Big 12 Football: And then there were two and a championship game

With all the dust settled, who sits atop the Big 12 football heading into championship week? Well, that answer is obvious. Everywhere else? Not so much.

After a season of trying to figure out exactly where the ten Big 12 teams stood based on individual games, we finally have a pretty good idea after 12 games over the past 13 weeks for (almost) every team. Well, except for the top spot, which will be decided this weekend as Oklahoma takes on Texas in the Red River Rematch, potentially for a playoff spot (for the Sooners, not Texas).

So, what do we know? Well, we’ve got a pretty good view of the bottom half of the conference, the top half of the conference, and exactly where that split happens (between five and four). We know that Texas Tech fell apart and will have a new coach next year. We know that we may have seen Bill Snyder’s final game, a massive collapse to miss bowl eligibility. We know that TCU, somehow, pulled it together enough to hit six wins. We know that West Virginia was good-not-great, as is Texas, as is Iowa State.

Before I give away the plot entirely, let’s jump into my rankings. All year I’ve warned that these are predictive rather than reactive, and now, it can officially flip. Let’s react to the season at large in today’s Big 12 power rankings.

Kansas put up a decent fight against Texas, and under the circumstances, that’s all we can really ask for. Pooka Williams continues to be a bright spot, and with a pretty good portion of the defense back next year, the Jayhawks may be able to contend for a bowl spot. Can Les Miles get them there? I don’t know. But I sure would love to see a renaissance in Lawrence.

Kansas State was up 38-21 with less than 11 minutes left in the game and they lost, missing out on a bowl appearance. That pretty much says it all. Bill Snyder is a legend, and it’s time for him to ride off into the sunset.