Big 12 Football: Week 12 Q&A with Matthew Conner of WreckEmRed.com

Big 12 football continues to provide college football fans with endless storylines and drama, as undefeated teams continue to pick each other off, dwindling a Big 12 playoff shot.

As the post-season draws near, teams around the country are grappling against each other for any shot to crack the top four in the final playoff ranking. With the many potential dream shattering upsets throughout the Big 12 conference this season, it brings up many questions. And in this week’s Q&A with Matthew Conner of WreckEmRed.com, we’ll be discussing four issues that were trending this week.

Q: Given the playoff rankings announcement this past week, how, in your opinion, does a Big 12 team squeak into the playoff?

Conner: This is a tricky question because it seems that the playoff selection committee is enamored of traditional powers like Notre Dame, which is ahead of an undefeated Oklahoma State despite having one loss. Thus, the Big 12’s best opportunity to have a team in the playoff might be to have Oklahoma win out.

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The Sooners are the only name-brand team in the Big 12 other than Texas, and the Longhorns are likely not going to reach six wins this year. Ultimately, I foresee Oklahoma winning the Big 12 title and being the No. 4 seed after a loss by one of the current top four. Remember, undefeated Iowa will play in the Big 10 title game, and Alabama has to play a tough Florida team in the SEC championship game so one of the teams ahead of the Sooners will lose in the next three weeks.

Question: With the Bedlam game coming up between Oklahoma State and Oklahoma coming up, who has the greatest shot at winning, and do you think this will serve as the Big 12 title game?

Conner: Oklahoma has owned this series during the Bob Stoops vs. Mike Gundy era.  Gundy’s miracle victory last season in Norman was only his second win over OU in ten years. Oklahoma is more physical and has a more complete team.  Their offense is on fire with the running back combination of Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine making life easier on quarterback Baker Mayfield, who has improved throughout the season. So I’ll take the Sooners in what will be the de facto Big 12 title game.

Question: Does the fact that the Big 12 have four teams within the Top 15 in the CFB Playoff rankings (despite teams’ intentions of picking each other off) make the conference look like a suitable expansion fit for any team looking for an in to a Power 5?

Conner: There are a number of schools that would sell their soul to join the Big 12. Cincinnati, Memphis, Houston (or any other Texas school not currently in the league), and the University of Central Florida have all openly expressed interest in joining the league should it expand. Ultimately, the decision to join a Power 5 conference comes down to revenue, not competition.

The television contracts and subsequent payouts to the member schools of the Power 5 conferences dwarf the revenue any school on the outside of the Power 5 can generate. So despite the competitive strength of the Big 12, numerous schools would bend over backwards to get a seat at the Big 12 table simply for the monetary benefit.

Question: Are there any Big 12 players you think could be serious Heisman contenders?

Nov 14, 2015; Waco, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) drops back to pass against the Baylor Bears during the first half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Conner: The Trevone Boykin Heisman train has been derailed by his team’s blowout loss to Oklahoma State and the ankle injury that forced him out of last week’s game against Kansas. He has also lost his go-to wide receiver Josh Doctson for the remainder of the regular season, just as the Horned Frogs begin facing the other pre-season conference title favorites like Oklahoma and Baylor.

The Big 12 player receiving the most buzz nationally, especially after last week’s performance on national television against Baylor, is Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield. If any player from this conference is going to be invited to New York for the Heisman presentation, it appears that the Sooners’  quarterback is the most likely choice.  

However, Mayfield is still a long shot because his statistics do not jump off the page at you. What has made him a media darling is his story of overcoming what most national scribes see as an injustice inflicted by Kliff Kingsbury (though, not exactly true), as well as Mayfield’s propensity for making the circus plays that end up on the highlight shows. I don’t think Mayfield is the best player in the nation, but he is the Big 12’s best chance at having a representative at the Heisman ceremony.

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Matthew Conner is a 2004 graduate of Texas Tech University. A season-ticket holder since 2007, Conner makes the 14-hour round trip drive to each home game from Colorado. He is currently an English Teacher at a college prep high school. Other than Texas Tech football, his passions are spending time with his wife, hiking, photography, and being outdoors with his three dogs.