Pretender or Contender? The Big 12 in 2012

Heading into the fourth week of the 2012 NCAA football season, intriguing would adequately describe what we have seen. Multiple top 10 upsets have stolen the headlines, blocking the Big 12 the contender discussion it may truly deserve. Now much of the college football world will laugh at such a remark. The argument is even made that the PAC 12 is actually the second best conference this year. Speculation is flying around this young season, but what we do know are a few facts. After three weeks of play, the Big 12 and SEC are tied with six teams each falling in the top 25 polls across the country. Much of the great play being seen from Big 12 teams comes from two new kids on the block, #16 TCU, who won the Rose Bowl two years ago against a stellar Wisconsin team, and #7 West Virginia, who dominates opponents with an offense like many in the conference. Many believe that alone could shake up a conference dominated by Oklahoma over the previous decade. Offense is exactly what the Big 12 is known for, and probably the reason most don’t rank them with the SEC. Leave no doubt, offense is everywhere this year in the Big 12, ranking four teams in the top 8 in offense and 5 in scoring. Although they suffered an early loss, Oklahoma State sits atop the list in total offense and scoring. Many argue this is typical for the Big 12, but what many aren’t noticing is the much-improved defenses across the conference. Three teams fall in the top 10 in defense, with Texas Tech at #2, TCU at #7, and Oklahoma finishing at #10. Another point many SEC faithful like to bring up is the poor teams most Big 12 teams have played. As true as this may be, the same falls true with most top ranked teams. What we can definitively prove is the Big 12 is 22-2 in non-conference play this season, topping the SEC who holds a stellar 23-6 record. All this “top ranking conference” talk doesn’t typically get very far, because the common opinion see’s Alabama and LSU playing at a level not comparable by other teams. At this point those thoughts may be true, maybe these two SEC teams are substantially better than anyone else in the country. Or maybe the rest of the country is catching up, and the Big 12 is actually shortening a gap that has existed for many years. To end this never-ending debate, hopefully the NCAA and BCS will give us the chance to first hand see the best conference in the country.