 14 and day 15,” Bradford said. “I think we still need that progress once we’re in camp.”


Bradford also touched upon the “frustration” of never having won a bowl game. Especially when reporters, who have to find something negative about the kid, ask so often.


“It’s not something we like to do – “oh, we had a good season, let’s lose the last game,’” he said. “It’s starting to really to get to everyone.”



At one time, Bradford didn’t much care for the no-huddle offense, either.


“When we first switched to it, I didn’t it like it,” Bradford said. “It just seemed like chaos, it seemed like no one was on the same page. It sucked. If you would have seen us trying to run it the first couple days, you would have thought it was just a disaster.


“But the more time we spent on it, and the better we got, the more I fell love with it.”

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This time, it's Kansas City Star's Missouri beat writer Mike DeArmond, who declares, in his first official blog:

"Those people picking Nebraska to win the Big 12 North are abso-tooting-lutely nuts."

and

"The only reason I can see anyone picking Nebraska to win the North over either Kansas or Missouri this fall is they think Tom Osborne is recruiting and coaching the Cornhuskers instead of recruiting and being the athletic director and boss to Bo Pelini."

and

Here’s where I shake my head in wonder at anyone picking Nebraska over Missouri but over Kansas as well.

The Cornhuskers have an inexperienced quarterback, lost just as much as Missouri on offense, don’t have a running back of the caliber of MU’s Derrick Washington. Shouting The Blackshirts Are Back! seems based more on t he hope that Bo Pelini is a defensive genius rather than a first-year college head coach that was simply better than Bill Callahan.

He goes on to make fun of some Nebraska from London.

His rationale for picking Kansas tends to be the same rationale used by many: The return of Todd Reesing, Kerry Meier and Dez Briscoe.

Reesing we get. Great QB. Better leader.

But two wide receivers, however talented they might be, have never, not ever won a championship by themselves. They are, after all, receivers. Someone has to throw the ball to them. And that someone, Reesing, has to have enough time to do it.

In other words, pooh-poohing a weak offensive line that gave up 31 sacks as it was last year doesn't reflect well on your analytical abilities.

As for Nebraska v. Missouri, we'll see. But Mizzou has an awful lot to replace on both sides of the ball, plus the best kicker in school history, plus their return guy.

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Here's ten guys who have the tallest replacement orders to fill in 2009, as they take over positions previously held by studs in the league.

Wilson Youman, So, Oklahoma State TE: Replaces graduated tight end Brandon Pettigrew, arguably the best block/catch guy in the Big 12 last year. Because Pettigrew could do both so well, he often required more than a linebacker to cover him, and OSU could disguise its play-calling effectively. Because the Cowboys didn’t sufficiently develop a No. 2 WR option behind Dez Bryant last year, Youman has to be good enough to attract coverage, and keep teams from simply bracketing Bryant and taking him out of the game.

Taylor Potts, Jr, Texas Tech QB: We actually think Potts will be fine – Leach’s quarterbacks usually are – but there will be some pressure in replacing Graham Harrell, especially when Tech has two losable games – at Texas and at Houston – in the first month. Potts is taller and stronger. We doubt he has Harrell’s savvy, though.

Ryan Epperson, Fr, Texas A&M P: Replaces the Big 12’s best punter, Justin Brantly, who averaged 45.7 yards per boot. Epperson is a walk-on. Good luck replicating one of A&M’s brightest spots last year.

Blaine Gabbert, So, Missouri QB: Chase Daniel was more than a quarterback at Missouri, he was a rallying point, a spokesperson, a guy whose competitiveness set the tone. Did his magic wear off in the second half of 2008? Yeah, a little. But he’s still the best signal-caller in Tiger history. Gabbert is taller. He’s got a bigger arm. But it’ll take a full year, and maybe more, for him to be as savvy and smart as Daniel was during his last two seasons. Daniel just knew where to go with the ball. Gabbert can’t possibly have that knowledge yet. It’ll be a tough transition.

