There are two weeks in the books and a whole lot to boil down, especially in the Big 12. Let’s just start by saying that, very early on, the conference is on the outside looking in as far as the Playoff is concerned. Then again, that was also true of the Big Ten in 2014, and look how that turned out. We know a lot, but it still is just Week 2.
Here’s a list of five things that we learned in week 2.
5. TCU is still in serious trouble
I pointed out last week that the TCU defense needed serious improvement. It got a little better in Week 2, but not by enough. During the fourth quarter, the defense did show some signs of the Gary Patterson defenses we are used to seeing. It could not come up with the big stops when it mattered, though, letting Arkansas into overtime and not stopping the Razorbacks once they got there. TCU’s season is far from over, but unless that defense shores up, we won’t bee seeing the Horned Frogs in the national conversation.
4. Oklahoma bounces back
No one expected the Sooners to be in any danger against ULM, but at least they looked more comfortable and confident with the football. Ohio State comes to town next week for a major showdown. That game will tell us if Oklahoma is still a Playoff contender — though with that non-conference schedule we wouldn’t be able to write the Sooners off completely even with a loss.
3. West Virginia, Baylor, and Texas are still floating
The Big 12 is down to just three undefeated teams remaining. Two of those teams actually have wins against Power 5 (and Notre Dame) opponents in non-conference play. West Virginia didn’t look like a Big 12 contender this week, but being undefeated is better than what 70% of the Big 12 schools can say for themselves so far this year. Baylor, meanwhile, amidst all the controversy and distractions, has put up huge numbers against cupcakes. The committee showed in the past that it won’t respect such a weak non-conference schedule, but the Bears look like they haven’t missed a beat this season… so far. And then there’s Texas. A game against UTEP told us very little about the Longhorns. A road trip against Cal’s potent offense next week will tell us a lot more.
2. The Playoff margin for error is nearing zero
As we mentioned above, too many Big 12 teams have losses. TCU looks like it isn’t really in contention and Oklahoma already lost a game to a team that will probably run the table. Oklahoma State also picked up a loss, and not a good one at that. Baylor’s margin of error was already zero because of the non-conference schedule. Texas has a little wiggle room by playing 11 out of 12 games against P5 teams, and West Virginia still can afford a loss if it pulls off a miraculous season. That’s about it, though. The Big 12 needs someone, anyone (well, not Kansas or Iowa State), to run the table from here on out. Barring that, the league will probably not make the Playoff — and they wouldn’t even be able to claim the lack of a conference championship game as the reason.
1. Oklahoma State got hosed
Look, we all know it. The game was over. The play shouldn’t have happened. Then again, Oklahoma State shouldn’t have given up a touchdown on it. Actually, on second thought, the game shouldn’t have been anywhere near that position anyway. If Oklahoma State was a legit Big 12 contender, or even a fringe Top 25 team, it wouldn’t have only been up by three against Central Michigan. CMU is a relatively good MAC team, probably one of the better ones, but the Chippewas aren’t close to the Top 25. Forget the debate about how the selection committee will treat this game. If Duke/Miami last year is any indication, the voters will treat it like the official result–an Oklahoma State loss. Just realize that a three-point home win over CMU is nothing to write home about either.
