Mad Men: Big 12 Edition

I should say mad scientists, as two of the top offensive minds in college football reunite in Stillwater. It was Holgorsen's (Mike Leach's) offensive system that was installed in his one year at Oklahoma State in 2010. Coach Gundy and his staff is still running it now, while Holgorsen has taken his circus act to West Virginia.

And one year after Holgorsen took over at West Virginia, the Mountaineers exited the Big East and found themselves in the Big 12. On weekends like this it will be a nightmare travel scenario for Mountaineer fans ("Country Roads" indeed), but Holgorsen is right back where he started.

Now Holgorsen's a charcter - some would say rock star - and is hardly sentimental about a return to Stillwater where he spent all of one season. He reminds us he was an assistant at Texas Tech and Houston for many years and spent far more time on the opponent sideline than the home one at Oklahoma State. He's also got bigger problems with a Mountaineer squad that's going off the rails after three straight losses.

It's warm here in Stillwater, but it's been very windy. If only a man could think of a way to harness all that power and turn it into energy. Just food for thought.

The wind may have an affect not only on Coach Holgorsen's hair, but on the high-volume passing games that both teams employ. Which is why Oklahoma State has the edge, despite a third string QB in this week, they have All-Big 12 RB Joseph Randle who could take the game over.

But the game within the game is the game of I-know-that-you-know-that-I-know what we're gonna do next, now just stop us. The over under on total points is somewhere in the neighborhood of 80. And around 4 hours, to see a couple of ornery guys on the sidelines. You can set your calendar to it.

Pull Up A Chair: Maddow On Colbert

There is no table I would've rather sat at in my life than this one. And maybe from our chance meeting we could start a friendship. Stephen and I could go to ballgames, play word association, and maybe train together in the sport of kings. And perhaps Rachel would accept my hand in marriage, and we could have long walks and talk politics, while she expertly mixed my favorite drink.

But sadly I'm probably not their types. While my life does intersect with some iconic people, I'll just have to accept that these two are beyond my grasp as I am relegated to a life of amateur hero worship.

They are two great examples of American television genius, thorough deconstructors of the events of the day, and whistleblowers of hypocrisy. They separate the signal from the noise. Each obviously does their work in very different ways, but have created two mainstays in nightly TV fare.

Maddow echoed what we knew all along about the election, that Republicans were relying on their "gut" that it would be a Romney landslide, that Karl Rove had pointed to the enthusiastic crowds, which "turned out to be a bad way to predict an election."

But Colbert said never say die, there's still a path for Romney to 270:

"He just needs to get Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, and the secret state only Republicans can see... Whitesylvania."

It was a gratuitous laugh line, but he boiled down the Rachel Maddow Show as well as any ever has:

"You deconstruct the day's news like the parts of a car on a lawn...but then you reconstruct those pieces into -- a conservative dream-killing machine."

Maddow laughed and said she didn't want to kill anybody's dream. She responded in her typically wonkish way, trying really, really hard not to offend.

"There's an important role to play in disabusing people of their fantasies that do not comport with what's going on in the real world."

As for the role of Sandy in the election, Colbert pressed Maddow on what caused hurricanes, telling her the answer was "gay people." Maddow blushed and quipped back, asking if gay people were responsible for lowering barometric pressure.

The interview fell short in a couple of areas. Colbert promoted, but never discussed Maddow's book, Drift. Because the conversation was only five minutes long. Which did both of these brilliant minds, and the audience, a disservice.

Today's Odyssey Is Brought To You By The Letter O

The wakeup call in the Athens (OH) came at 6:30 AM. But instead of heading directly to the airport I grabbed some free Hampton Inn breakfast, went back to the room, flipped on Morning Joe and took apart 80 pages of West Virginia game notes.

I packed up, jumped into the Sonata around 9 AM and hit the road for Columbus. It was a nice day for a drive. I made a few calls, which took me a few minutes off course. But I pulled up at the Columbus airport rental car return at 10:45, just in time to hook up with the conference call with the West Virginia coaches at 11:00.

In the daylight I could see the posters that tickets were still available for the 2013 NHL All-Star Game in Columbus. Tickets are still available for the January 26-27 weekend.

If you're planning a vacation to see relatives in Ohio (every single person I know has one), Nate Silver is projecting an 89% chance there will be plenty of hotel rooms that weekend.

The West Virginia call got moved back to 11:30 so I went through security, found some workspace and listened in, before boarding my first flight to Detroit Metro.

