Conference Realignment Leftovers: The Puppet twits that the Big 12 AD's are meeting without Nebraska and Colorado. LAJ's Courtney Linehan has a good point, which was that Big 12 Commish Dan Beebe told us last week that the Big 12-2 was going to be better and make more money as a result of Nebraska and Colorado leaving, but how the Big 12-2 has their hand out telling those two schools that their revenue check gets withheld. Meanwhile, Nebraska blog Better Off Red takes a look at the Big 12 Bylaws as to this financial penalty.
Leach vs. Texas Tech: LAJ's Matthew McGowan reports that former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach is making a move towards appealing District Judge Jim Sowder's decisions that went against Leach. Look for the Texas Tech attorneys to file similar documents to also appeal any of Judge Sowder's decisions.
Twitter Stuff: For those of you who do tweet, I created a very simple list of Texas Tech folks that keep me informed. Consider this my gift to you today. LYLAS.
College Football Outsiders Preview: Football Outsiders has a new college home page and are ranking teams based on team strength and not projected finish. In any event, they've released #25-#11 and your Texas Tech Red Raiders rank . . . #16:
Sustained offensive success lives in Lubbock. Tommy Tuberville inherits a lineup that has, to say the least, been rather good on offense in recent years. How much he'll tinker with the formula, we have yet to find out, but the components are there for further success. Quarterbacks Steven Sheffield and Taylor Potts both have starting experience, the receiving corps is deep and seasoned, and running back Baron Batch could be outstanding in a more runner-friendly system. The offensive line is a question mark, though, with fewer than 30 career starts.
There's more at the website, go give them a look.
FYI, Football Outsiders is a website that bases their projects on statistics, all of which I don't really understand, but interestingly, FO is predicting that Texas Tech will have the 13th best offense and the 27th best defense based on their F/+ metrics, which is a slight uptick from last year's numbers. And just to clarify, F/+ is as follows:
The Projected F/+ has a foundation in both recent history and numerous transition factors. A team’s recent output (illustrated by the Program F/+ and weighted more toward later seasons), five-year recruiting success (using Rivals.com ratings for signees who actually enrolled at each school), and offensive and defensive fluctuation form the baseline data. We adjust that baseline with transition factors like returning offensive and defensive starters, talent lost to the NFL Draft, and disproportional success on passing downs. The result, Projected F/+, is a more accurate predictor of next-year success than any other data we have tested or used to date, with a remarkable 0.85 correlation between projected and actual wins.
Duncan Named to Bronko Nagurski List: Per the official site, LB Brian Duncan was named to the Bronko Nagurski List by the Football Writers Association of America and the Charlotte Touchdown Club. Congrats to Brian!
What If: Rock M Nation's Bill C. finished his three part series on what if Nebraska and Colorado had never been a part of the Big 12.
Need Questions: ESPN blogger David Ubben is asking for Texas Tech questions. Go send him some questions and let him know that you're representing DTN.