Slow start for the Big 12
The Big 12 is off to a slow start in the bowls; 1-2, with Texas beating Arizona State in the Holiday, but A&M losing to Penn State in the Alamo and Colorado, predictably, losing to Alabama in the Independence.
I’m a big believer in using the bowls as a gauge of conference status. We don’t get enough games in non-conference to make a lot of determinations. What we do get when the big leagues play each often are mismatches. Not so in the bowls. Usually good matchups, almost always on neutral fields.
We hit the big bowl stretch today, with 12 games over the next 36 hours. The Big 12 needs a rally; its 1-2 record is tied with the Pac-10 for the worst among the BCS leagues. The SEC is 2-0, the Big Ten and Big East are 2-1, the ACC 1-1.
The OSU-Indiana game is huge for the Big 12. Lose the Insight, and the Big 12 probably finishes behind the Big Ten. New Year’s Day should bring a Big 12 surge, since Missouri over Arkansas in the Cotton and Texas Tech over Virginia in the Gator are two of the easier bowl picks.
Even if the Big 12 wins out and goes 6-2, it’s doubtful it would catch the SEC, which plays nine games and already has won two. So the SEC would have to go 4-3 down the stretch just to give the Big 12 a mathematical chance. And the SEC looks strong in most of its matchups: Kentucky over Florida State today in the Music City, Auburn over Clemson in the bowl formerly known as the Peach, Florida over Michigan in the Capital One, Georgia over Hawaii in the Sugar and LSU over Ohio State in the Big Bowl. The SEC’s only wink leaks appear to be Arkansas and and maybe Tennessee in the Outback against Wisconsin.
Of course, at this point, first place in the Bowl Standings isn’t as important as getting out of last place. If OU beats West Virginia in the Fiesta, that could lift the Big 12 over the Big East, which also has South Florida playing Oregon in the Sun and Rutgers playing Ball State in the International.
A conference headed for free fall could be the Pac-10, which has slumping California today in the Armed Forces against Air Force, Oregon in the Sun, and USC in the Rose against Illinois. Only SC looks strong.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
Seems as though the Big 12 came through on Monday and Tuesday with OSU, Tech and Mizzou doing their part while the Big 10 was saved only by Michigan. If Gators had won, all we would have left to wonder is if the national media would admit how bad the Big 10 is again when LSU hopefully spanks Ohio State.
What is the big mystery ? You and fellow scribes have dogged the Big XII as being weak all year. Trying to prove your point ?
I will disagree that bowl sites are neutral! They heavily favor SEC teams !! See Independence = Alabama