Big 12 'Ball: National Recognition & Triumph Through Tragedy

By Simon Carroll

After an epic weekend of action, College Football’s most competitive conference gears up for another exciting slate of games in Week 10. Simon Carroll looks at some of the Big 12 talking points ahead of kickoff:

Houston Far From On The Fritz As Cougars Record Emotional Win

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

You’ll all have heard about last year, when Arizona State was predicted to prop up the Big 12 only to win it and make it to the College Football Playoffs. Well, the conference of chaos appears to be striking again; with preseason darlings ASU and Kansas State struggling for consistency whilst the likes of BYU and Cincinnati defy expectations. And no team has raised more eyebrows than 7-1 Houston, who after dispatching the #24 Sun Devils on Sunday were finally ranked by the AP.

Sure, I could wax lyrical about how Conner Wiegman threw himself into the Heisman Trophy race, or how the Cougs’ ground game tore up Arizona State to the tune of 167 yards. But the win was extra special for Houston as it was announced that their strength & conditioning coach, Kurt Hester, had sadly passed away that day at the age of 61. Hester had been battling stage IV liver and lung cancer for six months, despite being given only weeks to live once diagnosed.

Coach Hester is something of a legend in college football, having held similar roles with other schools such as Louisiana Tech and Tulane, where he helped his head coach Willie Fritz win the Cotton Bowl before following him to UH. Many of you know that the strength & conditioning coach is often the glue that bonds the team to its staff, and Hester’s reputation in this regard was second to none. His passing resulted in an outpouring of grief and stories from players past and present – I’ll leave you with my favourite from Nick Anderson, a former Green Wave linebacker who I had the privilege of speaking to before he headed to the NFL.

It was a huge win for the Cougars, one that their fallen colleague would have been extremely proud of. Hester is survived by his wife, Seana, and children Sydney, Rieleah and Remy. Rest in Peace Coach – a man that gave life his very all until the final day.

Big 12 Send Five To The Top 25

It’s about time this conference got the respect it deserved.

Sometimes it’s hard not to conclude that the AP (and, as we’ll find out on Tuesday no doubt, the College Football Playoff Committee) dabble in a spot of collusion to keep as many ACC and Big 12 schools out of the rankings in the early stages. What this means is that, as the season unfolds, programs that enter the Top 25 late have little to no hope of making it all the way into a playoff spot as the opportunities to impress run out. This SEC/Big Ten bias feels even more heinous when you consider that the Big 12 has a far superior non-conference Power 4 win-rate than the Big Ten and comparable to the SEC, and it’s taken until this week for the voters to recognise the breadth and depth of talent in this league.

And so it was bittersweet to see FIVE Big 12 schools in the rankings on Sunday, with Houston (#22) and Utah (#24) finally joining BYU (#10), Texas Tech (#13) and Cincinnati (#16) in the Top 25. Naturally this is a conference so competitive that a touch of cannibalisation is natural. Here’s hoping that the Playoff Committee, when it delivers its own much more important rankings on Tuesday, recognises that SIX other schools from the Big 12 have at some point been ranked this year, alluding to a difficult conference schedule – an argument the SEC has dined out on for decades.

If the Big 12 is able to get a handful of programs in the top 20 next week, it has a shot at sending three schools to the playoffs. Another win for Brett Yormark as he positions his conference for long term success.

The Drought Goes On

Anyone who read my previous article will be aware that I was in Lawrence this past weekend for the Sunflower Showdown, an incredible occasion and a fitting destination for my first time in the US. Sadly, Kansas were unable to match their flawless hospitality towards us with a similar performance, and the Jayhawks succumbed to a 42-17 defeat to K-State, the seventeenth time in a row that the Wildcats have emerged from this rivalry game victorious.

I’m not going to re-hash what I’ve already written; the trip was epic. What I will say is that, despite the setback and Lance Leipold’s inability to win this game during his tenure, the groundwork for sustained future competitiveness at Kansas has obviously been laid. The infrastructure, facilities and stadium are all befitting of a team ready to compete at the top end of the Big 12, and for a spot in the playoffs as a result. Leipold has won everywhere he’s been, has the backing of the administration, fans and alumni, and will see this project through – including becoming the first team in college football to host a game at Wembley Stadium next year.

Despite my gracious hosts, it might be that Kansas State is the more interesting talking point here. The Wildcats endured a horrendous start to the season, but Chris Klieman has managed to steady the ship. K-State is just a 53-yard field goal against Baylor away from winning their last four games, and firing on all cylinders, averaging 38 points during that stretch. Avery Johnson looks like the QB we all thought he was, aided by the electric Jayce Brown at receiver. They’re 3-2 in the conference and have Texas Tech coming to Manhattan this weekend. They surely couldn’t run the table, could they?

Brendan Sorsby: King Of Queen City

As we turn our attention towards Week 10, it’s hard not to wonder how the hell Cincinnati are 7-1. I mean, the Bearcats are literally a one-score loss at Nebraska in Week 1 away from being undefeated. This is a team that was given little to no hope ahead of the campaign; head coach Scott Satterfield was widely considered an underwhelming hire following the departure of Luke Fickell, his time at Louisville uninspiring and shrouded with player unrest. Satterfield went 5-7 in year 1 which didn’t change the narrative, but nobody is worried about his appointment any more…

Key to the Bearcats surprising rise has been an alarming efficiency on offense. Cincinnati sits third in the Big 12 in both touchdowns and average points per game, behind only the explosive Texas Tech and Utah, who have the best ground game in all of college football. Even more impressive is how ruthless they are in the redzone; if they get inside the 20, it’s goodnight. Cincy has converted every redzone trip into a touchdown so far this season, a ludicrous stat to possess through eight games.

There’s more to an offense than a quarterback, but there’s no doubt that a big reason for this is the production they’ve gotten from Brendan Sorsby. The redshirt junior transferred from Indiana this offseason and has been the epitome of this Bearcats efficiency, with a touchdown to interception ratio of 20:1. Sorsby is flying up draft boards as a result – I recommend taking a look at my colleague Jack Brentnall’s latest ‘prospects to watch’ piece.

If Cincinnati is able to overcome Utah on Sunday, I’m ready to go all in on this team making a playoff push.

Big 12: Week 10 Schedule

Saturday:

#17 Cincinnati (7-1) @ #24 Utah (6-2)

#13 Texas Tech (7-1) @ Kansas State (4-4)

West Virginia (2-6) @ #22 Houston (7-1)

Arizona (4-3) @ Colorado (3-5)

Arizona State (5-3) @ Iowa State (5-3)

UCF (4-3) @ Baylor (4-4)

Oklahoma State (1-7) @ Kansas (4-4)

Bye Week:

BYU (8-0), TCU (6-2)

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SIMON CARROLL

Lead Writer, Head of Content

PREVIOUSLY THE FOUNDER OF NFL DRAFT UK, SIMON HAS BEEN COVERING COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND THE NFL DRAFT SINCE 2009. BASED IN MANCHESTER, SIMON IS ALSO CO-CREATOR & WEEKLY GUEST OF THE COLLAPSING POCKET PODCAST AND COVERS THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS FOR SB NATION.

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