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 and our message boards! As for tonight’s drink of choice, take a look for yourself. Cheers!
@Vectoze_ asks: I got two questions; (1) Should we overreact WVU lost, or Penn State is really that good? (2) Should College Football have “preseason game(s)” like the NFL? Maybe move Spring games to a few weeks before the season starts?
Duke: As disappointed as I was with West Virginia, they had a bad day. They were flat and they didn’t execute at all. The game plan was bland and the play was sloppy. But at the same time, I believe Penn State is a Top 10 team and will likely make the College Football Playoff.
Now on to your second question: No. These schools schedule these games years in advance and if you want to play a cupcake game or two to start the season then you are more than free to do that. Nobody is forcing you to play Penn State or anyone else Week 1. Personally, I am in favor of schools scheduling an FCS or group of five game right off the bat to help work out some issues instead of trying to do it against an elite program. But it’s also tough to tell who is going to be a quality opponent, or a weaker opponent, when you’re talking about scheduling games 5-10 years out. It’s one of the many flaws of the college football scheduling system.
@KyleGAdema: It’s Monday. How annoying are Hawkeye fans already?
Duke: It’s Cy-Hawk week which means that they are extra annoying. Even more annoying than usual. Take a look at this clown wearing Iowa gear during Iowa State’s game against North Dakota. Who does this??
@wart222 asks: Feels like this week is the best opportunity for the Big 12 to prove itself as a conference with matchups against SEC, ACC, Big Ten. How important are these games?
Duke: After a sluggish opening weekend, it makes this weekend even more important. Anytime you have opportunities to play teams from other Power conferences, it gives you an opportunity to show the country just how good your conference is. It matters for national perception and for the playoff committee. If you are one of those teams right on the playoff bubble, these are the types of games they will look for on your resume, and who knows, maybe the team you beat is the same team fighting for the same playoff spot as you.
So every Big 12 fan should spread the love this weekend and cheer on Iowa State, Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, BYU, Kansas, Colorado and Texas Tech. A strong Week 2 showing from the Big 12 will go a long way to deciding whether or not the Big 12 has a chance to get two teams in this year’s College Football Playoff.
@Particular_Drew asks: Does your preseason opinion of any team change significantly after week 1?
Duke: I am not one to overreact after the first game of the season but there were a few teams who I may be wrong about. Baylor with Dequan Finn could be a team to keep an eye on and surprise some people. The other two would be UCF and Texas Tech. If KJ Jefferson can’t improve throwing the football, then UCF will not be a dark horse title contender. The same can be said for Texas Tech and that defense of theirs. Against Abilene Christian, I felt like I was watching the Tech defense from ten years ago when they played no defense at all. It’s still early so a lot can change as the weeks go on but those would be my quick thoughts.
@CMack0507 asks: Non-Big 12 question but I’m curious your thoughts on Clemson and their terrible showing.
Duke: There are a lot of people crapping on the Big 12 right now and to those people I would ask: Did you watch the ACC this past weekend? Clemson got the brakes beaten off of them and Florida State is off to an 0-2 start after their loss to Boston College on Monday night. Stanford fell short against TCU and Virginia Tech lost to Vanderbilt. The only team that saved the ACC from a complete disaster was Miami who took care of Florida in the swamp. It’s not a good look when three of the top five projected teams in your conference lose their first game of the season.
@JustAKidFromWV asks: Does it get better? I need it to get better before I burn every couch east of the Mississippi with rage.
Duke: While West Virginia’s performance was against Penn State, it didn’t hurt their chance at making the Playoff. As crazy as it may sound, the Mountaineers still have everything in front of them. They have an entire schedule full of Big 12 opponents and just like everyone else, they are trying to get to Arlington and win a Big 12 Championship. It may be a longshot to get there, but I have seen crazier things happen. Just take a look at Oklahoma State last year after getting blown out to South Alabama. Take a sip of some moonshine and move on.
