Big 12 Insider: 10 Key Games on the 2011 Big 12 Schedule
The 2011 college football season may still be a few months away but it’s never too early to start talking about the upcoming season. The 2011 season promises to be one of the most exciting in recent college football history and one of the more interesting in the Big 12 as the conference will lose Nebraska this year (to the Big Ten).
So what Big 12 games this season are going to be the most important games of the season? What games could end up being the “tell all” games for some of the teams in the conference?
Let’s find out as we take a look at the 10 most intriguing games of the 2011 Big 12 season.
Texas A&M at Texas Tech Oct. 8
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Things always get interesting when these two teams get together. The Aggies were last year’s winner (they beat Tech 45-27), and Tech will be seeking revenge over last year’s win. These games have become some of the most interesting games in the Big 12 (although most people don’t consider them to be that important), and with these teams playing better and potentially on the rise in the Big 12, this could be a big game.
This could also set the tone for who has a top-notch team the rest of the season.
Oklahoma at Texas Oct. 8
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The games between these two teams are usually always hotly contested and have, at times, determined who will win the Big 12 South. The winner has ultimately represented that part of the conference in the Big 12. Things may change this year though. Last year, the Sooners beat the Longhorns 28-20 in the ever famous Red River Rivalry series, and the Sooners are poised to do it again especially if the Longhorns can’t get out of the funk that they were in last year.
The winner of this game will have the best chance of winning the Big 12 South and representing them in the Big 12 Championship game.
Oklahoma State at Texas Oct. 15
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The Longhorns will play another tough game for the second week in a row as they face Oklahoma State at home. These two teams met last year and the Cowboys trounced the Longhorns 33-16, but this year the Longhorns should be better and should give the Cowboys much better competition than they saw in 2010. But will Texas be able to overcome what may be an even better Cowboys team than what they saw last year?
It’s likely that the Cowboys will win this game and give Oklahoma a run for their money in the Big 12 next season.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Oklahoma State at Missouri Oct. 22
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This game could end up being one of the more compelling games of the season, especially if these teams resume their success from the previous year. These two teams did not meet last year (they last met in 2009 and that was a 33-17 Cowboy win), but this meeting could end up being a big one for both teams. Both Missouri and Oklahoma State have been playing better (in the 2010 season) so this game may be a toss-up with the winner being able to sit comfortably close to the top of their respective division.
Kansas State at Kansas Oct. 22
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This intrastate rivalry is always interesting, and the last time these two teams met, the Wildcats crushed the Jayhawks 59-7. Revenge will certainly be on the minds of the Jayhawks this year, but will Kansas State be able to win this game? The Wildcats have shown that they are steadily getting better, and if everything holds true, they should win this game.
Texas Tech at Oklahoma Oct. 22
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Texas Tech is not normally thought of as a threat and certainly may not be a threat to the Sooners in 2011, but the Red Raiders have had some and may end up being a much tougher team to beat. These two teams last met year, and the Sooners let the Cowboys have it in 45-7 victory. If Oklahoma is as good as everyone thinks that they will be next year, then this game may not be too much of a problem for the Sooners, but you never know.
Texas at Missouri Nov. 12
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When these two teams met last (in 2009), the Longhorns beat the Tigers 41-7, but times have changed. The Longhorns failed to win more than five games last season, while the Tigers went to a bowl and had a pretty good season. Is it possible that the Tigers could turn the tables on the Longhorns for once and beat Texas? That is possible, but you can expect a much better overall effort out of the Longhorns in 2011 (compared to 2010) making this a very interesting game.
Oklahoma at Baylor Nov. 19
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You may be asking why I have listed a game featuring the Baylor Bears, a team that hasn’t done much of anything as of late, here in this article. Last season, Baylor ended up getting seven wins, and thanks to the play of quarterback Robert Griffin who is back and should be even better in 2011, Baylor could have another good season. So don’t expect Baylor to lie down against the Sooners as this could very easily be a trap game for Oklahoma. With the near certainty that the Sooners are going to be the top team in the Big 12, they can’t afford to stumble here.
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State Dec. 3
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This just may be the biggest and the toughest game of the season for the Oklahoma Sooners. Last season, these two teams met, and it was a close one as the Sooners just barely beat the Cowboys 47-41. Oklahoma State should be a good team once again in 2011 and may be the team that upsets the Sooners and derails their hopes of winning a national championship.
This could easily be the most exciting game of the year in the Big 12.
Texas at Baylor Dec. 3
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Remember last year’s result when the Baylor Bears beat the Texas Longhorns 30-22? It was the first time in a while that the Bears had beaten the Longhorns and it was a real black mark on the season for Texas. The Bears are bringing back many of the same players who they had in place last season, and unless Texas sees some marked improvement (especially on offense), this game could end up having the same result as it did last year.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
