Was it just one year ago that the Big 12 was riding high with four members of the top 10? By November the national media had cleared away any and all competition to the notion that the best of the Big 12 would meet the best of the SEC in the BCS title game. Of course choosing the best team in the conference proved problematic, but that should not have reflected too poorly on the quality of play in the Big 12 in 2008.
Things are not looking too rosy this year. Sure Texas is ranked high but do the Longhorns, especially on offense, really look like a great team? The conference’s other heavyweight, Oklahoma, sits at 3-3 with two losses outside of conference. Oklahoma State has won five of its first six games but has garnered more attention for the suspension of star WR Dez Bryant than for play on the field. They also have yet to play either Texas or Oklahoma. Texas Tech has been up-and-down this season, Texas A&M has tanked and the other Big 12 South member, Baylor, has had to deal with the loss of dynamic QB Robert Griffin. The North? The hope for Texas or Oklahoma State for that matter would have been a strong team emerging in the North to give the South winner a potential BCS boost in the conference title game. This past weekend’s action made it clear that there will be no BCS boost come December as the three leading contenders, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri all lost. Nebraska has no QB, Kansas still has a brutal remaining schedule and Missouri cannot match up with the nation’s better teams.
It seems that the bad luck from this year is payment for an unusually good 2008. The Big 12 was not as good as it seemed last year and is not as bad as it seems this year. What lies in between is a very good conference, but one that relies on too many teams with limited potential (Baylor, Texas A&M, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State). The North, which was once the dominant division in the league, must produce challengers to the throne, while the South powers need to win more national recruiting battles. Hopefully the divisional races this year can produce some fun the rest of the way.
Things are not looking too rosy this year. Sure Texas is ranked high but do the Longhorns, especially on offense, really look like a great team? The conference’s other heavyweight, Oklahoma, sits at 3-3 with two losses outside of conference. Oklahoma State has won five of its first six games but has garnered more attention for the suspension of star WR Dez Bryant than for play on the field. They also have yet to play either Texas or Oklahoma. Texas Tech has been up-and-down this season, Texas A&M has tanked and the other Big 12 South member, Baylor, has had to deal with the loss of dynamic QB Robert Griffin. The North? The hope for Texas or Oklahoma State for that matter would have been a strong team emerging in the North to give the South winner a potential BCS boost in the conference title game. This past weekend’s action made it clear that there will be no BCS boost come December as the three leading contenders, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri all lost. Nebraska has no QB, Kansas still has a brutal remaining schedule and Missouri cannot match up with the nation’s better teams.
It seems that the bad luck from this year is payment for an unusually good 2008. The Big 12 was not as good as it seemed last year and is not as bad as it seems this year. What lies in between is a very good conference, but one that relies on too many teams with limited potential (Baylor, Texas A&M, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State). The North, which was once the dominant division in the league, must produce challengers to the throne, while the South powers need to win more national recruiting battles. Hopefully the divisional races this year can produce some fun the rest of the way.
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