Big 12 Football Power Rankings, Week 14: Is anyone playoff worthy?

So the Kansas Jayhawks are wrapping up another three-win season. This season is fairly identical to last year. They are averaging and giving up about the same points per game. This season did see them get their first Power Five road win in a while, and it also featured a four game and a three-game losing streak. The Jayhawks, much like us, are looking forward to the development of the recruits Les Miles is bringing in to Lawrence in one of the most fascinating undertakings in all of sports: making a basketball school relevant in football.

First-year head coach Matt Wells could look at this season in two different ways. He could say, “Man what could have been.” He could look at this season and also say, “Man we are close.”

Losing four games by one possession can give you that perspective. They were close to being an 8-3 team on one hand; they couldn’t hold leads or close games on the other. It depends on your perspective on the Red Raiders. What will be interesting is if there’s a quarterback competition next season between Alan Bowman and Jett Duffey.

While we are summarizing the seasons on first year head coaches, Neal Brown has had quite the up and down year. Coming in, the Mountaineers didn’t have a lot of depth, and there were questions about their offensive line and their running game. There are still questions.

Even with those questions, the Mountaineers upset the Kansas State Wildcats this season and played Texas, Baylor and Oklahoma State within one possession with a roster that lacks talent depth. Brown has work to do in Morgantown, but there are pieces he can build around.

Let’s be clear here, this is not a cry for head coach Tom Herman’s job. This is a referendum on the progress — or lack thereof — he’s made in Austin. Mack Brown was head coach at Texas for 16 seasons with nine consecutive 10-win seasons. That’s what Texas could be.

However, the landscape has changed in the Big 12 and college football for that matter since Brown last walked the side lines of DKR Stadium in 2013. The biggest change which happened during coach Brown’s last two seasons; Texas A&M left for the SEC. That opened the door to the SEC recruiting in Texas. The Longhorns were already losing recruits to the likes of Baylor — insert Robert Griffin III here — and now they have to compete with the SEC for recruits.

What’s interesting to note is in their 24 years in the Big 12, they’ve won three conference titles and played for five. This season might be more about what Texas is than what Herman is.