surrender to mediocrity!

Mediocrity.

Its not always a bad thing. Sometimes, it leads to the best finishes imaginable in sports.

Think back to the 2006 Chiefs season, when an (at best) average Chiefs team needed not one, not two, not three, not even four, but five -- 5! -- incredible upsets in the last two weeks to sneak into the playoffs. Consider:

* We needed the Bengals to lose out (1) at denver, and (2) vs Pittsburgh. They lost in denver on a blocked extra point with :21 seconds left. They lost to Pittsburgh in overtime on a 67 yard touchdown bomb to be eliminated from playoff contention.

* We needed the Titans to (3) beat the Bills in Buffalo, and (4) lose vs New England. Trailing 29-20 entering the 4th quarter, the Titans proceeded to score the game's final ten points in a snowstorm, the final three via a field goal as time ran out. The next week, the Patriots, with nothing to play for, dropped a 40 spot in Nashville to eliminate Tennessee from playoff contention.

* But the motherload of all upsets, we needed denver to (5) lose at home to the 49ers. A 49ers team that had lost by 24 plus points four times already, including a 41-0 ass kicking at Arrowhead three months earlier. A 49ers team whose only two wins since week 10 had been against reeling Seattle. Somehow, someway, the 49ers rallied from down 13 to win in overtime, and send a Chiefs team that won out at oakland and vs Jacksonville (which eliminated the Jaguars from playoff contention) to the playoffs via tiebreaker over the broncos.

Fun finish. You can legitimately argue NONE of those squads had any business contending for the postseason, let alone qualifying for it. But sometimes, mediocrity pays off.

Which leads me to today's post ... the 2009 Big XII North.

Who the hell is gonna win this thing?

Here's your current standings:



Take a look again. NOTHING in this chart makes an ounce of sense. Beginning with:

* how in the hell is MU 0-3?!?! The two time defending division champs haven't been remotely competitive 8 of the last 9 quarters they've been on the field, giving up 27 to Nebraska to lose at home, getting waxed in Stillwater in the second half, and being used like the proverbial Johnny-on-the-Spot by the Longhorns last week. They've been outcoached, outplayed, out-everythinged.

And yet, once you see the remaining schedule ... you can make a legitimate argument they have the best shot of anyone to win this thing. At 0-3.

* how in the hell does Nebraska roll into Blacksburg, outplay Virginia Tech for 59 minutes before losing by one ... roll into Columbia, weather a storm (literally), and score 27 unanswered to seemingly grab a choke hold of the North ... and then get demolished at home by Texas Tech, and lose at home to Iowa State for the first time since I was in diapers? How does this happen? The WORST Husker team imaginable destroyed ISU at home!

Even more amazingly ...

* how in the hell is Kansas State leading this division? After losing by 52 in Lubbock?!?! Are you kidding me? You lose by 52 in your conference opener ... and three weeks later you control your own destiny? How is this possible?

Because of that magical word.

Mediocrity.

And it only figures to get better. Take a look at the remaining schedules for each team:



Three things immediately stand out at me:

1. Is this really MU's division to lose? There's no reason MU can't win out, none. They'll be favored in at least three of the next four, and always play KSU well, leading into a crapshoot at Arrowhead against KU, where the "lesser" team has won every game (MU was lower ranked in 2007, KU wasn't ranked in 2008).

2. KU has zero margin for error. They have to beat every North team left on the schedule to have any shot of reaching the Big XII Title Game for the first time, and if there's any upsets against the South by the other contenders, KU probably has to win this week at Tech.

3. KSU might go from midseason leaders, to missing out on a bowl. They're going to lose in Norman. The KU game is a toss-up, ditto MU. They should lose in Lincoln. From midseason leaders to sitting at home. Its not unrealistic.

My best guess? We're in for a four way tie at the top, with KU, Nebraska, MU, and Iowa State all finishing 4-4. And KU winning the North via a 3-0 head-to-head mark against the other opponents.

The only question is, which South power is going to win 50-10 in the Title game: Texas, OU, or Oklahoma State ...