League's rep on line with trip to Vols
No. 19 Oklahoma can get statement win at No. 23 Tennessee.
A survey of the Big 12’s opening weekend offered a good reminder that scheduling has so much to do with wins and losses.
Clearly, Texas wasn’t ready for the big stage. Then again, nobody in the conference looked good enough to win at Notre Dame.
TCU and Baylor, the Big 12’s big two, passed their fifirst road tests, but their rides were bumpy.
Oklahoma dined on a cupcake. We’ll fifind out about Lake Travis ex Baker Mayfifield and the 19th-ranked Sooners this Saturday at No. 23 Tennessee.
In fact, the OU game in Knoxville now shapes up as the Big 12’s most vital non- conference game — the last, best chance for a league team to score a meaningful intersectional victory. Unless you think Texas Tech will win at Arkansas.
Fans and media want to see great nonconference matchups, but teams can pile up better records and climb in the polls by dining on cupcakes as Baylor does.
Let’s rate the scheduling bravery of each Big 12 team:
Texas (A-) at Notre Dame, vs. Rice, vs. California. The Irish are the most difficult nonconference opponent any Big 12 team will face in 2015, and the Owls are no gimme. They’ve been to three straight bowls and are coming off an eight- win year. The Pac-12 Golden Bears are rebuilding, but Jared Goff is a quarterback who’ll make Longhorns fans envious.
Texas Tech (B+) vs. Sam Houston, vs. UTEP, at Arkansas. This is a balanced, chal- lenging schedule. We all know about the physically powerful Razorbacks of the SEC West. Would any Big 12 team win at Fayetteville? Sam Houston is an FCS juggernaut, a team that would win three or four games in the Big 12. Even UTEP was 7-6 last year.
Oklahoma (B) vs. Akron, at Tennessee, vs. Tulsa. About all you can ask of any Power Five school is one dangerous road assignment, and the Sooners certainly will have that before 102,000 at Neyland Stadium. Still, OU could have done better in its two nonconference home games.
Iowa State (B) vs. Northern Iowa, vs. Iowa, at Toledo. The Cyclones probably have overscheduled here. They not only have the annual tug of war with the Big Ten’s Hawkeyes, but also face a trip to MAC favorite Toledo. Even the Panthers were an FCS playoffff team last year.
TCU (B-) at Minnesota, vs. Stephen F. Austin, vs. SMU. As the Horned Frogs found out, one pitfall to playing a physical Power Five team on the road is the risk of injuries. Two defensive starters — LB Sammy Douglas and DE James McFarland — are probably out for the year after the trip to Minneapolis.
West Virginia (C+) vs. Georgia Southern, vs. Liberty, vs. Maryland. The Terps are a Big Ten squad and made a bowl last year, and the Eagles are an up-and-coming FBS program. The problem here is not a single trip away from Morgantown.
Kansas (C) vs. South Dakota State, vs. Memphis, at Rutgers. Sadly, even this collection is far too imposing for the Jayhawks. They’ve already lost to the FCS Jackrabbits; now they are 13½-point underdogs to the AAC defending tri-champ Tigers.
Oklahoma State (D+) at Central Michigan, vs. Central Arkansas, vs. UT-San Antonio. Couldn’t the Cowboys at least “centralize” their schedule by replacing UTSA with Central Florida? Then there would be one decent team in this bunch. The Chippewas, the only road opponent, are a middling MAC team.
Kansas State (D) vs. South Dakota, at UT-San Antonio, vs. Louisiana Tech. Bill Snyder stepped out of his comfort zone in recent years to play USC, Auburn and Miami. Now he has returned to a tried-andtrue formula that helps produce positive results.
Baylor (D-) at SMU, vs. Lamar, vs. Rice. Yeah, the Owls are no joke, but when Rice is your marquee nonconference game ... well, that’s pretty sad. Then again, Lamar outscored the Bears last week 66-56. So what if the opponent was Bacone College?