I never want to be that wet again.

I'm a little late getting started on this.  Not sure if I just wasn't ready to talk about it while it was still fresh, or just too much to do the following day after the nightmare.  I'll start out and give credit to Bo Pelini and the Huskers.  It was as fine a 4th quarter of football as I've seen a team play.  And I have no idea what happened to my Tigers.  It was like we rolled out a Bob Stull defense at the start of the 4th quarter.  Blaine Gabbert didn't help with 2 interceptions, although in his defense he was playing on a sprained right ankle.  However, the Huskers dropped what should have been 4 other possible interceptions during the first 3 quarters.  Not Blaine's finest game, but he's just a sophomore.  He'll return to fight another day.
5 inches of rain fell on Columbia the day of the game.  The night got off to an auspicious start when the stadium lights went out about 2 1/2 hours before game time as there was a campus-wide power outage.  The new 3 million dollar plus scoreboard never came back up.  The 2 teams combined for 488 yards of offense and any time Missouri seemed to have anything going in the running game, we'd be moved back with yet another holding penalty.  While Nebraska didn't do significantly better, they played quite well during that 5 minute stretch early in the 4th quarter when the game was decided.
Next week the Tigers visit the Cowboys of Oklahoma State, who could also be reeling following the NCAA decision that their star receiver Dez Bryant would be declared ineligible for the remainder of the season due to lying about time he spent with Deion Sanders.  There are no "must win" games for the Tigers as this was going to be a rebuilding year, but this is a game that is now viewed as winnable.  The Huskers now control their own destiny in the north as does kansas.  The Tigers however, need some help and can't afford a slip up in any game where they'd be viewed as favorites.  A big problem, in my opinion, that must be fixed and fixed quickly is the play of the offensive line and the rushing game.  It was regarded as a potential strength before the season began, and has been mediocre at best to this point.
I also feel compelled to comment on the behavior of the "worlds classiest fans".  I watched about 35 or 40 college aged, red clad idiots crossing the street at Stadium and Providence before the game.  Screaming "go big red" and flipping off cars of Missouri fans as they attempted to cross against the light despite the warnings of numerous Missouri Highway Patrol officers attempting to keep them from winding up as hood ornaments.  I don't ever want to hear their bull shit about our fans again.  And to the kid that was led away in handcuffs, I hope you enjoyed your night in the Columbia city jail.  I'm sure you made several new friends.
I had picked the kansas jayhawks picked to cover a 19 1/2 point spread over Iowa State which had fallen the week before 24-23 to Kansas State on a missed extra point at Arrowhead Stadium.  As it turned out it took a 442 yard performance by Todd "partyboy" Reesing and a errant throw by Austen Arnaud to an open receiver in the end zone for the beaks to hold on for a 41-36 win.  Next week the fictitious birds will travel to Boulder to face the flailing Colorado Buffaloes.  Enjoy this week squawks, it all gets real the week after.  Their last 6 games are Oklahoma, @ Texas Tech, @ K State, Nebraska, @ Texas & Missouri at Arrowhead.  Better pick up that defense and hope Sparky doesn't get broken in half.
Oklahoma State had opened as an 8 point favorite over Texas A&M at College Station.  It seemed like a safe enough bet to me and I'd picked the Cowboys to win big.  That of course was before the NCAA had suspended OSU's star receiver, Dez Bryant for the year for lying to them about his contact with Deion Sanders.  The Cowboys held on to win 36-31 but failed to cover.  Next week the Cowboys host my Tigers.  I'm hoping that their hangover continues for one more week and we don't see a cloud in the sky.
I'd picked the Sooners to bounce back from their loss at Miami last week and dominate the Bears in Norman. Sam Bradford's return definitely provided a spark as the Sooners won 33-7 and covered the 24 1/2 point spread.  However, from what I saw of the game, they still have plenty of issues on their offensive line that they're going to need to correct before this weeks match up against the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl. I rarely pick favorites in any games that don't involve Mizzou, but for the good of the conference, I hope the Horns win big this week.  Texas appears to be the leagues only shot at a representative in the national championship game, and I actually have kind of always liked Mack Brown.    
