This week's roundtable is being hosted by SBN Nebraska Cornhusker blog, Corn Nation.  Check out some of the other responses to the questions here. Enjoy.

1. We’re about half way through the season. Has your team met your expectations, wildly exceeded them, or are you about to light the torches and storm your athletic department demanding blood?

It's kind of hard to say. I think if you told the average Buff fan before the season that we would be sitting at 4-3 heading into the Missouri game they would tell you that that's exactly where they thought we would be. However, if you then proceeded to tell them exactly how we got to be 4-3 said fan would probably be disappointed.  Let's break it down this way, Cody Hawkins and the Buffalo offense has been a wild disappointment, only being saved from the depths of pure mediocrity by the emergence of Rodney Stewart and to a lesser extent, Tyler Hansen. On the other hand the defense has actually been a bit of a surprise, especially the reworked secondary.  Unfortunately the ineptness of the offense greatly outweighs the strides that the D has made.

2. In an election year, all sorts of promises will be made, few will be kept. What is one promise or item you thought you could count on that hasn’t come to pass yet this season? Is there still a chance?

After the growth that we saw in Cody Hawkins over the second half of last season I think that we all thought he would make an even bigger leap this year.  At the very least we expected to see continual improvement and that hasn't been there at all. I do think there is a chance that Cody can improve on his first seven games of 2008 (not much room to go but up).  He has been hamstrung by the injuries on the offensive line that have sent their vertically challenged quarterback running for his life and hopefully our makeshift line will continue to get better as the year goes by. Lost in all of the hoopla over Tyler Hansen's first action last week was how well Cody played at the end of the game. He was more poised than he has been all season and hopefully he uses that final drive and third down completion as a building block for the rest of 08.

See the rest of the questions after the jump...

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Alright dedicated readers of The Ralphie Report. We need your help. Let's assess how we feel about the Buffs so far through Tuesday, October 14th. We will comment/grade/suggest our opinions on a number of subjects all relating to the Buffs (could be any sport) at the halfway point. This won't be your typical review. We will try and keep it as light as possible as we know we could go down that same depressing path around Cody Hawkins and the Buffaloes offense. When we get enough of your comments, we will throw together the best of the best responses along with our own! Let the games begin.

1)  In 20 words or less, what player has been the biggest surprise on offense, what player has been the biggest disappointment of offense that is not named Cody Hawkins? It's hard, I know!

2)  In 20 words or less, do the same for the defense.

3)  Keep the spread offense or dump the spread like your high school prom date?

4)  What is the number of wins the Buffs have left in them? Remaining schedule is Kansas State, @ Mizzou, @ Texas A&M, Iowa State, Oklahoma St and @ the Fuskers.

5)  Bump Set Spike! Who is the cutest senior CU Buff Volleyball player below (only number needed). Yes, they are all seniors so it isn't illegal. Sorry if any of our readers are the father of these ladies, its all in good fun I promise. Hey it might actually increase attendance. Public service is a hobby of ours! For additional pictures go here. Pictures compliments of cubuffs.com

6)  Which Buff would you rather have? WR Josh Smith or RB Rodney Stewart

7)  How many years will Dan Hawkins be the coach of the Colorado Buffaloes?

8)  More wins in the 2008 - 2009 season: CU Football Team or CU Basketball Team?

9) Finish the sentence (less than 30 words): In 2010, Darrell Scott will be...

10) You are celebrating a Buffs win. What is your beverage of choice?

11) The "I Have A Dream" Question. For example, like in The Ralphie Report Buff Bites today, I said, "I have a dream that one day the Buffs will have a quarterback in the top tier of the Big 12, I have a dream!" What is your Buffs dream...think BIG! (under 50 words).

12) Your favorite CU Buff player of all-time?

I realize half of these questions aren't related to football but hey, we could all use a break after the last three games! Spread the world to other Buff fans that you know to get this thing rocking full of good answers about how Buff Nation feels. Enjoy

Special thanks to Barking Carnival (who has the best OU/TX preview I have seen to date) for hosting this week's Roundtable.  Enjoy and debate below.

Please observe the latest ESPN Heisman Watch. What gridiron presence draws your suspicion and ire?

