ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Nothing quite says October and college football like the drives I typically make on Saturday mornings in the fall. And the one from Kansas City to Manhattan, Kan., is just about the right length to get me excited about some Big 12 football.

And the Sirius radio in my rental car will come in handy, too.

Today is the first day of conference play. Hype for the Big 12 couldn't be higher across the country. But today, it all starts in earnest when the teams start beating up on each other.

The buzz word this week has been "cannibalization." The SEC has already started it and the Big 12 likely will begin its own form of it today.

But I'm just excited for some conference football.

Here are some links to get ready on gameday.

• The Oklahoman's Scott Wright wonders whatever happened to the dominant Texas A&M program that used to be the scourge of the Big 12 back in the day.
• The Missouri-Nebraska rivalry has been dominated by home teams during the last six seasons. Home teams have won those games by an average of 19.2 points per game.
• Bob Stoops' hiring of Mike Leach as his original offensive coordinator in 1999 helped boost the evolution of spread offenses across the Big 12.
• Boulder Daily Camera columnist Neill Woelk says that Colorado has a puncher's chance of stealing an upset tonight over Texas.
• Iowa State coach Gene Chizik says his team is only a couple of players away from being able to upset ranked teams like Kansas. Des Moines Register beat writer Andrew Logue says that the Cyclones' upset bid begins with strong games from punter Mike Brandtner, linebacker Fred Garrin and quarterback Austen Arnaud.
• Baylor players aren't intimidated by the challenge of playing No. 1 Oklahoma, despite an 0-17 record in school history against the Sooners.