Andrew Jones, So, Missouri TE: When the Tigers absolutely needed a first down during the last two season, they went to giant, sure-handed Chase Coffman. Jeremy Maclin was the style on first and second down. Coffman was the substance in crunch. Good luck to Jones, who also has the memory of Martin Rucker, who graduated two years ago, to contend with.

Zac Lee, Jr, Nebraska QB: Most of you know the story here, and we think Lee’s more than capable as a player. But can he duplicate Joe Ganz’s leadership? And if the seas get rough early – can he turn around the doubters who will foolishly call for Cody Green?

Alex Okafor, Fr, Texas DE: Fact: UT’s back seven on defense last year was mediocre, almost on purpose. The defensive line was so dominant against the run, and offered such an effective pass rush, that the Longhorns tended to keep every opponent penned in, so to speak. Brian Orakpo (11.5 sacks) was the biggest reason, and now a true freshman has to try and replace that production. This bears a close watch in 2009.

Joseph Ibiloye, Fr, Oklahoma FS: OU’s defense ought to be insanely tough against the run, which will leave opponents, really, with one option: Testing the Sooners’ new safeties, of which Ibiloye is one. He’s replacing the dependable, speedy Lendy Holmes, who was a three-year starter. Expect a lot of “four verticals” routes early in the season in an effort to isolate receivers on Ibiloye and Quentin Carter, the other new safety.

Taj Kaynor, Sr, DT, Colorado: He replaces three-year starter George Hypolite, about the only good thing about the Buffs’ terrible rush defense last year – when all but two teams run the ball more than 30 times on your defense, you know it’s a weak spot. CU has to replace its entire front four – not necessarily a bad thing, considering – and Kaynor has the toughest job of that bunch.

Brian Simmons, Sr, LG, Oklahoma: The whole offensive line is getting retooled at OU, but Simmons, who takes over for All-American Duke Robinson, may have the toughest job, as he has to help plow those inside running lanes that DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown gashed through during much of the 2008 season.

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Poor Zou-Zou. Phil Steele laid out his predictions for the Big 12 North not long ago, and the Tigers were stuck in that fifth slot.

Since Steele is seen as some kind of oracle in college football, the KC Star naturally chatted with the Missouri’s braintrust – Pinkel Factor, and his two new coordinators – about it.

They play at brushing it off, but you can tell they’re not pleased.

“There are people out there that still, apparently, they kind of view us as a program where consistency of winning at a high level is a question mark,” Pinkel said. “Obviously, there’s a lack of respect.”

Well, uh, yeah. Melting down in two consecutive Big 12 title games – not to mention a game at Texas – with your most talented team in history tends to raise an eyebrow or two. Especially when Mizzou has to replace a varyag of talent on offense and some of the best players – Ziggy Hood, Stryker Sulak and William Moore – on defense.

It might help, too, if the Tigers scheduled someone, anyone in the non-conference slate other than Illinois. So Mizzou goes out and gets...wait for it...Indiana.

Now that is how you get respect. You take your two best seasons in the last 30 and all the TV exposure that goes along with it, you march confidently out into the scheduling world, and sign a Big Ten team that hasn't won a bowl game in 17 years and just two in the last 30 years.

Zou Zou, we know Northwestern gave you all kinds of fits in the Alamo Bowl, but it doesn't mean you have to schedule the only Big Ten team that's consistently worse than Northwestern. Other than Illinois, we mean.

At any rate, a revealing article, because the two coordinators, Yost and Steckel, talk at length about the team’s overall strategy in 2009. You’ll notice it fits much of what we talked about in our 2009 spring opponent report on the Tigers.

Missouri will run the ball more. Maybe a lot more, with new quarterback Blaine Gabbert calling the plays. Not that Gabbert isn’t immensely gifted, but he is not going to go a whole week in practice without an incomplete pass, as Chase Daniel often claimed he did. Daniel was indeed an accurate passer, and built perfectly for the offense, which was, after all, built for him.

On defense, the Tigers will gamble and blitz more. They’ll need to, frankly, because the front four just won’t be able to generate as strong of a pass rush as it did in 2008. That’ll put the Tigers’ young secondary on a major island at times, and we’ll see how well they survive.

What do you think of Pinkel and his crew and team? Let us know in the comments section.

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