I got a powernap, did some Oklahoma State prep work, and devoured a pastrami sandwich at the Irish Pub in Detroit's B Terminal. My flight to OKC was delayed about 30 minutes, but I settled into my first class seat, finished up on the Cowboys, and actually cracked open my book before we landed.

While I had status on the plane, I had none at the rental car counter. I waited about 20 minutes for a generic Malibu, and got stuck major rush hour traffic in downtown Oklahoma City. It was good timing that I could talk to the kids for a few minutes before my cell phone ran out of juice. The 70 minute drive was more like an hour forty-five.

So this long day's journey that started in Athens Ohio wound up at my Stillwater hotel at around 7:45 CT. The glamorous life of a national TV producer: out-of-the-way college towns, rental cars and long drives, commuter jets and delays, traffic jams and low cell phone batteries.

It's not too different from the adventure West Virginia fans will take to get here. At least I'm getting paid to do this. Welcome to the Big 12!

But like most stops in the Big 12, Stillwater is pretty OK once you get there. See you out tonight at Eskimo Joe's!

Republicans and the Five Stages of Grief

We bounced around Downtown Athens Ohio last night, first at Stephen's On Court, then hit the early stages of an election party at The Pigskin. MSNBC and CBS local were on the big screens, and Ball State/Toledo was nowhere to be found.

It was early and the action was slow, so I got to texting some of my conservative friends, simply asking (needling) "which stage of grief are you in?"

1. Denial and Isolation

The first response told me not to gloat yet, that you can't believe the polls. I can imagine him now in front of Fox News in his sweatsuit shaking his Magic 8-Ball until he gets the right result.

Nate Silver told us all along exactly what was going to happen, but like on climate change and evolution, deniers will just deny.

2. Anger

"I feel bad for this country, having four more years of your boy!" The truth is this friend's life (or mine) isn't truly affected by whomever was elected. And he recognized that projecting his sympathies for the country (he even mentioned the 53% - ouch!).

Donald Trump was obviously the bellweather for anger, calling the election a "sham" and calling for "revolution." He actually hit Stages 1 & 2 there, but he'd get to all 5 quickly enough if you kept an open mic in front of his piehole.

3. Bargaining

"At least I still live in a red state" was one I heard more than once, as I live in one too. Or "at least we still have the house." That's good, all of us are still bargaining with the same Executive/Legislative split, who have been unable to bargain with each other the last two years.

4. Depression

Surprisingly, I haven't seen a lot of this one yet. It was more evident during the coverage when Obama's campaign staff was appearing on every network with a bounce in their step, and nobody in the Romney camp was to be found.

It's hard not to be depressed when you work for months or years on something and then it's over. The silver lining for these retread political operatives is that we live in the land of opportunity (yes, it still is) and they're only a few months away from another election cycle and their next gig.

5. Acceptance

This one is the hardest to grasp. Mitch McConnell's #1 goal was to make Obama a one-term President, so now what? Making sure a GOP gets elected next time? That would breed the same obstructionism we've seen for the last two years. So you have to wonder whether this defeat will ever be accepted and anything will be changed. And one day I guess I'll have to accept that.

Yesterday, I predicted that 11 PM would be the hour this would be decided. Unfortunately I nodded off at about 11:05, and popped my eyes open at 11:25 to see that Obama had won. It was called at 11:12, when Iowa and Ohio were put into the winner's column. Naturally, Karl Rove didn't accept it.

What State Am I In?

I landed in Ohio last night, and it was just after Gov. Romney left town so there was no air or ground traffic in the way. I got in a Hyundai Sonata rental (there were 25 Chevys in the National lot and none of them had XM - shame on the American auto industry!) and cruised out of Columbus.

Every news network was repeating the mantra "it all comes down to Ohio." Yet when I woke up this morning in Athens, Nate Silver had no longer listed the Buckeye State as "competitive." He had Ohio as a 91% probability of going to the President. Maybe I should have brought my lawn sign here and plopped it in front of my hotel room.

It was a crisp and beautiful 38-degree autumn morning in remote Athens, 80 minutes outside the state capital and 40 minutes from the West Virginia border. It warmed up during the day, and we're going to have some nice football weather for Frank Solich's 100th game with Bobcats, as they take on Bowling Green Wednesday night.

Athens is a nice progressive slice in one of the reddest portions of Ohio. But don't let the country quaintness fool you, the sorority girls are capable of some serious mayhem.

Headed out somewhere in the Court Street/Union Street area tonight, but sure to be back in the room to keep an eye on Election Day coverage.

