Don’t be Deceived, The Big 12 is Really, Really Good

The overwhelming feeling I got from Saturday’s loss to Baylor wasn’t one of sadness. I wasn’t mad or upset or even disappointed. The thing I kept thinking over and over again was, “man, winning the Big 12 is really difficult.”

For the College Football Playoff committee to discount whichever team wins the Big 12 championship is laughable. That’s not to say winning the Big 10 or Pac-12 or SEC isn’t difficult. It’s just to say that winning the Big 12 might be the most difficult.

Here’s why. Not only do you have to perform at the highest level for 14 weeks. You have to keep 85 dudes healthy while playing far more plays than teams across the nation play. There are more variables in play in the Big 12. You have to run two or three or four deep at QB. You have to change defenses like hockey teams change lines.

The committee might scoff at the fast-paced nature of football in flyover country, but it’s not a joke.

“People around the nation have no idea (about the challenges of playing defense against Big 12 offenses like OU’s, Baylor’s and TCU’s),” Glenn Spencer told the Tulsa World. “They won’t know probably until the bowl games, and they won’t be happy when they (face Big 12 offenses).

“With that being said, how do you deal with it? Kids have got to be mentally tough. They’re going to hurt and their bodies are going to try and shut down on them. That’s why I’m so proud of them. There are some creative offensive minds in this league. Our guys have got to be in tremendous condition. Probably even more than that, just the mental toughness involved in it. I’ve talked to other coordinators, and they all agree.”

I agree too. And not only is it difficult, but it’s actually fun to watch unlike whatever it was I watched in Columbus, Ohio leading into the OSU-Baylor game on Saturday evening.

So don’t let the committee steer you the other way. The Big 12 can bang with anybody in the country. In previous years, I would have bemoaned Baylor (formerly lowly Baylor!) coming into Stillwater and laying the smack down. Now? I respect it. Because a rising tide lifts all boat (maybe except Kansas’ dinghy) and as long as teams at the top of the Big 12 keep recruiting stud QBs, the league’s performance is going nowhere but up.