Big 12 Media Days 2008 / Credit: ETSU_1956 Flicker CC

What did we learn yesterday?

• The worst kept secret over summer is officially out. A.J. Steward is a tight end now. I had high hopes for A.J. at the QB spot, but this moves makes sense with the QB depth and open competition at tight end. Looks like we'll see him on the field this year.
• The KC Star still loves the Cats. That's nice.
• According to the Star, Mark Mangino is 0-6 versus Tech, OU and Texas. Please print more things that Mangino and KU haven't done. Big, bold headlines if possible.
• Will August 30th ever get here?

***

Everyone likes to focus on the KU players lost from the 2007 squad. Back in the day, there used to be a simple predictor for success on the field. A returning QB and a defense with experience. KU has nine starters back on defense and the interior offensive line intact. Maybe Todd Reesing didn't do enough last year to convince the country that he is here to win?

So, last summer was spent discussing how Mangino would be on the hot seat and the KU football program was going to collapse. Then media days came and a few sportswriters took note that Mangino was oddly confident. Then people started looking at the early schedule. Get past CMU and hey, 6-0 is achievable. All of the sudden KU becomes the trendy dark horse pick despite starting a relatively inexperienced QB, the loss of Cornish and three offensive linemen. Sure why not -- go against the grain.

Okay, back to the present. We've spent all offseason hearing about how 2007 was a fluke and now that mighty Texas is on the schedule KU should be grateful if they find a way into the International Bowl. Can I go ahead and make a prediction?

Since there are roughly nine million college football sportswriters out there and since they get a little bored, we'll start to see a few describe KU as the non-dark horse dark horse around mid-August. I can see it. If you get past USF, you get an extra week to prepare for ISU and could maybe get one there. Colorado is at home. You could go to Norman 6-0. That would be a big-time game and these two guys know each other (Mangino is going to get one against Stoops at some point) Plus, OU will play the Red River Rivalry the week prior. Will OU really be up for "just a fluke" KU? Yes, Lloyd Christmas -- I'm saying there's a chance. 

"Sports talk radio will rot your brain."--Thomas Jefferson

The Big 12 Media extravaganza kicked off today which means my four-month vacation from local sports radio sadly has come to an end ...

KU fired up today and I'll refrain from snagging quotes from the LJW site. The link is here: http://www2.kusports.com/blogs/conference_chatter/2008/jul/22/day2/

The media release from the school is here:
http://kuathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/072108aab.html

It's just not going well for KU and t-shirts lately. Barack Chalk Jayhawk? Re-open Larry's case.
http://www.kansascity.com/166/story/714567.html

Is Jon Cornish ready to get some more carries up north?

He busted off a career-best 48-yard gain in the fourth quarter, after gaining a total of 30 yards in his rookie year -- albeit on two touches."It felt pretty good," smiled Cornish, 23. "I felt like if I hadn't been running up and down the field on special teams prior to that, I would have been a little faster. My speed really tapered off towards the end and I really wasn't too happy about being hauled down.

• Big 12 Championship
• Charles Gordon is avenged on November 15, 2008
  
• A full house for opening day (borrowed from 2007)
• The team properly channels the nationwide "just a scheduling fluke" media campaign and comes into the season with the exact right amount of focused anger/adrenaline
• Clint Bowen solves the spread offense
• Maxwell Onyegbule gets to Chase Daniel ... every down.
• Mike Rivera gets to Chase Daniel ... every down.
• RJ Jr and Darius Parish erase my fond memories of James McClinton
• Todd Reesing 2008 exceed TR 2007
• Dexton Fields and Dezmon Briscoe both go over 1,000
• Ed Warriner blows my mind by staying ahead of the Big 12 with further innovation to last year's scheme
• Find a confident punt returner that can be a threat
• Jeff Spikes lives up to the hype
• Marcus Herford becomes a legitimate Big 12 wide receiver threat (last chance man)
• Jake Sharp -- 80 yard TD run at any point in the conference season or in the state of Florida
• 40,000 plus Jayhawk fans wearing blue at Arrowhead (adjusted down from 50k for our "home" game last year)
• 60,000 plus Jayhawk fans wearing blue at Arrowhead one week later
• 14 wins

"But if you dig a little deeper, it looks like the Jayhawks' record was a product of the system—the system of cupcake scheduling."

From the Awful Announcing blog:

http://awfulannouncing.blogspot.com/2008/07/espns-college-football-live-returns.html

"ESPN’s College Football Live, a weekday afternoon studio show dedicated to college football which debuted last year, will return Monday, July 21, and will now be aired year-round. Brent Musburger will host the first two shows live from ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn.

"... guests starting next week including but limited to: Jim Tressel, ABobby Petrino, Bobby Bowden, Les Miles, Rich Rodriguez, Pete Carroll, Phil Fulmer, Mark Richt, Tim Tebow, Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell, Pitt RB LeSean McCoy and Kansas QB Todd Reesing."