Big 12 North update: KSU, KU or MU
The Big 12 South football race is over. Texas will play in the Big 12 championship game. The Longhorns would have to lose twice to miss Arlington. UT could lose, I suppose, at Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night, but no way will the ‘Horns lose at home to Kansas or at Baylor.
But that doesn’t mean we know who Texas will play in the Big 12 title game. The North Division is wilder (more mediocre) than ever. Let’s review the standings and who each team has left.
Kansas State 3-2: Kansas, Missouri, at Nebraska
Nebraska 2-2: OU, at Kansas, Kansas State, at Colorado
Iowa State 2-3: OSU, Colorado, at Missouri
Kansas 1-3: at Kansas State, Nebraska, at Texas, Missouri in Kansas City
Missouri 1-3: Baylor, at Kansas State, Iowa State, at Kansas
Colorado 1-3: Texas A&M, at Iowa State, at Oklahoma State, Nebraska.
Every team remains in contention, even Colorado, even though the Buffs seem to have gone belly up.
Let’s give each team its expected victories and defeats, and adjust the schedule.
Kansas State 3-2, with a schedule of Kansas, Missouri, at Nebraska
Missouri 3-3, with a schedule of at Kansas State, Kansas in Kansas City
Nebraska 2-3, with a schedule of at Kansas, Kansas State, at Colorado
Iowa State 2-4, with a schedule of Colorado, at Missouri
Kansas 1-4, with a schedule of at Kansas State, Nebraska, Missouri in Kansas City
Colorado 1-4, with a schedule of Texas A&M, at Iowa State, Nebraska.
Looking at the league that way, the North race comes down to a handful of games. Kansas at Kansas State. Missouri at Kansas State. Kansas-Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium. Maybe the Nebraska games.
You could always fall back on the old standby of giving tossup games to the home team. Going by that method, the projected standings look this way:
Kansas State 5-3
Missouri 3-5 or 4-4
Nebraska 3-5
Iowa State 3-5
Kansas 2-6 or 3-5
Colorado 3-5
So K-State has the big edge, with those two home games against Kansas and Missouri. If KSU wins those, it will win the North. Lose one, and it opens up the field. Lose both, and no telling what will happen.
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.
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