Javon Ringer.  When is the last time a "consistent" running back won the Heisman trophy?  Ron Dayne in 1999?  The guy had over 2,000 yards.  Ricky Williams?  Same thing.  I just don't see Ringer being the "game-changing" player that most Heisman winners are now a days.  He isn't going to get that close to 2,000 yards now that the Big 10 schedule has started and if he stays healthy, Donald Brown will finish with more yards and most likely a better record.

In World War I, British troops were famously characterized as "Lions Led By Donkeys." What Donkey leading a college football team of Lions is leading his troops into the Somme again this Saturday? Who should replace him after the court martial?

Tommy Bowden.  The guy just absolutely cannot get it done.  How many chances is he supposed to get?  How many times have his teams let the public down with an insane amount of talent, especially in the watered down ACC?  I would put a lot of money on this team if they hired the right coach.  With the players that they have on campus right now someone like Brian Kelly could come in and have this team dominating almost instantly, a la Urban Meyer or Bob Stoops/

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Thanks to Big Red Network for supplying this week's questions.

Starting next week, the BlogPoll Top 25 is getting MSM support as a major media outlet will be publishing the poll right alongside the AP and Coaches Polls.

Here's hoping those pollsters' week in and week out insanity doesn't sully the impeccable reputation we've worked so hard to cultivate.

On to the roundtable...

I assume that we are talking about the National race as opposed to the conference race here so I am going to say USC.  As I wrote this week, I am still surprised that the media is already assuming that the Trojans are going to run the table, even though there is plenty of supporting evidence to prove that they are mostly likely going to lose another game before the end of the season.  If on the other hand Pete Carroll and his band of 4 and 5 star recruits and all the publicity a team could want manage to run the table and do so convincingly, then public perception will get them back in the discussion.  This is a team that has become very predictable over the last few years and while they can't seem to beat the teams they are supposed to roll over, they have certainly proved that they will be ready to roll by the time their bowl game rolls around.

Q: But what does this mean for Ohio State? Are they back in?

Come back to me after this weekend's Wisconsin game.  They win that (which I don't think they will and yea, they are back in it.  I still don't think there is enough negative will among the pollsters to keep them out of the National Championship because of a 2 loss Big 12 or SEC team.  A large part of it also depends on the Nittany Lions only losing that one game and looking strong in all of their others.

Q: Did the week that was open the door for any of the undefeateds out of some of the non-BCS conferences like the Mountain West or the Big East? (Yup, that's a cheap shot. Thanks, Virginia Tech for not allowing me to make it about the ACC.)

No, a WHOLE LOT of things still have to happen for a non-BCS team to get into the National Championship discussion. Don't get me wrong, it certainly helped and there will be plenty more match-ups and upsets throughout the course of the season that will continue to work in the favor of the little guys.  But there is a very good chance that a 2 loss SEC team and MAYBE a two loss Big 12 team could still be ahead of any undefeated mid-major not named BYU.

Thanks to Burnt Orange Nation for supplying this week's questions.

1. We start with a review of your team's non-conference performance. Take the format of my Week 5 Big 12 Report (North Division post here, South Division here) and give us your Offensive MVP, Defensive MVP, and Projected Finish. (Limit 125 words max on each.)

Offensive MVP: Rodney Stewart, RB - Only other choice may be WR Josh Smith but Stewart has been great the last two games. Stewart ranks fourth in the Big 12 in rushing yards with 349 yards, averaging 5.6 a carry. The scary thing is that he only had 13 carries for 76 yards in the first two games of the year. He could easily be #2 in the Big 12 if he would have gotten more carries early on. Stewart is yet to get in the end zone which is unbelievable seeing that the 3 players in front of Stewart in the Big 12 yardage rankings have a total of 21 touchdowns. This change of pace back has been nothing but spectacular in the early going of the season.

Defensive MVP: Chapelle Brown, CB - Chapelle saved the game for the Buffs against Eastern Washington, picking off a pass with less than 2 minutes remaining in the game to give the Buffs the lead. Brown has been solid against run support thus far. He has totaled 34 tackles, good for third on the team, 4 pass deflections, 1 sack and 3 tackles for a loss. Other picks here would be LB Jeff Smart and LB Brad Jones but the Buffs needed to have playmakers in the defensive backfield and Brown has answered that call.

