Apparently it has, but after more than 90 days on the road, we still can't get enough of college football. That's because we touched down at New York's LaGuardia Airport just moments before the BCS matchups were announced. And before I get to my list of the best things I saw on Going Big, I figured I should chime in on the the latest BCS bowl pairings.

I know you've been waiting with bated breath.

A big part of being a fan is the debate with fellow fans about the sports you love. Nothing creates more debate than college football, and from that perspective, I really enjoy the BCS. And for the record, this doesn't mean I wouldn't enjoy a playoff, because it would be stupendous.

With the way everything has shaken out, I felt as though there were three teams with legitimate claims for the title game, and Ohio State and LSU are two of those three. I'm probably a little biased because I saw Oklahoma twice in person and thought they were the most well-rounded team we watched on Going Big, but they seemed like the most deserving to me.

On the plus side, this sombrero will serve this OU fan well at the Fiesta Bowl.

For better or worse, OSU was a lock for the title game, so it really came down to LSU and OU as the only two of the remaining teams with a legitimate claim. So in that sense, I'm glad the BCS got that right. Georgia and Kansas should be excluded for not winning their conference, USC should be excluded for losing to Stanford, and you can't take Virginia Tech over LSU since they were smoked by the Tigers.

LSU ended up getting the title shot, but considering how good OU looked on Saturday, and that LSU almost lost to Tennessee, I thought it would be the Sooners. But hey, what do I know?

More than anything, I'm shocked that Illinois is going to a BCS game. But that's an entirely different story.

For the last Odometer of the season, I've decided to do a seasonal ranking, as opposed to breaking down the weekend. Please keep in mind that when I say "best," I really mean, "what I think was the best."

And if you want to see it all crammed into two minutes (give or take), check out our final video, which is called "Two-Minute Drill."

(Note: If you're a Mac user having trouble viewing this video, click here to download a program called Flip4Mac that will allow you watch it.)

THE ODOMETER

Days on the Road for Going Big: 95

Miles Driven in the Grey Ghost: 11,408

States Visited: 17 (Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska).

Points We Saw Scored on the Field: 805 in 15 games (including one high school game).

Now, my take on the best of the best from this season of Going Big.

Best Tailgating: I'm not saying this was where we found the best food and beverage set-up, but the hours before the Ohio State-Michigan game were definitely the most fun I had at a pregame. There was tons of enthusiasm and electricity, and it was everything I hoped it would be. And no, I'm not talking about the actual game, because that was lackluster.

Best Student Section/Crowd: This is definitely Wisconsin, and only Penn State was close. For pure volume, I might actually choose Penn State, but Wisconsin wins for their combination of fun-loving rituals as well as intensity. Seriously, you can go to Camp Randall and just watch the students, and you'll probably get your money's worth. Whether they're jumping around, dancing to "Shout," or giving their patented "Eat *&%$" "#%*& You" call-and-response, it's always a good time.

Nope, this isn't at Ohio State. This is the "O" section at Wisconsin.

Best Band: They don't call Ohio State's band "the best damn band in the land" for nothing. Not only is the script "Ohio" as good as advertised, but they bring the ruckus two hours before every home game at their Skull Session.

Best Mascot We spent a lot of time with mascots, so I feel as though I can speak authoritatively. I enjoyed getting a one-armed push-up lesson from the Nittany Lion, and our afternoon with Iowa's Herky Hawk was a trip. But when all is said and done, I have to give it up for Bucky Badger. Not only is he generally amusing, but he also let us ride along on his wagon. I realize that sounds like some sort of creepy euphemism, but it's not.

Best Cheerleaders/Dance Team: Even though I'm sure they could tell me the difference, it's often hard to differentiate between dance teams and cheerleaders. Therefore, I'm grouping them into one category, and I'm torn. Due to their chaptastic outfits and fantastic performance at the pep rally before the Red River Shootout, I'm tempted to give it up for the Texas dance team. However, I feel like I'd be shortchanging the Iowa dance team after they took the time to give me a dance lesson.

College football may not have ties anymore, but that isn't going to stop Going Big. Consider this a push.

It's been two months, but I still remember these unis from the UT dancers.

Best Non-Division I Stop: This really comes down to two schools, Grand Valley State and Northwest Missouri State. We gave NMSU running back Xavier Omon (a broadcast journalism major) journalism lessons in exchange for running back lessons, and that was cool. It just wasn't quite as amusing as our Newlywed Game with Grand Valley State's linebackers.

Real supremacy will be determined on the field this Saturday, however, as the two square off in the D-II semifinals. I have no idea who to root for.

Best College Town: I said it before, and I'll say it again, Iowa City is awesome. I will qualify this by saying that we were there in October, and I might feel different if I had to brave the winter there. Then again, that applies to a number of Going Big stops.

Austin is obviously amazing, but I think of it as more than just a college town.

Best Tradition: This might not be as high-profile as some other traditions, but my favorite was seeing the Penn State players dressed in uniform pull up to Beaver Stadium in school buses painted PSU blue. Coach Joe Paterno is pretty much the definition of old school, and when you toss in thousands of rabid Nittany Lions greeting them with shrieks of delights, you know why I am saying this was the best.

The wheels on the bus go P-S-U.

Best Fight Song: As I've admitted, I'm a Michigan guy. However, I'm not going to say "The Victors." For my money, hearing 80,000 Longhorn fanatics singing "Texas Fight" in Darrell K Royal Stadium is what it's all about.

Best Player: If Missouri's Chase Daniel had played better last night in the Big 12 title game, this would have been his. But since he played what was probably his worst game of the year, I'm giving this to Ohio State running back Beanie Wells. In games against Wisconsin and Michigan, we saw Wells rush for 391 yards on 60 carries. He also added five touchdowns to go with it.