I expected Texas to be focused this week in preparation for next weeks Red River Shootout and I was half right.  The Longhorns opened a whopping 32 point favorite against the Buffaloes in Austin and I picked them to cover.  However, they actually trailed 14-10 at halftime before their defense and special teams took over in the second half to propel them to a 38-14 win.  The disturbing thing for Texas has to be the fact that they only rushed for 45 yards on 25 attempts.  They'll have to do a better job of that next week against the Sooners.      
Continuing my weeks frustration was Kansas State.  They opened as a 17 point dog against Texas Tech in Lubbock.  I expected the Red Raiders to win but the Wildcats to cover, losing 31-21.  Naturally, the pirate picked this week to open up the offense that we've been accustomed to seeing the last several years, and hammered Bill Snyder and the Wildcats 66-14.  I hope they saved some points for next week when they visit the Huskers.
Leaving the Big XII, I wanted to see if the fighting Zooks would be looking any better than they did the opening weekend.  They don't really.  They opened as a 4 point dog to Michigan State and I predicted a 27-20 MSU win.  The final was Spartans 24, Illinois 14.  The Ron Zook death watch is now full speed ahead.
Oregon opened as a 6 1/2 point favorite over UCLA.  I predicted the Bruins would go down 38-31.  The teams decided to play a little defense which isn't normal Pac 10 football however, and Oregon won a hard fought 24-10 victory.
My last pick of the week was Auburn visiting Hogtown and the University of Arkansas.  Auburn opened as a 3 point favorite and I thought they'd win 27-20.  However, Bobby Petrino's boys appear to be waking up and his coaching stock is rising as the Razorbacks won 44-23.  I can see his resume burning up fax machines around the NFL now.
For the week I finished a very respectable 7-2, but a horrific 3-6 vs the spread.  For the year I'm 47-14 straight up but nearing the .500 mark at 30-28 vs the spread.   

So what did the Furman game prove?

Of course, the obvious answer is nothing. It was a game that needed to be over by halftime. 42-0, check. See the backups continue to dominate. Check. And no one got hurt. Also checked. Other than that, there's nothing you can take from the performance. Well, that's not true. The new scoreboard and sound system are simply fabulous. A very nice crowd on a beautiful day that got into the game and is beginning to understand when to make noise and when to be quiet.
Blaine Gabbert started the day 1 for his first 5 attempts and the offense looked like they might be trying to turn this into another nail biter. From that point on he was nearly perfect, finishing 17 of 25 for 256 yards and 3 touchdowns. Toss in a designed keeper that went for a 40 yard touchdown and he had a very nice day.
On defense, Sean Weatherspoon was again all over the field, as was Aldon Smith. We're going to miss 'Spoon next year but Ebner, Gachkar, Lambert will help ease the pain. Furman passed for over 300 yards, but only 116 in the first half. It was simply what it should have been, and what I along with most everyone expected. A dominant performance against an overmatched opponent. The biggest thing I saw, was that despite us not having a lot of scholarships to give, you're going to HAVE to find a way to give one to Grant Ressel. The kid has simply been money so far.
Looking at my picks for the week, I was great straight up going 10-1 for the week, but only 6-5 against the spread. For the year I'm 26-7 outright but only 19-14 against the spread. This reinforces my belief that I'd have no business as a gambler, which fortunately I'm not. Taking a look at what I had for the week is as follows.
Baylor was a 10 point favorite at home against UConn. I thought that sounded about right and had them to win 27-14. Not only did they fail to cover, they lost 30-22. Robert Griffin looked totally unable to live up to all the off season hype, going 17-26, but averaging less than 5 yards per attempt. The only sustained drive he led was late in the 4th quarter as the game had already been decided. Possibly the off week hurt the Bears, but right now, they don't appear ready to make any noise in the Big XII south, and very well could re-assume their customary 6th place finish.
Colorado was a 7 point favorite over Wyoming. I knew this was a make or break week for them. Lose and they could very well have mailed in the rest of the season. I predicted a 28-24 win for the Buffs, but they surprised me shutting out the Cowboys 24-0. Like the Missouri win, it really proves nothing except that Colorado had enough talent to take out an overmatched foe. I don't think they'll finish last in the north, but it still wouldn't surprise me if they do.
Iowa State was a 3 point favorite playing at Kent State, alma mater of one Gary Pinkel. I expected the Cyclones to cover 24-20, but they responded with a surprisingly easy 34-14 win. They continue to jockey with Colorado and Kansas State for a 4th place finish in the Big XII north.
