Big 12: Worst In BCS?

Kyle W. BrownNov 18, 2009

Well it's Week 11 ladies and gentlemen, a week where usually the top 5 teams in the BCS are all battling to solidify their spot in the voters mind. Not so much this year, though, as barring some sort of huge upset the top three are already pretty conclusive going through this week. #3 Texas will face Kansas who after an incredible 5-0 stat have played average ball and dropped their last 5, putting them at 5-5. #2 Alabama faces FCS Chattanooga this week in what should be a an absolute trumping. The #1 Gators will face the 3-7 Florida International Golden Panthers, in what should again be a game over before it starts.

So with no real stories coming out of the Top 3, I looked down Texas' schedule and finally realized that, for the first year in a while, the Big 12 sucked ass.

In my opinion, going into the season the Big 12 usually has about 4 or 5 teams that could realistically finish in the Top 25. Last year was an example of this, with 5 teams represented (they were from best to worst: Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State & Missouri). Usually all 5 of these teams are top schools in the nation, as well as occasional seasons from Nebraska and Colorado. Going into week 11, however, we see just two, Texas and Oklahoma State. Let's look at the let-downs of the Big 12.

Oklahoma Sooners: Okay, so injury troubles are clearly the reason for the falter of the Okies, but with a program as prestigious as theirs, they should not lose four games in a season. Granted, three of them did come against Top 25 teams, but Oklahoma should still have easily beaten BYU and Nebraska. And with Texas Tech and Oklahoma St. still to face, the Sooners could very well go 6-6, which would be their worst season in over ten years.

Texas Tech Red Raiders: Coming off of a Big 12 South Division championship in 08, expectations were high for Tech. Realistically, they didn't have a strong enough schedule to be up for a major bowl, but few people would have thought they would be 6-4 after 10 games. They had a surprising loss to Houston in Week 3, before falling to Texas the next week. They also were blown out by Texas A&M, and then barely edged out by Oklahoma St. With games against Baylor and Oklahoma, the Red Raiders also could see a season so shitty that you'd have to go back to 2000 to see something similar.

Texas A&M Aggies: The Aggies are usually a dark horse to just slide into the Top 25. Coming off a mediocre 7-6 season last year, the Aggies made a lot of noise knocking Texas out of the National Championship with a last-second touchdown late. Due to their strong play near the end of the season, many in College Station had high expectations. A 5-5 record has fans confused, though. Losses to Colorado, as well as blowouts by Oklahoma, Kansas State and Arkansas have knocked any momentum out of the maroon and white. Despite their big win over Texas Tech, A&M has been for lack of a better word, awful. Some major changes will be necessary over the off-season to get back on track. One thing fans will be looking forward to, however, is the chance of knocking off #3 Texas again late in the season, as they meet in Week 12.

Nebraska Cornhuskers: It's hard to say Nebraska's been bad, they just haven't been great either. A 7-3 record is nothing to be disappointed of, until you look at who those losses came to. A 1-point loss to Virginia Tech early would have been huge if the Huskers could have won, and then losses to Texas Tech, and a weak loss to Iowa State have knocked Nebraska out of any real major bowl. They will face Kansas State in a game they could lose, and then Colorado in a game they should win. One bright spot is, much like TA&M, if they hold on to the North Division, they get the chance of knocking off Texas in the Conference Championship.

Missouri Tigers: Coming off a strong 08 season, Mizzou found themselves in the Top 25 after their opening win. The main reason for their lacklustre 6-4 record is (surprisingly) their conference play. They are 2-4 against Big 12 opponents, losing to Texas (oh well), Nebraska (should have won), Oklahoma St., and a shocker where they fell to Baylor. They should beat Iowa State, and have a close matchup with Kansas in their final games. Whether they finish 7-5 or 8-4, fans will (and should be) disappointed.