Best Stadium: This is definitely an off-the-board choice, but I'm going with Iowa's Kinnick Stadium. For starters, the stands are right up on the field, which makes it incredibly loud. And with its capacity roughly 70,000, it has a cozy feel. A lot of college stadiums have been renovated many times over, and this often makes them a little awkward and oddly shaped. Kinnick recently underwent renovations, but it still maintained its old-time feel. Also, the visiting locker rooms are pink, and that's amusing.

Even the urinals are pink in Kinnick's visiting locker room.

Game: As far as the actual game, my favorite was Illinois-Iowa. With a score of 13-10, it was the closest game we saw, and it was also true Big Ten football. It was gray day with a slight rain all afternoon, and both teams were just grinding it out.

But as far as overall game experience, nothing beats Penn State-Notre Dame. To be honest, it was a night I will remember for as long as I live. This was the second week of the season, so the Irish had yet to reveal themselves as total frauds. And at that point, Penn State was feeling pretty good about their Big Ten title hopes. It was a night game, and Happy Valley was delirious.

The Nittany Lions were honoring their 1982 National Title team that night, and instead of just a "White Out" in the student section, Beaver Stadium had a full-on "White House."

For further proof on how this game affected me, just ask Sas. That game was almost three months ago, and not a day goes by where I'm not humming the "We Are Penn State" chant to the tune of "Zombie Nation" at some point everyday. And I mean, every . . . single . . . day. And if you haven't heard this chant before, it's in today's video.

Overall: Not really much else to say. It's been a blast, and I feel privileged to have gotten to take another magnificent college sports road trip for CSTV.com.

Best of all, there's still more to come. Sas and I are Going Bowling (and yes, that's a three-week bowl trip starting in a couple of weeks), and unlike Walter Sobchak, we roll on Shabbos.

They were riding a magical season and were the No. 1 team in country playing for a conference title and a guaranteed spot in the national championship game. For so many seasons they have not been remotely this competitive and it really felt like this was their one chance.

Not to mention it is a fan base that has had to suffer through two of the most hard to swallow college losses of the past 20 years ( The Nebraska kick-reception game and the Colorado 5th-down game). Seeing the looks on some of the fans faces as Oklahoma pulled away left me a little disappointed that their season had to end this way.

But the final score was 38-17, and there's no question OU was the superior team. With Allen Patrick and Chris Brown running down the Tigers in the second half, it was a game for a smash-mouth football purist. That was fine with me.

Turn that frown upside down. Daniels and Maclin will be back next year!

For most things in sports I am somewhat of a purist. I obviously hate the designated hitter, and for most of my life I hated sporting events that didn't take place on real grass. However, on this trip I've been completely won over by the new generation of artificial surface.

There are so many advantages when compared to AstroTurf or real grass that it's not even a competition. For starters, the field is always in immaculate condition no matter how many games have been played on it. If it rains, the field can be drained quickly and a high quality of play can still be enjoyed.

Even as a sideline reporter I can notice a difference. Last weekend I stood out on the frozen grass at Arrowhead Stadium and my legs and feet ached afterwards. This was from just standing, I can't even imagine having to play and get tackled and driven into the rock-hard soil. Although I have to think even frozen real grass has to feel better than the original AstroTurf which was just rolled out over cement. It's almost unfathomable that AstroTurf lasted so long.

In contrast, the new FieldTurf is amazingly soft. It feels like grass would if it were in perfect weather all year round. The other added benefit is that on this new surface you can drop to your knees to get that perfect photo and never have to worry about grass stains.

Today I had the pleasure of standing on the sidelines at the Alamodome and it was lovely. The Alamodome uses RealGrass (a lesser synthetic surface in my mind), and not FieldTurf, but it's still preferable to grass.

I'm still not sold on games in domes. I guess it's nice that big games aren't decided by inclement weather, but I found the noise semi-unbearable. As I sit here typing this, my ears are ringing like I just came out of a three-hour rock concert. Most of the noise was made by the Oklahoma fans who were out in full force and outnumbered the Mizzou faithful at least 3-to-1.

We caught up with some of these crazy Sooners and sung some showtunes with them before the game at the alumni Boomer Bash. We even got an OU legend to join in. You can check it out in today's video called "Oklahoma! The Musical".

Even the mysterious OU Mascot made it to the bash. What is this thing?

This is my last post of the Going Big trip, so I just wanted to say thank you to all of the people that watched our videos and read the blogs. It's a little sad going home, but a home cooked meal sure beats even Matt's top-ranked Bob Evans breakfast. The bad news is that Going Big is ending . . . the good news is that Going Bowling is just beginning. In a little more than two weeks Matt and I will be back on the road on a bowl trip adventure that is sure to be a wild time.

Rumor has it my next post might be coming to you straight from Hawaii. So until then, Aloha.

Sas pointed it out as we were lamenting (and by lamenting I mean "cursing Mets GM Omar Minaya") the trade that sent precocious young outfielder Lastings Milledge from our beloved Mets to the Nationals for the uninspiring combination of Brian Schneider and Ryan Church.

As my colleague and friend reasoned, college fans don't have to worry about their team making stupid trades, because it isn't allowed.

Score one for college sports!

Fortunately for Tiger fans, they never have to worry about this scenario.

Don't worry, I am not going to use this entire space to rant about the Mets, this is a happy day for most folks in the River City. That's because we're one day away from the Big 12 title game, and fans of both OU and Mizzou have descended upon the home of the NBA champs.

We'll give you one guess as to the sponsor of the Big 12 championship.

I always enjoy the day before neutral site games because you get a good mix of both sets of fans, and all of them are in a good mood because they think they're going to win. This element is particularly prevalent at multi-team events like the College World Series, and it makes for an energetic atmosphere.

What was most noticeable as we strolled around San Antonio's famous Riverwalk is that OU fans seemed to outnumber Mizzou fans by a wide margin. We caught up with some of them to talk about recent comments from Mizzou players that the Tigers away the game in their only loss of the season, which was to the Sooners. As you might imagine, OU fans don't really see it that way. Check it out for yourself in "Riverwalk Trash Talk."

(Note: If you're a Mac user having trouble viewing this video, click here to download a program called Flip4Mac that will allow you watch it.)

