Oklahoma, Iowa State Both Look to Make History in Big 12 Championship Game
The meaning of the word history is the study of the past. It can be used in many ways and if there is one thing we can take away from it, it would be to learn from it. Whether history is good or bad, learning from it is key.
Of course, there is that old saying that history has a way of repeating itself and that could not be truer. Just like clothes, hairstyles and many other things, history has its way of coming back around for better or for worse.
Sometimes history has a different meaning. In the heat of the moment, you may not realize that history is happening right before your very eyes. That is what is called making history and you better soak it all in because you never know if what you are seeing will happen ever again.
On Saturday, December 19th in Arlington, Texas history will be made at AT&T Stadium and it will not involve the Dallas Cowboys. It will feature two top fifteen teams in college football battling it out for the Big 12 championship.
Oklahoma is one of the most recognizable brands in all of college football. They are considered true blue-blood and it is easy to see why. With seven national titles and nearly 50 conference championships, the Sooners have been, and are currently the cream of the crop in the Big 12.
No other Big 12 team compares to the Sooners, who have an incredible 13 Big 12 crowns since the conference formed in 1996. The next closest team has three. During this reign of dominance, Oklahoma has yet to give up their conference title streak that started back in 2015. Since then, the Sooners have won five straight Big 12 championships and are pushing for number six on Saturday.
If Oklahoma can capture another conference championship, they would join an elite group of programs that have accomplished that feature. Between all the power five conferences, only two programs (not including USC due to their 2005 season being vacated) have won six or more conference championships in a row. Ohio State did it from 1972 to 1977 under Woody Hayes and Florida State won a whopping nine ACC titles in a row from 1992 to 2000 under coach Bobby Bowden.
Believe it or not, Clemson is currently on the same title run as Oklahoma as they also have won ACC titles every year since 2015 and will look to win their sixth straight if they defeat Notre Dame on Saturday.
While Oklahoma has plenty of history on their side, Iowa State is looking to make its own. It has been well over a century since their last football conference championship which was all the way back in 1912 when they won the Missouri Valley Conference title.
Just four years ago, in Iowa State’s first season under Matt Campbell, the Cyclones finished their 2016 season with a 3-9 record. Since 2016, Iowa State has a 31-18 record overall with a Big 12 record of 24-12. To say things have turned around under Matt Campbell would be an understatement.
Iowa State is no longer a doormat for other Big 12 programs. It is no longer an easy win. In fact, I would say that the Cyclones are here to stay and have surpassed a few Big 12 programs along the way with Matt Campbell running the show in Ames, Iowa.
The biggest game in Iowa State history is just days away. A win would be a monumental program changer. A conference title victory could even push Iowa State into the College Football Playoff when the final four are announced on Sunday.
Without a doubt history is being etched into the Iowa State football program. The question is, how much more will be written?
One program has history on their side while the other is still making theirs. Does history repeat itself or is there new history to be made? No matter what, Saturday will be a day to remember for a long time.
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