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

When long time head coach Gary Patterson wold have his comeback seasons after a mediocre season the year before, he always had two things that would be a catalyst for turning things around. He usually had an experienced quarterback and a really good defense. He and offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie are all in on freshman quarterback Max Duggan, and the defense has been good, not great. Not only that, the Horned Frogs don’t have the bell cow running back they usually have.

They need to win their season finale against West Virginia to get a bowl game this year. No fear the youth movement just might pay off next season.

Despite the Wildcats losing two of their last three games after a three-game winning streak, we’ve gotten a glimpse of what first-year head coach Chris Klieman wants the Wildcats to look like moving forward. There were questions about the hire since he was from an FCS program. There were several reasons we were excited about the hire at headquarters.

First, he came from FCS power North Dakota State. He took over a winning program and kept winning. In order to keep winning he has to recruit to Fargo. He knows how to recruit and develop talent in obscure out of the way places like Manhattan, Kan.

The Cyclones have had the ultimate close-loss-shoot-yourself-in-the-foot season. All four of their losses have been by one possession. There’s an alternate universe where Matt Campbell coaches an Iowa State team that is undefeated and in the top four in the College Football Playoff rankings. We don’t live on that earth, so the Cyclones are 7-4.

On the flip side, the Cyclones have won at least seven games three years in a row for the first time since 2002 and Dan McCarney was head coach. We at headquarters wonder only one thing about the Cyclones moving forward: Will Campbell be the head coach next season?