By Tim Griffin, Special to CNNSI.com
The Big 12's strength at the top could undermine public perception of the four-game Bowl Championship Series this season.
By almost every measurement, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas are clearly three of the top six teams in the country at this point of the season.
In both The Associated Press and coaches poll, the Big 12 trio ranks in the top five. The three Big 12 teams rank no lower than 10th in any of the eight computer polls that make up the BCS ratings. Nebraska is rated as the top team is six of the BCS computer rankings. Oklahoma is second in three ranking systems.
It's the biggest concentration of power from one conference at the top of the major polls since Oklahoma, Nebraska and Missouri of the old Big Eight were ranked in the top five on Sept. 29, 1975.
"There have been a lot of great conferences," Texas coach Mack Brown told the Houston Chronicle. "But what we have right here in the Big 12 ranks right up there with the best of all time."
Even with Brown's ringing endorsement, only two Big 12 teams will be represented when Bowl Championship Series games are slated on Dec. 9. One of the three Big 12 teams will be left out in a game of bowl musical chairs.
Fiesta Bowl executive director John Junker asked the question that everybody in college sports has been wondering. Namely, would the BCS amend its rules to allow three teams from a conference because of their standing?
The answer from the BCS was a resounding no.
Colorado could throw a wrench into Nebraska's championship hopes by winning Friday's winner-take-all game for the North Division title in Boulder. But the likely scenario means one of the Big 12's top teams will be dropped to the Cotton Bowl while a lower-ranked team in the BCS would move up to one of the four top bowls.
Brown said the current situation was set up to distribute the bowl money equitably among the six major conferences.
"My understanding is that it was set up that way for financial reasons," Brown said. "That sends a message that we need to spread the money out around the country."
While a deserving Big 12 team could be shut out, Brown said the BCS provides a better solution than the previous bowl system.
"At least we're looking at different possibilities to see who should be the best team," Brown said.
"Whether it's the best system or not, the nation right now is in a financial crunch. College athletics is in a financial crunch across the country. You look at the pressure on conference commissioners and athletic directors to pay for all sports, football has been the one in most cases which has to bear the cost."
The Big 12 has been snubbed for at-large spots in the past. Kansas State was denied a berth after blowing a 15-point fourth-quarter lead to Texas A&M in the 1998 Big 12 championship game. Instead of playing for a national championship game, the Wildcats tumbled to the Alamo Bowl.
"I've never been a major fan of the system that's in place, but I can't be critical of it because I don't have a better way to do it," Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. "Having three of the top five teams in the country highlights the strength of this conference. How you can get them in the BCS, I don't know.
"There's really not a whole lot of things that are immensely fair, anyway."
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said he is using the BCS uncertainty to motivate his team.
"I'm not much of a worrier," Stoops said. "I'm not going to sit here and complain about it. You guys have all the ink and the paper. You need to work on getting things changed if it's unfair."
The Sooners' game against Oklahoma State will give them an opportunity to prove their worthiness to a BCS game, according to Stoops.
"I like this about our situation -- we have a chance to compete this week," Stoops said. "Then we have a chance to win a championship and still will have an opportunity to compete for the national championship."
All three teams can give BCS scouts a final reminder at their games this week. Nebraska can wrap up its second North Division title in three seasons with a victory at Colorado on Friday.
Texas needs some help. The Longhorns must beat Texas A&M in College Station on Friday, then hope Oklahoma State upsets OU the following day if they are to claim their second South crown in three seasons.
Brown said his current team, which has won its last five games by an average margin of almost 35.8 points per game after losing to Oklahoma, might be the best Texas team he has ever coached.
"In the first year [1998], we played really well at the end of the year, maybe as well as anybody nationally," Brown said. "This team is playing a lot like that. This team is playing as well as anybody. I'm excited about them at this point."
But whether the Longhorns will receive that chance is anybody's guess.
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Oklahoma State freshman defensive back Darrent Williams hasn't allowed a rash of injuries to ruin his first season of college football.
