Big 12
North
Colorado
|
Iowa St
|
Kansas
|
Kansas State
|
Missouri
|
Nebraska
South
Baylor
|
Oklahoma
|
Oklahoma State
|
Texas
|
Texas A&M
|
Texas Tech
Big 12
Fearless Predictions
Aug. 30
|
Sept. 6 |
Sept. 13 |
Sept. 20
-
Sept. 27
|
Oct. 4
|
Oct. 11
|
Oct. 18
|
Oct. 25
|
Nov. 1
|
Nov. 8
|
Nov. 15
-
Nov.
22
|
Nov. 29
How are the picks so far? SU:
79-15 ... ATS: 39-46
Missouri (9-3) vs. Oklahoma (11-1)
Dec. 6,
8:00 p.m. ET, ABC
What’s the point?
Whether or not you agree with Oklahoma getting the nod in the Big 12
South debate over Texas and Texas Tech, when all the smoke clears
and the weeping and gnashing of teeth ceases, the system might have
really put the best team of the three into the drivers’ seat for a
BCS Championship spot.
 |
|
National
Rankings |
|
Oklahoma |
Missouri |
|
Total Offense |
|
3rd 556.67 ypg |
6th 509.42 ypg |
|
Total Defense |
|
66th 359.50 ypg |
91st 396.50 ypg |
|
Scoring Offense |
|
1st 53.33 ppg |
4th 45 ppg |
|
Scoring Defense |
|
60th 24.83 ppg |
58th 24.67 ppg |
|
Run Offense |
|
21st 202.42 ypg |
46th 165.17 ypg |
|
Run Defense |
|
18th 109.83 ypg |
24th 119.42 ypg |
|
Pass Offense |
|
3rd 354.25 ypg |
4th 344.25 ypg |
|
Pass Defense |
|
98th 249.67 ypg |
116th 277.08 ypg |
|
Turnover Margin |
|
2nd 1.67 |
55th 0.08 |
|
Oklahoma
UT Chat. W 57-2
Cincinnati W
52-26
at Wash W
55-14
TCU W 35-10
at Baylor W 49-14
Texas L
45-35
Kansas W 45-31
at Kan St W 58-35
Nebraska W 62-28
at Tex A&M W
66-28
Texas Tech W
65-21
at Okla St W 61-41 |
Missouri
Illinois W
52-42
SE Miss St
W 52-3
Nevada W
69-17
Buffalo W
42-21
at Neb
W 52-17
Okla State L
28-23
at Texas L 56-31
Colorado W
58-0
at Baylor W 31-28
Kansas St W
41-24
at Iowa St W
52-20
Kansas L
40-37 |
|
Position
Ratings
relative to each
other |
|
O |
5
highest
1 lowest |
M |
|
5 |
Quarterbacks |
5 |
|
5 |
RBs |
4 |
|
5 |
Receivers |
5 |
|
5 |
O
Line |
4.5 |
|
4 |
D
Line |
4 |
|
3 |
Linebackers |
4 |
|
3 |
Secondary |
2.5 |
|
3 |
Spec
Teams |
3.5 |
|
5 |
Coaching |
4 |
|
After all, the Sooners are
putting on a weekly show never
seen before in college football
at this high a level. 62 points
against Nebraska. 66 against
Texas A&M. 65 against Texas
Tech. 61 against Oklahoma State.
More than anything else, they’re
making it look so ridiculously
easy.
So the defense couldn’t stop the
Cowboy offense last week for a
long stretch. Sam Bradford and
company rolled for touchdown
after touchdown after touchdown
on six straight possessions, and
Oklahoma State couldn’t keep up
the pace. No one could.
A case could be made that OU has
the best offensive line in the
country, or at least it’s in the
top three along with Alabama’s
and Penn State’s. Sam Bradford
is frighteningly precise
game-in-and-game-out, the
running game has speed and
talent to burn, and the
receiving corps is explosive and
dependable. Because of this
attack, OU would likely be
considered the Vegas favorite
against either Florida or
Alabama in the national title
game.
Meanwhile, Missouri, who saw
it’s national title dream go up
in a puff of smoke, or more like
a Curtis Lofton big play, in
last year’s 38-17 Big 12 title
loss to Oklahoma, can’t stop
anyone’s passing game, and is
coming off a loss to a mediocre
Kansas team. The best win this
year was over a Nebraska team
that hadn’t quite hit its
stride, the second best win was
against an Illinois team that’s
not going bowling, and against
the two big boys on the schedule
from the South, Oklahoma State
and Texas, the Tigers lost in
back-to-back weeks.
