Big 12 Wrap: Week 13
Thanksgiving weekend was also the final weekend of regular-season games for the Big 12. I'll have some thoughts on the Big 12 regular season at the end of the post, but first this week's games:
Texas 40, Texas A&M 29
Credit Texas A&M for hanging tough with the Longhorns much of the game. That said, did anyone really think A&M was going to win this one? The Longhorns romped to 40 points on a day when their Superman quarterback wasn't even the best quarterback on the field, and that might have hurt Vince Young's Heisman chances. Then again, he'll have one more chance to show off in what will effectively be a home game at Reliant in the Big 12 Championship (Colorado fans do not travel well). A&M fans have to feel a little better about who will be replacing Reggie McNeal next year.
Oklahoma 42, Oklahoma State 14
Casual fans will see the big numbers from Oklahoma's Superman, Adrian Peterson, and assume that he won this game singlehandedly. The real story -- and one that has the Sooner coaching staff looking forward to next year -- is that Rhett Bomar had an excellent showing as OU raced to a 21-0 lead in a quarter and change, then went into a shell offensively for the rest of the game, until things got a little closer and Peterson went off to the races. With a little more experience at receiver and expected o-line juco help, the Sooners should be more competitive next season if Peterson sticks around (he should) and they recruit wisely. Oklahoma State, on the other hand, needs to try to come out of the tailspin.
Nebraska 30, Colorado 3
Husker coach Bill Callahan promised a high-flying NFL passing offense when he arrived in Lincoln. In the last regular-season game of his second season, Callahan may finally have given the Nebraska faithful a glimpse of that offense. To be fair, Zac Taylor has shown flashes this season; maybe it's finally a case of the coaches getting out of his way (a la Vince Young at Texas). In any case, Nebraska took it to Colorado, which still won the Big 12 North because....
Kansas 24, Iowa State 21 (OT)
After Colorado's loss, Iowa State would have won the Big 12 North with a win against Kansas. For much of the game, it looked liked they would get that win. But Kansas came to life late, rallying behind backup quarterback (and former starting quarterback) Brian Luke, who had an excellent game in relief. Kansas likely saved Mark Mangino's job with the victory, which made them bowl-eligible. Iowa State misses out again on the Big 12 title gain, and the right to get pummeled by Texas.
I can't really say I'm sad to see this Big 12 regular season come to an end. The conference was down terribly this year, with Texas being the only elite team in the league and the North being even worse than I thought it would be.
Looking ahead to next year, there are reasons to think the conference might be more interesting. Commenter BradS suggests Nebraska could be up there in part because of a favorable schedule (recruiting also seems to be going well). Oklahoma should be much improved (and it's worth noting again that the four teams they lost to have themselves lost a total of four games), with Bomar and three freshmen receivers beginning to emerge (how good Oklahoma will be depends on how well the coaching staff can recruit to needs). A&M has to be better or Coach Fran will be gone (a terrible schedule should help -- seriously, Army, Troy, and the Citadel?!). Tech will again have a potent offense. And Texas? If the Superman Quarterback comes back, they will be very good again.
Up next: The Big 12 Championship. Does Colorado even have a chance?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/27/05 18:58 | Big 12 Football | Technorati
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Comments
Kevin, of course CU doesn't have a chance. BTW, I must clarify: the Huskers do have a favorable Big12 road sked. However, they do have USC (gulp!) at the Coliseum next Sep. 16:(
Posted by Brad S @ 19:58 on 11/27/05
Ordinarily, I'd say they haven't a chance, but I was there the last time they faced Texas in Houston.
Posted by Aaron Pollock @ 23:04 on 11/27/05
I agree that Vince Young probably lost the Heisman on Friday by not "responding" to Reggie Bush's 513 yards against Fresno State, but I can't figure out why everybody seems to have forgotten about his 506 against Oklahoma State. The media seem to have the attention span and memory of a gnat, and it looks like it gets shorter all the time.
Posted by another precinct chair @ 08:26 on 11/28/05
If I had a vote, it would be Young in a landslide. He's just been amazing all year long, and even without his usual spectacular game, his team still rang up 40 points. Bush is a great college player, for sure, but Vince Young makes this Texas team special. Maybe I'm a little biased because I tend to see more of his games, but so be it.... :)
Posted by Kevin @ 08:30 on 11/28/05
Reggie Bush > Vince Young
VY is the MVP however.
But the Heisman is not (technically) the MVP award.
Posted by Sedosi @ 16:01 on 11/28/05
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