Big 12 (Lack of) Power Poll: Week 4
This week in The Thirsty Beagle Big 12 (Lack of) Power Poll: Pondering the future for Kansas State (it’s definitely not good), OSU (it’s probably not good), and Iowa State (it’ll only be good if they can play North Dakota State three more times this year). On to the poll!
1. Baylor (2-1, beat Northwestern State 68-13; next, vs. Kent State) Even though Baylor won handily to improve to 2-1 — and let’s all admit it, having more wins than losses is no small shakes for the Bears – the loss of starting quarterback Robert Griffin for the year puts them in a hole the rest of the season. And I’m talking about a different hole than the proverbial football hole they’re usually in.
2. Colorado (1-2, bye; next, at West Virginia) Colorado holding steady with the second best (lack of) power rating in the poll. The Thirsty Beagle feels a big run of losses coming on for the Buffs.
3. Kansas State (2-2, beat Tennessee Tech 49-7; next, at Iowa State) Kansas State flexed its not so significant muscles against Tennessee Technical Non-Athletic Community College. Now they must go into the snake pit that is Ames, Iowa. Wait, did I say snake pit? I meant corn field. What? Not as intimidating?
4. Iowa State (3-1, beat Army 31-10; next, vs. Kansas State) Somehow Iowa State is 3-1, surpassing last season’s win total. Warm up the tractors and the convertibles, we’re parading through Ames tonight, baby! Now if the Cyclones can find a way to get North Dakota State, Kent State and Army on their schedule again this year, bowl eligibility, here we come!
5. Texas A&M (3-0, beat UAB 56-19; next, vs. Arkansas) Yes, A&M is undefeated. But when the most remarkable thing about the first three weeks of your football season is some guy apparently throwing a basketball through a hoop from the top deck of the football stadium, it doesn’t say much for your football team.
6. Texas Tech (2-2, lost to Houston 29-28; next, vs. New Mexico) Texas Tech vs. unranked teams: 2-0. Texas Tech vs. ranked teams: 0-2. I know Tech’s losses have come on the road to decent teams, but the Red Raiders looked rather unremarkable on offense and defense against Houston. Ranked highly last week, they walk the plank in the poll this time around.
7. Missouri (4-0, beat Nevada 31-21; next, bye) Speaking of unremarkable, Tigers looked average at best against Nevada. Their signature win against Illinois (which was shut out 30-0 by Ohio State on Saturday) is looking less and less impressive as the weeks go by. Next three games are against ranked teams, so they’ll have a shot to prove themselves.
8. Oklahoma State (3-1, beat Grambling State 56-6; next, bye) Beating Grambling handily was good. And while the offensive line seemed a little more in sync, there’s trouble on the horizon. Two fumbles and two interceptions against the not-necessarily-vaunted Grambling defense? Nine penalties? There were a lot of new players out there, but when is this team going to put it together? Are they ever going to put it together? Even more disturbing, OSU had nine rushes for only 1 yard. Worse, they had eight rushes for no gain or negative yardage. That’s more than a third of their runs for 1 yard or less. You gotta be gaining at least three or four yards every time you run it against a team like Grambling! A team with a real defensive line (read: Texas, OU) will make things miserable for the Cowboys.
9. Oklahoma (2-1, bye; next, at Miami) After Miami looked more like the P-U, what was a marquee matchup between the Hurricanes and the Sooners doesn’t look quite as good. In fact, Miami went from being in the top 10 to being a seven-point underdog on their own field. Ouch.
10. Nebraska (3-1, beat Louisiana-Lafayette 55-0; next, bye) OK, I know what you’re about ask, and I can tell you that yes, that’s the same Louisiana-Lafayette that beat Kansas State two week ago. I would usually say something witty about Nebraska here, you know, something about my extreme fondness for the Bill Callahan era. But let’s ponder for a second how terrible Kansas State is going to be this year! They lost to a team that got destroyed 55-0 by Nebraska! Did Kansas State send their championship intramural flag football team to represent the school at that game? WTH?!
