It is a slow news day and a bye week so you get a trip down memory lane.
Good grief. Mack Brown is still undecided about a running back.
Asked if Vondrell McGee would start against Colorado after his 100-plus yard performance against UTEP, coach Mack Brown said he didn't know. Brown said the coaching staff will probably end up going with the hot hand between McGee, Tré Newton and possibly Cody Johnson, who had one carry against the Miners and scored a touchdown.
Bill Little has written a comprehendible story about Colt McCoy.
The Dallas Morning News Editorial Board hashes out college football Twitter policy : Mike Leach vs. Mack Brown.
Mike Leach has banned Texas Tech football players from using Twitter; Mack Brown says he wants his University of Texas players to use common sense. Which approach makes more sense?
A tale of two brothers. Safety Earl Thomas and his brother, McNeese State defensive back Seth Thomas, both got interceptions on Saturday.
Mike Sherman gives his annual State of the Union address.
Currently, as a football team, we are 3-0. Every week, we must always keep things in perspective. As I told them back in camp, Aggies are a great group of people but because of their passion they can sometimes lose perspective. If we win, they will think we are the best thing going. If we lose they will wonder if we can win a game. That passion and energy that all Aggies share is a good thing, because they care. I wouldn't have it any other way; neither would they.
As a football team, however, they must keep an even keel perspective. Don't get too high when things go your way, don't get down when they don't. We must never lose sight of taking care of the present. No matter what we did yesterday or last week - whether good or bad - it does not weigh in on what they do today or Saturday. What does hold weight is their work ethic, character and talent … and we can never take a backward step in these areas.
Did you expect to see the Aggies in this list? Sporting News' Dave Curtis looks at the undefeated teams.
Fantastic offense, unstoppable pass rush ... and the Aggies still aren't a lock for a bowl.
The kiddies get to play this year. A&M has 30 underclassmen on a two-deep roster and 16 freshmen are getting playing time.
Sherman has used 16 players who were competing for their high school squads a year ago, tying a school record in that category only three games in.
One of those, receiver Uzoma Nwachukwu, scored four touchdowns on four touches in A&M's 38-30 victory over Utah State on Sept. 19.
Another, running back Christine Michael of Beaumont West Brook, leads the team with 6.7 yards per carry. Michael missed the UAB game with a calf strain, but Sherman said he should be ready to go against the Razorbacks.
Defensively, 14 of A&M's top 22 players are underclassmen, including Harris, a cornerback from Livingston, and freshmen linebackers Kyle Mangan of Brenham and Jonathan Stewart. Coordinator Joe Kines said he's not sweating those details against Arkansas and quarterback Ryan Mallett.
"That's what we've got," Kines said, shrugging.
"The biggest difference this year is sometimes we can make a mistake and we're fast enough to run out of it and overcome it."
Oklahoma State
You have to love a story like this. Taylor Sokolosky is an unlikely college football player.
Sokolosky played just one season of high school football at Tulsa’s Cascia Hall, an elite private school known more for its country club sports. Before that?
"I played some flag football when I was, probably, 10,” said Sokolosky, a special teams standout with the Cowboys.
So what qualified Sokolosky to try out with a rising Big 12 program, even in a walk-on capacity?
Guts, toughness and some amount of skill say his teammates.
"Love of the game,” said Cowboys coach Mike Gundy.
Oklahoma
A decision has been made. It is Landry Jones.
"Sam has made daily progress, but we don't feel like he's quite where he needs to be yet," Stoops said in a release. "Our team has a lot of confidence in Landry's ability and we're looking forward to going into the game with him at quarterback. Our approach will be the same that it has been in the last two games." Bradford sprained his throwing shoulder in the Sooners opening-game loss to BYU on Sept. 5.
More second guessing. Dennis Dodd looks at Bradford's decision to return.
Sam Bradford probably never met Jimmy Wilkerson. In 2003, Wilkerson was the 189th player taken in the NFL Draft. Nice player, all-Big 12 defensive end for Oklahoma as a sophomore in 2001. Left early after his junior season in 2002. Sixth round, Kansas City.
Going into 2009 Wilkerson had started six games in six NFL seasons.
That's where Wilkerson comes in. Stoops strongly suggested to his star defensive end six years ago that he stay for his senior season. You're cutting into your bonus if you leave, Stoops said. You're not ready, Stoops said. Wilkerson went anyway. Six starts in six seasons.
No doubt Wilkerson has made his share of money having stuck around the NFL that long. The thing he has in common with Bradford is the perception that both might have lost money -- Wilkerson because he came out too early, Bradford because he stayed and got injured.
The viewing guide. Here are some things to watch, games to see (since we have a bye week).
The North
We've heard this before. The Missouri run game still needs improvement.
"We've got to run the ball better, period," Pinkel said Monday during the Big 12 coaches teleconference.
The latest stall in the ground game came in Missouri's 31-21 victory over Nevada on Friday night. The box score shows that the Tigers' running backs had 3.7 yards per carry, a figure that, while underwhelming, doesn't induce panic. Take out Washington's 42-yard run late in the game and that number shrinks to exactly 2 yards per rush.
This probably isn't a book recommended by Oprah's Book Club. Cyclone quarterback Austen Arnaud and offensive coordinator Tom Herman are reading a book together.
Austen Arnaud is reading more than the Iowa State football playbook while prepping for Saturday's 2 p.m. Big 12 Conference game against Kansas State at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
"We're reading a book together," said offensive coordinator Tom Herman, who did not reveal the book's title. "It talks about shutting off your mind a little bit.
A tribute to the Bill Snyder influence in the history of the Wildcat program.
Bill Snyder has to deal with left over baggage from Ron Prince.
Bill Snyder does not like to travel any more than necessary, and for the man that is attempting to reinvigorate a Kansas State football team for the second time, this year has held many challenges. Snyder, who is renowned for his adherence to a rigorous schedule, has faced the daunting remnants of former Head Coach Ron Prince's aggressive scheduling tendencies, and Snyder has made it clear this is not how he likes to run a program.
Nebraska's blackshirt tradition.
The Cornhuskers aren't talking about Missouri.
"I mean, I really don't want to talk about Missouri, man,'' NU receiver Chris Brooks said. "If you ask me next week, I might tell you something.''
The South
Art Briles impersonations.
Bear quarterback Robert Griffin will get a medical redshirt and still have three years of eligibility.
Some people in lubbock aren't happy with the Pirate Coach.
It is beyond hypocritical that the same guy who can be seen on TV giving dating advice and soaking up all the attention that the pirate persona brings him — most recently by gracing the cover of Texas Monthly with a pirate patch on his eye, is calling college students egotistical for using one of the most popular networking tools in the country.
I didn’t hear Leach calling Williams a narcissist when he was holding up signs and leading chants in front of the athletic office during Leach’s contract dispute.
And when did Carter, a beloved team captain, become someone that couldn’t even be around the team that selected him as a captain?
Have the players changed, or has Leach himself changed?
Football powerhouses always bounce back.
Over the last 50 years, seldom have fallen powers failed to get back.
OU, Alabama, Texas and USC have all had losing records in the last 15 seasons. Now, all four are vying for national titles this season. While ordinary schools need the right coach and the right situation to win, the elite programs usually just need a little momentum to climb back to the top.
Tradition is not something that dissipates quickly.
Unbelievable. Missouri fans are a classy bunch.