Waylon & Willie Cold Beer & Chili Conference 1994 Football Preview ***************** NORTHERN DIVISION ***************** [Waylon's comments are first, Willie's second.] Colorado: The Buffs are loaded. Two star quarterbacks, the best set of lines in the nation, a legit Heisman candidate in Michael Westbrook, and a team that offensively could run circles around the 1990 team. Now, if they just had a secondary.... Tommie Frazier should be the only team that could pick them apart. If they enter Lincoln 9-0, though, nothing should be able to stop them.... Schedule, schedule, schedule. Wisconsin, at Michigan, at Texas, Okla- homa, at Nebraska. I wouldn't wish this schedule on Lou Holtz. OK, maybe I would. But I digress. Waylon is right, this team has the talent to go far if only the secondary will hold up. That's a big if. Waylon's Prediction: 8-3 (7-1) Willie's Prediction: 8-2-1 (5-2-1) Iowa State: Jim Walden sees that his job is seriously on the ropes. He has a couple of talented players that, on a given day, on a given field, could scare the rest of the hair out of any coach. Expect to hear Walden's name come up when they discuss the coaching vacancy at Akron. Lessee here... Iowa State's last conference title was in... 1912?! Wow! That's an 82 year old tradition of mediocrity! And we Texans thought that TCU and Rice were perennial doormats. Impressive. Expect Gerry Faust's name to come up when they discuss the coaching vacancy at Iowa State. Waylon's Prediction: 4-7 (1-6) Willie's Prediction: 1-10 (0-7) Kansas: They just had an off-year last year. We think. This is KU's big make-or-break year, and they need a healthy, free-on-bond June Henley to prove that the team that they are the team that played Nebraska last year, not the team that played Colorado. Happily, Lawrence has a brew-pub now - I only mention this because there has to be distractions available just in case you go there and find that your team is crushing the Jayhawks and it's only the second. Last year, Kansas was better than their record, which explains why they scared Nebraska cornless. With any luck (i.e., no injuries) they will go bowling this year, and likely upset someone. Last year they went for two against Nebraska and missed; this year Bill McCartney will take the tie against them. Waylon's Prediction: 6-5 (3-4) Willie's Prediction: 6-4-1 (3-3-1) Kansas State: They return Chad May. OOOH. No, I'm kidding. Despite losses to graduation, they still are a team that has a semblance of talent, class, and power. Expect to see them bowling. Only if there are lanes available. No, no, now *I'm* kidding. With KSU's creampuff non-conference schedule they had better go bowling. If RB J.J. Clyde, er, Smith stays healthy, they, like their cross- state counterparts, could sneak up on somebody. Waylon's Prediction: 7-4 (3-4) Willie's Prediction: 7-4 (3-4) Missouri: Larry Smith comes into a Mizzou program that has yet to recover from that five-down game back in 1990. They lack experience (e.g. "Trey" O'Neill, who went to high school with me and had a hair-trigger temper and a girlfriend he didn't deserve and struck me as someone I wanted to stay on the good side of... man, I hope he doesn't read this newsgroup.... Oh, anyway, he's the only one on the O-line with any real game experience) and will have to get used to a grass field and a long uphill road. See ya in 1998, Larry. Yep. These tigguhz are eazzee. At least they don't have to travel to College Station again this year. That's about the only thing in their favor. Waylon's Prediction: 1-10 (0-7) Willie's Prediction: 4-7 (2-5) Nebraska: Let us be honest. The only way Nebraska is going to be derailed is if they lose to Colorado on Halloween weekend. After last year, they're hungry. Bold. And probably a little too cocky. Tommie Frazier is a brilliant quarterback who will sadly never see an NFL snap. The rest of the team is just proof that Tom Osborne knows how to use talent - just load it in the chutes and don't waste a drop. If they get FSU in the Orange Bowl, it will be nothing short of a bloody ambush. Once again I have to concur with my buddy Waylon. This year's Neb- raska outfit looks to be awesome, though I think it more likely that they will lose to OU in Norman than to CU in Lincoln -- not that I find either of these scenarios very likely. Look for the Huskers to challenge Notre Dame for the MNC on January 2. Waylon's Prediction: 13-0 (9-0), Northern Division Champions Willie's Prediction: 13-0 (8-0), Northern Division Champions ***************** SOUTHERN DIVISION ***************** [Willie's notes come first, Waylon's second.] BAYLOR Common wisdom says that the Bears are set everywhere but QB. Possibly, but I say that Baylor has a big question mark at head coach. During the Grant Teaff era, no opponent could afford to overlook the Bears. They didn't win all the games that they probably should have, but they definitely won sev- eral that they probably should *not* have. Whether Chuck Reedy can elevate Baylor's game to the level of the big boys remains to be seen, but frankly, I doubt it. Baylor always opens well, then loses one game big and the season is over right there. (See the Colorado game last year.) They're a perennial good team that will unfortunately see too much time as perpetual Southern Division doormats. Willie's Prediction: 7-4 (3-1) Waylon's prediction: 6-5 (2-2) OKLAHOMA The Sooners are the big question mark of 1994. Is this the lion that roared 44-14 against Texas A&M or the mouse that