So really, what’s the point?
The same thing could’ve been
asked in 2003, when it was a
foregone conclusion that
Oklahoma was going to wipe the
mat with an above-average Kansas
State team on the way to the
national title. Instead, Darren
Sproles and the Wildcats blasted
OU 35-7, and then the Sooners
went off to play in the national
championship.
Who gave Texas A&M any sort of a
shot against Kansas State in the
1998 Big 12 Championship game?
Outside of James Brown, did
anyone really think Texas could
beat Nebraska in the 1996 title
game? Who foresaw Chris Simms
throwing a slew of pick sixes in
the 2001 Championship loss to
Colorado when all Texas had to
do was win to go play for the
national title? Unlike the SEC
title game, which has almost
always gone according to the
chalk, the Big 12 title game has
thrown the world a few
curveballs. Missouri has the
offense to give Texas its big
break in the national
championship chase.
Last year, Missouri
had everything to lose and was a bit green when it came to the
pressure of the big-time spotlight. Oklahoma was able to come into
the game loose, Chase Daniel was tight, and the blowout kicked in
early on. This season, no one’s picking Mizzou, even though it has
the nation’s fourth best scoring offense and is averaging more than
500 yards per game, and everyone’s going to tune in expecting to see
the Oklahoma 60-plus point show. However, Missouri has talent on
both sides of the ball, and it has the weapons to keep up a pace
that Oklahoma State couldn’t last week.
There’s also the history factor when it comes to the Sooners.
They’ve only one the final three games in a season once since 1990,
and while the offense is fantastic, the defense is battered and
bruised and the special teams are spotty. Missouri has the right
make-up and enough experience to be right in this to the end.
However, to pull this off, the Tigers have to get creative with
their secondary. It takes something special to have the worst pass
defense in the Big 12 this season, but Mizzou has managed to do it,
giving up 277 yards per game, and that’s without seeing Texas Tech
or Oklahoma. Granted, most teams have put up the big yards trying to
come back against the high-powered Tiger offense, but as last week’s
loss to Kansas showed, there really are major problems with the
secondary.
If Missouri doesn’t come up with one of its best defensive games of
the year, this could be the coronation game for Bradford on the way
to the Heisman. He had one of his more pedestrian games last year
against Missouri, throwing for 209 yards and two touchdowns as he
was still recovering a bit from being knocked out a few weeks
earlier in the Texas Tech loss. It was Daniel who had to deal with
the spotlight, and he ended up going without a touchdown toss for
the first time all year in the loss. This year, Bradford’s the
front-runner for the prize while Daniel got knocked out of the
running several weeks ago, and again, the pressure is flip-flopped
from last year. Not that Bradford has been the slightest bit fazed
when things have been tight.
It’s the official end of the Big 12 campaign after the conference,
more specifically the South, saved the college football season. One
way or another, it’ll be a show with lots of offense and plenty of
big plays. It’ll be fun no matter what happens. With these two
offenses, it has to be.
Players to watch: Give Bradford credit for coming up with
another fantastic season, and for being able to put the ball in
places where his receivers can come up with big yards after the
catch, but part of the reason he’s been so good is time. While he’s
decent on the move, in the quick-tempo OU attack, being able to find
a rhythm is everything. Bradford doesn’t need seven seconds to make
something happen, but he’s getting the time when he needs it behind
an offensive line that’s allowed a mere 11 sacks on the season.
The left side, tackle Phil Loadholt and guard Duke
Robinson, gets the most attention, but senior center Jon
Cooper is among the best in America while some scouts suggest
that the right side, with guard Brandon Walker and tackle
Trent Williams, might have more pro upside than the left.
One of the big keys for OU will be to keep Stryker Sulak from
blasting away on Bradford. Te senior has been one of the nation’s
best pass rushers this season with 8.5 sacks to go along with 48
tackles. He came up with two sacks against Kansas last week and will
have to be a constant force in the backfield for the Tiger defense
to have any prayer of slowing down the Big Red Machine.
Offensively for Mizzou, Jeremy Maclin has to come up with a
special game as a receiver and a kickoff returner. The OU kick
coverage team has been awful, while Maclin is averaging more than 25
yards per attempt. He’s way overdue for a touchdown on a return
after going without one since the opening day win over Illinois. As
a receiver, he has gone over the 100-yard mark in four of the last
five games, and five of the last seven with 88 catches on the season
for 1,175 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’ll also be used more as a
runner.
Missouri
will win if...
