Daily Bullets (January 14)

On the future of football

Do you agree with this?

Two straight Clemson-Alabama national title games have taught us a valuable lesson. A lesson that extends to any program in America. Great offense beats great defense in 21st-century football. That’s not what traditionalists want to hear. Not what they want you to know. [NewsOK]

I do like Berry’s point about Big 12 teams being unfairly criticized for their poor defense when the reality is that a lot of them are just facing awesome QBs.

Udnerwood 0-8 in AFH

Who isn’t though, right? (besides Travis Ford)

Brad Underwood — who was 0-2 in Allen Fieldhouse as a Kansas State player in the 1980s and 0-6 mark as a member of the K-State coaching staff two decades later — knows how difficult it is for a visitor to win in the Kansas Jayhawks’ tradition-rich building.

“I think obviously it’s one of the elite homecourts in America. It coincides with their success in terms of 12 straight championships in the Big 12,” said Underwood, first-year head coach at Oklahoma State. [Kansas City Star]

Last time KU lost in Lawrence

As a freshman, [Phil Forte] played 33 minutes, scoring 11 points in Oklahoma State’s 85-80 win on Feb. 2, 2013 — the one that ended with a Marcus Smart backflip. No Big 12 team has beaten Kansas at home since that point. [Tulsa World]

Kansas has lost once at home since then, and it wasn’t to a Big 12 team.

Is OSU really that bad?

The short answer? No.

Four Big 12 opponents have shot a combined 76.2 percent in the final five minutes against OSU. Iowa State shot 100 percent.

“We can’t hide from that,” Underwood said. “That has to be addressed. We’re a few plays away from being 3-1 and yet we’re not. It comes down to winning, it comes down to effort, having the belief that you’re going to win and not being afraid to make the plays to win.”

This has become perhaps Underwood’s largest challenge in his first year as Oklahoma State’s coach: Getting over the mental hurdles to win a close game. [Tulsa World]

76 percent in the final five minutes!

Bold predictions for 2017

Mitch Sherman says a Big 12 defensive player will be on the AP All-America first team.

Yep, you heard it here first. This one is really bold, right? Big 12 defenders were shut out in 2016. Top candidates to break through include Kansas defensive tackle Dorance Armstrong Jr., TCU linebacker Travin Howard and Oklahoma State linebacker Chad Whitener. But we’re going with Oklahoma cornerback Jordan Thomas. [ESPN]

More Sports News

UConn is getting over $1 million to play one of its home games at Fenway … a 11 Warriors intern tried out for the Ohio State football team … How TCU is winning with Jamie Dixon and why it should be a blueprint … let’s just start using KenPom to seed the tournament … three Big 12 teams among the unluckiest in 2016.

Oh great.

Per @CFBHeather, Ohio State AD Gene Smith to replace Barry Alvarez on College Football Playoff selection committee. https://t.co/phJoIQEUIf

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) January 13, 2017

More PFB

Mike Gundy and Co. hit the recruiting trail … Phil Forte’s slump seems like it is over … New podcast, talking KU and how OSU can right the ship … Previewing the OSU-Iowa dual.

More stuff I’m reading

The greatest chess game every played …