Nebraska takes command in Big 12 North
The Big 12 North football race might be over just as soon as it began. Nebraska’s 27-12 win at Missouri on Thursday night did more than put the Cornhuskers in the driver’s seat to win the division. It made Nebraska the overwhelming favorite. Here’s why:
Iowa State and Kansas State never had a chance, and Colorado, the team with the easiest schedule, has proven to be a dud. So that leaves three real contenders: Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas.
Nebraska has won at Missouri. And while the Huskers have to go to Kansas, on Nov. 16, the Jayhawks have the division’s roughest schedule. The Jayhawks host OU, then go to Texas Tech and Texas. For KU to win the division, they probably need to win two of those three, which will be a tall order.
Nebraska’s crossover games against the South are not nearly as tough. OU and Texas Tech come to Lincoln, and neither are the juggernaut they were a year ago. And the Huskers’ trip to Baylor has softened with the Bears’ loss of quarterback Robert Griffin.
Missouri — which took a 12-0 lead into the fourth quarter Thursday night — is the big loser. The Tigers also have a rugged schedule. They play at Oklahoma State, host Texas and host Baylor. The Tigers also play Kansas on the neutral field of Arrowhead Stadium.
Colorado was a chic pick to win the North — OK, I picked CU — because of the schedule. The Buffs had what I considered two automatic wins (home against Texas A&M, at Iowa State) and two automatic losses (at Texas, at OSU). That means four tossup games, and three of them were in Boulder, vs. Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska. Toss in the road game at Kansas State, and it seemed like the Buffs had a fighting chance to win three of the four. Do that, and Colorado would have been 5-3. The tiebreaker might have fallen Colorado’s way.
But Colorado has looked so bad going 1-3 out of conference, no way can the Buffs contend without a total makeover. It looks like Nebraska has regained the reins of the Big 12 North in Bo Pelini’s second season as coach.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
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.
Agreed. GO BIG RED!!!!!!