The number of college football Saturdays remaining are dwindling as we get closer to finding out who will be competing against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship game. As exciting as this time of year always seems to be, it’s definitely bitter sweet knowing that we are nearing the end.
We saw several teams walk away from week 12 with statement victories, while others saw their already struggling season become even worse. Let’s take a look at how the Big 12 is shaping up in championship November.
Rock Bottom
At the bottom of our rankings we see two teams in similar positions despite having opposite expectations for this season. There’s no point in sugar coating it, Kansas was never going to win more than a couple of games this season. Being able to leave Austin two weeks ago with a win pretty much made their entire year.
Texas on the other hand had Big 12 Championship goals and was ranked inside the top 25. The Longhorns have been trying to work their way back into National prominence for quite some time now. Sometimes they say things have to get worse before they can get better. In this situation, it’s starting to seem like things are getting worse, but it’s never going to get better.
All Mixed Up In The Middle
In the middle of the pack we see all kinds of chaos. There are teams that underperformed their expectations this season, and also teams that have exceeded their expectations. When you take a look at Kansas State and Texas Tech being in the top half of the conference that seems like a solid foundation to build on moving forward.
For Iowa State it was certainly a disappointing season dropping four conference losses. This is a team that returned 20 out of 22 starters from the group that made it to the conference championship a year ago. Matt Campbell made it clear that winning the Big 12 wasn’t one of his goals for the season. My question is do you think Charlie Kolar returned for another year without the goal of winning the Big 12? Things could be heading in the wrong direction in Aimes.
Who Meets With OSU In The Conference Championship?
Win or lose this weekend Oklahoma State has a date to the Big 12 Championship game. It’s just a matter of finding out who will be there with them. Oklahoma State holds a win over Baylor which gives them the tie breaker should they lose to the Sooners.
Oklahoma can control their own destiny with a win over the Cowboys in Stillwater. This would mean we would see a Bedlam rematch in Arlington. Should the Sooners lose on Saturday this would mean that Baylor makes it in due to their win over OU.
Baylor is the only team that can’t control their own destiny in this situation. They are still very much in the hunt, but they need some help. They do need to take care of Texas Tech this weekend as well. If Baylor loses, this means we see a Bedlam rematch in the conference championship regardless of the outcome of this weekend’s game.
2021 Heartland Sports Big 12 Power Rankings
| Ranking | Points |
| 1. Oklahoma State | 40 |
| 2. Baylor | 34 |
| 2. Oklahoma | 34 |
| 4. Kansas State | 28 |
| 5. Texas Tech | 24 |
| 6. Iowa State | 20 |
| 7. West Virginia | 16 |
| 8. TCU | 12 |
| 9. Kansas | 8 |
| 10. Texas | 4 |
Individual Thoughts
Craig
- Oklahoma State | There’s no denying at this point of the season that Oklahoma State is the best team in the Big 12. Realistically they should beat the Sooners this weekend in Bedlam. But, will they over look the game considering they’ve already locked in their spot in the conference championship game?
2. Oklahoma | This weekend we will find out if Oklahoma is deserving of this number two spot, or if I have been making a mistake keeping them ahead of Baylor. It’s going to take the Sooners best game to beat OSU, but history shows this is a real possibility.
3. Baylor | Baylor anxiously awaits this final weekend of conference play to find out if their hopes of a big 12 championship stays alive. They need to win of course, but they also need Oklahoma to lose.
4. Kansas State
5. Iowa State
6. Texas Tech
7. West Virginia
8. TCU
9. Kansas | The Jayhawks came out strong this weekend after beating Texas the week before. However, their fire died out rather quickly and the “winning streak” is over for Kansas.
10. Texas | It’s never not gonna be awesome to see Texas at the bottom of the Big 12. I’d be embarrassed for the Longhorns if I wasn’t too busy enjoying the way their season is going.
Rich
1. Oklahoma State | The Cowboys look like the most complete team in the conference. Giving up an average of 5.6 points per game over the past four outings has this team in the driver seat of the Big 12. With a single game left on the regular schedule, OSU has already punched their ticket to the Conference Championship and could very well walk away with it.
2. Oklahoma | A healthy defense is giving reason for the fans to optimistic. Yet an offense that still lacks an identity gives reason for pause. Still, this is a 10-win team that controls their own destiny. There are only two programs in the league that can make that claim at the moment.
3. Baylor | Claiming possibly the best win of the week, it’s tough for me to move a two loss team higher than the No. 3 spot. Coming alive late in the season, the Bears may have the tiebreaker that sends them into the Big 12 Championship. But, they’ll need a bit of help this weekend.
4. Kansas State
5. Texas Tech
6. Iowa State
7. West Virginia
8. TCU
9. Kansas | Nearly claiming a third win on the season, the Jayhawks have started to compete with the bottom half of the conference. They’ll get one more chance to earn a victory on Saturday. But, the reason KU stays out of the cellar is largely due to the team breaking their losing streak in the month of November.
10. Texas | The money tied up in a name like Sarkisian should not produce a losing record. Officially falling out of contention for bowl eligibility, the Longhorns are sinking fast. Maybe this is the culture shift the program has needed. Maybe not. Only time will tell. The six game losing streak is telling of where this lockerroom is at mentally though.
Zack
1. Oklahoma State | The Cowboys put up perhaps their most dominant defensive performance of the season, and the offense did just enough to be good but not great. I think they are primed and ready for the big Bedlam showdown this weekend.
2. Baylor | The Bears beat a pretty good Kansas State team in Manhattan, but they still need some things to go their way this weekend to end up in the Big 12 Championship. Still, their odds of making it are pretty good.
3. Oklahoma | The Sooners had a pretty decent defensive performance, and they did what they needed to do to win the game. Maybe Bedlam this weekend will be a defensive showdown.
4. Kansas State
5. Texas Tech
6. Iowa State
7. West Virginia
8. TCU
9. Kansas | The Jayhawks played TCU pretty tough this last weekend, and they nearly grabbed another conference win. Oh well. At least they’re not Texas.
10. Texas | The Longhorns lost AGAIN, and they are officially bowl ineligible. It really can’t get much worse in Austin.
Matt
1. Oklahoma State | The Cowboys solidified their hold on the top spot in the conference with a shutout win in Lubbock. That game was the perfect opportunity for a trap, playing on the road the weekend before Bedlam, and yet OSU dominated. All of the pieces are there for special season for the Pokes.
2. Baylor | Again, there was another opportunity for a letdown here but the Bears rose to the occasion. The Bears need Oklahoma to lose Bedlam to have a shot at making the conference championship game. They also need to close out the season with a win over Texas Tech to stay alive in the hunt and a hamstring injury to Gerry Bohanon is going to make that task just a little taller.
3. Oklahoma | The Sooner defense was relentless in its pressure of Brock Purdy on Saturday. They also put the brakes on Breece Hall which should be a beacon of hope for this weekend’s trip to Stillwater.
4. Kansas State
5. Texas Tech
6. Iowa State
7. West Virginia
8. TCU
9. Kansas | The Jayhawks made things interesting in Ft. Worth on Saturday but came up just short of guaranteeing they won’t finish in the basement.
10. Texas | The Longhorns are one more loss away from having one of the worst seasons since the formation of the Big 12.