Big 12 Round Table - Face of the Team

Matt over at Crimson and Cream Machine (heavily endorsed by ETS) has once again put together a set of questions for Big 12 bloggers...

Pick one current player to be the “Face of the Franchise” for your team. You can only select one player so tell us why you selected the person that you did.

-- There should be little to no debate among Tiger fans here: Chase Daniel is the face, arms, legs and torso of the Missouri football program. Since undertaking the monumental task of trying to follow Brad Smith (a task that he somehow managed to exceed expectations), Daniel has given Mizzou a new reputation and new swagger. His knowledge of the offense, outstanding leadership skills and controlled cockiness has redefined Missouri football.

Tell us what makes your team’s stadium great, traditions, facilities, etc…

-- Let's not kid ourselves, Faurot Field can not match some of the towering facades and intimidating structures of many of the stadiums in the Big 12. But Faurot Field has something many other Big 12 shrines lack: charm. The venue seems like a throwback to the days of old without seeming outdated. The brick walls lining the field, grassy hill and, of course, the rock "M" seem to resonate across generations in a way "Godzillatrons," "Gigatrons," and "Tunnel Walks" can't. I'd argue "Every True Son" and "Fight Tigers" are among the top fight songs in the country (at least compared to the five or six different renditions of "We've been working on the railroad" used by other many schools), and the Mizzou cheer is an outstanding bit of tradition crammed in between songs. And, although it's simple, alternating "M-I-Z" and "Z-O-U" between sides of the stadium has its own charm as well.

Hypothetical – Your team has to vacate their current stadium and play a game in another Big 12 stadium which one would you pick for them to play in and why?

-- This is tough for several reasons. Personally, I have a man crush on Texas A&M's Kyle Field for several reasons. The massive structure and three-sided attack is extremely impressive. But I wonder how well Mizzou could pack such a large stadium and what kind of noise Tiger fans would bring. The same applies for Nebraska's Memorial Stadium. Oklahoma's Gaylord Memorial's charm is like Faurot with far more prestige, and I'd love to have my stadium to be a rich man's personal playground like Boone Pickens Stadium at Oklahoma State. But if you make me settle for one, my vote stays with Kyle Field.

Unthinkable – Take your team’s biggest rival’s head coach and make a case as to why he would be a good fit on your sideline.

-- Allow me to make a case for both Mizzou's biggest rival and Mizzou's biggest opponent this season. Kansas' Mark Mangino, for all his shortcomings in his diet, sure knows how to get the most out of his players. It seems like every season the Jayhawks are outmanned or outclassed but manage to pull wins out of nowhere and scare consistently superior opponents (see Texas A&M and Nebraska in 2006). As for Nebraska's Bill Callahan, say what you want about what he's done in his tenure with the Huskers, he does bring an NFL pedigree. His background alone resonates with recruits who are merely looking for their college football experience to be a springboard to the NFL. Allow me to put it this way - does Blaine Gabbert leave the state if there is an ex-NFL coach stalking the Mizzou sidelines?

Prediction Time - Tell us who is going to win:

Baylor @ TCU = TCU
Colorado State @ Colorado = Colorado
Kent State @ Iowa State = Iowa State
Central Michigan @ Kansas = Kansas
Kansas State @ Auburn = Auburn
Missouri/Illinois = Missouri
Nevada @ Nebraska = Nebraska
North Texas @ Oklahoma = Oklahoma
Oklahoma State @ Georgia = Georgia
Arkansas State @ Texas = Texas
Montana State @ Texas A&M = Texas A&M
Texas Tech @ SMU = Texas Tech