With Hurricane Ike closing in on Big XII region, the schedule has been shaken up somewhat, with Baylor vs. Washington St. moved up to tonight to go along with a big game, Kansas @ S. Florida.  Texas has also moved it's game with Arkansas back two weeks to Sept. 27th.  Oklahoma St. has moved it's game forward to try & miss all the rain coming inland, & several other Big XII teams have discussed moving their games around.  It should make for an interesting weekend weather-wise.

As for on the field, let's break down the games:

First up is a breakdown of her Cyclones big rivalry game of the year from our good friend Jess.  She's writing her part of the blog from the perspective of a huuuuuuge Cyclone fan (yes, there are a few out there) & she did her best to break down the game as unbiased as she could.  She even left the predicton part up to me.  THANKS ALOT JESS -- GOOD LUCK TO YOUR BOYS IN IOWA CITY!

Big XII Game of the Week --- Cy-Hawk Rivalry  (Courtesy of Jess (jm4cy))

                                                                                                                  

Iowa State (+13.5)  @ Iowa
In a state with no professional sports, the Iowa vs. Iowa State football game is magnified and is easily the most anticipated event in Iowa every year. No matter how the teams look on paper, the Cyclones and Hawkeyes always seem to play each other tough. Iowa State has dominated in recent years winning 7 of the last 10 games in the series, despite the Hawkeyes being favored every year. Iowa State is currently 2-0 after defeating South Dakota State 44-17 & Kent State 48-28. Iowa is also 2-0 with victories over Maine 46-3 & Florida International 42-0. Last week: Iowa State defeated Kent State 48-28 in a game where the Cyclone defense gave up 243 rushing yards, but along with special teams came up big at the right times, recovering 4 fumbles and blocking two punts putting an opportunistic offense in good positions to capitalize.
This week: Coach Chizik will continue to use frequent substitutions and a no huddle play calling system throughout the game which will see both Austen Arnaud and Phillip Bates rotating at QB. Arnaud remains more of the passing threat while Bates is dangerous on the run. Iowa had no trouble putting away Maine and Florida International; however they have yet to face a lot of speed at skilled positions which has been their weakness in the past and is exactly what Bates is capable of providing. Bates currently leads the Cyclones in rushing yards and is averaging 8.1 yards per carry. Arnaud manages the offense well and efficiently and is just as dangerous in the pocket as he is once he's been flushed from the pocket. Thus far Arnaud and Bates have both played well and have balanced each other out in a duel QB system that seems to be working better than anticipated. The Cyclones have scored 10 offensive touchdowns in their two games; Arnaud was on the field for five, as was Bates. Iowa State will need to be able to run the ball against a tough Iowa run defense and having starting RB Alexander Robinson back from injury should help. With Iowa's questionable pass defense, difficulty shutting down quick spread offenses and with ISU's passing game working as efficiently as it is right now, the Cyclones can open up the middle of the field for a better running game if they are able to exploit the Iowa defense through the air early on which will fall back on a sometimes questionable offensive line.
ISU's inexperienced defense has yet to be really tested with a solid passing attack and Iowa has the receivers to cause Iowa State trouble. Brodell and DJK, along with Stross and Moaki who are both returning from injury this week, all have potential for big plays, especially on WR screens where Brodell has been known to torch defenses with his speed. Throwing a lot of short routes across the middle could also be trouble for ISU who has struggled covering the middle of the field so far this season along with having numerous missed tackles which will need to be shored up to limit Iowa's offense. ISU is giving up 211 yards and allowing a Big 12 worst 6.2 yards a carry. The Cyclones are inexperienced on the interior line as well as at outside linebacker with first year starters taking over all those roles. The rest of the rotation consists of all freshman and sophomores who've seen little if any playing time. Iowa's Shonn Greene isn't as mobile or shifty as KSU's Jarvis who ran all over the Cyclone defense, but has had big games against both Maine and FIU.
Keys for an Iowa State victory in Iowa City could come down to the composure of the young Cyclones, including 11 true freshman with key roles as well as the defense being able to step up to stop the run and the offense being able to maintain their balanced attack. Winning the turnover battle will be crucial for the Cyclones who lead the nation in takeaways at 10 in just two games. They had 18 turnovers forced in 12 games last season. They are tied for 2nd in turnover margin at +3 a game.

If the Cyclones can be successful in these areas, they just might make it 8 out of the last 11 against the 13.5 point favorite Hawkeyes.

As for my prediction, I'm not quite as confident as jm4cy on her Cyclones, but I think the line is off in a big rivalry game like this... I didn't realize just how much HATE there is in this deal, apparently it's pretty ugly.  I like the Clones to cover the spread, but lose a close one to the home team 24-20.

Big XII IMPACT Game of the Week --- #13 Kansas (+3.5) @ #19 S. Florida
Kansas has a chance to make a big statement this week to show that they weren't a one-year wonder last season when they won the most games in School history & finished with their highest ranking ever at #7.  The only problem, they are facing a team hungry to do the same thing on their home field.  Remember, this same S. Florida program had risen to #2 in the country at one point after victories @ Auburn & at home over W. Virginia, so they are no stranger to big games.  The crowd should be raucous for this one, with a great environment being the spotlight game on Friday night and being shown to a Nationally televised audience on ESPN2.