Big 12 Schedule - Texas, @ Kansas, Kansas State, @ Missouri, @ Texas A&M, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, @ Nebraska

Projected Big 12 Finish: 4 - 4, 3rd North Division  -  All I have to say is this is a brutal schedule for the Buffs and as coach Hawkins says, the Buffs are in the middle of the gauntlet coming off games against West Virginia and FSU, now heading into Texas, Kansas and Missouri. The Buffs have four ranked teams remaining on the schedule. I am optimistic that the Buffs will win 2 of 4 games between Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Nebraska...can't tell you which ones but if they can win two of those games, 5 - 3 is a possibility. The key for the Buffs is win the games that they are supposed to. Kansas State, Iowa State and Texas A&M are must wins...and a split in the final two games is needed. This will be easier to answer after we see how the Buffs respond this week against Texas coming off of the FSU loss.

Check out the rest of the questions after the jump...

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Here is part two of the Q&A with Nole Spear It and Tomahawk Nation, to get their opinion about the upcoming game in Jacksonville between the Florida State Seminoles and the Colorado Buffaloes.

The Ralphie Report (TRR): Isn't Drew Weatherford better than 5 interceptions and 220 yards in total offense? What is the confidence level in Ponder and Richardson right now and do they have the potential to break the Chris Rix, Xavier Lee, Drew Weatherford chain of inconsistent quarterbacks?

Tomahawk Nation (TN): Honestly?  No.  Besides the fact that FSU is in the full scale youth movement, here is what I wrote several days ago:

The running of CP& and D'Vo accounted for 33% of the Seminole Offense.

CP and D'Vo weren't sacked.  I think this is partially because Wake didn't want to be burned by their running. 

Wake did get 4 QB Hurries.

Now, given that, do those clamoring for Drew really believe that he would be able to play well enough to make up for what I'll assume would be a complete loss of rushing yards, and the presumed accompanying sacks? 

I submit that he would not.  I contend that Drew would have caused 2-3 additional holding penalties on a line that would surely be facing a Wake front with their ears pinned back.  I also contend that Drew would not be able to prevent the personal fouls by Parker, or the illegal blocks by Surrency.

I also don't think Wake would have allowed Drew to take the short stuff at near the frequency they offered it to CP7 & D'Vo.

The confidence level is understandably low after that performance, but both absolutely have the potential to break the chain.  Jimbo is very high on Ponder and D'Vo.  Both are more physically talented than everyone you listed, with the exception of Xavier Lee, and they certainly don't have the 2-cent head Lee forgot to use.

Nole Spear It (NSI): You would think Drew would be considering the record he set for consecutive passes without an interception last season. Factor in his 33 starts and one could only conclude that he would provide the calm in the backfield that FSU sorely needed Saturday Night. Putting in Drew Weatherford wouldn't have been fair to the Senior signal caller and Coach Fisher said as much to the Press on Saturday Night. Drew received limited reps in practice throughout the week and it's fair to assess that he would have been just as lost in Jimbo's offense. But even so, Drew couldn't make those throws that Ponder and D'Vo were short arming and over throwing. That's been the knock on Drew his entire career, plus he's not half as mobile as the two Sophomore QB's so it's not a stretch to think that he would have been swallowed up by Wake Forest's defense.

The confidence level in Ponder and Richardson is concrete as far as the coaching staff is concerned. Jimbo Fisher even said Drew Weatherford would not be playing against Colorado, he stopped to go so far as to say Weatherford would never play again, but he made it clear that Christian and D'Vontrey are his guys. As far as one of the guys bucking the Rix-Lee-Weatherford trend, I'm not sure. They certainly have the ability and the strides that D'Vo made from spring ball to now proves that he has the ability to learn and elevate his game tremendously. I'm not guaranteeing anything, but I think Ponder and D'Vo can turn the program around and change the fortune of the signal callers at Florida State.

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Last week, we got together with mountainlair to learn a little bit about the West Virginia Mountaineers. This week, we have the privilege to hear from two fellow FSU bloggers, Nole Spear It and Tomahawk Nation, to get their opinion about the upcoming game in Jacksonville between the Florida State Seminoles and the Colorado Buffaloes. These guys put in a ton of great work on this so it is definitely worth your time. Great information to get you ready for the game Saturday. Without further adieu, let's get it on:

The Ralphie Report (TRR): First things first, what is the mood like right now in Tallahassee and around the Seminole Nation? It seemed like many thought after two wins against FCS schools that this team was turning the corner.  