squeaked through its Big 8 schedule? The answer is probably some of both. While losing QB Cale Gundy to graduation, overall the talent pool at OU is higher this year than any time since Gary Gibbs replaced Barry Switzer as head coach. If they find a sturdy replacement for Gundy, look for OU to finish in the top 10. If not, look for them possibly to miss the top 25. Oklahoma signed Garrick McGhee. McGhee beat Cale Gundy in the state high school playoffs in 1990. McGhee hasn't really been heard from since. He's the key. The rest of the team is back to the old days of "we don't rebuild, we reload...." Willie's Prediction: 8-3 (7-3) Waylon's Prediction: 9-3 (8-2), Southern Division Champions OKLAHOMA STATE Oof. The Cowboys look bad. Real bad. Scholarship reductions from probation have taken a huge hit on depth at OSU, which wasn't all that great to begin with. My mama always taught me if I couldn't say anything nice to say nothing at all. I've already said too much. OSU is underrated. There. I said it. There's a nucleus of a real good team here. However, they, like the Dallas Mavericks, are about 12 players away from a solid contender. They will surprise, but I don't expect too much out of them. Willie's Prediction: 3-8 (1-7) Waylon's Prediction: 5-6 (3-5) TEXAS Common wisdom (yeah, that thing again) says that this year's Horns are the return of the great UT tradition. I doubt it. Texas under John Mackovic is something like Baylor under Grant Teaff, only in reverse: Texas IS one of the big boys, but you can never rule out *anybody* who plays them. The reason? Overreliance on the passing game, and thus the QB. Shea Morenz is a talented kid, but he is also just a sophomore, and there is no doubting that he will have some bad afternoons. Of course, he will have some good afternoons, too, so the flip side is that Texas can beat just about anybody, too. Still, I look for this year's Horns to disappoint -- again. Poor Mackovic. He was the victim of false advertising. He was told that the Texas job was a great challenge and would be a lot of fun, that the boosters were friendly. The Texans were told Mackovic was a great coach. Either way, he could be fired as early as October, maybe even the week after the Oklahoma game. UT lacks the depth that it once had; it also lacks a great playmaker, which Morenz, while being talented, isn't, at least, on a level that could save a few people's jobs. Willie's Prediction: 6-5 (1-4) Waylon's Prediction: 6-5 (2-3) TEXAS A&M The Aggies are another big question mark. Losses to graduation and the NFL on both lines, an assistant coach change-o-rama, and of course NCAA probation make predicting this season a real guessing game. My prediction, in spite of these problems, is that the Aggies will coast. Tom Osborne's big red lineman machine at Nebraska has shown that while football games are won in the trenches, finding fresh meat to fill them year-in and year-out is not necessarily difficult. My feeling is that A&M recruiting depth will allow them (pardon the cliche) to reload in- stead of rebuild. New OC Steve Ensminger (from Georgia) figures to im- plement a system in which once-heralded junior QB Corey Pullig will shine. Add that to their already lethal running attack and always tough defense, and you have the makings of a champion. The fact that this year they play OU at home (where they haven't lost since the French Revolution) doesn't hurt either. Too bad they won't be on TV or in a bowl. A&M is lethal, but they have shot themselves in the foot with the shakeups at the top. This is a team that needs to remain focused even though they won't be able to say "Hi mom" into a camera this year. The elements are all here for a powerhouse of a team. Too bad Oklahoma will complete the home-and-home sweep. Willie's Prediction: 11-1 (4-0), Southern Division Champions Waylon's Prediction: 10-1 (3-1) TEXAS TECH The only reason the Red Raiders went to a bowl last season was because of their offense. Guess what: the offense graduated. All that's left is a remarkably porous defense and a bunch a freshmen competing for vacancies. Not a pretty picture. Add that to Tech's murderous schedule and you got the makings of a long year. At least things figure to im- prove with time. Soy un perdidor. I'm a loooooooser baby.... oops, sorry, I was trying to remember the words to the Tech fight song. Tech will fall. Tech will fall hard. They have nothing with which to reload. But, like OSU, they have the kids there. Just get them out of diapers and you have a team on a mission. This year will just plain suck. Willie's Prediction: 3-8 (0-5) Waylon's prediction: 2-9 (0-5) WILLIE'S SUMMARY: NORTHERN DIVISION Nebraska 8-0 13-0 Colorado 6-1-1 8-2-1 Kansas 3-3-1 6-4-1 Kansas State 3-4 7-4 Missouri 2-5 4-7 Iowa State 0-7 1-10 SOUTHERN DIVISION Texas A&M 4-0 11-1 Baylor 3-1 7-4 Oklahoma 7-3 8-3 Texas 1-4 6-5 Oklahoma State 1-7 3-8 Texas Tech 0-5 3-8 WAYLON'S SUMMARY: NORTHERN DIVISION Nebraska 8-0 13-0 Colorado 7-1 8-3 Kansas State 3-4 7-4 Kansas 3-4 6-5 Iowa State 1-6 4-7 Missouri 0-7 1-10 SOUTHERN DIVISION Oklahoma 8-2 9-3 Texas A&M 3-1 10-1 Baylor 2-2 6-5 Texas 2-3 6-5 Oklahoma State 3-5 5-6 Texas Tech 0-5 2-9 SHINER BOCK / WOLF BRAND CHILI CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PREDICTIONS: Luckenbach Stadium, Cap. 94,000 December 3, 1994 Willie: Nebraska 28 Texas A&M 24 Waylon: Nebraska 38 Oklahoma 24 Blue Bell (TM) Player of the Year: Waylon's: Tommie Frazier, Nebraska Willie's: Leeland McElroy, Texas A&M