{"id":9781,"date":"2022-10-02T18:45:17","date_gmt":"2022-10-02T23:45:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/?p=9781"},"modified":"2022-10-02T18:46:16","modified_gmt":"2022-10-02T23:46:16","slug":"a-big-12-football-conference-season-of-seasons-and-it-is-wide-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/?p=9781","title":{"rendered":"A Big 12 football conference season of seasons&#8230;..and it is wide open&#8230;&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4><span style=\"color: #008080;\">10-2-22<\/span><\/h4>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><em><strong>Big 12 Conference is upside down-Kansas on top and Oklahoma in the depths of hell<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/?attachment_id=9788\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9788\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9788 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/6338b5031d247.image_-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/6338b5031d247.image_-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/6338b5031d247.image_-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/6338b5031d247.image_-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/6338b5031d247.image_.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Last week at this time I considered how good Kansas State was after it&#8217;s <span style=\"color: #666699;\">beat<\/span> down on the Oklahoma Sooners.\u00a0 This week I have to also consider just how awful the Sooners are after another smashing yesterday as the Texas Christian Horned Frogs did the Wildcats one better.\u00a0 Is OU now just a team in rebuild or are the Wildcats of KSU and the TCU legitimate upstarts and title worthy in 2022?\u00a0 And do not forget Kansas and their five game winning streak which includes two Big 12 wins and Oklahoma State with an impressive win in Waco over the defending champs Baylor.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">It is an easy thing to say that OU is going to have a hard time in the rest of their schedule as they might be the least impressive school in the conference for 2022.\u00a0 Fault cannot be placed on the Sooner coaching nor on a lack of intensity by their players in getting it handed to them the past two weeks.\u00a0 One must understand that the talent level in Norman is not as good as in the past and the loss of key players to the portal was devastating to the team.\u00a0 OU&#8217;s reload from the portal and new recruits has shown that the team comes out in a negative when you put the losses up against the adds.\u00a0 In reality, OU could get beat each and every week remaining in 2022.\u00a0 The injuries are mounting up and the Sooners just do not have replacements that will produce results that can and will make the team into a winner.\u00a0 With that, this season is not a wash as it gives Coach Venables and his staff time to evaluate what the Sooners have to carry forward to 2023 and to make sure the everyone that is going to be a part of the future teams is given a good look and evaluation.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><\/h4>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">I have no doubt that Coach Venables understood what he had (with his roster and their abilities) at the beginning of the season.\u00a0 With his evaluations of player after four games he knows how shallow his team is and how long the rebuild will take.\u00a0 He is not stupid. He knows talent and has been a part of championships too many times not to have a great take on his situation.\u00a0 The Sooners might suffer two extremely difficult years, 2022 and 2023 before the team is on the winning side of the ledger.\u00a0 Do not think that OU will not be back stronger in the near future and expect a highly competitive team in the SEC when that time comes.\u00a0 But if it happens next year, the team will learn on the job and it will be another learning season in 2023.\u00a0 Expect Venables to red shirt all the players he can not going over the four game limit on play.\u00a0 The group of freshmen in his first class at OU is the real building block of the team and wasting a year would be futile.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><\/h4>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">As for the Big 12 in 2022, we have a wide open league that anyone of six teams could make the Championship game the first week of December.\u00a0 Here is my predictions of the teams that have a better than decent chance to play for the Big 12 title.\u00a0 Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Texas, TCU, Baylor and Kansas.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Oklahoma State&#8217;s win at Baylor has the conservative\u00a0 Cowboy head coach Mike Gundy besting Baylor with field goals and not going for 4th downs at their own 18 yard line.\u00a0 Damn, Coach Dave Aranda, you have the biggest set of <span class=\" fc-falcon\"><b>cojones<\/b><\/span> since Little Tom Thumb. That win, on the road, is the biggest win so far in the league.\u00a0\u00a0 OSU should at least lose one, maybe two conference game.\u00a0 Same with Texas, but their loss to a rather good, not great Texas Tech in Lubbock is not what champions are made of.\u00a0 They could get beat again and still make it. But they have two win of three tough matches on the road and then hold serve at home with TCU and Baylor. They are better but without their star freshman quarterback do not count on it.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/?attachment_id=9789\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9789\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9789 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/6338ceb3b8f10-1024x655.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"409\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Baylor could lose one more in conference and a two loss Bears could sneak in.\u00a0 KSU and TCU are playing great offense but how long will it last.\u00a0 And the Kansas bubble will burst and I expect them to lose at least three conference games but four or five is probably what will happen.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/?attachment_id=9785\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9785\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9785 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/OIP.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"474\" height=\"266\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><em><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">My ranking for the week:\u00a0<\/span> <\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">\u00a0Oklahoma State<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Kansas State<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Baylor<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">TCU<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Texas<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Kansas<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Texas Tech<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Iowa State<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Oklahoma<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">West Virginia<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4><\/h4>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">This weeks Big 12 predictions<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Texas 48 and Oklahoma 24<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">TCU 41 at Kansas 30<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Oklahoma State 38 and Texas Tech 31<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Kansas State 36 and Iowa State 27<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<h4><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Remember sports fans, things can and will happen with this Saturday&#8217;s results.\u00a0 As we all know.\u00a0 And it is never unexpected when the favorite loses and the dog wins.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span> <\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Feature photo:\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\">TCU wide receiver Savion Williams (18) catches a touchdown pass as Oklahoma defensive back Jaden Davis (4) defends during the Horned Frogs&#8217; 55-24 win over the Sooners on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.\u00a0 <\/span><span class=\"credit\" style=\"color: #008080;\"><span id=\"author--asset-8eb06b72-4284-11ed-9ea2-8b4167ae7e2a\" class=\"tnt-byline asset-byline\">Ron Jenkins, Associated Press<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Secondary photos:\u00a0 Baylor coach Dave Aranda is looking forward to fixing a lot of issues during the upcoming bye week following Saturday&#8217;s 36-25 loss to Oklahoma State. <\/span><span class=\"credit\"><span id=\"author--asset-ac067eee-429a-11ed-b482-a711faf72ea0\" class=\"tnt-byline asset-byline\"><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Rod Aydelotte, Tribune-Herald<\/span> <\/span> 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