So we all thought the Black Friday grudge match between Baylor and TCU was the game of the year in Big 12 football.
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With quarterback Mayfield at the helm, the Sooners jumped out to a 23-7 lead over the TCU Horned Frogs in the first half last week.
The Revivalry was a relic of a bygone era of college football.
Besides hardware at stake, Bedlam has been drama central for the Big 12, too. “We know it’s hard for everybody to look at you and you to deliver week after week after week….”
TCU coach Gary Patterson said Hunt was having surgery and wouldn’t play, though the coach wouldn’t disclose what the injury was. They’ve toppled four ranked teams this season and the Cowboys would be the fifth if they prove successful, but any of the scenarios that allow Oklahoma a shot at the national title rest on the health of Mayfield. The Sooners, who held on to beat TCU when the Frogs’ two point conversion pass was deflected with less than a minute to go, will control their own destiny heading in to Bedlam, unless of course the committee once again has a last minute change of heart. Last season, the Cowboys returned a punt 92 yards to steal a win from the Sooners.
Whether or not the Big 12 sends a representative to the Playoff, the conference has become much more competitive in the last four years.
Next season, Oklahoma State plays at Baylor on September 24. The Cowboys managed to muster just 8 yards of offense on the ground against Baylor last Saturday night, and it certainly had it’s impact on the game. He is averaging 7.3 yards per carry over that time. Bob Stoops said earlier this week that he would like the Bedlam game to be played in early December “just to have a presence on that Saturday”.
Those ranking placed the Oklahoma Sooners as third in the country.
Gundy expects his team to be mentally ready to come out and give Oklahoma its best game, with the Big 12 title on the line. Last week’s loss to Baylor cost Oklahoma State five spots in the updated rankings, dropping it all the way to No. 11. Ever since the Cornhuskers bolted for the Big Ten in 2011, the Big 12 has seen a power shift from these programsto the “little brothers” of the conference: Baylor, TCU, and in some respects, Oklahoma State.
The Cowboys, though, seem least likely of the three remaining contenders to make a late run to the playoff. Johnson was 5 of 10 for 138 yards and the two TDs against Oklahoma State, even though his practice reps before that had been with the second-teamers and not the regular starters.
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“Coaches who are politicking for leverage are just wasting time”, Gundy said. “I think they understand that”. The coach also said he was uncertain about Big 12 rushing leader Shock Linwood because of a knee and ankle issue.