11. Kansas (4-0, beat Southern Miss 35-28; next, bye) Kansas looking good at 4-0, but let’s look inside the numbers: Jayhawks have given up 3, 7, 16 and 28 points in the first four weeks. At that pace of growth, they’ll allow 212 points to Missouri in their regular-season finale.
12. Texas (4-0, beat UTEP 64-7; next, bye) Longhorns played all right against UTEP. I mean, they only had a 639-53 advantage in total yardage. They only had 8.2 yards per pass and a paltry 7.2 yards per rush. They only scored 47 points in the first half alone. Texas clearly hasn’t shown they’re a team to be reckoned with.
Today in beer news
So what’s going on the beer world, you ask? Here’s a rundown:
-The raunchy-comedy movie “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell” opens in theatres today. Critics have slammed it, including this description I found online: “… the film is unfunny from first minute to last, and its half-hearted attempts at emotion merely underscore its general loathsomeness.” Yikes.
-A German goalkeeper — that’s “soccer goalie” for the uninitiated — returned to the pitch — that’s “soccer field” — this week after serving a team-mandated suspension. The cause of the suspension? Hours after losing a league game the keeper made at trip to an Oktoberfest celebration.
-Guinness has celebrated its 250th birthday. For some interesting information about Guinness, read this old TTB post.
-A nice review here of a beer that mixes two things very near and dear to my heart: Beer and coffee.
Mid-week beer news
Going over the beer news wires and cleaning out my inbox, I came across this stuff:
-The Russian government has announced it will triple taxes on beer. Ouch.
-Baker Street Pub and Grill, 2701 W Memorial Road, now has NFL Sunday Ticket. And beer specials.
-There’s a new app for your iPhone to help determine who’s buying the latest round of drinks.
-They’ve tapped the first keg at Germany’s 176th Oktoberfest Celebration, as this video shows.
-Also in German Oktoberfest news, you’ve got the traditional Oktoberfest parade, and then you’ve got this, this, this, this, and this. Let’s just say I can think of several reasons I would go to Germany for Oktoberfest, and the traditional Oktoberfest parade is not one of them.
Big 12 (Lack of) Power Poll: Week 3
The Thirsty Beagle’s Big 12 (Lack of) Power Poll churns on this week, a lot like OSU’s offensive line churns on. Wait, this poll is actually making progress and moving forward, so maybe it’s not at all like OSU’s offensive line.
1. Kansas State (1-2, lost to UCLA 23-9; next, vs. Tennessee Tech) Kansas State now enters the easy part of its schedule. That would be this weekend against Tennessee Tech. After that, back to regularly scheduled losing.
2. Colorado (1-2, beat Wyoming 24-0; next, bye) Buffs next three games: at West Virginia, at Texas and vs. Kansas. Soak it in boys, because it won’t take long to have that winning feeling washed away.
3. Baylor (2-1, lost to Connecticut 30-22; next, vs. Northwestern State) Thank you, football gods, for returning a sense of normalcy to the planet! A world where the Baylor Bears run wild in college football is no place for me.
4. Iowa State (2-1, beat Kent State 34-14; next, vs. Army) Plan the parade route in Ames: Cyclones three games in and have already equaled last season’s win total. Of course, they started 2-0 last year before losing 10 straight, so maybe we should hold off on the parade for a few more weeks.
5. Texas A&M (2-0, beat Utah State 38-30; next, vs. UAB) The Thirsty Beagle called the A&M-Utah State game the upset special of the week. Almost nailed that one.
6. Oklahoma State (2-1, beat Rice 41-24; next, vs. Grambling) Cowboys played throwback football on Saturday. They took it back to the late 90s, when the 2-yard run up the middle was all the rage in Stillwater. You heard it hear first: OSU will finish 7-5 at best this season.
7. Missouri (3-0, beat Furman 52-12; next, at Nevada) Beating Furman in football is like beating your kid brother in tether ball. It doesn’t really say a lot.
8. Nebraska (2-1, lost to Virginia Tech 16-15; next, vs. Louisiana-Lafayette) Hard-luck Nebraska played solid defense on the road, except for that time when they gave up the game-winning touchdown with time running out. But I’m pretty sure Husker fans will still remember the first 59 minutes of the game as being pretty darn cool.
