For most of the history of the Big 12 Conference, the North Division has been a two- or three-team race year in and year out.
Early on, it was Nebraska and Colorado that dominated the North. By the turn of the century, Kansas State had inserted itself into the discussion of who was best in the division.
Last year, Missouri and Kansas both crashed the party with amazing breakout seasons that finished with impressive bowl victories and AP top ratings, while Colorado barely earned bowl eligibility status and Nebraska and Kansas State were, for lack of a better word, dreadful.
Can the Tigers and/or the Jayhawks continue their meteoric rise in 2008? Will Nebraska, Colorado or Kansas State get back on their feet? And will Iowa State EVER figure out how the game of football is played in this division? Here's a brief look at the Big 12 North Division.
Colorado Buffaloes
The Buffaloes were awful in 2006 and were somewhat better last year. Their 65-51 win over Nebraska at the end of the season earned them an Independence Bowl bid, where they lost a close one to Alabama.
Things are starting to fall into place for coach Dan Hawkins, whose team will again be led by his son, quarterback Cody Hawkins. The Buffs should be a much-improved team this year with a lot of their key contributors back, but they play a brutal non-conference schedule with games against West Virginia, Florida State and in-state rival Colorado State.
The conference schedule isn't all that appealing, either. Non-division games against Texas and Oklahoma State are at home, but there are road trips to Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.
The good news is that this is a team that is more experienced and capable of improving on last year's 6-7 mark. Whether or not they can do it against what is arguably the toughest schedule in the conference remains to be seen.
Iowa State Cyclones
Gene Chizek was the defensive wizard from Texas that was supposed to resurrect the perpetual sad sack football program that is Iowa State.
While the highlights were few and far between for the coach in his first year in Ames, the Cyclones did beat in-state rival Iowa and showed promise to be a more competitive program this season after closing with wins over Kansas State and Colorado.
The Cyclones have some pretty good talent coming back this year, led by running back Alexander Robinson. He finished the season strong with 391 yards and six touchdowns in the last four games. They'll need to fill some holes at receiver, but have a good playmaker back in Marquis Hamilton.
The schedule is pretty favorable for the Cyclones this year. Their only real non-conference challenge is the annual in-state showdown with Iowa, which is on the road this year. They get all of their toughest conference games at home (KU, NU, MU, A&M) and if they can enter conference play 3-1 or 4-0 they could make things interesting.
Iowa State has had some decent seasons in the past decade, but historically have been the North Division's whipping post. Opponents may not find them as easy a mark in 2008 as they have been in recent years.
Kansas Jayhawks
What can you say about the turnaround Mark Mangino has orchestrated in Lawrence? And when you think about it, KU was potentially a win or two away from matching Florida's football-basketball national title double play of a couple years ago.
The question is -- now that they've made their way to the top, can they stay there? They certainly have the talent to do it, led by quarterback Todd Reesing. They have good depth returning on offense and should have some quality running backs to replace Brandon McAnderson.
The knock on KU's 12-1 finish last year was that they didn't play anybody of significance, particularly in non-conference play. They'll change that a little this year with a trip to South Florida, and most of their key conference games will be at home this season (with the exception of the Missouri game, which will be played up the road in Kansas City).
The only thing harder than getting to the top of the mountain is staying there. If this team can sustain the momentum from last year's breakout season, they will be a force to be reckoned with on the national level.
Kansas State Wildcats
To say Kansas State stumbled last year would be something of an understatement. The Wildcats went from a bowl team to fighting Iowa State to stay out of the North Division basement last year.
Josh Freeman set a school record with over 3,300 yards passing last year, and is developing into an accurate gunslinger. He is going to be their go-to guy this year as they try to get themselves back near the top of the North Division.
The Wildcats are going to be tested often this year, with road games at Louisville, Texas A&M, Colorado, Kansas and Missouri. The home schedule is no walk in the park either, with Oklahoma and Nebraska scheduled to make the trip to Manhattan.
If the Wildcats can get a couple of wins on the road this year, they could find themselves making bowl reservations by season's end.
Missouri Tigers
Missouri started last year flying well under college football's radar screen, but when all was said and done they found themselves on the short list of national title contenders for 2008.
Heisman Trophy runner-up Chase Daniel had a huge year last year for the Tigers, throwing for over 4,300 yards and earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors. Jeremy Maclin also earned All-American honors at receiver, and he will be a threat every time he touches the ball this season.
The Tigers should breeze through their non-conference schedule and have a good head of steam built up for their conference opener at Nebraska, where they haven't won since 1978. The schedule is very favorable to them, with a road tilt at Texas and the Kansas game in Kansas City the only major potential stumbling blocks.
Missouri has developed a solid program and could very well be a major player for years to come in the North Division. If all goes well for the Tigers, they could also be playing for a national title at season's end.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Last year, Nebraska's defense set numerous school records -- the kind no team ever wants to be associated with -- as the Huskers suffered through their worst season in four decades.
The defense is a major concern for new coach Bo Pelini and is something that definitely will show improvement this year, but the interesting question is how potent the offense will be. Joe Ganz had 16 touchdown passes in the last three games as starter and is back, along with running back Marlon Lucky, to lead what could be a very potent offense.
Nebraska has a killer stretch in their schedule early on, with consecutive games against Virginia Tech, Missouri and at Texas Tech. There is also a late-season run with Oklahoma on the road and Kansas at home in consecutive weeks that could prove challenging.
Nebraska fans tired quickly with the Bill Callahan era, so there is a tremendous amount of optimism that Pelini's fire and passion will get the Huskers back on track in 2008. How they handle those rough stretches will go a long way to how far they go this season.
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