BlogPoll Roundtable #4

Here is this week's BlogPoll Roundtable discussion being hosted appropriately enough by Iowa State blog Crosscyed. We went with a Sammy Vegas - Jeffie Husker tag team on this effort.

1. We're about halfway through the season at this point. Have you gotten a gauge on your team's chances this year to make noise in conference play, or is the team still a total freaking mystery?

Sammy Vegas says:

Outside of why Paris Hilton is famous, is there a bigger freaking mystery than our own Huskers? Last week against Kansas, we blew an early 17 point lead and ended up winning in OT. Disturbing about that is that we are a top 25 team that gave up over 400 passing yards to KU’s 2nd string QB. One week earlier we played a Troy team that had Florida State and Georgia Tech on the ropes and won 56-0. The week before that, the whole country witnessed us playing not to get blown out against a USC team that could have been had. If you can guess which team will show up against Iowa State on the road this weekend let us know.

2. Many of the bigger conferences such as the Big 12 and the Big 10 use a rotating schedule to determine conference games each year. What are your feelings on the current system used in your conference? Does a rotating schedule work? Has your team always caught a break?

Sammy Vegas says:

They system needs to be changed in the Big 12. Compare these two North vs. South schedules. Nebraska has Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Baylor for two consecutive years, and then has Texas, Oklahoma St., and Texas A&M for two years. Not so bad. On the other hand, Iowa State has Oklahoma State, Baylor, and Texas A&M for two years, and then must face Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech. Not fair. The rotating schedule must stay in place, but needs to be tweaked somehow according to the previous year’s performance. We catch a break in the fact that we play Texas and Texas Tech one year and Oklahoma and Texas A&M in the next go around.

3. In an effort to get to know more about college football, both nationally and regionally, what have you done to expand your college football horizons? Have you caught yourself watching games from other conferences, or taking an interest in games that show up on ESPNU or Fox Sports?

Sammy Vegas says:

In Nebraska there is nothing to do besides follow college football and drink beer. Every sports bar in town has satellite and every television has Direct TV. Needless to say, expanding our college football IQ is essential if you want to hold any type of conversation on weekends. Did I mention that everybody gambles as well?

4. What would you change about the current exposure your team gets, either on the radio, television, print, or on the internet?

Jeffie Husker says:

I’ve complained before, but the Big 12 television contract is essentially laughable. The ABC part of the equation is fine with weekly 2:30 games, as well as an occasional ABC primetime game. The other options, however, leave much to be desired. How sad is it that I have now come to associate the voice of FSN’s Dave Lapham with Husker football? Talk about gravitating toward mediocrity! But as bad as FSN may be, it is top shelf in comparison to TBS. I don’t know what it is, but I always feel as though college football on TBS is just a way of filling time between airings of Point Break and Roadhouse. In addition, I have become increasingly concerned about the number of non-televised Nebraska games. This is especially important for transplanted Husker fans who would rather see the game as performed by an interpretative dance troupe, than listen to Husker radio voice Jim Rose.

5. During last Saturday's game against I-AA Northern Iowa, Iowa State trailed 21-7 at the half. The Cyclone Marching Band played a variety of songs from animated shows, including selections from South Park titled "Blame Canada" and "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" Needless to say, the Cyclones outscored the Panthers 21-6 in the second half. If you had to pick one song for your favorite team to rally to, what would it be? Because we all know what they did for the 2005 White Sox, Journey and "Don't Stop Believing" are not to be considered.

Jeffie Husker says:

I could have gone a lot of ways with this, but in the end, the answer was simple. There is nothing finer than imagining thousands of pasty-white, rhythmically-challenged Nebraskans, bobbing and swaying to the latest hip-hop stylings. To that end, I would love to see the Huskers rally to rap single of the year, “What You Know” by T.I.

Don’t you know I got…
Key by the three when I chirp shorty chirp back,
Louis nap sack, where I hold'n all the work at,
What you know about that?

Indeed!