The key plot point of the night is 11 PM eastern, which is 8 PM pacific, which is when the west coast polls close. It was the hour when the 2008 election was called for Obama. Every minute past then means that there is still some level of uncertainty, which increases Romney's chances.

But there's no way I'm staying up all night for results. I got a job to do tomorrow, and I want to keep it. I don't trust either candidate to create one for me.

Why I Voted For Barack Obama

The plants are doing fine, but the lawn needed a fixer-upper. While my grass isn't growing, my confidence in this election is.

As a natural-born American (though I don't know exactly where my birth certificate is), it is my right to vote. And while I vote in private, I can explain my vote if I choose. I am not trying to influence anyone else's vote, and nobody is under any obligation to read any father...

First, I am a city-dweller and have been for most of my adult life. I like leaving my house and walking to get my errands done. And sometimes there's a sketchy area between Point A and Point B. Yet whether I walk alone or with my children, I feel safe.

Even those that are struggling in an urban community are invested in it. That's because of the involvement of government with programs that both bolster the safety net, help small business, and maintain law and order. Otherwise, the community unravels; the desperate turn to crime and the disillusioned bail out.

Some will say the system is failing already with rash of gun violence that has plagued cities like Chicago (and even Savannah) this year. While this is a disturbing trend, I don't see all violent crime the same. Show me that rapes, armed robberies and home invasions have spiked and I will be the first to flee to a gated community.

Until then, I believe in the path that helps the most people and strengthens communities.

Second,  the most important way to level the playing field is through education. Children in inner cities and rural areas need to have a chance at the best education available. Otherwise the inequality perpetuates itself for generations. Many children are born in bad situations through no fault of their own. Their only access to the American Dream is through the knowledge an education can bring, since in many cases they're not getting the right direction at home.

The way to ensure equal opportunity for all Americans is to start the process in pre-school. If we truly believe that the kid in a Savannah tenement has the same shot as someone who grows up in the governor's mansion in Lansing, Michigan, we need a greater investment in our teachers.

Now I am keenly aware that the system is set up to protect bad teachers. I don't know the answer to this problem. But increased charters, vouchers, and anything else that adds privatization into education only increases the chasm between the poor kids and everyone else.

Third, a President can only fulfill promises in a second term. It's unfortunate, but that's the way our system works. Like many, I've been jaded by the difference between Candidate Obama 2008 and President Obama 2012. And while change has been slow in the face of unprecedented obstructionism, a lot has been accomplished.

I look at 2012 as the campaign of real change. After Citizens United, the Obama campaign refused corporate money (I am aware that the DNC and SuperPACs take plenty of it), choosing instead for small donations from over 10 million individual Americans... citizens united indeed!

I trust that the President, beholden to no future campaigns, will not turn his back on the millions that he has incessantly hounded for cash for over a year now.

In 2008, Obama was a symbol of change. Hillary Clinton said it best when she battled him in the primaries, that he couldn't wave a magic wand and make the special interests go away.

In 2012, Obama becomes the agent of change. At least that's what I believe, I could be wrong. And if I am, it's a good thing my vote only counts once.

The Backtime Bandwagon: November 2012 Edition

After a great college football Saturday, the Backtime Editorial Department is on the bandwagon - but not with Kansas State, Notre Dame, Oregon, or even the indomitable Crimson Tide. Climb aboard with Louisville's Angry Birds: 9-0, with three to go.

No I'm not trumpeting Louisville for a shot at the title. But an unbeaten season, capped by a BCS Bowl win over a formidable opponent would set the 2013 season up. Teddy Bridgewater is a true sophomore and will definitely be back (though questions linger about his coach), and the Cards can carry the torch for the reincarnated Big East Conference going forward.

And again, I marvel at whomever takes these pictures. Bridgewater's throwing motion is flawless. He steps up in measured stride against the rush. His hand warmer and hand towel are perfectly dead center. His non-throwing hand says "stop" in diagonal symmetry like the cover of Van Halen's Diver Down.

And the results are undeniable. Bridgewater threw for 324 yards and 5 TD versus Temple yesterday, sharpening his already surgical season numbers: 70% completions, 9.5 yards/attempt, 18 TD and 4 INT.

And he's not just a finesse passer. Bridgewater takes what he has to on the ground. And while he won't run many defenders over, he'll still deliver some punch.

These are not just photo opportunities that this still-19-year old QB presents and very little has to do with luck. Unless we're talking about Andrew Luck.