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For those of us too busy pinching pennies to follow the latest headlines, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke offered a ray of economic sunshine last week when he said the ongoing recession is "likely over."
If so, that should inspire investors interested in expanding their portfolios. But why limit the flurry of buying and selling to new commodities on Wall Street?We can do the same thing on the Big 12 football front, based on the early returns from the fresh faces, fresh ideas and fresh looks impacting the league in 2009. Here’s how we size up the assets and liabilities among this crop of Big 12 newcomers:Stocks we are buyingUzoma Nwachukwu, Texas A&M receiver: The freshman touched the ball four times and scored four touchdowns in Saturday’s 38-30 victory over Utah State. He caught scoring strikes of 50, 35 and 16 yards and also scored on a 39-yard run. The scary part?"He’s just scratched the surface as a receiver," said A&M coach Mike Sherman. "[Saturday’s performance] wasn’t an accident." The sad part? Nwachukwu, who played last season at Allen High School, needs to become more than a complimentary piece in the Aggies’ attack because leading receiver Jeff Fuller cracked the fibula in his right leg against Utah State and is out indefinitely. A&M officials expect an update today after he is examined by team doctors."In the absence of Jeff Fuller, he’s going to have to step up and make more big plays for us," Sherman said of Nwachukwu.Taylor Potts, Texas Tech quarterback: Potts threw for 420 yards and three touchdowns against No. 2 Texas in his first road start. Although the Red Raiders lost 34-24, Potts showed lots of poise, as well as the ability to bounce back from some big hits levied by the Longhorns’ defense.After the contest, Tech coach Mike Leach said, "Anybody that really had any doubts about Taylor Potts’ ability to be a really good Division I quarterback, I think those were pretty well dispelled."I wholeheartedly concur with Leach.Tré Newton, Texas tailback: The redshirt freshman from Southlake Carroll ground out 88 yards against Tech, leading the Longhorns in rushing for a second consecutive week. The son of former Dallas Cowboys’ offensive lineman Nate Newton also has flashed skills as a receiver and pass protector, which could earn him his first career start Saturday against UTEP."They just put me in and I stayed in," said Newton, who replaced an injured Vondrell McGee [ankle] and finished with a career-high 20 carries. "My line ... made it easy on me. It was a lot of fun."Stocks we are sellingColorado’s mental turnaround: The Buffaloes (1-2) insist they’ve bought into coach Dan Hawkins’ mandate that 2009 should include "10 wins and no excuses." Even after Saturday’s 24-0 victory over Wyoming, they look like a team that could finish with 10 losses and lots of excuses.Polar Bears in Waco: Although Baylor’s new white helmets looked stylish when placed atop white jerseys and white pants during the team’s season opener at Wake Forest, they don’t work as well atop the green home jerseys. The Bears test-drove the new look during Saturday’s 30-22 loss to Connecticut in Waco. Memo from the fashion police: Save the all-white, "Polar Bear" look for the road. Bring back the gold helmets and pants for this week’s home game against Northwestern State.
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