Big 12 Conference parity could open door for another champion
By Joe Buettner
Following Oklahoma’s three-peat Big 12 Championship run from 2006 through 2008, the Big 12 Conference has been…unpredictable.
The Big 12 lost four teams to three different major conferences, added two teams who were simply too dominant in their own leagues, and the Big 12 has seen five different champions in the past five years.
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In 2009, it seemed the Big 12 was merely a two-team race between the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns. The schools tied for first place in the former Big 12 South media preseason poll. But, major injuries to the Sooners paved the way for Texas to dethrone Oklahoma and reclaim the Big 12.
Oklahoma responded in 2010 by winning the conference’s final championship game over Nebraska. But Texas went 5-7, and that’s really when things got weird.
Nebraska and Colorado bolted for the Big Ten and Pac-12 respectively. The Big 12 was left with a ten-team league, and things did not go so great for Oklahoma or Texas in 2011.
For starters, Texas lost five conference games, which while consistent with the previous year, the Longhorns had not looked this vulnerable in a long time. The rest of the league took advantage.
Over the next three years, Oklahoma State (2011), Kansas State (2012), and Baylor (2013) claimed conference glory. Well, technically, K-State didn’t win outright, but I don’t think too many Sooner fans are bragging about 2012.
Regardless, the conference, known for its air raid attacks and video game stats, suddenly had a surge of parity. Which begs the question, who is going to keep this trend going in 2014?
Let’s look at the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Kliff Kingsbury’s hot start to 2013 couldn’t have been a fluke, right? Scheduling did the Red Raiders zero favors in the end, but maybe 2014 will be the year the Red Raiders break out on to the national scene.
They have their guy at quarterback with Davis Webb, and with the Red Raider’s system, they have the ability the run with any Big 12 offense. Getting the defense to perform will be the real task. They lose their top two tacklers from 2013, and a lot of uncertainty at a few spots could prove difficult for the Red Raider defense.
There’s a feeling maybe Kingsbury and Tech can surprise a few teams in 2014, but it’ll take some consistent play from Webb and a defense ready to step up for its graduated seniors in order to get over the hump.
Then there’s the TCU Horned Frogs. The Frogs, as always, are poised for some success on defense. The secondary and linebacking corps is loaded with experience; though, Devonte Fields appears to be done at TCU.
The quarterback situation is a mess, and Sooner fans should know all about that after what they went through last year.
Overall, this is a TCU team that has yet to prove itself as a Big 12 contender. Coach Patterson’s squad should expect a few more wins with the team becoming more acclimated with the speed of the new conference, and I would not be shocked if they finished as a top four or five team this year after a disappointing 2013 season.
Speaking of disappoints—the West Virginia Mountaineers. Holgorsen’s job security isn’t the greatest right now. It’d be great for his Mountaineers to win a Big 12 title, though, they missed their opportunity a few years ago when Geno Smith and Tavon Austin seemed unstoppable….and then the team completely flatlined.
WVU has some experience in the secondary, but if it tells you anything about WVU football, they sent their punter to Big 12 Media Days as one of the team’s handful of representatives. Nothing against punters, but with a team relying mostly on potential for this year’s offense, 2014 may not deliver a Big 12 crown to Morgantown.
Now to the bottom-feeders. The Iowa State Cyclones. Yeah, Iowa State is good for an upset or two, but Big 12 Champs? Well, I mean if Baylor can climb out of the cellar, maybe so can the Cyclones. Not this year, but with an updated Jack Trice Stadium and their odd home field advantage, maybe down the line Iowa State can contend in this league.
Last but not least, there’s the Kansas Jayhawks. Senior linebacker Ben Heeney’s beard is awesome, but not Big 12 title awesome. Kansas hung with Oklahoma for a quarter last year, and they even beat West Virginia. However, Kansas as Big 12 Champs? They are running at 100/1 odds for a reason.
So tell us what you think. Who, out of these five teams, has the best chance to continue the Big 12’s five year streak of a new champion every season?
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