9. Oklahoma (2-1, beat Tulsa 45-0; next, bye) Tulsa players obviously got a sneak preview of the team’s cheesy new mascot before playing OU. How else to explain their general beffudlement and distraction on the field?
10. Kansas (3-0, beat Duke 44-16; next, vs. Southern Miss) Kansas declined Duke’s suggestion that the Jayhawks start several basketball players. There’s no assurance that actually would have helped Duke keep the score closer.
11. Texas Tech (2-1, lost to Texas 34-24; next, at Houston) Sure they lost, and sure Colt McCoy was recovering from a case of the flu, but give Tech some props. Starting a new quarterback hasn’t kept The System from fielding good teams in the past. Looks like that streak continues.
12. Texas (3-0, beat Texas Tech 34-24; next, vs. UTEP) Texas! North of Mexico, home of the armadillo!
Beer news
Here’s some beer news to take you into the weekend:
-Normally beer and cemeteries don’t mix. Unless of course, you’re going to a tour of a Wisconsin cemetery where several beer barons are buried.
-Looking for an excuse to go to Denver? The first Denver Beer Fest — claiming the world’s largest selection of beers on tap — opens today and runs for 10 days.
-The Canadian province (read: state) of Prince Edward Island is looking to hire a beer expert. Seriously.
-The shuffling economy has sparked a renewed interest in selling beer at college stadiums.
-A review here of what you should look for if you’re looking for cheap beer that actually tastes good.
That’s it for the news. Hope everyone has a good weekend of college football lined up. Just a tip: if you’re tailgating, don’t be afraid to class up your beer. Cheers!
Mark your calendar for Zoo Brew
Tickets are on sale now for Zoo Brew, a beer-tasting event at the Oklahoma City Zoo. The event will be 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 2. It features beer provided to the zoo by local brewers and distributors. If possible, TTB will attempt to determine which beers will be there. Either way, beer will be on tap, food will be served and musical entertainment will be provided by the Groove Merchants.
You can order tickets by calling 427-2461, ext. 618, or going to www.zoofriends.com. The first 107 to purchase tickets will receive a complimentary event mug. Couple points to remember: Guests must be 21 and bring an ID to get in. Tickets are $35 for the general public, $30 for zoo members and $10 for non-drinking designated drivers. Proceeds from the event, which is being sponsored by Byron’s and KRXO 107.7, will go to benefit the Zoo Museum.
Beagle Tweets
Just a reminder that if you like The Thirsty Beagle (and who among us doesn’t?), you can get blog updates and other snippets by following me on Twitter. www.twitter.com/thirstybeagle.
Bacon Beer? We’ve reached the pinnacle, my friends
A Brooklyn, N.Y., brewery has created what might simply be known as man’s perfect drink: Bacon Beer. Let’s break this down. You’ve got beer. It’s good. You’ve got bacon. Exceptionally good. Putting the two together? Probably one of the greatest moves for the betterment of mankind. There’s just one problem: You’re likely never going to be able to drink it. Such a small 
amount of the beer was made, commercial distribution is not possible. Why was only a limited batch brewed? Apparently, Bacon Beer is quite hard to make. Read this description from the brewmaster:
“The technique we used — which comes originally out of the perfume industry — involves transferring an aroma from a fat to a liquid without actually transferring the fat itself. Then to completely remove the fat and have none left in the liquid, it was very tricky.”
Yes, sounds tricky, indeed. So who will get to drink the beer? Well, mainly people in New York who can afford $350-a-plate fundraisers at trendy restaurants. Damn them. On a good note, the brewmaster confirmed he’s open to finding a simpler way of brewing Bacon Beer. If we can put a man on the moon and a 60-yard TV screen over a football field, we can make this beer! Until then, I’ll have to settle for a cold brew and a nice bacon, bacon and bacon sandwich.
