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Evidently, KU is being considered for both the Fort Worth Bowl on December 23rd and the Houston Bowl on Saturday the 31st.

Arthur played well in the first half, but struggled late as Carter (who beat Arthur’s squad by nearly 30 last year) rallied.

“He plays like he’s 6-11,” Carter coach Rob Wright said.

Wright said he kept telling his team while it trailed that its shots would eventually start falling.

“This is a good, strong, fighting team,” he said. “They stayed with it and stayed with it.”

Arthur dominated in the first half, scoring 19 points, including SOC’s first 14. Guard Kendrake Johnigan helped SOC stay in it in the second half, in which he scored 15 of his 17 points.

Week 16 already? Where has the football season gone? Fortunately for KU, there is a game yet to be played. However, for the purpose of this Phog Blog feature, this is it until the dog days of late August or early September in 2006.

Because this final weekend suffers from a dearth of games involving teams that anyone has seen or heard of, the slack will be taken up by the inclusion of the Over/Under in many games. For anyone unfamiliar with the Over/Under, it is a prediction of the sum of both teams’ points. For example, last Saturday, the sum in the KU/Iowa St game was 45 (24-21). If the Over/Under number was 43, those who took the Over won. If the Over/Under number was 48, the winners were those who went with the Under.

For the final time in 2005:

1. Colorado +28 vs. Texas (Houston)

Let’s see: Colorado missed covering the spread last week by 40 points. UT missed by 17. Both teams are hopping mad at their performance. UT is again running its mouth, claiming they are seeking redemption for only beating A&M by 11. If they were playing a team better than one that lost by 27 at home to a mediocre Nebraska crew, they might pay for their mouth-running. They won’t. Which still doesn’t mean they will cover 28.

COLORADO

2. Over/Under: 60.5

UT has been almost averaging 60 themselves. CU will get in a few licks before falling by something like 45-24.

OVER

3. Army +6.5 vs. Navy (Philadelphia)

Navy has been beating Army like a drum in recent years. Ride that mule until it falters.

4. O/U: 50.5

The two teams average scoring 51 between them, and average giving up 51 between them. Pretty shrewd line. Last time I looked, 51 was considered larger than 50.5

OVER

5. UCLA +22 @ Southern Cal

If there is one thing UCLA can do, it’s score. They should have wont his game last year. Yes, they will be outscored, but USC will have to score 50+ to cover this spread, because UCLA gets at least 28.

6. O/U: 74

Another outstanding line by the oddsmakers. 49-28 covers it. 42-28 doesn’t.

UNDER

7. LSU -1.5 vs. Georgia (Atlanta)
How many times is LSU going to kick itself for blowing a 21 point lead at home vs. what has proven to be a weak (for them) Tennessee team. Otherwise, the group from Katrina country would arguably be playing this game to keep Texas out of the Rose Bowl.

A virtual home game for Georgia. That gives them the edge in a toss-up game.

GEORGIA

8. O/U: 40

Two of the nation’s best defenses this side of Lawrence.

UNDER

9. Florida St +14 vs. Virginia Tech (Jacksonville)

Surely, Florida St has some sense of pride, the lily livered choking folders. . .

FLORIDA ST

10. O/U: 45.5

Looks like the antithesis of the SEC championship game.

OVER

11. West Virginia -9 @ South Florida

South Florida fighting for a BCS Bowl? Something has to be done about that-and sooner, rather than later. k-state’s future coach puts up a fight, but the football gods are not ready for something called USF in a big time bowl-not this year.

WEST VIRGINIA

12. O/U: 44

A special teams play or two moves the score into the upper 40’s.

OVER

13. Louisville -17.5 @ Connecticut

Oh, Puhleeeaze. Didn’t UConn give up on football when Big Lew left for greener pastures?

LOUISVILLE

14. O/U: 53

Louisville scores 42-45. Surely, UConn can make up the difference.

15. San Diego St +3.5 @ Hawaii

Hawaii is a tough coconut to crack at home.

HAWAII

The Fort called Worth, Sam Houston Town, Captain Shreve-ville, or Bloomin’ Orlando. Get your priorities straight and BE THERE!____________________________________________________________________
Have a Great off-season. And remember:

1. These picks are for entertainment purposes only.
2. You get what you pay for.
3. There are no refunds.

Congrats to Nick Reid for winning Big 12 defensive player of the year honors.

And Congrats to Mark Mangino for getting this kind of article written about KU football at all (scroll down).

