RANDOM THOUGHTS ON A WEEKEND OF FOOTBALL

Writing while traveling, so I suppose no full recap for OSU this weekend. Doubt anyone is going to miss that. Doubt a full recap will be necessary for next weekend either.

But there was plenty going on in the world of football to spark a little conversation...

-The Big 12 isn't just down...it plain sucks after two weeks.

The Cowboys are the only team to play a "major" Division I program and live to talk about it (No, OU, I'm not counting WVU. I did watch that game after all).

Texas gave it a shot and it cost Manny Diaz his job. WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT, LONGHORNS??? I don't think I've ever witnessed that many great athletes (and I presume UT is still drawing plenty of those) get outrun by every white guy with a knee brace west of the Continental Divide. Must have been the altitude...or really bad coaching. Still doing the research on that. In the meantime, Mack attempts to plug the leak by filling the DC spot with...wait for it...Greg Robinson. Let's allow that to marinate for a while as we watch Barking Carnival and Burnt Orange Nation circle the wagons around that brief moment of ecstasy PRIOR to the BYU game when they realized OU has no passing game and could only run the ball. And just so the defense doesn't feel alone, don't forget that the Longhorn offense got manhandled by BYU. How can a team watch as Mike Davis "trots" by the BYU corner for an easy long TD reception, then get the crap beat out of them by that same group? Red River Rivalry might be the worst edition EVER in 2013. One more thing...if Mack sees another RRR in 2014 from the UT sidelines, then the Longhorn Admin and Alumni have obviously lost touch with reality.

Speaking of the Sooners, did Stoops decide he was going to level the playing field in the Big 12 by not recruiting quarterbacks? Not sure what is going on in Norman, but I don't think it would be a stretch to say many a fan secretly wishes for David Ash. Had it not been for some well-timed Sooner "magic," OU could have very easily lost to a horrible West Virginia team in NORMAN. How soon can Kendal Thompson be ready?

How do two programs that are not only the big time names in conference, but also nationally renowned, manage to recruit people who can't carry the team with their arm in a league that thrives on passing? OSU took a guy with a noodle arm and he's slinging it all over the place.

The Sooners and Longhorns better get their acts together because they are getting their lunch handed to them on and off the field right now, and both would end up in the bottom half of the league if not for the disastrous state of most of the other programs. That would hurt the value of the Big 12 more than anything. Think about that.

-Speaking of turning it around, how is my pick of Baylor looking right now? Care to match the Bears up against either OU or UT right now? Long way to go, but Briles and Baylor are the only other team that looks ready to jam with OSU for the title. TCU will be tough, but Boynkin can't carry them. As a fan, I want no part of the Bears’ offense right now.

-Note to Big 12 coaches/AD's...stop scheduling FCS opponents. Nothing good comes of a win, and a loss is...well...really bad. You're better off losing to a bad FBS team.

-For those who would discount an OSU Big 12 title because the league is down...the Cowboys will be happy to discuss that while they wait to play in a BCS bowl. Nobody will care in 10 years, and don't forget it was OSU that helped usher in the playoff that will eventually keep your team in the national title hunt even after they've lost a game (or two if your team is in the SEC).

-Sliding on over to the SEC, am I alone in hoping that Alabama absolutely destroys Johnny Football? I'll root for someone else to upset the Tide. It doesn't matter anyway, as nobody other than Oregon or Stanford will get any respect outside that conference, so you might as well settle in for an SEC vs "anybody but another SEC team" BCS title game.

-Back to the Big 12 for a moment...if I said 10 years ago that you could form a conference in 2013 with USC, Texas, and OU, and nobody would be scared, what would you have said?

-Switching to the NFL, let me be the first to pose that annual most ridiculous of questions...Could the best team in college football beat the worst team in the NFL?" Cuz right now Jacksonville is NOT inspiring any confidence.

-How stupid is the Cleveland Browns front office? No wonder quarterbacks go there to die. You bring in a QB that beat every other major rookie QB taken in the draft in college (except Wilson) and are throwing his career down the drain. The bad news is the drain can catch. The opposite is true in Jacksonville, where they bring in a fantastic rookie WR, but can't put anyone in the pocket that can throw it to him, or anyone else for that matter. Unless they get lucky, Weeden and Blackmon will suffer into oblivion on teams unable to make use of their talent. That really sucks.

Meanwhile Bob gets lots of love. That really doesn't sit well with me.

-How bad is Dallas? Six turnovers and you hang on by the skin of your teeth for a win AT HOME against the Giants. Get ready for another "Romo Ride" Cowboy fans...

-Targeting 101...so far, so good. Haven't seen any crazy crap or controversy.

-Sports Illustrated.

As we all anxiously await what will probably paint a pretty ugly picture of Oklahoma State football, whether based on fact or hearsay, what do we think the point of the article is other than to sell magazines?

The only thing I can think of is that SI is hoping to stir up enough dust that NCAA investigators start digging further into more current activities related to the main characters. I find it hard to believe that the publication would spend a year working on a story that uncovers improprieties unrelated to current staff or players and that fall outside the NCAA's statute of limitations. That's a lot of work to smear OSU, Les Miles, or Boone. Seems like a waste. If that's all there is to it, Gundy could come out looking even better by running a clean, competitive program. Appears to be a big risk for SI unless there is something else they are holding back until they go to print. I know we don't like Thayer Evans, but bigger people are making the decisions on this.

Also curious to see who the informants are that apparently have an ax to grind.

Here's hoping this does not become a distraction.