The Big Twelve Conference had a solid showing in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft, with seven players taken in the initial thirty-two picks.
The St. Louis Rams took Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith with the second pick. A 6' 5", 309 pound converted tight end, Smith was the first non-special teams All American for Baylor since 1995.
Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree was picked tenth by the San Francisco 49ers. Crabtree is easily the most talented receiver in this years draft, but dropped quite a few spots due to concerns over his attitude and resilience.
Northwestern head coach head coach Pat Fitzgerald had his boys ready to play. They were aggressive, disciplined and didn't know how to quit. If they can convince more athletes to sign with them, the Mildcats may surprise some Big 10 teams in the next few years.
Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel, on the other hand, apparently took his team down to the River Walk for tequila slammers right before the game. They didn't sober up until the second half. [...]
The Chase Daniel era comes to a close tonight in San Antonio, Texas at the Alamo Bowl. Missouri's season is a mixed bag, having won the Big 12 North for the second year in a row, but failing to to win the conference championship game or make a BCS game. In fact, in rankings they're lower than four teams from the Big 12 South.
In addition to the Big 12 Championship Game, they lost to Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma State. They're best win of the season was against Nebraska.
For Northwestern, this season exceeded expectations, with head coach Pat Fitzgerald molding the Wildcats into a viable contender, albeit not a major football power by any stretch of the imagination. Northwestern has not won a bowl game in 59 years.
