USA TODAY International Edition
Major shuffling
Ohio State’s rout of Oklahoma latest piece of evidence
Louisville jumps six spots while Florida State falls to No. 14 in the Amway Coaches Poll,
Bob Bowlsby attended Oklahoma State’s home win vs. Pittsburgh on Saturday. He planned to go from there to the Ohio State-Oklahoma game but was prevented from doing so by severe thunderstorms and instead was diverted home to Dallas.
In other words, it was a winwin for the Big 12 commissioner. Oklahoma State’s victory was a rare bright spot for the conference this season. And he missed one of the biggest disappointments. The Buckeyes’ 45- 24 domination of the Sooners served as emphatic punctuation of a hard reality: The Big 12 is off to a very bad start.
Bowlsby makes a good point when he suggests we wait at least a little while longer to completely bury the conference.
There’s ample precedent, and not all that long ago. Two years ago in Week 2, the Big Ten suffered a terrible day, losing several high- profile non- conference matchups and some smaller ones, too. Among them: Ohio State suffered a home loss to a mediocre Virginia Tech team. But a few months later, those Buckeyes roared through the first College Football Playoff and won the national championship.
So yeah, we heard Bowlsby when he said Sunday, “I think it’s probably a little early to do a synopsis of the season.” But this feels different — and not just because we’re a week further into the season. It’s been a series of terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days for the Big 12, on the field and off. Oh, and in the replay booth, too. The scoreboard isn’t kind:
u Three weeks in, the only undefeated Big 12 teams are Baylor and West Virginia, and they’ve played mediocre to soft non- con- ference schedules. If there is a Playoff participant, it won’t be Oklahoma, which was in everybody’s preseason top five after reaching the Playoff last season but is 1- 2 after failing high- profile non- conference tests vs. Houston and Ohio State. Those were just a couple of the damaging dings to the league’s credibility.
This stat, courtesy of ESPN Stats and Information, is stunning: With the release of the latest Associated Press top 25, it’s the first time since the Big 12 was formed that it doesn’t have a team ranked 15th or better.
The league is 3- 6 against other Power Five leagues and Notre Dame, the worst mark among Power Five leagues. Oh, and 1- 2 against the American Athletic Conference. And 0- 2 against the Mid- American Conference.
Anyone counting on Texas — which showed signs of life in beating Notre Dame in the opener — was yanked back to reality late Saturday, when California outscored the Longhorns 50- 43. Charlie Strong might have the program headed in the right direction, but it has a ways to go. As does the entire conference.
u The league’s officiating, at least in the replay booth, has come under scrutiny for some high- profile mistakes. There was the missed targeting by Texas against Notre Dame ( Atlantic Coast Conference officials on the field, Big 12 in the booth). The extra play given to Central Michigan, allowing the Chippewas to upset Oklahoma State ( MAC officials on the field, Big 12 in the booth). And Saturday night in Norman, after a Big Ten crew missed Oklahoma’s Joe Mixon dropping the ball before reaching the goal line, replay officials didn’t see it, either. All this leads to this question: What exactly are the Big 12’ s replay refs doing in those sealed booths?
u Most important — but, at least for now, least tangibly — there’s the expansion circus, which just keeps bubbling along. Will the Big 12 add teams? Will it interview seemingly every Group of Five school available and then stand pat? What will Oklahoma President David Boren say next?
It shouldn’t be lost on anyone that Houston on Thursday over- came a difficult road challenge at Cincinnati in a game that would have made a nice Big 12 opener. But now it’s time to cue the jokes, like wondering if joining the Big 12 might water down Houston’s and Cincinnati’s brands.
At least half- seriously, though, we wondered: Could the Big 12’ s poor start have an effect on expansion ( perhaps fueling it)?
“There are two separate processes,” Bowlsby said. “The football season is a product of a long preparation going back to right after last season, and now we’re actually playing the games. The other process has been a long process, too. I’m not sure I’d say the two were related at this point.”
It makes sense. But it’s clear the Big 12 probably should be feeling psychologically disadvantaged. Back to tangible results: Bowlsby doesn’t deflect the obvious. “I don’t think we’re as good as we thought we were going to be,” he said. “Either that or everybody else is a lot better.”
QUICK KICKS
u When Trevor Knight trans- ferred from Oklahoma last January, choosing Texas A& M over Auburn and LSU, it seemed an interesting move. That he won the starting job wasn’t remarkable, considering the quarterback turmoil that led to his arrival. Nor was the fact that after only a few months on campus he was being hailed as a leader — he was that at Oklahoma, even after losing the starting job to Baker Mayfield. And Texas A& M appeared in desperate need of a solid presence in the locker room.
u A number of coaches have thrown their support behind the idea of centralizing officiating — meaning a national pool rather than officials affiliated with conferences. The discussion has been ongoing; the system probably won’t change soon. FOLLOW REPORTER GEORGE SCHROEDER