Out of fear of alienating either fan base, this Riverwalk bakery decided to keep their display case neutral.

I wasn't thinking about the game when I dressed this morning, and I tossed on a bright yellow shirt. The problem is that everyone I crossed paths with thought I was a Mizzou fan. Since the Tiger faithful were so outnumbered, I got a hopeful look from everyone wearing Tiger colors, but they ended up disappointed when they got closer and realized it was a Wichita State shirt.

This brings me to a beef I have with Mizzou. Their color is gold, yet most Tigers gear I have seen that isn't black, is yellow. I don't get this. Missouri gold is not only unique, but it's sleek. I'm not sure why the school isn't doing a better job of embracing the gold as their official color.

I've heard some Missouri folks complain that their often confused with Michigan, but when your "M" is identical and you're wearing yellow, it's a natural mistake. And with all due respect, Michigan is far more well-known when it comes to sports.

So, to sum up today's post.

1. Omar Minaya is in Going Big's doghouse right now.
2. Neutral site games are awesome.
3. Missouri needs to embrace the gold.

Class dismissed.

Mainly I pictured drunk students with their faces or chests painted in school colors, and there have been a few of those. However, I've been stunned to learn just how many fans there are at games that aren't students. This has been highlighted the past couple weeks as we've been at games played at neutral sites, but even at campuses there was still a huge non-student following.

What I've been most impressed with is the passion that these older fans have.

(Note: If you're a Mac user having trouble viewing this video, click here to download a program called Flip4Mac that will allow you watch it.)

Until this trip I thought I was a big sports fan, but meeting all of these different people has made me question just how passionate a fan I truly am. The fans I meet who i am most impressed with are the traveling fans. The fans that go on the road and follow their team to whatever state they happen to be playing in. Even more impressive are the traveling fans who travel to see their underachieving schools play in meaningless games. I'm constantly astounded when I meet fans this devoted to following their teams. In some ways I have two contradictory thoughts after talking to them. Part of me is happy that I don't have to invest so much of my time into following a particular team, but part of me is also jealous about the love they have.

Debbi has more passion than you.

On a different note, Going Big made it's final stop today as we pulled into San Antonio. So far this city totally weirds me out. Matt and I only got the chance to do a little exploring this afternoon, but it left us both thoroughly confused. For the most part we have been spending most of our time on this trip in relatively young cities (we were in Austin last night and it became one of my favorite cities), but San Antonio has a much older feel, both in terms of the buildings and the people. We mainly walked around the Alamo area which is obviously a huge tourist destination and found that the area was surprisingly devoid of anything but hotels.

Requisite Tourist Photo.

Even though our first San Antonio experience was a little weird, I remain optimistic that once the crazy traveling fans make it into town, it will make us feel more in our element.

And if you've been reading this blog, this should come as no surprise to you. Therefore, I'm not going to rehash all the reasons why I love it.

Instead, I will regale you with some other knowledge I've gleaned on the road, and I promise it's invaluable for all your roadside dinning needs.

In an effort to streamline the process, I've decided to limit my list to breakfast establishments. I'm a big fan of a hearty breakfast, and it's often a lifeline on the road. There are six main spots for breakfast on the road, and they are IHOP, Denny's Waffle House, Bob Evans, Perkins and Cracker Barrel. And after eating at each of them a number of times over the past eight months between Going Big and Going Yard, I can say with certainty that I have a strong feel for all of them.

I'm not the only one learning on the road. You can find out the important lessons Sas has learned in today's video, which is called "Big Lessons."

(Note: If you're a Mac user having trouble viewing this video, click here to download a program called Flip4Mac that will allow you watch it.)

Due to its poor spelling, Railhead Diner did not qualify for this list.

The restaurant rankings, with pros, cons, are as follows.

6. WAFFLE HOUSE
Pros:Obviously, it has the best Waffles of the six, and it is probably the cheapest.

Cons:They tend to be a little dirty, and the service can be quite erratic. Also, when people seem to prefer your food at 3 a.m., it usually doesn't speak to quality.

5. DENNY'S
Pros:They omelets are loaded, so you won't leave hungry.

Cons:Like Waffle House, the cleanliness can also be an issue. There was also those racist incidents from the 1990s, which made me never want to eat there again. However, sometimes you are out of options on the road, so please forgive me. Oh, and the hash browns are mediocre, and often undercooked.

4. CRACKER BARREL
Pros:The hash brown casserole might be the single best side dish at any of these six establishments,

Cons:First off, service can be slow. Also, I originally thought the biscuits and gravy were good, but compared to the biscuits at these other places, they are average.

3. IHOP
Pros:Pancakes come with everything, and they are good pancakes. Also, they bring you your own jug of coffee, instead of having to flag down the server each time you want your java freshened.

Cons:There is quality-control problem from location to location. Once in a while you'll find an IHOP that is sub-par. Also, sometimes they bring you too much food. It's kind of a waste.

2. PERKINS
Pros:They have these unbelievable muffins that come as an extra with pretty much every meal. I'm typically a fan of the blueberry, but the lemon poppyseed is delectable. And like IHOP, they leave you with a jug of coffee. Perkins doesn't exist on the east coast, so I've been thrilled to discover them throughout the Midwest.

Cons:Omelets can be a bit inconsistent, but you won't get a bad meal. Also, Sas left his credit card at a Perkins, and when we called they said they didn't have it, but we know it's there!

1. BOB EVANS
Pros:I had an aversion to Bob Evans on Going Yard, but I don't know why. The biscuits and gravy put Cracker Barrel to shame, and they have the best coffee of all these places.

Cons:No obvious weaknesses, that's probably what puts it at the top.

There you have it, and may this serve you well on the road.

"Oh, you are from Grand Rapids, why that's a lovely and tremendously underrated city."

"Did you say you were from Norman? I had the most amazing cheeseburger while I was there"

The bad part is that we are often in places for such a short period of time that we don't always get to see everything that the city has to offer.