Mark Mangino’s efforts have given the KU faithful something it hasn’t had since Glen Mason left town in the mid-90’s � and that’s hope for the football program. Enjoy this year’s bowl trip, KU fans. Although, with Mangino at the helm, there will surely be more to follow.

After early reports leaked that Kansas State had hired former Indiana coach Gerry DiNardo, the students literally rioted, putting down their work pitchforks in favor of their school pitch forks, and after getting the horses ready, headed into campus to give Tim Weiser a piece of their mind.

Students, your rioting was not in vain, as Weiser will shortly be responding to your concerns. Phog Blog spy Boomer intercepted this transmission from K-State’s main telegraph hub, and it is brought to you here in digital form. To get some background on the hiring of Gerry DiNardo, you might want to follow the link above before reading what will happen next (we’ve got it here before the heralded Hoosier Review!).

Hoosier Review has learned that Kansas State University athetic director Tim Weiser this morning will announce the firing of new head football coach Gerry DiNardo. According to a Kansas State athletic department staffer speaking on a condition of anonymity, DiNardo was fired on the basis of his losing record of 8-27 while running perennial doormat Indiana even further into the ground.

So why did Weiser hire DiNardo to begin with? Many KSU faithful want to know. According to the spokesman, it was an apparent case of mistaken identity. “Tim thought that he was talking with Dungy of Indianapolis, not DiNardo of Indiana. It’s an understandable mistake. Anyone could make it.”

Disappointed that he isn’t getting the coach that has led the NFL’s Colts to an 11-0 start this season, Weiser will now restart the search process.

“We want to continue the tradition of the ‘Decade of Dominance’ that K-State football has enjoyed once in the last four years,” the anonymous source said.

Apparently now at the top of the short list is Iowa State assistant Terry Allen. “We’re so impressed with the record that coach Allen’s father, George, enjoyed all those years he led the Washington Redskins. We believe that he can continue his family’s legacy at K-State in a similar fashion that sons such as Terry Bowden, Wade Philips and David Shula have done for their families.”

In related news, K-State has released its schedule for the 2005-06 season and will play Prairie View A&M six times in what the spokesman calls “a concentrated effort to regain bowl eligibility for our storied football program.”

After a great win, the future of KU football looks bright!

It’s not just the great successes this year - undefeated at home; wins against Nebraska, Missouri, and Iowa State; nationally ranked defense; etc. - but KU has momentum as it prepares for a bowl game and a lot of positives to build on.

For one thing, KU will get an extra month of practice. That will be invaluable for KU’s young players, especially the skill players on offense.

This season certainly won’t hurt KU’s recruiting. With K-State coachless, KU should have little trouble with in-state players. But KU is making a name for itself around the country. The caliber of recruits KU is targeting is higher now than it has been in the recent past. As KU enters this important time in football recruiting, the team will still be practicing and playing in a bowl game, and that will help.

KU played an incredibly difficult schedule this year, but next year is a different story. There will be big games and tough games next year, but Texas and Oklahoma are not in the picture. Looking at the schedule and the recent happenings with the Big XII North schools, next year’s schedule should play right into Mangino’s hands.

Most importantly, KU players seem to be enjoying some excellent coaching. When the offense was sputtering and costing us losses, these kids could have closed up shop. The frustration and finger pointing that everyone expected, however, never seemed to happen. Instead, Coach Mangino and his assistants accepted responsibility for the problems and set out to fix them. I’m not saying that KU is now some sort of offensive power house - quite the contrary. But the offense has made great progress, due in no small part to excellent coaching. The team is cohesive, due in no small part to excellent coaching. The team never quits and plays with energy and passion (even after three interceptions!), due in no small part to excellent coaching.

The best thing that happened this year was the fan support. KU set attendance records this year. We drew 48,000+ for the MU game, and 51,000+ for the NU game. That’s incredible! You know, there were more fans in Memorial Stadium tearing down the goal posts than there were in Manhattan to say goodbye to Coach Snyder. I remember in the not-too-distant-past when local merchants gave away free football tickets and sparse “crowds” were the norm. Those days seem to be behind us now. There is excitement about this team!

I for one will be following the Fighting Manginos to Fort Worth or wherever they may land, and I can’t wait ’till next year!

Perhaps the rumors of Bruce “Wooden” Weber’s death have been exagerated. In any case, it was a good land:

Gordon, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard, is considered among the top 10 players in the class of 2007. His commitment, which was reported Monday by the Indianapolis Star and Scout.com, gives Weber his first likely McDonald’s All-American and comes shortly after Illinois failed to secure commitments from the best high school seniors in the state. Sherron Collins is going to Kansas…