NCAA Week 13: Good Snark, Bad Snark

Who knew this would be the game with national implications:

Kansas 24 Texas 21 ot

First of all, full marks to the Jayhawks for earning their first Big XII triumph since Roman numerals were summoned in the American Southwest to possibly divert attention from the fact that there were only X teams in the conference.

Not to mention this being their first win since Charlie Strong was installed as the Longhorns' head coach.

Fortunately for Strong, there were no windows -- or ledges -- near him. Might've been tempting.

A couple of playoff contenders had interesting weekends, but Kansas virutually sealing Strong's exit from Texas put other programs on notice that they may have sudden vacancies to fill, themselves.

This is a point of which the University of Houston is well-aware, but Texas won't be Tom Herman's only suitor. As well, Texas won't have a one-coach shortlist.

When the smoke of upsets on the field clears this season, brace for a few of them off the field, too.

Good Snark: Dare to dream ... USC's chances of becoming the Pac-12 South winner got a boost when Oregon upset Utah by a fraction of an inch.

Note Duck coach Mark Helfrich's reaction to what had to be obvious on the stadium's big screen. Did the thought of his job being saved -- for now -- flash through his mind?

Dude's hopes of remaining employed at Nike U are now superseded by the Trojans' wishing for a Colorado victory over the Utes, which would vault USC into the Pac-12 title game.

And a win there? Hellooo, Rose Bowl. If their three losses aren't enough of a playoff disqualifier in a blackball situation, the fact that one of them was to Alabama is. All games count in this sport.

Bad Snark: Road map ... In this wide-open era, how is it possible that an FBS team can string together 28 scoreless possessions? Hell, even Rutgers gets on the board every now and then. But not UConn.

Maybe the Huskies should ship over this crew from Finland, whose soccer team has similar issues:

Good Snark: How 'bout them other Cowboys! ... They've got some happening dudes up in Laramie, and a certain set of Broncos in Kalamazoo couldn't be happier for them.

Not so for the Broncos in Boise. Wyoming holds the Mountain West North tiebreaker over Bryan Harsin's charges. If Boise State doesn't win its division, while Western Michigan does and then prevails in the MAC conference game, those are the Broncos heading to the New Year's Six.

Amazing how the Selection Committee rates a conference title über alles when it comes to the Other Five.

Bad Snark: SEC Cupcake Week ... It's not just Alabama and Auburn paying for mid-November scrimmages that count in the standings. So did Kentucky, Georgia, and South Carolina. That list woulda included Florida (vs Presbyterian) and LSU (vs South Alabama) if they didn't have the annoyance of making up their conference game.

Remember, the SEC chose this option instead of a nine-game conference schedule.

Good Snark: Bedlam in the Big XII ... Seems like Sooners or later, it'd get down to a bizarre set of possibilities in the wackiest conference since the late, lamented WAC. Oklahoma smashed West Virginia, and if they prevail against Okie State, they'll be a two-loss champion, with the big one coming at home to Ohio State.

While it says here that there's nothing wrong with a two-loss titlist, here doesn't happen to be in Grapevine, Texas.

Bad Snark: Speaking of ... What if a two-loss titlist didn't actually lose a game on its own accord? All that was missing in Oklahoma State's upset at the hands of Central Michigan was the Electoral College vote.

So if the 'Pokes take Bedlam, how's the Selection Committee gonna view the refs' faux pax in the grand scheme of things?

Just a guess, but they'll probably lean toward the fact that Oklahoma State had an entire game to keep it from coming down to a play like that.

Snarkalicious: Like son, like father ... Green Bay Packer's LB Joe Thomas Jr cracked the starting lineup earlier this season. Clearly, this was an inspiration to his dad, who decided to walk on at Junior's alma mater, South Carolina State. Given his kid's contribution to the program, how could the Bulldogs refuse?

And now, the 55-year-old Senior is the oldest dude to play Division I football:

Jack LaLanne woulda been just as proud as Junior.