Well, after 15 minutes of walking around downtown Tulsa, I now have something to say. Tulsa had an eerie similarity to Franklin College in that it was completely empty. We walked around on a weekday at lunchtime, next to a 50-story building with a number of other tall buildings around, and in 15 minutes we probably saw about four people. It was like the commercials for the new Will Smith movie.

Today we met with Mike Brooks, who is a stat guru for the Oklahoma Sooners. On this trip we have met a lot of fans, and I don't think any of them had a better relationship with their team. He just had this attitude about the Sooners and about college football that was overwhelmingly positive. For years, he has been dedicating a huge amount of his time and effort to keeping all different kinds of stats relating to college football and the Sooners because it brings him enjoyment to do so. He even parlayed it into a role as the team historian.

Brooks talked to us a little about how and why this endeavor started and you can watch his story in today's video "Brooks Books".

(Note: If you're a Mac user having trouble viewing this video, click here to download a program called Flip4Mac that will allow you watch it.)

One of the many projects that he is undertaking is ranking every team in college history in overall performance based on 56 criteria. Through this he is also able to rate the best teams for each decade or even the most prestigious program of all time. He created a system that doles out points based on football statistics, but also gives extra points for teams having Heisman winners or All-Americans. He has put all of his statistics into a spreadsheet and it adds up the points to give him lists of the best teams for any particular year or even for all-time.

Mike and his supercomputer

Whether or not he has discovered the best way to measure the best teams or programs of all time is up for debate, but I enjoyed seeing some of the results that the computer spit out. One of it's quirks that I enjoyed was that it didn't always rate national champions ahead of other teams from the same season. For example, last year's Ohio State team, due to their dominant regular season performance, outranked the Florida team that thrashed them in the BCS title game.

I'm a big fan of using statistical evidence to measure sports, or any performance for that matter. I find that many people rely on their jaded personal memories to make their lists of best teams or players ever. So on that level, I appreciated the effort that Mike had made to crown the best team ever (2004 Trojans), and it was also interesting to see how the best teams in my mind stacked up to the list that his computer had.

The only surprising element of this immersion is that this extends beyond Division I. I say surprising because after covering Division III football for four years of college (and not just D-III football, bad D-III football), I never thought I'd be so connected with non-Division I pigskin.

But this trip has brought us to schools from Division I-III, and there is some wild stuff going on all over the place. Really, it's wild.

For example, we attempted to cover Brandon Boehm, a starting wide receiver at D-III power Mt. Union; we also had quid pro quo tutorial with Xavier Oman of D-II Northwest Missoui State; and of course, who can forget our Newlywed Game with the starting linebackers at D-II Grand Valley State?

All three of these teams are still alive in their respective playoffs, and I'm excited to see how it plays out. I want to root for all of them because they were all so cooperative and easygoing, but they all can't win (obviously)

What has six thumbs and loves goofing off with Going Big? The Grand Valley State linebackers!

NMSU is set to play Chadron State this Saturday in a referendum on stud Division II running backs. You might recognize Chadron State because it boasts Danny Woodhead, the all-time NCAA rushing leader, but Omon ain't chopped liver. Though Woodhead has him beat for total career yards, Omon is the first player in NCAA history to rush for 1,500 yards in all four seasons.

Chadron State probably shouldn't be here, but they overcame a 29 point fourth-quarter deficit before defeating Abilene Christian 76-73 in triple overtime. I didn't see this game, but you can tell from the box score that it was absolutely bonkers. And when I read in the recap that Chadron State QB Joe McLain did a somersault into the end zone for the winning touchdown, it reached super-bonkers status. I'm sorry I missed this game, but I would LOVE to see film of it.

With the exception of the Big 12 title game, there is no game I'd rather watch this weekend than NMSU against Chadron State.

As for Grand Valley State, they won their 39th straight game on Saturday against North Dakota and look like a good bet for a third-straight D-II title.

In Division III, Mt. Union is cruising right along with two straight playoff wins, and they seem to be on a crash course with Wisconsin-Whitewater (yet another friend of Going Big!) towards the D-III title championship game in Salem, Va.

Thanks for indulging me on my non-Division I opus, and if you still need your fill of Division I content, check out today's video, which chronicles our visits to Oklahoma's post-practice interview session. It's called "Sooner Rematch."

(Note: If you're a Mac user having trouble viewing this video, click here to download a program called Flip4Mac that will allow you watch it.)

In getting to Oklahoma, we drove through southwest Missouri for the final time. One odd thing about Missouri that we noticed is the amount of pecans for sale on the side of the road. As we drove the highway we must have passed a pecan wholesale distributer every 10 miles or so, and in between them every mile there was somebody selling pecans out of the back of their car. Matt and I were perplexed by this so we immediately turned to Wikipedia for help. Wikipedia taught us that pecans grow in every state that borders Missouri, but failed to mention Missouri itself, so this mystery will continue. Either that, or Wikipedia is incorrect. I guess it happens.

Without further delay . . .

THE ODOMETER

Days on the Road for Going Big: 88

Miles Driven in the Grey Ghost: 10,841

States Visited: 17 (Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska). Unless we get blown off course, 17 it will remain.

Points We've Seen Scored on the Field: 750 in 14 games (including one high school game)

Times We Heard "No One" by Alicia Keys: 1 (and that doesn't count the times I've watched the video on YouTube). I think Matt jinxed us by talking about this song in last week's odometer, and "No One" could not be found on the radio this week, and don't think it was for lack of trying.

Related Sidenote: In the car we generally listen to XM radio. Monday morning we hopped in the car only to find our favorite station "UPOP" had been turned into a Christmas music channel until Dec. 26. We are furious! If you're feeling helpful and/or bored, feel free to join us in complaining to XM management.

Incomplete passes thrown by Chase Daniel: 9. Daniel finished a dazzling 40-49 for 361 while absolutely shredding the Kansas D. I'm not sure he ever threw the ball more than 20 yards in the air, but KU was content to give Missouri the underneath stuff, and Missouri and Daniel were content to keep taking and taking and taking.