Although he has been hobbled by ankle, shoulder and hamstring injuries earlier this year, Williams made the most of his first extended playing time with the Cowboys. Williams returned interceptions 20 and 85 yards for touchdowns to lead OSU to a 38-22 victory over Baylor. It was coach Les Miles' first conference victory.
"We knew Darrent had talent," Miles said. "He would have played a lot for us anyway, based on his talent, but had been injured most of the season. He got healthy when we needed him."
Williams produced his two interceptions after Oklahoma State had produced only six picks in their first nine games. He became the first Oklahoma State player to return two interceptions for touchdowns in the same game since at least 1959, when OSU records begin.
"It was really his first full week of practice for us before the Baylor game," Miles said. "I think it's difficult for true freshmen, but you have to have skill when you play. That's one thing we felt Darrent had."
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HOT:
Iowa State defense
The Cyclones intercepted five passes and notched four sacks in their 49-7 triumph over Kansas.
NOT:
Baylor's mistake-prone offense
The Bears posted back-to-back 400-yard games for the first time since 1993 but lost both games because of turnovers.
HOT:
Oklahoma QB Nate Hybl
Completed 33 of 50 passes for 274 yards and three TDs to spark the Sooners' victory at Texas Tech.
NOT:
Texas Tech's defense
Flagged for two critical late hits on Hybl and another roughing penalty on Oklahoma K Tim Duncan that kept drives alive.
HOT:
Kansas State's pass defense
Clamped down on Louisiana Tech's potent pass offense, limiting the Bulldogs to 144 passing yards -- 207 below their season average.
NOT:
Kansas coach Tom Hayes' full-time employment chances
Losing two games by a combined margin of 108-7 isn't the best calling card to be hired.
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Texas coach Mack Brown doesn't think his quarterback, Chris Simms, received enough publicity earlier this season.
"It started last year and he probably didn't get the publicity at the start of the year that he deserved. We were working a lot in the running game and other areas and the Oklahoma game probably hurt him nationally because they are such a great defense. If you look at him, he's been a great quarterback."
Agreed. Particularly considering Simms' 16 touchdown passes in the last five games. But underrated? Simms has graced the cover of 13 preseason magazines since being named the Longhorns' starting quarterback.
"He's come a million miles this year, but since the start of last year, he's come 2 million miles," Brown said about his quarterback.
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 Oklahoma SS Roy Williams
Continued his run for the Thorpe Award with a team-high eight tackles, two tackles for losses, a sack and two pass deflections, including one that was turned into an interception.
Oklahoma State QB Josh Fields
Freshman QB engineered the Cowboys' first conference victory with a sterling peformance in place of injured starter Aso Pogi. Completed 10 of 18 passes for 161 yards and two TDs and led all four scoring drives to pace the triumph.
Iowa State RB Ennis Haywood
Rushed for 185 yards and four TDs to pace the Cyclones' 49-7 thumping of Kansas.
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Colorado coach Gary Barnett never thought his team would be competing for the North Division championship, considering its rash of injuries this season.
Friday's game against Nebraska will give the plucky Buffs the chance to earn a berth in next week's Big 12 championship game - as predicted before the season by Barnett -- with an upset victory.
Colorado has overcome losses of key contributors like WR John Minardi and LB Jashon Sykes with season-ending injuries. Starting QB Craig Ochs has missed most of the last four games after suffering a concussion against Texas A&M and a torn tendon in his foot against Oklahoma State, forcing backup Bobby Pesavento into the lineup.
"If you would have told me we would play four games with Minardi and Sykes and only six games with Ochs at the start of the season, I would have told you we would have been lucky to be 5-5," Barnett said. "We've just had guys step up. I don't think any of us would have predicted this would have happened. We've just been a team that has found ways to do it. It hasn't been pretty, but we've just got it done."
The Buffs will be aiming to snap a nine-game losing streak against Nebraska, although the last five games have been settled by a margin of 15 points.
Texas and Texas A&M will renew their traditional rivalry for the 108th time Friday in College Station. The Longhorns hold a 68-34-5 edge in the series, although they have lost their last two games at Kyle Field.
