Big 12 has 3 games left, will leave 1 bowl spot unfilled

“Whenever we show up, the stadium’s full and everybody’s ready”, he said. And with the toxic atmosphere in Waco right now, the Cactus Bowl is going to feel more stuck with Baylor than glad the Bears fell to them.

But the seventh-ranked Sooners’ attention wasn’t on an in-state feud on Monday.

No. 11 Oklahoma State and No. 7 Oklahoma meet in a regularly scheduled game in Norman (12:30 p.m. Saturday, Fox), and the victor will carry the pennant.

The Big Ten has two of the nation’s top five teams, according to the Associated Press poll, in No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 MI, but neither is involved in the Big Ten championship game. But since 2005, in the height of the Big 12 era and with both programs near the top of league, Bedlam has become a late-season staple.

These will be the most likely scenarios for the Cats, based on current projections holding out (like a 10-2 Big 12 Champion not being selected for the College Football Playoff). A lot of those throws are low percentage catches, but those guys make it happen a little more routine than most people do. Those September losses to Houston and Ohio State were too big a hurdle to overcome. No. 2 format was the preferred path for the Big 12 going forward. “If you’re asking me a year ago would I have rather have had a chance a year ago to compete for the playoff and win a national championship or go somewhere and win a bowl game, I’d go for the Final Four and have a chance at a national championship every time”. The victor of the contest will be crowned Big 12 champs since there is not Big 12 championship game this season. The Sooners defeated the Cowboys 58-23. Only three of the 30 teams that played in past Big 12 title games were unranked, but it’s still a valid concern. That game was at Pickens Stadium in Stillwater.

Another mindset is to embrace the importance of the game and enjoy the high-stakes aspect of it.

That brings us to this week – championship week in college football and also in the Big 12 – and the 111th game in Bedlam football.

Ultimately, championships are what define rivalries.

Quick, who made the switch from receiver to cornerback in the offseason, played in five games this season before injuring his MCL in OU’s win over Texas. “That’s just the motivation – it doesn’t matter who we play, we just want to win the Big 12 championship”. But it’s heading in the right direction when Bedlam victories decide championships along with bragging rights. The other seven – Matt Campbell, David Beaty, Bill Snyder, Mike Gundy, Dana Holgorsen, Jim Grobe and Charlie Strong – wished to return to the divisional format the Big 12 had from 1996 to 2010.