Around the Horn: RPI, Big 12, Chiefs

Notes and quotes while fans are asking 259 yards later: LJ Who?

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After six games this season, Denver stood at 6-0 and Kansas City at 1-5. How much money would you have lost in a straight-up bet for best record the rest of the year?

You would have lost.

Denver fell upon its own sword, stumbling to just 2-8 the rest of the way. Chiefs? 3-7.

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Boise State won its second BCS game, with a 17-10 win in the Cop Out  Bowl. Everyone knew before the bowl pairings that the alignment would face Boise vs TCU, so no one could prove that the non-BCS teams could knock off a big boy. How much turmoil and uproar would have hit the talk shows today had both TCU and Boise St KO’ed Ohio State and Iowa? Problem solved – have both teams play and no one gets hurt. WEAK.

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How steamed are Texans fans at Indy coach Jim Caldwell's decision to pull the starters during the Colts eventual loss to the Jets last week? Thanks to the free win, New York got back into the playoff picture and wrapped up a berth with a win on Sunday, another freebie as the Bengals sat its starters.

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Even better, how hacked will Bengals fans be if the Jets beat Cincy next week?

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Best yet, how loud will Colts fans be clamoring if Indy loses to the Jets in the playoffs? But sorry to say, I don't think the Bengals or the Colts will be resting their starters the next time around, Jets.

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So Temple fans wanted the best. They simply got the best of the best. Kansas looked like the number one team in the country with that shellacking Saturday. As usual, I got bored after halftime. Come Big 12 (which is now upon us) KU, Texas and K-State will face challenges only at the aforementioned counterparts venues, along with trips to Okie State, A&M and Mizzou. Anywhere else, and odds are 90% that UT, KU or KSU wins. Sure, Texas Tech, Nebraska and Oklahoma aren’t easy places to play, but the separation of talent and coaching is Grand Canyon-esque.

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For those pointing at KU’s schedule and beating its chest about the K-State slate, has anyone checked the RPI lately? Kansas: No. 7. K-State: No. 8. Both deserve high rankings, but neither merits accusations over the other. By the way, Texas: No. 13.

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Would anyone three months ago have circled January 18 on the calendar as a pivotal date for the Big 12 race? Texas travels to Manhattan, though gut feeling tells me that K-State will have a tough time getting out of Columbia with a win in Saturday’s opener at Mizzou Arena.

Yes, those Tigers. Mizzou can beat the best team in the Big 12, and lose to the worst team – all in the same week. In the end, Missouri’s style and continuing maturity will put together 8 wins, especially with two games apiece vs a weak trio in Nebraska-Iowa State-Colorado that the Tigers can rack up 4 wins, minimum. Steal one against K-State or at Texas Tech, and MU’s on track for a 9 or 10 seed in the NCAAs.

As for the ‘Cats, if they split the KU and UT game at Bramlage, drop the game at Allen Fieldhouse and perhaps a road game (at Mizzou?), and K-State rolls up a 13-3 Big 12 season (title?), a 26-4 entering the Big 12 Tournament with a team-record for wins and …

Okay, talk about carriage before the horse. But getting all three local schools in the NCAAs would set the stage for a wild march, beginning right at the Big 12 tourney.

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And speaking of tourneys…

Reminder next year: Lay off the sweets at Christmas and the extra helpings at Thanksgiving before my high school alumni basketball tournament. As if age and the increasing waistline didn’t hamper me down – or the fact I hit the buffet more than I hit the treadmill – this past Saturday’s event at Lansing High School wasn’t my finest effort.

In all reality, it wasn’t too bad. I came away injury free, netted a few buckets and against kids nearly half my age. Where are the days when we were the young team? Now, we’re suddenly the old guys watching the young kids run past us in the second half. I recruited a couple of ringers to do all the running while I sucked air, but seems every team brought a frontline of three 6-foot-4 players or taller. I thought this was an alumni tourney? If we had all this height, why hasn’t Lansing won the state title once?

I’ll ponder that question while I train for next year’s tourney – by purchasing NBA 2010 for the Wii. Close enough.