Top Big 12 Football Storylines Heading into November

The Big 12 is perhaps the most chaotic and unstable conference in the nation. 

Heading into October, the Oklahoma Sooners were a write-in for the College Football Playoff. Now they're an afterthought, being replaced by a three-way dash to the finish line between Kansas State, TCU and WVU—the latter two of which nobody would've predicted. 

The Big 12 also has a surprise Heisman Trophy candidate in Trevone Boykin, the revived Horned Frogs gunslinger who, had it not been for a monumental collapse at Waco, could very well be at the reins of the Big 12's most talented team. 

So what are the biggest storylines for the Big 12 in November, the month in which college football seasons are truly won and lost?

How Much Magic Does Bill Snyder Have Up His Sleeve?

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In a conference dominated by new-age, no-huddle offenses, the old-school ways of Bill Snyder are prevailing once again. 

The Kansas State Wildcats are the only team left unbeaten in Big 12 play, and their only loss of the season was a six-point falter at home to Auburn in a game many thought the Wildcats gave away. 

Unblemished in Big 12 play, the Wildcats are on the inside track to a Big 12 title and, perhaps, a berth into the inaugural College Football Playoff. 

The Wildcats were in this position two years ago, when they were undefeated, No. 1 in the BCS standings and riding pretty to a national title berth. 

A trip to Waco, Texas, later, and the Wildcats were relegated to a share of the league title and the Fiesta Bowl. 

K-State has road trips to TCU and WVU on the docket in November, followed by a trip to Baylor on Dec. 6, so the Wildcats are about to get put through the meat grinder. 

But to beat Snyder, you have to be perfect. With how unpredictable the Big 12 has become, is it fair to expect perfection against one of college football's all-time legends?

Is Charlie Strong Already on the Hot Seat?

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Charlie Strong's first season at Texas may end up being one of the worst in recent history in Austin—and that's saying something. 

The Longhorns just got shut out on the road at K-State, their first shutout loss since 2004. 

Texas is also just 3-5 this year, so it'll need three wins in its last four games, all in November, to be bowl-eligible. Two of those games are against WVU and TCU, accompanied by a road trip to Stillwater. 

Can Texas pull itself up by its bootstraps and earn bowl eligibility, or will Strong go into Year 2 at Texas with a monkey on his back?

Does Baylor Stand a Chance to Win the Big 12 and Make the Playoff?

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That trip to Morgantown, West Virginia, may very well be where the Baylor Bears' dreams of repeating as Big 12 champions and earning a playoff berth died. 

However, there's still hope in Waco. 

Baylor actually has one of the easiest November schedules in the league, with no matchups against the top three schools in the conference—Kansas State, TCU and WVU—and a head-to-head win over one of those teams. 

With how chaotic the Big 12 has become, Baylor could sneak back into contention if the top three beat each other up enough. 

A Dec. 6 matchup at home against K-State, a team the Bears have beaten the last two times they've faced off, looms. But November could see a renaissance of sorts for the Bears.

Is WVU for Real?

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Whether or not the West Virginia Mountaineers are the real deal or not is about to be found out. 

WVU squares off against TCU this week in a game that will undoubtedly define the Big 12 race down the stretch. 

An upset at home against Baylor has defined the year for the Mountaineers, who were positioned at the back of every Big 12 prognosticator's mind at the onset of the season. 

Clint Trickett and Kevin White are putting up huge numbers this year, but the true test will be whether or not they can hang with the contenders that are TCU and Kansas State—both of which they host in November. 

If WVU escapes unscathed, it'll almost assuredly lock up the Big 12 title and possibly a playoff berth. If the Mountaineers don't, they'll simply become the next Oklahoma Sooners of 2014—a fad.

Can Trevone Boykin Become a Heisman Front-Runner?

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As I wrote last Saturday for B/R, Trevone Boykin's numbers compare favorably with the likes of Marcus Mariota and Dak Prescott. 

But TCU is about to enter the second phase of its Big 12 schedule, with games against WVU and Kansas State on tap for the month of November. 

Those squads, along with the Horned Frogs, are the top three competitors for a Big 12 title, so beating them is a must not only for TCU's Big 12 and playoff hopes, but also for Boykin's Heisman Trophy resume. 

Boykin has already shown that he's college football's most improved player in 2014—the question is can he put himself among the elite by putting space between TCU and the rest of the conference?