T-Shirt Of The Week: We are certainly not allowed to show it here. I'm not even sure I'm allowed to describe it. Mind you, this was not the best T-shirt of the week, simply the most noteworthy. Picture a Tiger standing behind a slightly bent over Jayhawk, above the words, "This is Tiger Country." Stay classy, Mizzou.

Sign Of The Week: Lots of Mangino Signs. This was the best of them.

Mangino fat jokes, they work every time

Now on to breaking down Border War/Showdown experience . . .

Tailgating: This was the first night game that I have had the pleasure of attending. The tailgating atmosphere for a 7 p.m. kickoff is very different than a noon start. The biggest reason is that it just gives people a lot more time to enjoy whatever treats they brought in their coolers.
Our hotel was located right across the street from Arrowhead Stadium (good for game day, bad for doing anything else in K.C.), so we got a glimpse of things all afternoon. They didn't let cars enter the parking lot until 3 p.m., but from our window we could see cars lining up and waiting to get in well before that.

Getting every minute of their 4 hours of tailgating

This was the most NFL like tailgating experience we have had so far. For one thing, the game was at an NFL stadium so I guess that's not surprising. But besides all the tailgating occurring in a large parking lot around the stadium, the fans themselves were a lot older. The games that we've been at that have taken place on campus have been dominated by students, but at Arrowhead it seemed that it was mainly alums or people who grew up rooting for either KU or Mizzou.

The other element that separated this game from the others was the tension in the air. There was a lot more hostility and screaming between the KU and Mizzou fans. The sense I got from walking around and talking to people, was that this game wasn't about fun for the fans. This game was the biggest game ever for both of the fan bases and it was taking place between arch rivals. Combine this with a night game, an almost full moon and there was an electricity walking into Arrowhead that far surpassed the other games we've been at.

Student Section/Crowd: There wasn't really a student section at this one. They split the stadium pretty much down the middle with KU having roughly 60/40 advantage as the "home" team. The KU side was amped to begin with, but was taken out of the game pretty quickly by Daniel. Missouri just completed pass after pass, and that had to be demoralizing not just for the Kansas D, but for their fans too.

Band: I think the KU band got demoralized as well.

Traditions: Neither team has much football tradition except for hating each other. They are both having dream seasons, which is what made this game so special.

Game: I was left a little disappointed by the actual game. I thought with these two offenses matching up we had all the makings for a classic with something like 90 or 100 points scored. Unfortunately, Daniels just picked apart the KU defense and the game was never really in doubt. The scoreboard made this one seem a lot closer then it really was.

Overall: Like last week, If the game had been a little better it would have been a night to remember for the rest of my life. While the game wasn't great, it was amazing just to be a part of this. You got the sense from talking to fans on both sides that this was going to be a matchup and a day that they were going to tell their children about. I am thankful I got to be there to be a part of such a special moment for all of these tremendous and loyal fans.

Grade: A

I'm not talking about half full, or mostly full, I'm talking about filled to the gills. Even Michigan-Ohio State didn't have it packed like this for the opening moments.

But when you're Kansas and Missouri, and you don't know when you'll next get the chance to play in a game of this magnitude, it's understandable.

Sas heads for the border (war).

It wasn't just the fans that were treating this like the unique event that it was, Mizzou coach Gary Pinkel was right there with them. If it were a game of poker, Pinkel was all in all night. From the perspective of a neutral observer, it was fantastic.

In the first quarter alone, Pinkel tried a fake field goal (it failed) and went for it on fourth and goal from the one (it worked). It was the biggest game of his career, and he was treating it like a game of Madden with his buddies. Going Big approves.

The one downside of the once-in-a-lifetime atmosphere at Arrowhead Stadium was that the fans were nothing short of belligerent. This was compounded by the 7 p.m. start, which gave them an extra few hours to fill themselves with spirit, and spirits. For 98 percent of the fans, this wasn't a problem. But there are always the select few that simply can't handle their Natty Light.

Today it was a group of KU faithful that insisted of jumping in front of our camera as we were trying to shoot. It would have been cute, had they not been annihilated at 11 a.m. There's an old saying that goes, "you can't drink all day unless you start in the morning," and these Jayhawks were taking that a bit too literally.

Fortunately for the rest of KU nation, these drunk punks were not an accurate representation of the rock chalkers. The rest we met were enthusiastic and cordial.

These KU fans proved that not all Jayhawks are drunk idiots. It was reassuring.

Once the game started, their enthusiasm did them little good in the face of Chase Daniel. The Missouri quarterback picked apart the Jayhawks defense like Joan Rivers does red carpet outfits, and though the final score of 36-28 may have indicated otherwise, the Tigers were in control throughout.

Not so fast my friend! Before he got to celebrate with his teammates, Daniel had to take some questions from Lee Corso.

With the accuracy and poise displayed by Daniel, it's no wonder Pinkel was so brazen in his gameplan. It's easy to look good when you're quarterback completes 40 of 49 pass for 361 yards. Even when Mizzou was up by double digits in the fourth quarter and theoretically trying to run out the clock, they were still running their no-huddle offense. I've always been a big believer in the mantra, "dance with who brung ya," and apparently Pinkel agrees.

The loss was obviously a tough pill for KU to swallow, as they'll likely end up in a second-tier bowl, when a BCS bid was right in their grasp.

I won't go so far as to say that their karma was ruined by the stupid drunkards who kept running in front of our camera, but they couldn't have helped.

These Mizzou fans feel pretty strongly that their team is No. 1.

The main reason that I was disappointed about having Thanksgiving in K.C. was that it was a wasted opportunity to eat the city's famous ribs.

We walked into Arthur Bryant's just as the Arkansas-LSU game was ending. Everyone in the place was wearing either KU or Mizzou gear, and both sets of fans went nuts when LSU finally lost in triple overtime. I was happy because I like seeing underdogs win, plus I felt that LSU had been playing with fire all season long and it was about time they got burned.

