Welcome to the Heartland College Sports Big 12 Football mailbag. This mailbag is for all you football junkies out there who root for a Big 12 school and not only have questions about your team but other teams in the conference as well.
So, join me, grab a can, bottle, or glass of your favorite beverage, and relax as I answer all your Big 12 questions. I want to thank each one of you who submitted a question this week on Twitter! As for tonight’s drink of choice, take a look for yourself. Cheers!
@FulhamTexasFan asks: How much time do you give Baylor’s Dequan Finn at quarterback? It seems that the jump from G5 to P4 is not going well to this point.
Duke: It’s funny you ask because I was sold on Dequan Finn after seeing him against Tarleton State. Sure, he made a couple of mistakes but his athleticism more than made up for it. However, against Utah he didn’t look very good at all. Then again, Utah’s defense can make a lot of quarterbacks look silly. I would give it a few more games before pulling the plug on Finn. Baylor has a chance at winning their next three games (Air Force, Colorado, and BYU) before they face Iowa State on October 5th. By then, we should know if he is the guy for the Bears.
@Vectoze_ asks: West Virginia’s defense gave up 300 passing yards to an FCS quarterback. Is that a bit concerning?
Duke: It is a little concerning, but it’s not something I would completely panic about right now. UAlbany’s quarterback had two plays go over 40 yards which helped pad the stat sheet a bit and it was a 42-14 game heading into the fourth quarter. The Mountaineers will play Pitt in Week 3, and then get this, their first five Big 12 games are against Kansas, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Kansas State, and Arizona. We are going to find out a LOT about this West Virginia team over the next few weeks.
@utah asks: It seems like every “contender” has some really big issues right now. Who can put it all together the easiest?
Duke: Just like your username, the answer for me is Utah. They were my pick to win the Big 12 Conference and for a half, they put an absolute beatdown on Baylor. It appears that Cam Rising’s hand will be fine, and they took a precautionary route in the second half. When Cam Rising comes back, there is no doubt that the Utes will be the favorites to win the conference.
@sameSchmitt asks: What’s up with Texas Tech?
Duke: There are a lot of things going on with Texas Tech right now and I may need to do a full article on this topic this week. Offensively, Behren Morton had one of his worst games this past Saturday against Washington State. He struggled to find receivers and it doesn’t help that his offensive line is down a few starters. On top of that, running back Tahj Brooks was out but that shouldn’t have stopped Tech from running the ball. The Red Raiders averaged 5.5 yards per carry and at times abandoned the running game.
Defensively they aren’t much better. Against Abilene Christian they gave up over 500 yards passing and then go out and give up over 300 yards on the ground against Washington State. This team needs to figure it out quickly before the season completely slips away.
@FauxMatCampbell asks: How will Kansas rebound after suffering a huge loss to Illinois and does that loss have any effect on their playoff/Big 12 Title chances?
Duke: They can rebound by winning some games when conference play arrives. Surprisingly, the issue isn’t their defense, it’s quarterback Jalon Daniels. Many people (including myself) thought that Daniels had a chance to get this team to Arlington and maybe get an invite to New York City at the end of the season. But with the way he has been playing I am not sure Kansas will even make a bowl game. Jalon turned the ball over four times against Illinois including a pick six.
Something is off with him because he is missing throws he would normally make, and I am starting to wonder if he is even healthy at this point. There is no doubt that their loss on Saturday hurt their playoff chances because now they will have to run the table and win the conference just to get in.
@wart222 asks: Does having “State University” in your school name just make you better than all other schools in your state?
Duke: It would certainly depend on what state you are in. For example, Iowa is now a Cyclone state so they would be the top school in the state. But unfortunately, that doesn’t work for everyone else. Just take a look at the state I live in: Texas. Is Texas State the best school in Texas? My wife would think so (she’s an alum) but I am not so sure about that when it comes to football. Either way, enjoy the victory Iowa State fans. You have definitely earned it. Cheers!
