Black Weekend for the North

By Big12-Fans Writer Mike Archiopoli

All year I’ve been trying as hard as I can to make a case for why the Big XII North isn’t as bad as everyone says. Today I’m wearing egg on my face because Colorado and Iowa State spent the holiday weekend playing a fairly embarrassing game of hot potato.

Leading off in the double header of disappointment was 7-3 (5-2) Colorado. The ‘Buffs were coming off a bad loss on the road against re-surgent Iowa State but were still heavily favored at home against Nebraska. A win against the Huskers would have put Colorado in the championship game and there was no reason to believe they wouldn’t win the game. Colorado was 5-0 at home, the last 4 wins coming by 21 points or more. On the other hand, Nebraska was 1-2 on the road, defeating only Baylor. Seemingly all signs pointed to a Colorado victory, or so I thought. What followed was a combination of an abysmal performance by Colorado and Nebraska’s finest performance of the season. Zac Taylor played nearly perfect football, throwing for 392 yards and 2 touchdowns with no interceptions. The result was a 30-3 Nebraska victory, a surprise to almost everyone who doesn’t bleed Husker red. So now a beaten, destroyed Colorado team went to bed Friday night licking their wounds and in all likelihood waiting for their mid-level bowl game.

The second part of the story unfolded Saturday morning when Iowa State traveled to Lawrence to battle the Kansas Jayhawks. Both teams had reasons to win this game. Kansas needed the win in order to gain bowl eligibility for only the 2nd time since the inception of the Big XII conference. Due to the Colorado loss, Iowa State needed only a win and they would be making their first trip to the conference championship game. Yet, this was not the first time the Cyclones were in this position. Last season they needed a home win against Missouri in order to get into the championship game, but fell in overtime. 2005 would be much of the same story as a year before. All roads seemed headed to Houston as Iowa State rolled out to a 14-3 halftime lead. But the Jayhawks fought back, took the game to overtime and after a missed 40 yard field goal by Cyclone kicker Bret Culbertson, Scott Webb hit a 34 yard field goal to win the game and send Kansas bowling and Colorado in to the conference title game for the 4th time in the past 5 years.

So now the smoke has cleared, Colorado will be heading to Houston for a rematch with 11-0 Texas, their reward for backing into the conference title game. I suppose that weirder things have happened, and their have been major upsets in the history of the Big XII championship game, but Colorado winning would be by far the greatest of them all. Yet, there is a bit of history on the side of the ‘Buffs. Since the start of the title game in 1996, a North team has won in every odd numbered year, but I don’t think any Colorado fan is holding their breath.

As for Iowa State they once again have to deal with a missed opportunity. Dan McCarney and the Cyclones will head in to 2006 with a strong returning offense but will still be looking for their first North championship. Last year they re-grouped and defeated Miami of Ohio in the Independence Bowl, here’s hoping they can do it again (possibly in the Houston Bowl).

What does this all mean for the North? Barring a major upset in the title game, the little division that couldn’t will remain a punch line. But not many people outside the conference realize that 5 North teams will go bowling this season. What the division lacks in outstanding teams they may make up for in overall strength. But that won’t get the division respect; a team needs to separate itself from the pack and assert itself as a power. Colorado has been fairly strong for years but hasn’t stepped to that national title game caliber quite yet (though 2001 was a nice 10-3 and a BCS berth). Iowa State needs to show some sort of killer instinct and actually make a conference title game before they are ever considered elite. Missouri and Kansas have been too inconsistent for anyone to put there money on and Kansas State is in limbo trying to replace legendary head coach Bill Snyder. That leaves Nebraska; the Huskers went 7-4 this season, getting back in to a bowl game after a one year absence. Although they have been extremely inconsistent this season, they have the history to bear the flag for the North. However, it doesn’t matter which team steps up. The fact of the matter is that some North team needs to take it to that next level and balance out the conference before the Big XII ever gets the respect it deserves.

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