Mike Balogun struggles. Oklahoma LB Ryan Reynolds was on his way to
a special year before getting knocked out for the season against
Texas with a knee injury. Colt McCoy picked apart the Sooners to
death across the middle when Reynolds left. In came Austin Box, who
was just starting to come into his own before suffering a knee
injury against Oklahoma State. OU has been a factory for middle
linebackers, but if Balogun, a big-time JUCO transfer with speed and
athleticism, has a rough game, Missouri has a great shot of getting
the offense rolling. You can bet that the Missouri staff and Daniel
have made a point of knowing where Balogun is at all times.
It’ll also be important to come up with third down stops. Time and
again last week, Oklahoma State had a shot to get Bradford off the
field, and time and again the defense failed. OU converted 12-of-18
chances against OSU to go along with two back-breaking fourth down
conversions. Coming up with third down stops hasn’t been Missouri’s
strong suit, allowing teams to convert 43% of their chances.
Oklahoma will win if... Chase Daniel becomes a runner. The
Missouri offense is at its best when Daniel is able to get the ball
out of his hands and to his playmakers where they can do something
with it. When Daniel becomes a runner, even when he’s effective, the
overall machine tends to sputter a bit. Last week against Kansas,
Daniel ran for 103 yards. Missouri lost. His second best rushing
performance this year came against Oklahoma State. Missouri lost. Of
course, Missouri has lost when Daniel didn’t run, but for the most
part, if OU can take away Maclin and Chase Coffman, while forcing
Daniel to look for his second and third options before taking off,
the Tiger offense will bog down.
OU also has to not be afraid to bomb away. Bradford is a master of
taking what defenses give him, and he’s special when it comes to not
giving the ball away, but against Missouri there will be several
chances to push the ball down the field. It’s all about tempo with
the OU offense, and that’s what Missouri’s defense will try to
disrupt. If Bradford is successful early with a few downfield throws
to force the Tiger safeties to play deep, the yards after the catch
will come in bunches once the OU attack gets in a groove.
What will happen: Missouri will play well, but not well
enough. It’ll be a continuous trade of big blow after big blow with
the Tigers hanging around after three quarters, but Daniel will make
a few key mistakes and Bradford won’t. The Sooners will open it up
late and Bradford will have his Heisman résumé padded enough to
answer Tim Tebow’s big game earlier in the day against Alabama.
Line: Oklahoma -17 ... CFN Prediction: Oklahoma
58 … Missouri 38
2007 Big 12 Championship
Oklahoma 38
... Missouri 17
Oklahoma
opened up a tight game with a dominant second half outscoring the
Tigers 24-3. San Bradford threw two second half touchdown passes
with a five-yard scoring toss to Jermaine Gresham coming off a
Curtis Lofton interception to open things up. Allen Patrick ran for
a four-yard score and Chris Brown added two second quarter scores.
Missouri made it interesting at the end of the first half with a
four-yard Chase Daniel touchdown run with 14 seconds to play, and a
tie going into the locker room, on a reverse pass to Martin Rucker.
The two teams combined for 20 penalties for 206 yards.
Player of the game: Oklahoma LB Curtis Lofton made nine
tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, and an interception.
Stat Leaders: Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford,
18-26, 209 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Allen Patrick, 13-88, 1 TD. Receiving: Joe
Jon Finley, 5-34, 1 TD
Missouri - Passing: Chase Daniel, 23-39, 219
yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Jeremy Maclin, 4-40. Receiving: Jeremy Maclin,
8-69
2006 Big 12 Championship
Oklahoma 21 ... Nebraska 7
Oklahoma forced five Nebraska turnovers, including Marcus
Walker forcing a Maurice Purify fumble on the second play from
scrimmage, leading to a two-yard Allen Patrick touchdown run. A
Malcolm Kelly 66-yard touchdown catch later in the first quarter put
the game out of reach. Zac Taylor and Hunter Teafatiller connected
on a 14-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, but the turnovers
and the lack of a balanced offense proved to be too much to
overcome. Kelly closed out the scoring with a three-yard touchdown
catch late in the third. Neither team ran the ball well, and
Nebraska gained OU 282 yards to 265 through the air, but the Sooners
came through with the bigger plays.
Player of the
game ...
Oklahoma WR
Malcolm Kelly caught ten passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Oklahoma - Passing: Paul
Thompson, 19-34, 265 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Allen Patrick, 15-35, 1 TD Receiving:
Malcolm Kelly, 10-142, 2 TD
Nebraska - Passing: Zac Taylor, 23-50, 282 yds,
1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Brandon Jackson, 13-70 Receiving:
Brandon Jackson, 5-28