We live in a college football era with four power conferences; two of them (the SEC and Big Ten) are seen as the top dogs, while another (the ACC) is regarded as the clear bottom-dweller.
Because of such extremes, the last one of the bunch (the Big 12) is bound to be overlooked as a “middle child,” of sorts—but it’s becoming increasingly obvious that doing so is a hellish mistake.
Think about it: What are two staples of a strong conference? Your contenders, and your depth. Upon taking just one look at the Big 12 standings after Week 9, both are as clear as day.
First up, we have the contenders. There are three names still deep in the hunt for the Big 12 title and/or a spot in the College Football Playoff, as Iowa State and BYU each sit unbeaten, closely followed by a 7-1 Kansas State.
With BYU not facing ISU in the regular season, we could very well see K-State down the Cyclones in rivalry week and, as a result, leave the league with a perfect squad accompanied by a pair of single-loss ones. Especially with there now being a larger playoff bracket and, at least seemingly, more parity in the Southeast, circumstances like those would be huge.
Beyond that, we have the depth. Not including the ones already addressed, there are currently five teams in the Big 12 that have five wins or more to their name. In other words, there are five teams that are either already bowl-eligible, or on the fringe of it. In a reality where we always hear about how important strength-of-schedule is, having a pool that deep—and looking to grow deeper—is pivotal.
All the time we hear “SEC" this and “Big Ten" that, and everyone else is seen as just some supporting cast. However, when the Big 12’s top half has not just indicated, but proven heavy postseason potential (featuring the groundwork for multiple CFP representatives), I’d say we’re long overdue for hearing something else.