The KU and Mizzou faithful were happy because they thought that it opened the door for either Kansas or Misssouri to play in the BCS championship game. Even at the pep rally, everyone was buzzing about No. 1 going down. Matt and I were confused because as we see it, if either team wins tomorrow and again the following week in the Big 12 championship game, then that team will be playing for the national title. In this BCS system there is no difference between being ranked one or two.

All these folks were thrilled about the LSU loss, and we didn't really have the heart to tell them that it didn't really have an impact on them. Can you blame us?

But instead of being a buzzkill, we kept our mouths shut and let everyone enjoy the LSU loss both at Arthur Bryant's and at the pep rally. You can check out the Mizzou fans having a good time at the pep rally in today's video, which is called "Mizzou Madness"

(Note: If you're a Mac user having trouble viewing this video, click here to download a program called Flip4Mac that will allow you watch it.)

Back to the rib competition . . . The atmosphere at Arthur Bryant's is bare bones. It looks a little bit like a high school cafeteria except with pictures of John Kerry and Stephen Spielberg on the walls. You place your order and pay at the counter and carry your dinner to an indoor picnic table. Jack Stack on the other hand was a real restaurant complete with waiters and table service and silverware. This may sound snobby, but considering both places were comparably priced I'd have to give a huge nod to Jack Stack on atmosphere.

As far as the actual ribs go, I also preferred what Jack Stack was serving. The ribs at Jack Stack were more tender and juicier than Bryant's. My one issue with the ribs at Jack Stack was the meat itself lacked intense flavor. To a large extent, the lack of flavor of the meat at Jack Stack was mitigated by a nice BBQ sauce. Arthur Bryant's meat, while less tender actually had a better flavor. However, the BBQ sauce at Bryant's did more to hurt, rather than complement, their superior flavor.

I am not a side dish guy. I like sides, but if I'm choosing where to eat my meal, I want the main course to be the star. That being said, the french fries at Jack Stack were outrageously good, maybe the best fries I've ever had. The fries at Bryant's were a bit soggy and had nothing special to make up for it.

So in a matchup of two of Kansas City's finest rib establishments, I have Jack Stack winning in a blow out. Lets hope tomorrow's game brings a little more to the table.

This is nothing against KC, it's just that I don't really know anyone from the city, nor do I have any family near here. Since those are typically the reasons that bring you somewhere new for Turkey Day, you can see why I never thought I'd be here.

Not to be too cliched, but life takes some funky turns. Of course I'd rather be with my family, but in a weird way I'm really happy to be sitting in this Holiday Inn watching the Lions and Packers a stone's throw from the Kansas City Sports Complex.

Who needs family when your hotel room has a view of the Royals' Kauffman Stadium?

I'm thankful my family hasn't given me a major guilt trip for missing yet another major event due to my sportswriting career.

I'm thankful I finally got to go to the Michigan-Ohio State game, and that I'll be at Kansas-Missouri this Saturday, a.k.a. "The Game Of The Year." And for more on the history of that game, check out today's video, which is called "Border War For Dummies."

(Note: If you're a Mac user having trouble viewing this video, click here to download a program called Flip4Mac that will allow you watch it.)

I'm thankful the Mets didn't sign Yorvit Torrealba to a three-year contract.

I'm thankful I'm out here with Mr. Sas, one of my oldest friends. Being away from family is a lot easier when you have a close friend in tow (insert corny sigh from studio audience).

You can't spell "Kansas" without "S-A-S!"

I'm thankful for the White House. No, not the George Bush White House.

I'm thankful for "Jump Around."

I'm thankful for Pop Tarts.

I'm thankful that despite all the Pop Tarts and the fact I've spent six of the last eight months on the road, I'm still pretty healthy.

I'm thankful for Pam Anderson.

I'm thankful for lots and lots of "Scrubs" re-runs.

I'm thankful for the continued hospitality and generosity I've received on the road. From access to players and coaches, to free grub at tailgates, I've been on the receiving end of all sorts of benevolence over the past year, and it's made my job that much easier.

People close to me have heard me moan from time to time about the grind of the road, but that doesn't mean I don't love what I'm doing. There isn't a day that goes by where we don't have at least one person say to us, "you guys have the coolest job in the world."

Above all else, that's probably what I'm most thankful for.

Yesterday, Matt and I were walking around in T-shirts as it was 73 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. This morning we woke up and it was 34 degrees and snowing. Not a pleasant day to be on a road trip, especially considering this is one of the biggest travel days of the year.

Wilt was tall.

While we were there we had the pleasure of talking with John Hadl (rhymes with Dreidel), who is one of the best Football players to ever attend KU. You can check out our conversation with him in today's video titled "The Truth About Mizzou."

(Note: If you're a Mac user having trouble viewing this video, click here to download a program called Flip4Mac that will allow you watch it.)

We tried to get a peak at the basketball court as practice was going on, but it was guarded and me and Matt couldn't sweet talk our way in. From the peeks that we were able to get, all of the athletic facilities at KU are top notch.

Seeing their facilities and also seeing pictures of their portly coach brought up a question in my mind that I have never been able to answer. I'm not going to go on a big rant here, but I have always been perplexed by seriously overweight football coaches. Whether it be KU's Mark Mangino, Ralph Friedgen at Maryland or Charlie Weis at Notre Dame, I just don't get it. These coaches have 24-hour access to the nicest and best workout facilities in the entire world. Not only do they have "keys" to the gym, but the gym is usually attached or adjacent to their office. They are sitting down next to the finest physical training equipment in the world all day every day and yet remain in sub-par physical shape. Maybe I'm being insensitive, but I'm really just baffled more than anything.

Another thing that stood out to me as we walked around the outside of the basketball fieldhouse was the amount of basketball jersey's retired. I am of the opinion that only the best of the best should have the right to get their jerseys retired. In the last 10 years alone Kansas has retired the jerseys of Jacque Vaughn, Paul Pierce, Raef LaFrentz, Drew Gooden and Nick Collison. Nick Collison???