Big 12 (Lack of) Power Poll: Week 2
Holy moly is Colorado terrible at football or what? And did Oklahoma State look terrible on Saturday or what? And should Idaho State even be allowed to field a football team? All these are legitimate questions; questions we can answer in The Thirsty Beagle’s weekly Big 12 (Lack of) Power Poll:
1. Colorado (0-2, lost to Toledo 54-38; next, vs. Wyoming): The Buffaloes are in a dog fight with Iowa State for being the most lacking in power, but they get the nod this week on the (lack of) strength of their beat-down at the hands of mid-level Toledo. To make things worse, they can’t even afford to put their coach on the hot seat. Literally. The economy sucks so bad they can’t afford the buyout. Get fired up Buffs fans!
2. Iowa State (1-1, lost to Iowa 35-3; next, at Kent State): The Cyclones were riding high following their “big” win over North Dakota State. Now? Not so much. Remember how fellow in-stater Northern Iowa nearly beat big brother Iowa? Iowa State’s looking like the red-headed step child of the family.
3. Kansas State (1-1, lost to Louisiana-Lafayette 17-15; next, at UCLA): Kansas State becomes the first BCS conference school in recent memory to lose to a directional Louisiana-type school. Just throwing this out there, but that cannot be very good.
4. Baylor (1-0, bye; next, vs. Connecticut): Until further notice, the Baylor Bears are still the Baylor Bears. A close win against some weak-kneed ACC team doesn’t go far in this list.
5. Texas A&M (1-0), bye; next vs. Utah State): Aggies game against Utah State is The Thirsty Beagle upset special of the week.
6. Oklahoma State (1-1, lost to Houston 45-35; next, vs. Rice): I would say same old OSU, but the same old OSU would have been better than the one that flailed around the field on Saturday. At least the same old OSU didn’t throw the ball away on the oh-so-tricky play known as “the quarter back handing it off to the running back.” Or the challenging “run without knocking the ball out of your own hand with your knee.” Maybe it’s been the opponents, but the OSU offense has yet to manhandle anyone for any extended period of time.
7. Oklahoma (1-1, beat Idaho State 64-0; next, vs. Tulsa): Sooners mitigate the previous week’s lack of power and move down/up to No. 5 on this week’s list. Holding Idaho State to 44 total yards of offense and minus-22 rushing yards seems pretty great, but Arizona State held ‘em to only 37 yards of total offense the week before, so clearly OU has a lot of work to do.
8. Missouri (2-0, beat Bowling Green 27-20; next, vs. Furman): The Tigers need three late scores to rally for a win at home against Bowling Green. All the sudden, the opening-week win against Illinois isn’t looking that great anymore. Of course, Illinois is in the Big 10, so the win didn’t look that great in the first place.
9. Nebraska (2-0, beat Arkansas State 38-9; next, at Virginia Tech): Cornhuskers have looked decent in two straight games; The Thirsty Beagle already longs for the Bill Callahan days.
10. Kansas (2-0, beat UTEP 34-7; next, vs. Duke): Classic matchup of power programs coming up this weekend in Lawrence. What? Duke’s football team is coming? Scratch that.
11. Texas Tech (2-0, beat Rice 55-10; next, at Texas): The System, I mean, Texas Tech gets it rolling in a big way against the Owls. Generic Texas Tech Quarterback, I mean, Potts, goes for 456 yards and seven touchdowns. After derailing Texas’ national title run last year, Tech can look forward to some venom in Austin.
12. Texas (2-0, beat Wyoming 41-10; next vs. Texas Tech): Kudos to the Longhorns for playing a nonconference road game. The game, however, was against Wyoming. Now it’s time for Texas to strap it on for real against Tech in primetime in a big-time revenge game.
Getting ready for the weekend
Couple items to note for beer fans as we head into the weekend:
-Choctaw’s Oktoberfest continues until midnight Saturday. They claim 30 varieties of beer at the event, which is at Choctaw Creek Park.
-The Prohibition Room will have a car show at 4 p.m. Saturday and live music at 5.
-The beer documentary “Beer Wars” will be released on DVD Sept. 22.
-The Thirsty Beagle will be at the OSU-Houston game tomorrow; now just trying to decide if I’ll tailgate or skip the pre-game festivities on account of the chance of rain.
And on a light note, I found this report on the beer wire this morning. Sometimes you just gotta have a beer.
