Big 12 Football Mailbag: How can Oklahoma, Baylor Reach the College Football Playoff?
Welcome to the HCS Big 12 mailbag. This mailbag is for all you football junkies out there who root for a Big 12 school who not only have questions about your team, but other teams in the conference as well. So, join me, grab a cold brew or your favorite drink and relax as I answer all your Big 12 questions in my mailbag. For those interested, I will send out a tweet (@Derekduke25) every Monday at noon until last call (No, not 2 AM) at 8 PM CT for you to send in your questions to be answered every Tuesday right here at Heartland College Sports.
I want to thank each one of you who submitted a question this week and for those reading, I am glad you could join me. I am doing this on Monday evening and of course this mailbag wouldn’t be nearly as fun without a cold beverage right next to me. Tonight’s drink of choice? An ice-cold Busch Light. BUSCHHHHHHHHHHHH. Cheers!
@Brawny60 asks: Who is the first team All-Big 12 quarterback and why?
Duke: I must go with Jalen Hurts. I know Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy is having one heck of a season but when I look at the overall body of work, Jalen Hurts rushing ability is what puts him over the top. In fact, he is second in the Big 12 in rushing with over 1,150 yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. That’s absurd from the quarterback position. Could his decision making be better as a passer? Sure, but he still has thrown 30 touchdown passes to just 6 interceptions. It’s not often you see a quarterback with these kinds of rushing and passing numbers. Call him whatever you want but he is one hell of a football player and he will be on my ballot at the end of the year when it comes to the quarterback position.
@chicken_coconut asks: Providing Baylor and OU win this week, what would it take to get either in the CFP? Does Baylor even have a chance even if it beats OU in the CCG? Does UT fire Herman if it loses to TTU, or even if they win? Can WVU spoils TCU bowl bid?
Duke: Always glad to see you CC. You are starting to become a regular here in the mailbag just like an old guy in his favorite bar. I’ll let you decide whether that’s good or bad. Anyways, let’s get to those questions.
- I honestly believe the lack of respect the committee has shown Baylor this season has been laughable. They respect Baylor as much as I respect Paul Finebaum. In case you don’t know, I have ZERO respect for Clownbaum. Win or lose, Baylor will be on the outside looking in when it comes to the CFB Playoff. As for Oklahoma, if they take care of business the rest of the way, they have a good shot to get in, but they still need a little help. They need LSU to beat Georgia to open a spot. From there, then you must hope that they jump Utah and possibly Alabama if both of those teams win out.
- Herman’s sit will be on fire if they lose to Texas Tech and fall to 6-6. With that said, even if Texas fell to 6-6 and lost their bowl game, Herman will be back for 2020. 2020 could be a make or break year for Herman if he doesn’t change some things.
- A few weeks ago, I thought West Virginia could maybe beat TCU but with TCU playing at home and with the way they have been playing as of late, I have a hard time seeing WVU beat them. West Virginia is a complete mess on offense, and I am sure TCU will shut them down and hold them to under 20 points. The Mountaineers just don’t have the offense to pull it off.
@Eracer41 asks: What’s the biggest positive to take away from this Texas Tech football season? (preferably that applies going forward- so not Jordyn Brooks being incredible.
Duke: Besides Matt Well’s coaching his ass off, there are two things that really stick out to me. Number one, the play of quarterback Jett Duffey is something nobody is really talking about. Sure, he has had his ups and downs, but you know what? Tech has the second-best passing offense in the Big 12 and Jett isn’t turning the football over like he did last season. That’s a big confidence boost to see your backup quarterback play well considering Alan Bowman’s injury history. Also, how about the job the Tech offensive line is doing when it comes to pass protection? They have given up just the second fewest sacks in the conference and that was a big area of concern coming in the year. These two things have been great to see. Don’t get me wrong, Tech still has PLENTY of things to work on during the offseason (Defense), but these are some of the improvements I have seen this season from this Tech team under Matt Wells.
@ALLIN4CY asks: Why is Charlie Kolar not a finalist for the Mackey award?
Duke: For those who don’t know, on Monday the three Mackey award (Best tight end) finalists were announced. Miami’s Brevin Jordan, Florida Atlantic’s Harrison Bryant and Washington’s Hunter Bryant were named the finalists for the award. I kind of understand the Harrison Bryant and Hunter Bryant picks since each have over 725 yards on the year but both of their touchdown totals are under four. Meanwhile Charlie Kolar is sitting at 649 yards and 7 touchdowns. The most head scratching pick was Miami’s Brevin Jordan who has just 495 yards and 2 touchdowns. How in the hell was he put in ahead of Charlie Brewer? Maybe they feel sorry for Miami because they just got their butt kicked by Florida International.
@Shroudedllama asks: Which Big 12 Head Coach’s house would you like to go to for Thanksgiving?
Duke: I’m sorry Dave but I had to include this one. I obviously can’t pick a skinny coach here in this scenario. I like to eat so I would go with either Kris Klieman, Gary Patterson or Matt Rhule. Those guys look like people who love some good home cooking and I am all about that. Also, beside the great food, who would have the best booze spread at their Thanksgiving? That’s the important question.
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