Welcome to Fact or Fiction Friday. Every Friday, I allow our fans on Facebook and the message board to ask the most intriguing questions from the Big 12 Conference, and I’ll tell you whether they come true or fail.
Now let’s look at this week’s list and see what we have in store.
An unnamed team, Utah, Kansas State or Oklahoma State will make it to Arlington
Fiction: When I did my Big 12 preseason poll in July, my top three teams were Utah, Kansas State and Oklahoma State. Of course, there are the odd surprise every year, but I’m very happy with these top three teams. It’s possible someone from the outside can make it, but I’d bet it will end up being a combination of two of those three teams.
Arizona State will finish with a better result than Colorado
Fiction: I wouldn’t be shocked if that happened, but I’m guessing Colorado. The main reason for that? Shedeur Sanders And Travis HunterArizona State doesn’t have two guys like that on offense. The Sun Devils start Sam Leavittand that’s no disrespect to him, but he’s no Sanders. Both teams have question marks on defense, but I have a better feeling about Colorado’s offense than Arizona State, so I’d back the Buffaloes to finish 2024 with a better record.
More than four Big 12 teams have a chance to come to Arlington
Fact: I had a similar question in my mailbag recently when asked about title contenders. In my opinion, up to ten teams have a real chance of getting to Arlington. Those teams are Utah, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Iowa State, Arizona, UCF, West Virginia, Texas Tech and TCU. I wouldn’t be surprised if any of those ten teams ended up in Jerry World in December. Now, do some teams have a better chance of getting there? Sure, but this is the Big 12 baby. It’s America’s conference and the conference with the strongest presence in all of college football.
Every team will have more than two losses in the Big 12
Fiction: I don’t mean to be rude, but the odds of us having a Big 12 championship game between two teams with three or more losses are zero. The worst-case scenario would be two teams in Arlington that are 10-2, but I can’t even imagine that happening. While I believe this is the toughest conference from top to bottom, I have a hard time imagining teams like Utah, Kansas State or Oklahoma State struggling enough to lose three games in the regular season. And if that happens, the national media will smear this conference and focus all their attention on it.
A Big 12 school will host College GameDay
Fact: At least one or two Big 12 schools will get a chance to host College GameDay. Just looking at the schedule, there are several possibilities for the conference. We could see them in Stillwater on Sept. 21 when Oklahoma State hosts Utah, or perhaps the following week when Oklahoma State heads to Manhattan to face Kansas State. Also, look for the Sunflower Showdown (Kansas vs. Kansas State) or Utah vs. Colorado. With the conference race so competitive, the Big 12 will have a few chances to host GameDay.