Nick Collison!

Here's the thing though, they don't actually retire the numbers, just the jerseys. So I guess that means if someone else named Pierce played basketball at KU he would not be allowed to wear 34 even though anybody else on the team theoretically could? Also, could our theoretical Pierce solve this problem by putting his first initial on the jersey thus making it not the same jersey?

If you need something to think about on Thanksgiving, I've just given it to you.

This wasn't on par with finally getting the opportunity to attend the Ohio State-Michigan game, nor was it up to the level of my dream to perform on stage with A Tribe Called Quest. But hey, we gotta take what we can get.

Of course this led to us trying some field goals, and after missing my first extra point, I drilled my second attempt with plenty of distance. A lifelong soccer player, I've always felt like I could have made a decent kicker, and I've always wondered how far of a field goal I could kick. Without working at it, I've estimated I could probably hit a 35-yarder. So after boosting my confidence with the PAT, I had Dan hold the ball on 25-yard line and split the uprights from 35.

And this was in jeans, with no real warm-up! I realize I'm tooting my own horn, but it made my day. I tried 40 yards, but it faded right and short. I think I could pull it off in shorts with soccer shoes on. Maybe.

Mizzou came out to practice, so I had to stop with my Al Del Greco impersonation.

I know Mr. Waxman from Going South was a JV kicker at Middlebury College (which is actually a conference rival of Bates College, my alma mater), and I'm throwing down the gauntlet. You name the field, I challenge you to a kicking competition. Better yet, maybe we should organize some sort of road trip punt, pass and kick competition. Going Big will prove its superiority once and for all!

Since my soccer career ended after high school, I used to secretly think about trying to be the kicker on Bates' football team. Maybe I was born to be a kicker, and if I tried, I could develop this inherent talent into a NFL career. I figured that kicking was the one position where level of competition doesn't matter; 50 yards in Division III is the same as 50 yards in the NFL.

Alas, I never bothered. The allure of chugging Milwaukee's Best and playing drinking games with my buddies proved greater than the siren song of Division III kicking. Oh, what might have been.

Speaking of the NFL, we got a little NFL flavor with our stop today at the Rams' practice facility in suburban St. Louis. Corey Chavous is not only their starting free safety, but he's also the most well-informed NFL player when it comes to evaluating college talent. He's even appeared on the NFL Networks draft coverage as an analyst. He's like Mel Kiper Jr., but with less hair product.

Dan looks on in awe at the Rams' practice facility.

We're obviously all about the college talent, so we had to get Chavous' take on the 2008 draft. You can see for yourself in today's video, which is entitled, "A 'NFL' Draft Guru."

(Note: If you're a Mac user having trouble viewing this video, click here to download a program called Flip4Mac that will allow you watch it.)

The Vanderbilt alum didn't name any D-III kickers among his favorites, so maybe I made the right choice after all.

It had always been a dream of mine to go to an OSU-Michigan game, and in my wildest dreams I couldn't imagine that the game I was going to see the following week would be even better.

The Grey Ghost needed a wash before lunch.

This conversation started because we had just been at Franklin College, where Terry Hoeppner, the late Indiana University coach had played and gotten his coaching start. You can check out more on Hoeppner in today's video, "Memory Lane."

Before his untimely death, Hoeppner was attempting to turn around an Indiana University program that has been stuck at or near the Big Ten cellar for as long as I can remember. It seems that the Big Ten has a clearly defined hierarchy that is relatively constant regardless of the year.

TOP DOGS
This is where your Big Ten winner is coming, and every year they pump out at a national title contender.

1)Ohio State
2)Michigan
3)Wisconsin (capable of dropping into the Penn State division, jury is still out on coach Bret Bielema)

INJURED TOP DOG
There was a time when Penn State was a perennial contender, sadly that time has passed. While they still have talent, an unbelievable home crowd, and a fantastic song chant that Meyers has gotten stuck in my brain, they just don't have the legs to run with the Top Dogs.

4) Penn State

HANDBAG DOGS
These four schools are essentially interchangeable. They are good/decent football programs, sometimes ranked, sometimes not.

5) Iowa
6) Purdue
7) Illinois (possible risers)
8) Michigan State

BAD DOGS THAT GOT LOCKED IN THE BASEMENT
These three schools might as well be playing in the MAC.

9) Minnesota
10) Indiana
11) Northwestern

There are a number of possible reasons that this hierarchy hasn't dominated the Big 12. For one, the way the Big 12 is split with the two alpha dogs (Texas and Oklahoma) both in the south division, it leaves the north side more up in th air. On the other hand, this year could just be an aberration and we are all extremely lucky.

Unfortunately I don't think we'll ever see the Big Ten add a twelfth team and split into two conferences. The way they are configured allows for an Ohio State or Michigan to have a fairly easy conference schedule and coast to the championship game without a signature win (see Ohio State).

A couple of non-football thoughts about Franklin College. We rolled into campus at around 10 a.m. on a Monday and there was a not a soul around. Seriously, no one. On our walk into the athletic center we debated what was going on. Our first thought was that it was possible that the students had all of Thanksgiving week off. Nope. Our second theory was that Franklin College was a huge Sunday party school and that everybody slept in on Mondays. nope. As it turns out, Franklin College has a student body of about 1,000.

Matt and I both went to smallish schools, and couldn't imagine what the social life is like at a school Franklin's size. After hanging out and having fun with students from Wisconsin and Michigan the past two weeks, I'm even more perplexed. This is not a slight against Franklin, it seemed like a great school with top notch facilities, just socially . . .

The Franklin mascot is the Grizzly . . . yet they have a dead skinned bear on the wall.

The other amusing part of our Franklin College visit was sneaking a peak into the gymnasium where a basketball gym class was taking place. Gym class in college is humorous enough in its own right, but this particular game was a 3-on-3 (apparently the other 18 members of the Franklin student body were still sleeping) full court battle, that had TWO refs AND a teacher watching. College gym class, gotta love it!