Duke was a 21 point dog to the mighty beakers in lawrence, ks. I'd called for a 52-13 red leggers win and they did pretty much what I expected, rolling 44-16. We were watching the first quarter of this game from one of the televisions set up in our tailgate area. kansas has played 3 games and has 3 blowouts to show for it, but I can't say that I saw anything from the early action that really impressed me. Todd Reesing looks like a kid that spent more time partying in the off season than preparing to lead his team. Duke isn't terribly good but they are from a BCS conference and it was an opportunity for the beaks to shine on a regionally televised game. They looked all right but lets see what they do when they're playing against teams with comparable or superior athletes.
Kansas State opened as an 11 1/2 point underdog visiting UCLA. I thought that the Bruin cheerleaders would be the only reason to watch this game but I was wrong. I predicted a 38-10 rollover of the Wildcats, but they made a game of it falling 23-9. Snyder doesn't have the athletes to compete in the Big XII and I'm not convinced he'll be able to recruit them. But the old man can get what he can given what he has. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him finish ahead of both Colorado and Iowa State.
Another game that really surprised me was Nebraska, opening as a 3 1/2 point underdog to Virginia Tech. I picked the Hokies to cover 38-24. It wound up a classic 1940's dogfight where Va Tech came back in the last 2 minutes to escape with a 16-15 win. Tyrod Taylor appears to be a horrible quarterback but when the chips were down he completed an 80 yard bomb to Danny Coale. 3 plays later the Hokies scored. Roy Helu rushed for 169 yards for the corndogs, who were held to 0 yards in the first quarter. Zac Lee was an eye-popping 11 for 30 for 136 yards and he husker offense continually shot themselves in the foot. Bo Pelini did use the loss as an opportunity to once again display his immaturity when he launched his headset over the husker bench after the 80 yard completion. His lack of personal discipline continues to reflect itself in his team as they were flagged 9 times for penalties totally 60 yards. Many of those occurred at critical times. Hick nation will be spinning this as his "competitive fire" for the next week. But don't get too comfortable Bo. They extended Bill Callahan's contract with a nice raise, only to fire him 7 months later. I see another trip to kindly old Dr. Tom's office, (ie woodshed) this week with a lecture about "cornhusker class" for Pelini.
Tulsa came into Norman, Oklahoma this weekend as a 15 1/2 point dog against the Sooners. I called for a 49-10 Sooner thumping and the final was 45-0. Nothing new here. Coach Stoops is becoming known for laying an egg, then clubbing enough teams at the right time along the way to allow the Sooners to make it to the national championship game, only to go dormant. Exactly why are he, Pete Carroll and Jim Tressel considered 3 of the greatest coaches in the game? Yes, they win league titles and continue to post double digit win seasons, but they also have more talent than 95% of the teams in D1. They should be doing exactly what they do. It takes someone like Urban Meyer at Florida to channel that talent at the proper time of the year. Right now in the coaching fraternity it's him and everyone else. And it's not particularly close in my opinion.
Oklahoma State opened as a 32 point favorite against lowly Rice. I called for a 52-6 Cowboys romp but they failed to cover, winning 41-24. I think they're dealing as badly or worse as last years Tiger team. They appear to be a top 20 type team, but as of yet they still seem to be 3rd best in the tough Big XII south. Look for them to very possibly get a nice post season return trip to Dallas however.
Hapless Utah State entered College Station as a 17 1/2 point underdog to Texas A&M. I called for the Aggies to win, but fail to cover 34-21. They didn't let me down, winning 38-30. We still know nothing about them except they may be able to top the Baylor Bears for 5th.
The conference opener was in Austin this weekend as the Longhorns took on the Red Raiders of Texas Tech and Pirate captain Mike Leach. Texas opened as a 17 point favorite. I predicted a 41-21 victory for Mack Brown's troops but they failed to cover, winning 34-24. Texas is 3-0 but look like the 2nd best team in their division again to me. I see no way they are a top 5 team at this point.
So now my Tigers face a Friday night ESPN nationally televised game against a Nevada team they beat by 50 points last year in Columbia. I don't really like doing home and home's against teams like this, but it is what the landscape is becoming in college football. You either throw more bones to D1 schools like this or little your non-con schedule against teams like Furman. I'll have my picks out by Thursday this week, the Lord willing.