The Longhorns' trip to College Station will be their first since a 20-16 loss in 1999. That game was memorable because of A&M's bonfire tragedy before the game. It is also remembered because Texas coach Mack Brown said his team's loss was partially caused by his team's inability to eat a pre-game meal at the team hotel and obscene telephone calls to coaches' rooms in the middle of the night.
"If it comes to where I'm driving through College Station and the Ramada Inn has the only room, I'll sleep in my car," Brown said at the time.
The Longhorns will stay in Montgomery, about 50 miles away from College Station, on this trip.
Iowa and Iowa State will meet Saturday in Ames in a rare late-season battle created by postponement of their Sept. 15 game. Both teams are bowl-eligible for the first time in the same season in history and the winner likely will be invited to a better bowl.
"It's big," Iowa State receiver C.J. Jones told the Des Moines Register. "It's probably like the Florida-Florida State game."
Missouri travels to Kansas State on Saturday in another game with bowl implications. The Tigers must win against the Wildcats and next week at Michigan State to become bowl-eligible. Kansas State must win to become bowl-eligible for the ninth straight season.
"It's a big game for them and a huge game for us," Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. "Their program has been built and they've done a great job. We are in the process of building ours. This is an important game for us."
Three other Big 12 teams conclude the regular season on Saturday with home games that were rescheduled because of earlier postponements. Southern Illinois visits Baylor, Wyoming is at Kansas and Stephen F. Austin travels to Texas Tech.
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Texas Tech officials fear that a poor turnout for Saturday's game against Stephen F. Austin could hurt the Red Raiders' chances at a top bowl game. The school's marketing department is circulating an open letter written by QB Kliff Kingsbury urging fans to attend this week's game. Students are also on Thanksgiving break for the game, which was not a part of the school's season-ticket package after the September cancellations. ... An investigation conducted by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram found that 53 of the 99 full-time assistant coaches at 11 Big 12 schools were making at least $100,000 per season. The survey included every school except Baylor, which does not reveal its salaries because it is a private institution. Oklahoma State offensive coordinator/assistant head coach Mike Gundy and Texas Tech defensive coordinator/associate head coach Greg McMackin are the leaders with salaries worth $250,000 per year. Other top assistant salaries in the conference include Oklahoma co-defensive coordinator/associate head coach Mike Stoops ($201,000), Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis and defensive coordinator Carl Reese (both $198,640) and Oklahoma offensive coordinator/assistant head coach Mark Mangino and co-defensive coordinator Brent Venables (both $141,000). ... Iowa State's 42-point margin of victory over Kansas accounts for its largest conference road victory since the inception of the Big Six in 1928. ... Josh Scobey has become the first Kansas State back since J.J. Smith in 1994 to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. ... During ABC's broadcast of the Texas Tech-Oklahoma game, former Sooners coach Barry Switzer called Roy Williams the finest defensive back he has ever seen and ranked him among his top defensive players. ... The Big 12 has the nation's top two receiving tight ends in Oklahoma's Trent Smith (56 catches, 510 yards) and Colorado's Daniel Graham (46 catches, 619 yards). ... Nebraska (21 games), Oklahoma (19 games) and Texas (13 games) rank 1-2-4 nationally in home-winning streaks. The Sooners will test their streak on Saturday against Oklahoma State ... Texas A&M could be missing top rusher Derek Farmer (hyperextended knee) and top receiver Jamaar Taylor (torn calf muscle) for Friday's game against Texas. Freshman WR Terrence Thomas will be the likely starter for Taylor, while Oschlor Flemming or Keith Joseph are possibilities at tailback. ... The Big 12's affiliation with the Insight.com Bowl in Phoenix will end after this year. Conference officials are looking for at least a $1 million payout for their fifth-choice team, while bowl officials are unwilling to commit more than the $750,000 minimum payout. Look for the Big 12 to aim for the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, hoping to boost the conference's recruiting presence in Florida. ... Texas RB Cedric Benson needs 96 yards against Texas A&M to break the school's freshman rushing record of 990 yards set in 1995 by Ricky Williams. |
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