It's time for Heisman talk to heat up, and Going Big feels obliged to lobby on behalf of one Big 12 player that has been relatively ignored in this year's discussion.

The biggest knock against him seems to be that he's a freshman, and no underclassmen has ever won the Heisman. But now that Florida sophomore Tim Tebow seems to be the favorite, we can throw this underclassmen garbage out the window.

The numbers alone are staggering, and they should be enough to get him consideration for an invite to the Heisman ceremony. The redshirt freshman has 125 catches for 1,861 yards and 21 touchdowns. That's not a typo.

And it's not just the numbers, anyone who saw his 60-yard catch against Oklahoma on Saturday night can tell that Crabtree is a beast in the open field. Dan and I were watching the game in our hotel and giggling as pass after pass went Crabtree's direction. Check out this highlight reel if you haven't been watching him.

The other major knock against Crabtree is that Texas Tech runs a gimmick pass offense, and it inflates his numbers. That's bogus. He's playing against the best competition in college football, and the kid is dominating. When Eric Crouch won the Heisman, no one said, "eh, the option is designed to let the quarterback rack up rushing yards." Crouch played within the system, and he was rewarded. People should be recognizing Crabtree for doing the same thing.

And if you're argument is that Texas Tech isn't good enough, then that's also silly. For one, it's an individual award, not a team award. Second, why are people still talking about Darren McFadden for the award, even though his team is mediocre and he's having a great, though not transcendent season.

I'm not saying Crabtree should definitely win, but he should be in the discussion.

Hey, Going Big has to look out for its own.

I hope you're as excited for the odometer as Michigan was on Saturday at noon.

THE ODOMETER

Days on the Road for Going Big: 81

Miles Driven in the Grey Ghost: 9,706

States Visited: 17 (Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska). No mas, at least we don't think so.

Points We've Seen Scored on the Field: 686 in 14 games (including one high school game)

Times We Heard "No One" by Alicia Keys: 15 (and that doesn't count the times I've watched the video on YouTube). Call us lame if you'd like, but Going Big has found an anthem. There are a number of XM stations that have Ms. Keys' latest smash in heavy rotation, and we can't get enough of it. It's rare that I enjoy a pop song so much, and I'm enjoying the chance to hear it often. It's a corny love song, but it's a damn good corny love song.

Related Sidenote: At the end of "No One," there is male voice singing "Oh, oh, oh, oh" along with Keys. I am pretty positive it is rapper Pharoahe Monch, but I can't seem to find confirmation of this anywhere on the web. Can anyone verify this for me?

Yards By Someone Nicknamed Beanie: 222. The prestigious "Going Big Player Of The Year" is still being decided, but Ohio State's Beanie Wells is definitely the leader in the clubhouse. When you add the 222 yards Wells ran up on Michigan to the 169 we saw him rack up against Wisconsin two weeks ago, that makes 391 yards on 60 carries over two games. Oh yeah, with five touchdowns to go with it.

I can't say that Wells was directly responsible for Lloyd Carr retiring as Michigan's coach, but he certainly helped put the nail in the coffin. Carr had a fantastic career and can always rest easy knowing that he brought the Wolverines a national title, which is something Bo Schembechler never did. Unfortunately, his last few years were not his finest, and going out with four consecutive losses against Ohio State will leave Michigan fans with a sour taste.

On the plus side, Carr's recent failures in bowls and against OSU will make things a little easier for his successor at first.

T-Shirt Of The Week:There were a lot of anti-Tressel t-shirts in Ann Arbor this weekend, but this won takes the prize due to its simplicity.

Bartles & James, or Smirnoff Ice?

Most Comical Moment Of The Week, And Possibly Year: So we're standing outside the Alpha Epsilon Pi house on Friday morning during their charity car bash, and we noticed two girls walking down the street in front of us.

One was wearing baggy sweat pants and an equally baggy sweatshirt with high heels, and the other was wearing what was clearly the outfit she wore out on Thursday night.

We didn't want to stare, but it was hard not to notice these two young women in the midst of their "walk of shame." The one still wearing her Thursday night best saw us noticing her and screamed loud enough for the entire street to hear, "I'm not a whore! I swear!"

Trust me, this was really funny.

Now on to breaking down our Michigan-Ohio State experience . . .

Tailgating: For sheer volume, Penn State was the best tailgate we've seen. But for enthusiasm and revelry, yesterday was tops. We rolled up State Street at 9 a.m., and the students were already in full force. There was music blasting from each house's porch, and friendly smack-talking going back and forth between fans. It was one of those days where even though you were excited for the game, you wished it was a 3:30 kickoff as opposed to noon so that you've have more time to enjoy the pregame party.

Student Section/Crowd: As Dan talked about yesterday, the student section was a little lackluster. He should know, he sat among them. In their defense, the weather was abysmal and they didn't have much to cheer for. On top of that, we saw them a week after Wisconsin, which is without question the best student section we've seen on Going Big.

Band: Another strong performance from Michgan's band, and as someone with my initials, I always enjoy a giant "M".

That might be the largest single letter we've seen a band make this year.

Mascot/Cheerleader: The cheerleaders did their best despite the conditions, and still hit the turf to spell out "Michigan" letter by letter. Now that's dedication.

If you can't tell, that's a "H".

Traditions: Ohio State-Michigan is a tradition in it's own right, and everything surrounding the game lived up to my expectations. Unfortunately, none of the players or coaches could control the weather.

Game: Due to the aforementioned weather, the game was anything but pretty. It was at least close for a half, but once Wells galloped for a 62-yard score on the first play of the second half, you never got the feeling Michigan could come back from a 14-3 deficit. The rain was certainly a factor, but the execution was still lackluster on Michigan's part. You kept hoping for them to break a big play that would get them back in it, but it never happened.

Overall: If the game had been a little better, I'd have given this experience an A+. Unfortunately, we didn't get everything we could have hoped for on the field. Nonetheless, it was still OSU-Michigan, and it was still awesome.

Grade: A