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. For tonight’s drink of choice, take a look for yourself. Cheers!
@SuniLeeMuse: If Iowa State does not win at least 8 games, does Matt Campbell get considered for the chopping block? There is a discourse between younger and older ISU fans on his coaching tenure.
Duke: I wanted to tackle this question right off the bat. Where does this Matt Campbell hot seat stuff even come from? Are people that bored? Let me drop some knowledge on those folks who are questioning Matt Campbell as a head coach.
- 3x Big 12 Coach of the Year
- Second most wins in Iowa State history (53)
- Most conference wins in Iowa State history (35)
- Took Iowa State to a Big 12 title game
- Won a NY6 Bowl
- Highest Conference winning percentage of any Iowa State coach in the last 85 years (.515)
- Highest winning percentage of any Iowa State coach in the last 40 years (.525)
- Most Bowl Game Appearances in Iowa State history (6)
Is that enough for all you haters out there? This man has turned Iowa State from an underachiever into a consistent winner over the years. Look at last season. There was a dark cloud over the program with the whole gambling thing, and Iowa State was picked to finish tenth in the preseason poll. The starting quarterback was gone, as well as a few other key pieces, and the man went out and won seven games and won six of them in conference play. They were a legitimate Big 12 title contender in the month of November last season, and they weren’t even picked to make a bowl game. Matt Campbell isn’t on the hot seat even if they don’t win eight games this year.
@MearcatMta: I don’t ask questions; I make statements. Cincinnati ain’t going 3-9 again. Got it?
Duke: I like that statement because you are right. Cincinnati isn’t going 3-9 this year. While I have the Bearcats thirteenth in my Big 12 preseason poll, that doesn’t mean that I believe they will not win more than three games. In fact, there is a good chance they could start the season 4-0 as they will play three of their first four games at home against Towson, Pitt, and Houston. Their lone road game in that early stretch will be against Miami, Ohio, who they lost to last season. After that, things will get dicey, but I have zero doubt that Cincinnati will match their win total from last season within the first month of the season.
@BryanJMetcalf: What are your opinions on the first-to-be-fired list? Billy has the hardest schedule and should probably have some benefit of the doubt
Duke: Before I answer that, I want to point out Dave Aranda (Baylor) and Kalani Sitake (BYU). Both of those guys have the hottest seats in the Big 12 right now without a doubt. As to which coach will get fired first from that list, I am going with Florida head coach Billy Napier. There’s a reason his seat is on fire and it’s because the man is making over seven million dollars a year and has yet to produce a winning season in his two years in Gainesville. Just looking at Florida’s schedule this season, I don’t see them winning more than three games which means that Napier would likely get the boot at some point in November.
@Big12clone: How does Matt Campbell coach ISU to a victory over Iowa this year?
Duke: Iowa State has had some bad luck over the last few years against Iowa, but Campbell finally beat the Hawkeyes two years ago in Iowa City, which is where the game will be again this year. Honestly, if I were Matt Campbell, I would get the ball in my playmaker’s hands. Don’t try and play bully ball against Iowa. Get the ball to Abu Sama III on the outside, find quick ways to get Jaylin Noel in space, and don’t be afraid to throw the ball deep to Jayden Higgins or maybe Benjamin Brahmer off the play action. The weapons are there for new offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser; he just needs to figure out how to use them. And, of course, against Iowa, don’t beat yourself with turnovers or penalties.
@GoClones2019: How many national championships in how many sports will it take for the Big 12 to ever get an honest take from national media?
Duke: I am not a basketball expert by any means, but the Big 12 has won two of the last four national championships in basketball and the season before that, we had a team playing for a title as well (Texas Tech). This conference is by far the toughest basketball conference in America, and even the national media understands that. As for football, things are a little more complicated.
For the Big 12 to get respect in football, we need to have teams win when it counts, which, of course, is the playoff. We can’t have our conference champions get bounced in the first round by some third-place Big Ten or SEC team. We just haven’t seen enough teams from the conference have success in the playoffs outside of TCU two years ago. The more this conference can win, the better the perception will be. Will we ever get the respect the SEC gets? No, but winning will fix a lot of worries that people have.
@Scot8915: Will Gundy vote for Trump in November?
Duke: I don’t do politics, but I will say that nobody will care who Mike Gundy votes for in November if he ends up bringing a Big 12 title back to Stillwater in December.
