Fact or Fiction Thursday: Houston the Worst Team in Big 12, Dave Aranda is on the Hot Seat
Welcome to Fact or Fiction Friday (Thursday edition). Each Friday, I give our Facebook fans an opportunity to ask the most intriguing questions in the Big 12 Conference, and I will tell you whether they come true or if they are set to fail. Due to a Thursday night game, I decided to do this a day early. Let’s crack it open and see what we have in store this week.
Texas Will Make the Big 12 Title Game
Fact: Despite the devastating loss to Oklahoma last weekend, Texas still is a really good football team. I mean no disrespect to the rest of the Big 12, but if Texas isn’t the second-best team in the Big 12 then who is? The Longhorns will be fine. They made some mistakes against Oklahoma and paid for it. I still trust this team to finish the rest of the regular season unbeaten. Their defense is physical, their run game is working, and they have one of the best offensive minds in Steve Sarkisian. Texas will be fine and likely get another shot at Oklahoma in Jerry’s World with a Big 12 title on the line.
Kansas State Quarterback Will Howard Has Regressed
Fiction: Will has run the football this season (227 yards and 6 touchdowns) his passing numbers aren’t all that bad. Keep in mind that Will didn’t start the entire season last year and this is his first full season as a starting quarterback. There were going to be some ups and downs and the Oklahoma State game (3 interceptions) was just one bad performance. His completion percentage is up from last year and he should benefit from a soft schedule. If he has another game or two like he had last Friday, then I would worry. Until then, I wouldn’t make too much out of this topic.
Houston is the Worst Big 12 Team
Fact: UCF or Cincinnati could be in this conversation as well, but they will both get their chance at Houston later in the season. And right now, I would favor both of those teams over Houston. The Cougars aren’t good on defense, special teams, or hardly anything for that matter. I don’t trust Donovan Smith in the passing game and each week it seems like Dana Holgorsen isn’t even trying anymore. Have you seen his post-game pressers lately? They are hard to watch, just like the football team.
Oklahoma State is A Good Football Team
Fiction: Oklahoma State is an average-at-best football team. As big as that Kansas State win was last week, it was just one game out of 12. I didn’t forget the loss to Iowa State and South Alabama earlier in the season. I still have concerns about their defense (primarily tackling) and is Alan Bowman good enough to win a game with his arm? I am not so sure about that. With that said, I am glad that they picked a quarterback instead of that dumb three-man rotation.
Oklahoma is a Playoff Contender
Fact: I think this is a pretty obvious answer here, especially after last weekend. The Sooners have one of if not the easiest Big 12 schedules left. They will be heavy favorites in every game, and they should be. Their defense is for real and looks like the best in the conference. Offensively, Dillon Gabriel silenced his critics against a good Texas defense. This is a completely different team from what we saw a year ago. They are tough, physical, and have the pieces in place to be a serious playoff contender.
Dave Aranda is on the Hot Seat
Fact: While Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades may not say it publicly, the thought of potentially replacing Dave Aranda has likely crossed his mind at some point this season. Baylor looks like a shell of themselves from two years ago and they are just a bad football team right now. Outside of one miracle half against UCF, what has this team done well? Nothing. They get manhandled up front on both sides of the ball and nobody is stepping up to make a play. For the people who love stats, I have a good one. Dating back to last season, Baylor is 2-8 in their last ten games. That’s not good.
