it's often said that the most difficult game for a college football team is the first one, and the reasons are obvious. (i.e. a bunch of new guys, and a bunch of nervous guys, and your facing an unknown quantity.) what's difficult is that, for the mighty cats, their first game could be considered their most important (beating TCU equals a bit more national respect, in some circles anyway...it's one of two games being played that night, and it's important to do well with national exposure there) and is probably one of their four or five most difficult.

what's particularly difficult is that we're playing in clinton, iowa, on thursday night. a 45-minute drive from home. game time at clinton is at 7. if all goes according to schedule, we'll be back by 11:15 or so. being a dweeb, i'm taping the game with plans to watch when it ends. those 20 minutes - avoding the game - making sure no tv is tuned to espn and no radio is tuned to sports radio - is highly difficult. the boy (i.e., my little brother) is on call, and i'm hopeful his lame drunk ass doesn't ruin things thursday night. (we had a 15-minute conversation monday night regarding this situation.)

TCU is unranked at this point, although SI ranks them as the 24th-best team in the country. of course, their feature regarding TCU is about a dude who watches A Wedding Story, a.k.a Jenny's favorite show, on TLC. Barry Cofield will smack that wussy upside the head, lots.

my instincts on the cats:
offense: jason wright, who's not as good as i thought he was, is gone. that's sad. i have my doubts that noah herron is as talented or as driven as wright (i mean, he's named noah, and he's got those dreadlocks), and i don't think he'll be as productive. it's a big jockstrap to fill, yknow? that said, i think that a 1,100 yard season plus another 250 in receiving yards is out of the realm. i don't think you'll see herron ever make a reception streaking down the right sideline (wasn't that the early touchdown wright scored against wisconsin?)

the line is set, and should be really, really good. i don't know anything about these guys, except that mike wolf is hyping zach strief. i like the receiving corps and, provided they stay healthy, i think they're pretty much a known quantity. there's not much potential for greatness here, although i'd see ashton aikens as a reliable down-the-middle guy and brandon horn becoming a legitimate threat lining up at all sorts of spots on the field. mark philmore's similarly dangerous. i wouldn't be surprised if all three of those guys hit 30 catches for the year, with perhaps one gaining 800 or more yards. they say they're planning to use tight ends...hmmm...

the strangest development last year was the absolue disintegration of brett basanez as threat. not passing threat. not running threat. just a threat. he wasn't. (witness the illinois game----43 straight runs, i believe?) you'd like to believe that he can return to something like the kamikaze he showed throughout his tremendous freshman year. in a quarterback-weak conference, i think he could contend for all-conference honors (i'm an idiot, it should be noted.)

defensively, loren howard's one of the elite lineman in the country, and he's out for the game, it would appear. (i wish northwestern would publish this stuff.) still, the line is solid. colby clark is rock-solid, as is luis castillo, a four-year starter (and he defense's media day representative). And it seems that barry cofield is constantly in the thick of big plays. i've always liked david thompson, but that's mostly because he started flexing after having a part in a turnover in his first college game. the cats lost large.

how does a team replace a five-year leader (pat durr)? apparently with a gentleman named nick roach. ask me later. tim mcgarigle is legit, which is strange considering he's scrawny and white. john pickens is absolutely ferocious, although he's apparently out for tcu.

i've never liked marvin ward, although i better get used to him this year. jeff backes was very good on the other side in the defensive backfield last year. dominique price is solid, as is brian heinz. i'd imagine derell jenkins will be a solid fixture at the nickelback, although herschel henderson (safety turned corner turned safety) was the star of the recruiting highlight video. tremendous hitter. if he can cover, i'd like to see him replace ward, eventually.

i'd like to see backes returning kicks. huffman's alright. long live slade larscheid!

i think the cats should qualify for another bowl. it's tough to crack the top 3 in the conference, but i'd see the club eventually becoming a 4-8 every year type team, not unlike purdue's been of late.

the record (not picking wins and losses): 7-5, including a 4-4 big ten mark. el paso? yes!