Tomahawk Nation (TN): We are glad to answer your questions.  Do you know that feeling when you wake up from a bad dream, and you look around to make sure it was just a dream?  That is what FSU fans are feeling like.  They just aren't sure what is going on. 'Nole fans are looking around to see if the Wake game was an aberration and if this offense is really going to be as bad as they players Saturday night, most would prefer to go back to sleep, and stay asleep, until 2009.

Nole Spear It (NSI):The mood in Tallahassee amongst the fan base is split: Half think the sky is falling, as there's no way they should have lost to Wake Forest. Several Fans still have the mindset that Florida State should be dominating every school that's not Florida and Miami. They fail to take an honest look at the product on the field and the experience that product has under its belt.

Then you've got the other half of the fan base that sees a very young offense, a team that played two Div-IAA (FCS) schools, and a team that struggled against an experienced/veteran Wake Forest team that came into Doak Campbell Stadium and took care of business. Everybody wants results right now, but it doesn't work that way, this is essentially Jimbo's first season being in control of everything offensively (personnel wise) and the fan base has to accept that and remain patient.

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So the guys or whoever at Big Red Network, a Nebraska Cornhuskers blog, had this Big 12 Conference Roundtable floating around on SBNation so we decided to jump in. Probably weren't invited but the Colorado Buffaloes are on a bye week and I love to steal from the Cornhuskers so why not. I probably could have come up with more pertinent CU Buff related questions but it provides me the forum to weigh in on a few oversights and exaggerations that are prevalent in the Big 12 landscape right now. Here we go.

What has been the biggest surprise of the Big 12 season so far? The home loss to Arkansas State by Texas A&M, the impressive scores by Kansas State and Iowa State, or something else?

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Matt over at Crimson and Cream Machine has started the first Big 12 Roundtable of what is almost the 2008 college football season.  Check it out and stay tuned for the roundup of all of everyones responses on Wednesday.

1. There has been lots of talk this pre-season about scheduling. Colorado has arguably the strongest schedule but who do you think has the weakest and which cream puff on your teamʼs schedule do you wish wasnʼt there?

It's very hard to argue that anyone other than Texas Tech has the easiest non-conference Big 12 schedule this year.  No one should be surprised at that assertion as I would be willing to bet that Tech has had the most pathetic non-conference scheduling in FBS football since 2000.  A whopping 3 BCS teams (Ohio St, NC State twice and Ole Miss twice) in that time period and a season (2005) with an incredible two out of three non-conference games coming against FCS schools.

The second question is a little bit harder, but if I had to answer I would say Eastern Washington.  In all honesty I am very happy that they are on the schedule as we will need at least one lay up game (please no Montana comments), but I would prefer a terrible FBS team.

2. As a whole the Big 12 has the best quarterbacks in the country. Make a case for your quarterback being one of the conferenceʼs top signal callers and tell us which other conference quarterback you would pick to replace him if you had to.

This is probably an easy question to answer for a lot of the Big 12 sites but Cody Hawkins is not in the upper echelon of quarterbacks in the conference. Do I think he is going to be a Chase Daniel, Graham Harrell or Sam Bradford? No, but do I think he can in the top 5 by seasons end?  Yes, I do. I did a previous post on Cody Hawkins' freshman year and where he needs to be in order to be on a similar playing field with the top QB's. His freshman numbers were very strong and if he can limit his interceptions, the Buffs are going to be a good team. Most people think Cody Hawkins is strictly a game manager but I think he is on the verge of being a playmaker. I don't think he is scared to make big plays or lead a team. His freshman numbers aren't that of a game manager. Stephen McGee's numbers are that of a manager and he is going to be a senior. I am not going to anoint Hawkins until he improves his consistency but with a no huddle offense, a year of experience and more weapons, I think Cody might be this years Todd Reesing.

Trying to pick the best QB in the Big 12 is not an easy task. You can't go wrong with Bradford, Harrell or Daniel. Next year, my answer will be Sam Bradford. I think he is a star and at 6'5", he will be a top 15 draft pick. We all know that a QB needs a lot of tools to be successful and OU definitely has them but I am not sold on the receiver core even though I love Gresham. Plus he is a sophomore and he will have his spotlight the next two years. I am going to go with Chase Daniel. Missouri has a good chance to go undefeated this year in the regular season. Daniel is what makes the team go and he has a great TE and arguably the Big 12's second most explosive player in Jeremy Maclin. Daniel can do it all and he is one of the most efficient quarterbacks I have ever seen play.

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