Big 12 Scenarios Come Into Focus As OU, OSU Control Own Destiny

For Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, the path to the 2016 Big 12 title is quite simple. If either team wins its next two games, it wins the conference title. That could actually mean a murky path to the CFB Playoffs as well, but we’ll get to that later on.

There are only three teams left in the Big 12 race as OU has zero losses and the fourth place team currently has three. No matter what OU does, the only teams that can catch it are Oklahoma State and West Virginia. So let’s get to the scenarios, shall we? Here are the current records:

• OSU: 6-1
• OU: 7-0
• WVU: 5-1

This is a little complicated because West Virginia still has three games left — OU and Baylor at home and at Iowa State (what could go wrong?) So I based everything on what they did in those two games. Here’s a look at the chart.

This is actually probably more simple than it looks. In every scenario, if OU wins two games or OSU wins two games, they win the league. That accounts for most of the 24 scenarios. West Virginia only has three paths. They have to win out and have either OU beat OSU (this is their best path) or have TCU beat OSU.

There are actually a few scenarios in which OSU could lose to TCU and still win the Big 12 title. It would have to have West Virginia beat OU and then turn around and lose to either Baylor or Iowa State. Then OSU would have to win Bedlam. If WVU beat OU and Iowa State but lost to, say, Baylor, and OSU won Bedlam, all three teams would be 7-2 but OSU would have beaten the other two and would be Big 12 champ.

If OU wins this weekend and OSU loses, Bedlam will be for pride. The Big 12 will already be decided.

My own personal nightmare is Baker Mayfield healing a broken leg at midfield and throwing 7 TDs to beat OSU and win the Big 12 losing to TCU and beating OU to let WVU win the Big 12. This would be peak Oklahoma Stating.

So the mission for Oklahoma State is straightforward: Just win, baby. Just as it has been all season. I personally would love to see OSU and OU win huge this weekend and create one more Bedlam for the Big 12 title. This would be the fourth in six years and the last before next year’s reinstated conference championship game.