History:
Friday will mark the 2nd meeting between the schools, with KU winning the first contest 13-7 in Lawrence in 2006.  USF has won 8 straight non-conference regular season games since that contest.

Coming In:
Kansas comes into the game with a record of 2-0, beating two inferior opponents by a combined score of 69-10.  Obviously this will be their stiffest test of the season in all phases, but especially trying to stop an offense that has put up 56, & 31 pts. in their two contests so far.  Kansas QB Todd Reesing has carried over his impressive 2007 season, having completed 76.7% of his passes for 668 yards and 6 TD's in somewhat limited action already.
USF also enters at 2-0, coming off a very tough overtime victory against UCF.  Junior QB Matt Grothe comes in having thrown for 442 yards & 5 TD's & an impressive 163.81 QB rating.  Making matters tougher on the Jayhwawks D, he ran the ball 20 times last week for 54 yards, making him a respectable enough runner to be dangerous.

The Matchup:
The Jayhawks offense is still rolling this season, with Reesing running the show, spreading the ball around to a bevy of weapons including star wideout Dezmon Briscoe & former QB-turned WR Kerry Meier.  S. Florida has two first year starters at both corners, so the inexperienced secondary will be tested for sure.  Offsetting that might be one of the best defensive linemen in the country, in DE George Selvie, coupled together with Jarriett Buie manning the other end.  The Jayhawks have two redshirt freshmen anchoring the Tackle positions, so this will be the battle to watch all night long.  Reesing takes care of the ball ,and if the Jayhawks can gash the Bulls defense with some draws & quick traps to keep the ends guessing, then Reesing should have enough time to pick apart the young Bulls secondary.
The S. Florida offense boasts a run-heavy offense behind a talented & experienced O-line, & they will need to control the clock & work the ball down field & win the field position game in this contest.  Their best defense may be keeping the KU offense on the sidelines.  If Grothe can harness his inner-gunslinger & limit turnovers, the S. Florida offense can have success against this Jayhawk unit.
In my opinion, this game puts the limelight on two of the best coaches in America in Kansas' Mark Mangino & S. Florida's Jim Leavitt.  Mangino has transformed an annual doormat program into one of the best in the Big XII.  The only question is can he sustain that level and make it a program & not just one or two good teams.  Leavitt has been a magician taking a new football program to heights that could have never been expected.  He's a hot name in College Football & as well he should be.

The Prediction:
As with any close football game, this contest will come down to two things -- Turnovers & field position.  With both teams coming off their best seasons ever, this game has a lot riding on it.  Both programs want to prove that they are here to stay, & this is one game to put their stamp on that.  I like Reesing over Grothe in the ability to take care of the pigskin, so I give the underdog KU team a slight edge.  In a very, very hard fought game.... I like KU to sneak one out @ Raymond James Stadium 34-31. 

Light up the Scoreboard (1)  ---  #12 Texas Tech vs. SMU (+36)
This game could last 7 hours, even with the new 40 second clock.  The only way Tech won't score is if Harrell literally throws it right to one of the Mustang players, even then I wouldn't put it past Crabtree to steal the ball away & run it in anyways.
I like the Red Raiders big, big, big did I say big?   T. Tech 71 SMU 30 

Light up the Scoreboard (2)  ---  Nevada (-26.5) @ #6 Missouri
Nevada lost last week to Texas Tech 35-19 on their home field.  They now face an even better team in Mizzou on the road at Faurot Field in Columbia.  Missouri has been on cruise control so far, with an unstoppable offense.  I like the Tigers to tame the Wolfpack 48-20. 

Cupcake of the Week  ---  Missouri State @ Okie State
This will be ugly.  OSU may not be a powerhouse on the Div. I level, but they have enough stud athletes to take advantage of a very undermanned Bears team.  Aggies win big 63-13 


Quick Hits:
It's hard to be a home underdog to a team that just got beat 66-3, but such is life for the Baylor Bears.  I don't care what the oddsmakers say, Washington St. is just that bad.  I'll take Baylor to "upset" 34-27.
Bo Pelini hasn't gotten Nebraska back to Black-shirt status yet, but he will before long.  This will be their third warm-up game before their big non-conference game with Va. Tech in two weeks.  They may overlook this game a little, but probably not with the bye week upcoming.  Give me Nebraska 38 New Mexico St. 14
My Sooners wore shirts during off season this summer & fall that said Be Road Tough, so apparently they are finally tired of the mantra they've carried.  It's all about focus going on the road as a huge favorite...they'll have to prove it to me first.  I say my Sooners will win, but not cover OU 38  U Dub 20.  (Homer cover:  I can see the Sooner exploding on the Huskies & winning by 35 though )

Off week:  Texas, Colorado, A&M, Kansas St.

The big XII went a perfect 12-0 for the first time in conference history last weekend, so I'm predicting they will continue that trend of winning football this week & go 7-1.  We'll see how it plays out on the field, & see if Hurricane Ike has anything to say about it.  That's your view from the eye of the Storm this week in Big XII Football.